Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Then, out of nowhere, a lit cigarette butt flew by. Clara kicked open the passenger door, falling backward, and hit her head on the ground so hard it made her stomach churn. Flames whisked past her ear, drawing Ryan out of the villa in a panic.

"Clara!" he shouted, his voice laced with fear as he rushed over, his hands shaking. Clara was worried those guys might target Ryan next. She wanted to tell him to stay inside, but they'd already disappeared. Everything happened in a blur.

As Ryan helped her up, the smell of gasoline clung to her pants. His hands trembled as he asked, “What just happened?"

Clara had parked just outside his villa, and if anyone was suspicious, Sarah would be the first to come to mind. In Sarah's eyes, with Ryan back to full health, the company should be his, and Clara was just in the way. But Clara couldn't believe Sarah would be so overt about it.

Her phone buzzed in her hand, Megan's frantic voice breaking through. "Clara, are you okay? What's going on?"

Clara took a deep breath, steadying herself. "It's fine, don't worry. I've just got some things to handle. I'll call you back."

Megan had a pretty good idea of what went down and, fuming, she dialed Eden. Who else would pull something this stupid? When Eden picked up, she let out a cold laugh.

"You're blaming me? All I did was say a few things to Jeffree to get under her skin, and now she's gunning for Clara. Even if Clara investigates, it'll all lead back to Jeffree. Especially with her boyfriend drama tied up with Clara."

Jeffree had finally caught Jared's attention and was so close to success, only to have Clara knock her down. She felt robbed of her life by Clara and, in her desperation, was capable of anything.

Megan tightened her grip on the phone, taking a deep breath. "Ms. Eden, I don't want to get dragged into this mess. Control your people."

Eden just scoffed. "Megan, you're pathetic, scared of everything, pitiful. You actually hate Clara, don't you? Yet you keep smiling at her. Isn't that exhausting? You think she wants to be your friend? She looks down on you. You're just a rat in the gutter. Oh, and by the way, Dylan's heart belongs to Clara. He'd deceive everyone for her. You never stood a chance. You'll always be watching from a distance, too scared to even approach him."

Her words hit Megan where it hurt, her face twisting with frustration as she nearly crushed the phone in her hand. Eden, used to bossing people around, didn't think there was anything wrong with what she said. In her eyes, Megan was just a lowly creature daring to dream too big.noveldrama

After hanging up, Megan glared at the screen, her expression dark. Then, unexpectedly, she smiled, a cold smirk curling her lips.