CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY FOUR – IT WAS A SETUP!

Lance nodded, his expression grim as they began to weave their way through the crowd, closing the distance between themselves and their target. Kayla's heart raced with each step, her mind racing with a thousand contingencies, a thousand ways this could all go horribly awry. But she pushed those doubts aside, drawing strength from the unwavering love and loyalty that bound her to Lance. They had come too far, sacrificed too much, to let Veronica slip through their grasp now. As they drew nearer, Kayla could make out the low, sultry tones of Veronica's voice, the words themselves indistinct but the undercurrent of smug self-satisfaction unmistakable. It was enough to make Kayla's blood boil, her fingers itching to tear away the veil of lies and expose the viper lurking beneath. Steeling herself, Kayla straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin, every inch the poised socialite as she glided towards Veronica's little coterie. "Darling," she purred, her voice dripping with saccharin