Tiffany sat in front of the vanity, staring at the face in the mirror she had spent so much money and effort maintaining.
Even layers of pricey concealer couldn’t fully hide the dark circles under her eyes.
Ethan had only come back at dawn.
Reeking of alcohol, he had gone straight into the study without even sparing her a glance.
The maid she had sent to clean the study had quietly reported back that Ethan had locked the divorce agreement in the safe.
Every now and then, he would take it out and look at it.
He would rather stare at that damn agreement and drown in memories than look at her one more time.
She had clawed and schemed her way into this palace, this place that stood for ultimate power, and finally secured herself a spot by Ethan’s side.
She had thought that with excuses like “prenatal depression” and “suicidal tendencies,” Ethan would fall in line, would completely cut ties with Nina, and would make her the rightful first lady.
But reality had slapped her hard across the face.
That bitch Nina was already gone from Platinum Palace, yet somehow she had still hooked Ethan’s heart.
He had been distracted all day, absent-minded like his soul had gone with her.
These last two days, even the way he looked at Tiffany was full of impatience and perfunctory coldness.
She picked up her phone and dialed Masland.
Ever since she had lost control of herself in front of Ethan last time, she had been demoted to an ordinary servant.
But Tiffany knew very well that Masland was still loyal to her to the bone.
“Bring over the stuff today.”
After hanging up, a cold, nasty smile curled at her lips.
She pulled open the very bottom drawer of the vanity and took out a cheap bottle of industrial fragrance and a bottle of medical alcohol.
She had told Masland to buy them off the black market.
Wasn’t Nina the perfume king’s daughter?
Didn’t she always act like her blending skills were untouchable?
Fine then.
Tiffany would make Nina “personally” send her a very special gift.
By noon, Ethan had finally sobered up and walked out of the study.
Tiffany was already waiting in the dining room.
She wore a loose maternity dress, her face pale, her eyes swollen and red like she had just cried her heart out.
The food in front of her hadn’t been touched at all.
Both hands were wrapped tightly around her stomach, and her whole body trembled faintly, as if she had been scared half to death.
Ethan frowned.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
“Ethan…” Tiffany lifted her head, and tears instantly rolled down her cheeks. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Her voice was choked and shaky, almost falling apart.
“I-I don’t dare…”
Ethan stopped in his tracks.
“What do you mean?”
Right on cue, Masland hurried out from the side, holding an opened gift box in her hands, her face white as paper.
“Sir, please take a look at this.
Someone left it outside the master bedroom this morning.
They said… they said it was a gift Ms.
Harlow sent over.”
Ethan’s gaze dropped onto the gift box.
The wrapping looked cheap and rushed, and even the ribbon was tied crooked, like whoever did it couldn’t be bothered to fake care.
He reached out and took it.
The second it touched his hand, a sharp chemical stench hit him straight in the face, so harsh his brows drew together on instinct.
Inside the box lay a bottle of clear liquid.
On the bottle was a printed note:
“Tiffany Ashford, you stole my husband, and you deserve to die.
This perfume is for you and your bastard child.
Hope both of you die together.”
The words were printed, cold and stiff, but every line dripped with venom.
Ethan’s pupils shrank hard.
“Ethan, I’m so scared…” Tiffany threw herself at him and clutched his arm tightly, tears streaming down her face.
“How could Nina be this vicious?
Doesn’t she know I’m pregnant?
What if this thing had really been splashed on me…”
As she spoke, her whole body started shaking violently, like she might collapse in the next second.
Masland stood nearby, instantly piling on, “Sir, Ms.
Harlow is clearly trying to hurt Ms.
Ashford and the baby!
You have to stand up for Ms.
Ashford!”
“This thing…
was sent by Nina?” His voice was calm.
Too calm, actually.
“Of course!” Tiffany cried even harder, looking fragile enough to break.
“Who else could hate me this much except her?
She even had someone pass me a message yesterday, saying I’d pay for this… The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
Ethan, you have to believe me.
I never lie…”
Ethan said nothing.
He kept staring at that bottle, but what surfaced in his mind was a completely different scene.
He suddenly remembered a winter night from years ago.
He had just finished a brutal campaign debate and came back drained, body and mind both running on empty.
Nina had brought him a cup of hot tea, and there had been a faint fragrance lingering around her.
He had casually asked about it.
She had smiled and said she made the perfume herself, with rose in the top notes and a little benzoin she had specially prepared in the base.
“If you like it, I can make you a different scent every day from now on.” That was what she’d said back then, her eyes bright like they were full of stars.
Ethan didn’t know much about perfume, but he knew Nina’s skill.
Edmund Harlow had once been the perfume king of Uppergate, and Nina had grown up surrounded by spices and fragrance oils.
The perfumes she created had been praised even by the pickiest perfumers in France.
That soft, elegant scent she always carried with her was something no luxury brand could copy, no matter how hard they tried.
And this bottle in front of him…
Ethan let out a quiet sigh and casually tossed it onto the dining table.
Industrial alcohol.
Cheap fragrance oil.
Crude packaging.
A printed curse note.
This was not Nina’s style.
Hell, this thing didn’t even deserve to be called “perfume.”
If Nina had really wanted to hurt someone, she would never have used such a low-end, brain-dead trick.
She was far too proud for that, proud enough to look down on this kind of dirty little setup.
This was a frame-up.
A clumsy one.
A stupid one.
Full of holes at a glance.
“Ethan…” Tiffany was so startled by his strange reaction that her whole body shook.
She even forgot to keep crying.
Her face went pale as she stared at him.
“Y-you… what’s wrong with you?”