Chapter 40

ANTHONY

I looked at my phone and sighed in bliss, my plan had worked perfectly.

I had abducted Nicole and had managed to fool everyone, including Marcus, into thinking that I was dead.

Beside me, Mariella lay naked, her fingers curled around a cigarette as she exhaled a stream of smoke into the air.

With a sly smile, I held out my phone to her, my eyes glinting with triumph.

"Take a look at this," I said, my voice laced with satisfaction. "I pulled it off. They all fell for it, hook, line, and sinker."

Mariella's eyes sparkled with excitement as she leaned towards me, her lips curved into a mischievous grin.

"Can you believe it?" she whispered, her voice filled with wonder. "Our plan worked perfectly. But this is just the beginning."

It had been Mariella's idea, to begin with, and I had executed it flawlessly.

When she had suggested abducting Nicole and staging my death, I had been hesitant at first.

But now, seeing how well everything had gone, I knew it was the right decision.

I