Reborn To Change My Fate-Chapter 277 - Two Hundred And Seventy Six

The hallway was quiet. The servants were busy in the kitchens preparing for the midday meal. It was the perfect time.

Ashlyn stood in front of the door of the master bedroom. She looked left, then right. The coast was clear. She turned to her maid who was shaking with nervousness.

"Stand here," Ashlyn ordered in a sharp whisper. "If you see anyone coming, especially my sister, the housekeeper or the Grand Duke, cough loudly. Do you understand?"

The maid nodded, twisting her apron in her hands. "Yes, My Lady. But... if we get caught..."

"We won’t get caught unless you fail to do your job," Ashlyn snapped.

Ashlyn pushed the door open and slipped inside.

The bedroom was warm and smelled faintly of lavender and Derek’s sandalwood soap.

Ashlyn felt a wave of bitter jealousy wash over her. This room was huge. The bed was draped in fine silk. The windows looked out over the best view of the garden. This was the life she wanted. This was the life Marissa had stolen from her.

She didn’t have time to be jealous. She had a job to do.

She walked quickly to the large wardrobe standing against the far wall. It was a massive piece of furniture, carved with the Thompson family crest.

She pulled the doors open.

Rows of beautiful dresses hung inside. There were gowns of velvet, silk, and satin in every color. Ashlyn ran her hand over a blue dress. It was soft and expensive.

"She lives like a queen," Ashlyn muttered to herself.

She began to search. She pushed the dresses aside, looking for the undergarments. Prince Liam had been specific. He wanted something personal. Something that touched her skin.

As she moved a stack of folded linens on the shelf, her hand brushed against something hard. A heavy book was hidden under the clothes. As she moved the book, a thick envelope that was tucked inside it slid out.

It fell to the floor with a soft thud.

Ashlyn froze. She looked at the door, but the maid didn’t cough.

She bent down and picked up the envelope. It was made of thick, expensive paper. The wax seal on the back was already broken.

Curiosity got the better of her. She opened it.

She pulled out the document inside. It was a legal paper. She scanned the words, her eyes widening with every line.

"Agreement of Divorce... between Derek Thompson and Marissa Austen... effective one year from the date of marriage..."

Ashlyn gasped. She covered her mouth with her hand.

"A divorce agreement?" she whispered to the empty room.

She looked at the date at the bottom. It was signed days after they got married.

"They actually signed the divorce paper a long time ago," she realized. A slow, cruel smile spread across her face.

"They are faking it," she thought. "The happy couple. The lovebirds. It is all a lie. They planned to separate from the beginning."

This was better than a chemise. This was a weapon. This was something that could destroy Marissa’s reputation and humiliate Derek.

She quickly folded the paper and put it back into the envelope. She shoved the envelope deep into the pocket of her dress.

"I have you now, sister," she whispered.

She turned back to the wardrobe. She still needed to finish her task for Liam. She searched through the drawers until she found what she was looking for.

It was a chemise made of white lace and silk. It had Marissa’s signature embroidery on the hem. It was delicate and intimate. Ashlyn snatched it up.

She quickly arranged the wardrobe back to how she saw it. She smoothed the clothes and placed the book back in its spot, making sure nothing looked disturbed.

She closed the wardrobe doors softly.

She walked to the bedroom door and opened it a crack. The maid was still standing there, looking pale.

Ashlyn stepped out. "Let’s go," she said.

~ ••••• ~

Marissa walked through the main hall of the Golden Swan. She was dressed in a simple but elegant green dress, holding a ledger in her hand. She was there for the spring inspection.

" The wine shipment from the south is late," Marissa said to the manager, a stout man named Mr. Brown. "We need to find a new supplier if they delay again."

"Yes, Your Grace," Mr. Brown said, taking notes. "And the silk for the new curtains?"

"It should arrive tomorrow," Marissa replied. She touched a table, checking for dust. It was clean.

Just then, a man in a dark uniform approached them. He wasn’t one of the Golden Swan’s staff. He was a royal guard.

"Grand Duchess," the man said, bowing stiffly.

Marissa didn’t look up from her ledger. "I am busy."

"His Highness, Prince Liam, wishes to see you," the guard said.

Marissa paused. She closed the ledger with a sharp snap.

"Tell His Highness that I am here for work, not for social calls," Marissa said coldly. "I do not have time."

She turned to walk away.

The guard stepped in front of her. It was a bold move. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"He insists," the guard said, lowering his voice. "He is in the private VIP room upstairs. He has one of your dancers hostage."

Marissa’s eyes narrowed. "What?"

"He says that if you don’t come, he will kill her," the guard recited, his face blank. "And he will give a justifiable reason for the act. He will say she tried to assassinate him."

