A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 319

Xenia answered before Darleen could, her voice dripping with resentment. “Who else? Starla!”

The name fell like a stone in the quiet room. Brinley’s face darkened.

“How could she? Where did she get that kind of money? The blue diamond is worth a fortune.”

“Herbert, of course!” Xenia spat. “That shameless vixen!”

“That’s enough!” Darleen snapped. The last thing she wanted to hear was how Herbert was lavishing money on Starla, making Fairfax look weak and foolish in comparison. The whole affair had been a public spectacle.

“She didn’t just get the blue diamond,” Xenia added, still fuming. “She took the red one, too.” She had been hoping to get a little red diamond for herself as a consolation prize, but they had come away with nothing.

Brinley’s hands clenched into fists. That bitch! She had wanted that blue diamond for so long, dropping hints to Darleen for months. And Starla had just waltzed in and taken it. Why was she always trying to undermine her?

...

Meanwhile, at Cosmos Summit, Garret had delivered all of Starla’s auction winnings to her room.

“It just goes to show you,” Tanya said fiercely, “you need your own power, your own family. A man, especially one like Fairfax, is useless.”

She had no doubt Fairfax was aware of the subtle cruelties Starla had endured; he had simply chosen to ignore them for the sake of peace.

“So, when are you moving back to the Yelchin estate?” Tanya asked, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. “I can’t wait for the fireworks.”

She leaned forward. “Thinking back, you’ve never really confronted them on their home turf, have you? Even when you were causing a scene recently, they could still hide from you. They had space to breathe.”