CHAPTER 87: TWISTED OLD MAN

Katherine glared at the sleek black car disappearing down the street, her nails digging crescent moons into her palm. Inside that car were Alisha and her husband, Dante De Rossi.

Even after everything, Alisha looked happy. Blissfully, mockingly happy. Katherine could still hear the crowd’s excited chatter as Dante had swept Alisha into his arms and carried her to the car as though they were the only two people in existence

"I’m so glad that Dante De Rossi is here to support his wife no matter what."

"He’s so romantic. It’s rare to see such a romantic man these days."

Every word felt like a blade sliding under her skin. Katherine’s mouth thinned into a hard line. There was a time Nathan used to look at her with that same devotion, that same fire Dante showed Alisha. But now? Nathan hardly noticed her. The love she once bathed in had withered, and Alisha—Alisha, of all people—was the one basking in what Katherine had lost.

Her phone rang sharply, cutting through her spiral. Without even checking the caller ID, she lifted it to her ear.

"Come to Celestique. Now." Celeste’s clipped voice filled her ear.

Before Katherine could demand an explanation, the line went dead.

Rolling her eyes, she snapped her phone shut. First Alisha, and now Celeste—everyone around her was pulling her in different directions, piling problems on her like she was a trash heap built to carry them. The pressure was beginning to suffocate her.

Still, she drove to Celestique Entertainment.

When she entered Celeste’s office, the woman’s expression was thunderous.

"After what I told you, you went behind my back and tried to humiliate Alisha?" Celeste’s tone was like glass—sharp and cold.

Katherine raised a brow, unconcerned. Of course the clips from last night had already hit social media. She should’ve known Celeste would see them by morning.

"I told you to behave—"

"And who do you think you are to tell me what to do?!" Katherine snapped, her voice rising with each word. Her fury, pent up for weeks, burst out like fire from a cracked pipe. "Do you think it’s easy? Do you think it’s easy watching the woman who humiliated me live in happiness while I’m treated like trash?!"

Celeste blinked, momentarily taken aback. She’d only wanted to test Katherine, to gauge whether the rumors and crowd chaos were her doing. She hadn’t expected Katherine to confess outright.

But here Katherine was—boiling with bitterness.

"Her husband was there," Celeste warned, narrowing her eyes. "What if Dante decides to investigate and finds out you’re behind it? Do you have any idea what he could do to you?"

But Katherine only gave a small laugh, sharp and humorless.

"They won’t find out. I paid those people enough money to keep their mouths shut. They won’t risk crossing me."

"And you really believe that?" Celeste asked, incredulous. "That their silence is something you can buy permanently?"

Katherine shrugged, lowering herself into one of the leather chairs as though the whole thing were a trivial inconvenience.

"If things backfire, I’ll deny everything. Simple." She waved a dismissive hand. "Now, is that all you called me here for? To scold me like a child?"

Celeste’s jaw tightened. She wanted Katherine gone from her company, wiped clean from Celestique’s glossy walls. But until she secured a replacement investor, her hands were tied.

She exhaled slowly, keeping her composure. "The Top Model Awards are in two weeks. You’ve been nominated. Stella will give you the full rundown on what’s required of you."

Katherine blinked, stunned for the first time in days. A nomination. After years of clawing for recognition, the crown jewel of modeling was finally within reach.

But then Celeste’s next words shattered her fantasy.

"Alisha De Rossi has also been nominated."

Katherine froze. The air seemed to leave the room.

"What? How’s that even possible? She’s a rookie! She doesn’t know anything about this industry—she hasn’t paid her dues!"

"That’s not your concern," Celeste said coolly. "What matters is if you want any chance of winning, you’ll stay scandal-free for the next two weeks. One misstep, and the award will slip through your fingers. Do I make myself clear?"

Katherine clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. Without another word, she rose and stormed out.

Her heels clicked against the polished floor as her thoughts boiled. She would not let Alisha steal this from her. This award would rewrite her name, bury her scandals, and put her back on the throne where she belonged. And she would do whatever it took.

**

Night settled over the city, shadows stretching long and cold. In a remote warehouse, Dante and Mr. De Rossi stood shoulder to shoulder, inspecting weapons laid out neatly on steel tables.

The smell of oil and gunmetal hung heavy in the air. Crates were stacked high, each stamped with numbers that spoke of deals struck in the shadows.

Dante moved methodically, checking magazines, counting ammunition, his jaw set in quiet determination. He was eager to finish and return to Alisha. But his father’s presence slowed everything down.

Mr. De Rossi’s mind was elsewhere. Every so often, his hands stilled on a rifle, his gaze drifting into the distance. His thoughts, dark and restless, circled back to James.

Days had passed since he’d sent James to dig deeper into Alisha’s past, specifically her sister’s. And yet—no calls, no texts. No sign of him at all.

The silence gnawed at him.

"How well do you know Alisha?" his father asked suddenly, his voice breaking the hum of the warehouse.

Dante paused, not looking up. "I know her well enough."

A cold stare burned into his back. "Do you know she’s a killer?"

Dante’s head snapped up, disbelief etched across his face. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Mr. De Rossi’s voice hardened, every word dripping with suspicion. "James went digging into her background. Now he’s gone. Vanished without a trace. And I know—I know she had something to do with it."

Dante’s brows furrowed, his grip on the weapon tightening. "Missing? James is a grown man. He doesn’t just go missing. And you think Alisha of all people, had him killed?"

His father’s lip curled. "Don’t be naive. If she did it, then she’s not the innocent little thing you think she is. A woman who wouldn’t blink before spilling blood is dangerous."

For a moment, silence stretched between them, the weight of the accusation pressing thickly in the air.

Then Dante scoffed, turning to face him fully. "Alisha is not that kind of person. Unlike you, who kills without hesitation to get whatever you want—don’t assume the rest of the world is as twisted as you."