Karma Doesn’t Sleep The Revenge Queen Rises novel Chapter 535

Kristen slipped her phone off the nightstand so quietly you’d think she was a ghost. She padded down the hallway toward the master bedroom, already dialing Bianca.

She kept her voice barely above a whisper. “Mom, they still haven’t found Amelia’s body. I’m worried she might still be alive…”

The study was empty.

The terrace doors were wide open, letting the cold wind barrel in like it owned the place.

Clive yanked at his collar, expensive shirt rumpled and creased. His reflection stared back at him from the dark glass, clear as a photograph.

He looked wrecked. More than ever before.

He lit a cigarette, the glow flaring in the dim light just as his phone started buzzing. Robert’s name. He answered.

Robert’s voice was all clipped syllables and barely contained anger. “Clive, Amelia made me promise to send you these lab results. Only reason I’m calling.”

Robert wouldn’t have called Clive otherwise. Back in college, their paths barely crossed, except once. Not on campus, but on the street.

Robert had been on the bus, passing Greenwood College. He’d spotted Amelia standing by the gate, waiting so long her legs must have gone numb. She bent over, rubbing her calves.

That’s when Clive showed up.

Robert saw Amelia’s whole face light up, waving at Clive like he was her whole world. Even from behind, she looked so happy.

But Clive? He walked over so calmly, almost cold. Like he didn’t care how long she’d waited. Like he didn’t care at all.

Since then, Robert never liked Clive much.

But love is complicated. Only the people in it really know how it feels. Robert had no right to judge.

Still, if he’d known what would happen to Amelia, if he’d known she’d disappear without a trace, he would have jumped off that bus and dragged her away himself.

Robert’s voice was icy, each word deliberate. “They found red and white powder in the sachet Kristen gave Penny. It’s a new synthetic hallucinogen. Not a huge dose, but it works slow, and if someone keeps breathing it in, it damages the nerves. Causes hallucinations.”

“Even an adult would lose it after a while. Penny’s just a kid. The damage is permanent.”

“This is how you protect your daughter, Clive? And you’re still fighting Amelia for custody?” Robert’s voice finally cracked, anger leaking through. He was usually calm, never let his emotions show.

But now, thinking about Amelia—gone, maybe forever—his eyes burned.

He’d wanted to forget Amelia bursting in to save him, dropping to her knees in front of the kidnappers, and—the way she screamed, desperate and raw, as they dragged her away.

A spot in his chest, one he’d always ignored, started to ache so badly he nearly collapsed. He dropped to one knee, clutching his chest.

“…Penny and her fake mom were the ones who tricked Mrs. Saddington into going there…”

Jinx’s tearful voice echoed in his mind.

Clive squeezed his eyes shut, breathing hard. With numb fingers, he pulled out his phone and called Aiden.

“Aiden, dig into everything Kristen and Bianca have. Bank accounts, records—everything. I want all of it.”

“Yes, sir…” Aiden sounded shaken. He’d seen the news—this mess was too big to hide. “Mr. Salmeron, is it true? Is Mrs. Salmeron… is she really…”

He choked up, couldn’t finish the question.

“As long as there’s no body, she could still be alive.” Clive’s lips twisted in a stubborn little smile. “Amelia’s tougher than anyone I know.”

She’d survived for him before. This time, she’d make it back too. He just knew it.