Karma Doesn’t Sleep: The Revenge Queen Rises novel Chapter 121

Clive was in a foul mood, his long strides eating up the hallway as he made a beeline for the elevator. Kristen hustled to keep up, her heels tapping out a nervous rhythm behind him.

She glanced at his stormy face. Since Clive stayed silent, she bit back her words, following him in uneasy quiet.

They didn’t speak until the elevator doors opened and they stepped into the underground parking lot.

“Clive.” Kristen reached out, gently tugging at his arm.

He stopped, turning to face her.

She closed the distance between them, close enough for him to catch the soft scent of her hair. Clive instinctively looked around, making sure no one was watching.

“Relax, there’s nobody here. No cameras either.” Her voice was gentle. Rising up on tiptoe, Kristen adjusted his tie, her lashes fluttering as she looked up at him with a small, trembling smile. “Let me call you Salmeron one last time. I won’t be coming to work tomorrow.”

Clive’s brows pulled together. He grabbed her wrist, voice sharp. “What are you talking about?”

Kristen kept smiling, but her eyes were red, her voice tight with barely contained hurt. “It’s obvious Amelia misunderstood me. If I stay, I’ll only make things tougher for you.”

Seeing her fighting back tears, Clive’s frown deepened.

“You haven’t done anything wrong. And you’re definitely not a problem for me.” He pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her, his voice low and steady. “As long as I’m here, no one’s going to mess with you.”

Kristen lowered her head, quietly dabbing her tears. For a split second, something sharp flashed in her eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly.

—

Down in the R&D department, Amelia peeled off her safety goggles. She’d been working flat out all day, her shoulders and neck aching from the effort.

She’d barely touched the lunch Rachel brought from the cafeteria. Halfway through her meal, she remembered an experiment step that needed tweaking, and once she got started, she totally lost track of time.

By now her food was ice cold. With a sigh, she tossed the container in the trash.

On her way back to her office, she passed a few R&D staff heading home. When they saw her, they all stiffened a bit and forced out polite greetings.

Every department head was assigned a car, and Amelia had gotten hers five years ago. But since she was just reinstated, she needed to claim it again.

The admin checked her records. “Ms. Sadinton, since you were away for a while, your car’s been used as a general pool car. I’ve already put in a request for a new one for R&D. It should arrive tomorrow.”

“All right, I’ll pick it up then.”

With that, Amelia left the building and called a rideshare to the Salmeron family estate.

Clive’s garage was packed with luxury cars—some worth millions, a couple even more—but they were all way too flashy. Besides, every one had been bought through Klaus’s company and registered under the Salmeron family name.

They guarded their assets like hawks, always worried she’d somehow take off with their fortune.

When Amelia finally arrived at the estate, Clive’s car was already out front. He and the twins had gotten there ahead of her.

As she stepped inside, she could hear laughter floating out from the living room—warm, happy, and inviting.