Cindy slammed her apartment door shut and stormed inside, the heels of her boots clacking loudly against the wooden floor. She threw her designer handbag onto the couch with a force that could have scared the neighbors downstairs. The bag bounced off and hit the floor with a dull thud, but Cindy didn't care. She was a swirling cocktail of anger, fear, and annoyance. Eligos had promised her-PROMISED-that no one would find out.

And yet here she was, shaking with frustration, knowing Claire Peterson was onto her.

"She threatens me! She freaking threaten me."

Snatching her bag back up, Cindy rummaged through it and yanked out her phone. Without hesitation, she dialed Eligos's number.

It went straight to voicemail.

"Ugh, you jerk. How hard can it be to answer a damn phone call." she hissed through clenched teeth. Tossing the bag aside again, she immediately redialed. And again. And again. On the fifth try, when the voicemail cut in yet again, Cindy let out a string of curses that would make a sailor blush.

"Don't you dare ignore me, Eligos! Pick up the call!" she snapped at her phone, pacing furiously around the room. She redialed one more time, and this time, after several rings, the line clicked.

"What?" Eligos's voice was sharp, laced with irritation. "Why are you blowing up my phone like this? I'm busy. I don't always have my phone with me and stop calling me nonstop. Didn't I tell you?"

"Oh, don't you dare start with that!" Cindy snapped back, her voice high-pitched with fury. "Do you even care what you've gotten me into? Claire found out!"

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Found out what?" Eligos asked, his tone suddenly colder.

Cindy groaned and pressed a hand to her forehead. "That I drugged Adrian, you idiot! She confronted me today at the mall. And let me tell you, it was not a pleasant conversation!"

"How the hell did she figure it out?" Eligos's voice hardened.

"Oh, I don't know, genius. Maybe because she's not stupid like you think she is!" Cindy paced faster, her free hand clenching into a fist. "Didn't you say no, didn't you SWEAR-that no one would know? That it was foolproof?"

"It is foolproof," Eligos shot back, his calm demeanor slipping. "Or it was. You must have messed up somewhere."noveldrama

"Messed up?!" Cindy's voice hit a screechy octave. "I did exactly what you told me to do! You even gave me the vial, Eligos! But now Claire's out here threatening me like she's some mafia queen. She's not supposed to know anything!" "Calm down, Cindy." Eligos tone is calm but cold at the same time.

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down! This is your fault, and you're going to fix it!"

"Watch your tone, Cindy. Remember who you are talking to." Eligos voice hissed coldly through the phone that send shiver down her spine but she tries to ignore it and focus on her anger instead.

Meanwhile, back at Claire's penthouse, things couldn't have been more different. The spacious room was lit with a soft golden glow as Claire stood in front of her closet, deciding on what to wear for dinner. True to her promise to Adrian, she'd showered and freshened up, and now she was smiling at a text he'd sent moments ago.

Adrian: Picking you up in an hour. Can't wait to see you.

Claire's lips curled into a soft smile, the kind that felt like a little hug from the inside. She still felt a pang of guilt for getting mad at him earlier. Deep down, she knew Adrian would never do something so low-he wasn't that kind of man. But the fear and jealousy had bubbled up anyway, thanks to her messy past.

Alexander's betrayal three years ago had left scars, and even though Adrian was nothing like him, old wounds had a way of reopening at the worst times. Shaking off the thought, Claire focused on her outfits, holding up a sleek black dress in front of her. "Too formal," she muttered, tossing it onto the bed. She reached for a soft blue one instead. "Better."

While Claire debated accessories, Cindy was still pacing her apartment, her phone pressed so hard to her ear she might've absorbed it.

"Listen, Claire's not stupid," Eligos finally said, his voice calm but tinged with annoyance. "But there's no way she figured it out on her own. Someone tipped her off."

"Tipped her off?" Cindy scoffed. "Who? The ghost of Sherlock Holmes? You think I went around broadcasting my crimes?"

"Don't get dramatic, Cindy."

"Oh, I'm the dramatic one now?!"

Cindy threw her free hand in the air.

"You're unbelievable. You swore up

and down that this would stay buried. And now I'm out here dodging Claire Peterson like she's Batman and I'm some low-level thug!"

Eligos sighed. "You're overreacting."

"Overreacting? She's threatening me, Eligos!"

"What exactly did she say?"

"She told me " Cindy stopped, a flicker of fear passing over her face. "Well, she basically said she knows. And that if I don't stay away, there will be 'consequences."

Eligos let out a low hum of thought, his tone still eerily calm. "She's bluffing."

"Bluffing? Are you listening to me? She's not bluffing. She knows I was at the banquet, and she knows about Adrian. And if she knows that, it's only a matter of time before she connects the dots to you!" "That's not going to happen."

"Oh, really? Care to tell me why not, oh wise one?" Cindy crossed her arms, glaring at nothing in particular.

"Because you're going to keep your mouth shut," Eligos said firmly.

"Cindy," Eligos's voice dropped an octave, a hint of warning in his tone, "let me remind you of all the things I've done for you. Do I really need to list them?"

Cindy froze, her breath catching in her throat.

"I'm the reason your career wasn't flushed down the drain," Eligos continued, his voice smooth but sharp. "I'm the reason you've still got your cushy little life, your apartment, and your designer shoes. Without me, you'd be-"

"All right, all right!" Cindy snapped, cutting him off. She squeezed her eyes shut, her shoulders slumping. "Fine. I get it." "So what did you tell her?"

Cindy sighed. "I told her I was the one who did and that I was jealous of her life. Don't worry, I didn't tell her about you."

"Good girl," Eligos said with a

satisfied smirk she could practically hear through the phone. "Remember no one should know that you are working with me. I'm being serious, Cindy Marshal. If I hear a word that you tell Claire that you are working with me...your life would go down the drain in a snap of a finger. Understand?" Eligos said coldly.

"Understand."

"Good. Now try to lay low and don't do stupid shit that will get Claire's attention."

Cindy muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Jerk."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Goodbye, Eligos." She ended the call before he could say another word, tossing her phone onto the couch and collapsing beside it.