Obviously, Su Qianwei had read Alex lips because she was too away to listen to her otherwise.

Lei Xinyi looked at her with a blank expression then turned to the body-length mirror and rolled her eyes, setting her necklace, "You are pitiful when you try so hard, 'Weiwei'. Just give me what you came to."

A woman knew well when she was envied. And Lei Xinyi could smell the familiar stench.

Su Qianwei was provoking her so she could lighten the flame in her!

There was no resemblance in their rubies, hers were bigger and blood red. Apart from that, the ring was no longer valid, just as the engagement wasn't. 

Su Qianwei just wasn't over it!

Why would she do that was beyond her. She was leaving. Why would she compete with a player who was close to withdrawing?

Su Qianwei expressions varied for a while before she opened her clutch and handed Lei Xinyi a rectangular box.

Lei Xinyi inspected the wooden rectangular box. It had alternating black and white small boxes like a chessboard on one side and polished wooden surface on the other.

Su Qianwei rolled her eyes, bored, "Just sedates the ones that are in the way. Don't take any of them upfront. They will rip you apart."

Lei Xinyi nodded her head still inspecting the box for an opening attentively and muttered, "I can tell by their physiques."

It didn't have an opening.

Su Qianwei rolled her eyes at her struggle to open the box and s.n.a.t.c.hed it from her hand.

Su Qianwei opened the box by clicking third black boxes from the first and last rows, together, on the box, "I can distract them for 58 seconds at most. Be ready!"

The box opened, revealing needles with black sharp tips. 58 seconds were more than enough to execute a plan she had gone through for days now!

Lei Xinyi nodded her head at the sedates. It was known for its instant effect. it would do, "Hmm."

Hiding the box in her purse and she was about to walk out when Su Qainwei held her wrist.

She turned to her with a questioning look.

Su Qianwei bit her lip and looked at the floor, "You sure about this?"

Lei Xinyi knew where this was going but she just smiled. She wanted to end the discussion here for both of their sanity.

"You want me to stay?"

She squinted her eyes and smirked in a sinister way, "n.o.body will be more relieved when you are gone for good... but this can backfire for you. 

She licked her lip, to look harmless, just like a snake hissed. She looked that venomous and vibrant too with her deceptive scales.

"Telling Yuan the truth will be an... easy out for you, a clean break. No search parties, no bad blood, no hard fee..."

Lei Xinyi held up her hand stopping her mid-sentence, "And no lingering feeling! Is that what you want?!"

She eyed her with her orbs ablaze with rage, "To water the seed of discord so, my betrayal will bring to harvest your Garden?! To construct your Mansion on my Mausoleum?! Once he despises me, you want him to love you because you are going to be there for him?!"

She was certainly being ridiculous. Li Yuan wasn't her property. Once she was gone, he could be with any woman he liked it wasn't her call to make but since when you can reason with your hearts.

To her heart, she had a territorial claim on him.

Besides she wouldn't be a stepping stone for a rival. If she can't have him. She would want him to be no ones. Call it her selfishness!

She took a step back in disbelief. Her eyes were s.h.i.+mmering with unshed pearls, "You aren't even satisfied by me being out of his life, you even want his memories of me to be contaminated! How can you even do this to me?!"

Su Qianwei took a step to hold Lei Xinyi hand but Lei Xinyi flinched away, Su Qianwei eyes expressed her hurt when her words didn't.

She gulped down her grief, "A woman in love can accept a man she...loves with many things but not...with a shared heart!"

In contrast to her grey-hurt-filled eyes, Lei Xinyi eyes showed contempt, "So you want to poison his heart with hate, just so you can bloom your love in it?!"

Su Qianwei opened her mouth to deny it when Lei Xinyi stopped her.

She shook her head and harshly wiped the tear that slipped away, "Typical you! I wonder why I am even surprised?! Always mean! You left me there in the Lei's h.e.l.l-hole to rot! You sold me out to the Yu's and now you are sabotaging me, standing in front of me! You really are a woman with a cold heart!"

"That is not..."

Lei Xinyi scoffed in disgust, "Qianwei, at least be honourable enough to not justify your crimes!"

Irrespective what Lei Xinyi believed, her words spoke volumes. Su Qianwei wiped her tear-stained face, "I have loved him all my life! I have wanted nothing but him! everything I have done is to have him! You don't... deserve him."

It pierced Lei Xinyi's heart, the edge of the blunt truth was sharp, razor-sharp but instead of hot tears, a mocking laugh left her.

"And you? Do you deserve him?"

With a mocking smile, she snarled, "After what you did to me?! After what you did with Yu Jian's child?! After what you are doing to 'him' now?! Do you think you deserve him?"

Those were her crimes, Su Qianwei would never forgive herself for. But life didn't leave her with a choice, it never did...

The reality of her facade was an abyss that she was sinking in.

Su Qianwei resolve crumbled and she looked at the floor, and whispered brokenly, "I am forced to! And you kno..."

Lei Xinyi shook her head and cut her off, "Sinner, that makes you a sinner because you chose not to try things the hard way!"

Hearing her own words Su Qianwei eyes s.h.i.+mmered with newfound tears.

Lei Xinyi scoffed at her hypocrisy. Su Qianwei was the p.a.w.n that did Old Lei's dirty work for him. In fact, she was an idiot, if she thought that old Hyena would be pleased with the number of corpses she piled for him, she was naive!

He would never make her his heir and Lei Xinyi knew very well who would be his heir!

Lei Xinyi tore her eyes from the snake and whisper-yelled, "I did! It ruined my life but I would never mutilate my own blood's fles.h.!.+ I didn't say it before but in fact, you are a coward too but at least... I am a coward with a conscience!" 

Hearing her own words to condemn she fell to the floor. "Stop it! Lei Xinyi... Stop it!" 

Lei Xinyi pa.s.sed her a disgusted look and left the changing room.

It was cruel of her but she should be hurt by the crumbled thorns she leaves behind her when she plucks and crumbles flowers and buds. Some that haven't even bloomed yet.

Lei Xinyi wasn't a saint too but when opportunity struck she choose to oppose the flow of the river that led her to a murky fall.

But some people can never change! They modify their tricks, fancy their crimes and get better at disguising, deceiving and lying that they can even fool themselves, just to justify themselves.

Su Qianwei wasn't helping her. She was pretending to help her so she can help herself. She was chasing a mirage and trading everything for it.

But it was hurtful that even at the cost of your bones, your own kin could trade. And that wasn't the first time but even then it scalded her flesh every time, like the first time...

But not anymore, she wouldn't be anyone's p.a.w.n anymore. She will play her own game now and if she couldn't change the setting of the board, she would flip it.

She would ruin every player; King or knight, if she couldn't be the Queen and play it with her rules.

When she exited, she was waiting for the confrontation as they had been gone for too long but the women were sitting with designers engrossed in jewellery and dress designs.

Lei Xinyi heaved a sigh of relief. She was already exhausted. She couldn't afford any more drama.

So she put up her best fake smile and walked to Alex who was eagerly eyeing her.