Chapter 199

Chapter 199:

Kristina’s POV:

I lay in bed, staring at the bright moon outside the window, my heart racing with excitement, making sleep impossible. The thought of Makenna, broken and humiliated, driven to the edge of despair, becoming the laughingstock of everyone, abandoned by the princes, and forever barred from approaching them, filled me with a glee so overwhelming I couldn’t help but clap my hands in delight.

Sleep never came that night, and as dawn broke, the urge to send someone to check on that wretched woman tugged at me. But as I rose, a new thought took root—I needed to see Makenna’s misery for myself, to drink in every drop of her suffering with my own eyes.

“Makenna,” I whispered to myself, “only by witnessing your despair can I quench the hatred that burns within me.”

With Molly by my side, I set off for Makenna’s villa, my stride full of confidence, my head held high. The door was slightly ajar, and I could glimpse the chaos within. My heart leapt with anticipation. Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I pushed the door wide open and stepped inside.

The living room was exactly as I had hoped—a scene of utter disarray, with furniture overturned and objects strewn across the floor. Even the sofa lay askew, telling a tale of a night filled with turmoil. I could almost hear the echoes of Makenna’s cries, see the image of her being beaten and tormented, and a laugh bubbled up from my throat, eager to spill out as I prepared to savor her downfall.

But there was no sign of her in the living room. I hurried upstairs, expecting to find her crumpled and defeated, but there was no one. Confusion crept in. Where could they have gone?

My brow furrowed in frustration as I turned to Molly, who had followed me, her face pale.

“What’s going on here? Where are they?” I demanded.

Molly had been responsible for orchestrating the entire plan, sending that fool to rape Makenna. She had assured me everything was going according to plan, that she had even heard Makenna’s screams not long after he went in, and I had been waiting eagerly to witness the aftermath. But now, there was no trace of anyone—not even a scrap of torn clothing to suggest a struggle.

Facing my growing anger, Molly trembled.

𝓞𝓻𝓲𝓰𝓲𝓷 𝓵𝓸𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷: ⳑ𝖺𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝗲𝗅𝘀⍿𝖼𝗈𝗆

“I don’t know… I really did bring him here last night. I only left after seeing him go in…”

Anxiety gnawed at me, and I snapped. “If you don’t know, then find out—now!”

“I’ll go right away!” Molly stammered before rushing out the door.

I sank onto the disheveled sofa, my eyes catching sight of a thin, dark trail of blood on the floor. A chill ran through me. Whose blood was it? Was it Makenna’s? And if so, where had she gone? More pressing still, where was that man?

Questions swirled in my mind, each one more frantic than the last, as I paced the living room in a restless frenzy.

It wasn’t long before Molly returned, her face pale with dread.

“It’s bad, really bad!” she blurted, her voice tight with panic. “That man has been arrested by the soldiers!”

“What?” I gasped, shock freezing the blood in my veins. “How could this happen? Didn’t I arrange for the guards to be distracted last night?”

I had meticulously planned every detail to ensure the operation would go off without a hitch—diverting the guards, slipping Flynn’s brother discreetly into the palace. Even if the plot was uncovered afterward, Makenna’s reputation would be irreparably ruined. She would be forever tainted, unable to even dream of being with the princes. And if Leonardo’s wrath fell upon anyone, it would fall on that man, not me, the Beta’s daughter. I was untouchable.

Everything had been considered, yet now, the man had been arrested by the soldiers. How? Why?

“It was… Prince Bryan…” Molly stammered, her voice trembling with fear. “It was Prince Bryan’s men who took him. Apparently, Prince Bryan was here last night and encountered Flynn’s brother. There must have been some sort of conflict.”

“Prince Bryan? What was he doing here…”

My heart sank, my perfect plan now riddled with holes.

Molly wasn’t finished. “Now the man’s parents are causing a scene, demanding to see you. What do we do?”

At that, my legs gave way, and I collapsed onto the sofa, fury boiling within me. Why was Makenna so fortunate?

But I quickly steeled myself. I still had a backup plan, another chance to ruin her. Since she wouldn’t listen, I would ensure she found no peace anywhere.

I recalled the second day of the assessment—the hunt. This time, I would see to it that…

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