Marissa clenched her fists. If a dancer was killed at the Golden Swan by a Prince, it would ruin the business. But more importantly, an innocent girl would die because of Liam’s obsession.

She sighed, a sound of deep frustration.

"Fine," she said.

She handed the ledger to Mr. Brown. "Wait here."

She walked up the grand staircase. Her heart was beating steady and slow. She wasn’t afraid of Liam, but she was tired of his games.

She reached the door of the private room. The guards outside opened it for her.

Marissa entered.

The room was dimly lit, smelling of heavy incense and sweet wine.

"With so many beauties around you, why are you fixated on me alone?" Marissa said as she entered.

She didn’t greet him. She didn’t curtsy. She stood tall, looking at the scene before her with disgust.

Liam was sitting on a velvet sofa. In front of him, sitting on the floor, was a young dancer. The girl was crying silently. Her hands and legs were tied with ropes.

Liam held a sharp dagger against the girl’s white throat. A single drop of blood beaded on her skin where the metal pressed too hard. In his other hand, he held a folded piece of paper.

Liam looked up at Marissa. His eyes were bright with a twisted sort of joy.

"Because only you are the woman I desire but cannot possess," Liam said smoothly.

He didn’t move the knife.

"There are thousands of women who would jump into my bed," Liam continued. "But you... you look at me like I am dirt. It makes me want you more."

Marissa’s face was cold. She looked at the crying girl, then back at the Prince.

"Let her go," Marissa said. "She has nothing to do with this."

Liam smiled. "I never intended to hurt her."

He pulled the dagger away. With a swift motion, he cut the ropes binding the girl’s hands.

"Go," Liam ordered the girl.

The dancer scrambled to her feet, sobbing. She didn’t look back. She ran out of the room, the door closing behind her with a bang.

Now they were alone.

Marissa didn’t relax. She watched Liam carefully. He was playing with the dagger, flipping it from hand to hand.

"What do you want?" Marissa asked. "You went through all this trouble just to get me in a room? It is childish."

"I wanted to talk," Liam said. "And I wanted to show you something."

He lifted the paper in his left hand. He unfolded it slowly.

Marissa watched him. She felt a strange unease in her stomach.

Liam began to read.

"This agreement is made between Derek Thompson and Marissa Austen," Liam read, his voice mocking.

Marissa froze. The air left her lungs.

"The marriage will be dissolved in exactly one year," Liam continued reading. "Both parties agree to live separately after the term ends. No claims will be made on each other’s assets."

He looked up at her.

"A divorce in one year?" Liam asked.

He stood up slowly.

"So," he said, taking a step toward her. "You and Derek were planning to divorce all along. The great love story. The loyal wife waiting for her husband. It was all a contract."

Marissa felt the blood drain from her face. That paper was her own copy, hidden in the bottom of her wardrobe, inside a book she never opened. How did he get it?

Ashlyn.

It had to be Ashlyn. No one else had access. No one else was snake enough to steal from her room.

"Give that to me," Marissa said. Her voice was low and dangerous.

Liam shook his head. "That actually saves me a lot of trouble."

He walked around the sofa, coming closer to her.

"I thought I had to kill Derek to get you," Liam said. "I thought I had to destroy the Thompson family to make you a widow. But I don’t have to do that."

He smiled.

"I just have to wait," he said. "Or... I can speed things up. Imagine if the King sees this. Imagine if the public sees this. The Grand Duke, deceiving the King with a fake marriage for reasons best known to him."

Marissa’s anger flared hot and bright. This document could ruin Derek. It could ruin everything they had built.

She didn’t think. She reacted.

Marissa walked toward him in furious steps.

"You have no right!" she shouted.

She reached out. She was about to snatch the paper from him.

But Liam was faster. And he was taller.

He raised his hand high above her head, holding the paper out of her reach.

Marissa lunged for it, but she missed.

Her momentum carried her forward. She slammed into him.

She found herself standing so close to him that their chests were almost touching. She looked up, her eyes blazing with fury.

He looked down, his eyes filled with triumph.

"Careful, Marissa," Liam whispered. He didn’t step back. He lowered his face until it was inches from hers. "You are entering the lion’s den."

Marissa glared at him. She could smell the wine on his breath. She could feel the heat radiating from his body. She was trapped between his body and the heavy table behind her.

"Give it to me," she demanded, breathless with rage. "It is stolen property."

"It is leverage," Liam corrected her.

"You won’t use it," Marissa said. "If you expose this, you admit to stealing from a Grand Duke’s home."

"I won’t expose it," Liam said softly. "Not if you give me what I want."