Chapter 284: Little Bitch

Zachary chuckled on the other end of the phone before hanging up. Caroline slipped her phone back into her bag and flagged down a taxi. She made a quick stop at a nearby mall, stepping into a lingerie shop to buy something extra provocative. Then she headed to Zachary’s place.

An hour later, Caroline pulled up in front of Zachary’s villa.

“Zachary, I’m here!” she called out as soon as she walked in, her smile bright and wide. But the second she stepped into the living room, Zachary snapped his fingers, and a hulking man came over, shoving her down to the ground.

“Ah! Ow! Zachary, what the hell?”

The guy didn’t hold back, his grip rough as Caroline’s face scraped against the floor. She let out a yelp of pain.

“What am I doing? What do you think, Caroline? Huh? You’ve got some real guts, ignoring my orders and doing whatever the hell you want. Who told you that was okay?”

Zachary crouched down beside her, giving her cheek a few light slaps.

“To figure out how to make you happy, I swear. I haven’t done anything!” Caroline blurted out, her voice shaky.

“I’m talking about Claire! I had it all planned out, a way to get rid of her quietly, no loose ends. But you went ahead and pushed both Claire and Antony off that damn cliff without even running it by me.”

“Do you have any idea how much trouble that caused me? If I hadn’t intercepted the news and dealt with that driver, Frederick would’ve tracked it back to you that same night.”

“And if it was just you, fine, maybe I could manage. But you’ve been here so many times. If Frederick starts connecting the dots and finds his way to me, I’m finished. And you still have the nerve to ask why I’m treating you like this? You’re lucky I’m just roughing you up and not ending you right here.”

Zachary grabbed her jaw, his fingers digging in so hard it felt like her bones might shatter.

“No! Zachary, listen, it’s not like that. I knew you’d help me, but I didn’t want to bother you. I was scared Frederick would find something that could lead back to you, so I thought I could handle it myself. That’s why I pushed them off the cliff.”

“Honestly, I wasn’t even planning on pushing Antony. I was only after Claire. But Antony jumped in, and I had no choice but to shove them both. Him thinking Claire and Antony ran off together. He won’t find anything, I swear. Zachary, I was just trying to protect you. Please, cut me some slack.”

Caroline was running out of excuses, so she kept bluffing.

Zachary let out a cold, mocking laugh. “You think I’m stupid, Caroline? You really think I’d buy that? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked hard.

“Ah!” Caroline screamed, her face twisting in pain.

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you. I thought you were taking too long. I was getting impatient. Watching Claire strut around like she owned the place was driving me nuts, so I took matters into my own hands.”

“But, Zachary, I swear, it’s not that I didn’t trust you. I just got too worked up, that’s all. It’s my fault. I swear, I won’t do it again!”

“From now on, whatever you say, I’ll do. No more acting on my own.”

She clutched her head, trying to protect herself, too scared to lie any further.

“Alright. What you did wasn’t all bad—you just didn’t clean up after yourself. But let me tell you, if you pull a stunt like this again, I’ll make sure you disappear for good.”

“Yes, Zachary, I promise, it won’t happen again.” Caroline wiped her tears, nodding frantically.

In the struggle, her revealing black lingerie had slipped into view. That’s when Zachary noticed what she was wearing. He reached out and ripped her coat off in one swift motion. Caroline was dressed in sheer black lace, her body barely covered. Around her neck was a collar with a leash, and there was even a tail attached to the back of her outfit.

Zachary’s eyes lit up instantly. He yanked on the leash, pulling her close. “Little bitch, you’re such a tease.”