Chapter 50

Vivienne grumbled, a pout twisting her perfectly-lined lips. ‘But she already hates me! How am I supposed to—’ ‘Think of the prize, you twit,’ Sebastian said impatiently. ‘That mansion, your playground. The diamonds Elodie flaunts like costume jewellery, yours for the taking. All you have to do is play the loyal lapdog until her guard crumbles. Then, bam! We strike, and Elodie Fontaine becomes a footnote in our glorious rise to power.’ Vivienne sucked in a shuddering breath, a sliver of ambition glinting in her tear-rimmed eyes. ‘But how do I get back in? She expects me to be out of the house by tonight.’ The line crackled with Sebastian’s irritated sigh. ‘Vivienne, are you asking me how to crawl? Apologise to the housekeeper, beg, grovel, whatever it takes. You’re supposed to be a viper, not a goldfish. Don’t need a map for that, do you?’ Vivienne huffed, flipping off the screen like a petulant princess denied her tiara. She stopped packing. Elodie, still listening from her car, shook