Karma Doesn’t Sleep: The Revenge Queen Rises novel Chapter 72

A tall, striking woman slipped out of the car, her face wrapped tightly in a scarf. She moved quickly, head down, straight into the restaurant and up to the elevator. Only once she stepped out onto the right floor did Diana finally peel off her scarf and make a beeline for the private dining room.

“Amelia!” Diana swept Amelia up in a huge hug, barely able to contain her excitement. “Guess what? I scored an audition for Mr. Schuck’s new movie!”

Amelia’s smile was genuine, her happiness for Diana clear as day. She lifted her wine glass, eyes twinkling. “Then let me congratulate you in advance on your second Best Actress win. Next time there’s an award ceremony, I swear I won’t miss it.”

Diana blew her a kiss, but her good mood faded the second she noticed the bruise on Amelia’s arm.

“What happened? Who did this to you?” Diana’s temper was legendary—one wrong move and she was ready to explode. “Was it Clive? Did that jerk put his hands on you?”

Amelia laughed and gently pulled her down to sit. “No, really, I just tripped. It’s nothing, I promise.”

She wasn’t lying, but she left out the part about how she actually fell. There was no way she’d blame her own child for it.

Thinking about Clive brought the memory of the cemetery visit to mind, and Amelia found herself telling Diana the whole story.

Diana listened, disbelief written all over her face. “Wait, so while you were in that coma for five years, Clive was visiting Mrs. Sadinton’s grave? He even renovated the tombstone? Are we talking about the same Clive?”

He could fix up his mother-in-law’s grave for Amelia, but still let Kristen—his mistress—move in and play wife? Clive really was something else.

Amelia hesitated. “I haven’t actually asked Clive if it was him.”

Diana didn’t want to admit it, but after thinking it over, she sighed. “Honestly, you’re one of the few people who even talks about Mrs. Sadinton. It has to be Clive—maybe his conscience finally woke up.”

Amelia went quiet.

It made sense. She hardly ever mentioned her family, not even to Diana, and they’d been friends for seven years before Diana even knew the full story. Besides Clive, she couldn’t imagine anyone else caring enough to do it.

Seeing Amelia lost in thought, Diana scooted closer and took her by the shoulders, her expression serious. “Amelia, promise me you won’t go soft on Clive just because of this. Don’t let him worm his way back into your heart.”

There was a time when that would have moved Amelia to tears. But now…

She shook her head, calm and steady. “I won’t.”

Five years of misery and watching Clive dote on Kristen had killed whatever feelings she had left.

Soon, the head chef arrived, rolling in a cart loaded with fresh, imported ingredients. He started cooking right there at their table.

“Mr. Packman, what’s going on? I don’t understand—what did I do to offend you?”

“First of all, the person you offended wasn’t me.” John shook off her hand, his eyes cold and holding something even more complicated.

It wasn’t every day Mr. Packman personally called to blacklist someone. Caroline had really outdone herself this time.

He smoothed the sleeve she’d wrinkled and continued, voice flat. “Second, Ms. Salmeron, anyone who’d exploit her own sister-in-law’s illness just for attention—I have to question your character.”

Caroline went pale, stunned into silence.

How had John seen the video she’d taken of Amelia last night?

“Mr. Packman, please, let me explain—” she started, her voice desperate. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed John’s phone screen light up.

His wallpaper was a glamorous shot of a bold, beautiful actress in a porcelain-patterned gown, clutching a trophy and absolutely glowing on stage.

The face looked so familiar to Caroline. The longer she stared, the more certain she became…