Chapter 588

Aanya's steady façade splintered; she let out a shrill, frantic cry, words tumbling from her lips with raw dread. "If I die, my father will hunt you down! He will gut you alive!"

"Is that the best you can muster? Hollow threats?" Hannah shot back, her tone like winter steel as she seized Aanya's jaw and forced those terrified eyes to lock with hers-eyes that burned with calculated cruelty. "Unfortunately for you, I'm the one holding the power of life and death now, not your father, who's miles away. The one who decides what becomes of you now is standing over you."

Hannah acted as if she were about to hurl Aanya into the sea. Aanya's scream split the air while she clawed and writhed, every muscle straining against the unseen edge.

"Afraid?" Hannah's voice held no mercy. "This is exactly how I felt when you threw me down. Taste that same panic now."

"Don't you dare-let me go! If you throw me, I'll haunt you from the grave!" Aanya wailed, sobs swallowing whatever pride she once wore.

"I have been through a brush with death already. Do you imagine a ghost terrifies me?" Hannah leaned closer, letting her words land like a blade. "By the way, your father is Hudson, right? I hear he's a VIP on this voyage today. Shame he will never know his darling daughter sits helplessly in this dark room."

With that, Hannah abruptly loosened her hold.

Aanya sagged by the window, lungs heaving, her expression a volatile blend of terror and hatred.

Hannah lowered herself until she was level with Aanya, saying leisurely,′′Calm yourself. I won't end you tonight. You don't deserve a swift death. What I crave is a slow unravelling, to savor your collapse."

She paused, as if recalling something. "And didn't you endlessly profess your devotion to Brixton?" she mused. "He told me that he wished you gone. Because his heart belongs only to me. The very sight of you sickens him." This revelation demolished the last of Aanya's defenses. She lifted her head, eyes alight with a poisonous fury.Retribution burned through her veins. Every single person who had ever mistreated her would pay with their lives.

Hannah observed Aanya's reaction, knowing she'd pushed far enough.

She rose, feigning retreat toward the concealed corridor. As she pivoted, a small dagger slid free from the sleeve and struck the floor near Aanya with a metallic ring.

Hannah seemed not to have noticed. Her silhouette melted into the darkness of the passageway.

The hidden door sighed shut behind her.

Huddled on the carpeting, Aanya inched herself forward, wrists raw and bound, fingers fumbling.

At last, her fingertips brushed the dagger's hilt, and she curled her hand around it like a lifeline. She began to saw at the cords with frenzied determination. Freedom. She needed to be free. She would make every person who had mistreated her pay.

Unbeknownst to Aanya, Hannah lingered just inside the passage, breath held tight, ears attuned to the whisper of fraying rope.

A smile ghosted across Hannah's face. Everything unfolded exactly as planned. The blade had been abandoned on purpose. Every cutting comment, every humiliation she had delivered had been arranged to ignite Aanya's fiercest rage.

Hannah had already discreetly moved the nearby patrols away temporarily. Everything was laid out for Aanya.Once Aanya broke loose, Brixton's grip over Hudson would crumble. And in her current state of blinding fury, Aanya would not flee meekly. At a crucial juncture, she might erupt, becoming an unpredictable force poised to wreck the evening and the negotiations.

Satisfied, Hannah did not tarry; she slipped further along the corridor and vanished.

Two hours later, the main salon on the first deck thrummed with gathered guests.

Hannah stood at the edge of the room, eyes on the entrance, certain the esteemed visitor was moments away.

A stir soon rose at the threshold.

Hudson had arrived.

Hannah cast a quiet glance upward and watched a man of middle years enter, flanked by an imposing security detail. His face carried the hard polish of authority and a gaze accustomed to appraisal. His escorts were notably more formidable than the usual contingent Brixton provided.

Brixton pasted on a genial expression and stepped forward to receivehim. "Mr. Chadwick, it is a privilege to have you aboard. Forgive me for not meeting you at the dock. It has been some time, hasn't it?"

Hudson returned the smile and offered his hand in a familiar shake. "Indeed, Mr. Ward. Months have passed since we last crossed paths. I'm eager to see the arrangements you have prepared."

He added with a hint of warning, "You had better make it worth my while."

Brixton's grin refused to falter as he motioned toward the honored place. "Of course. There will be delights to suit you. Please take your seat; dinner awaits."

Under Brixton's direction, Hudson settled into the seat reserved for him.

Brixton clapped his hands.

A procession of women, scantily clad and moving in measured single file, entered, led by Luna.

Only then did Hannah realize why Luna and her troupe had been absent recently-they had been groomed by Brixton for this very spectacle.

Music swelled, and Luna, with the others, launched into an alluring striptease, their gazes heavy with invitation, every motion crafted to entice Hudson.

Hudson watched, brow narrowing, fingertips drumming a steady rhythm on the tabletop; his face remained unreadable. After a stretch, he abruptly lifted a hand to cut the music and fixed his gaze on Brixton."What do you mean by this?"