Back From Prison, Built For Revenge - Chapter 73: Chapter 73

The lights in Azure Tide gradually dimmed, and the air was thick with the scent of tobacco and cheap perfume. Hayden sat in the darkest corner of the bar, absentmindedly tapping his fingers on an empty glass.
His brow furrowed.
Carlos's words kept bothering him.
In a bedroom upstairs of the Stone Villa, Chloe sat in front of a mirror, mechanically brushing her long hair. She looked tired, her eyes showing weariness. Behind her, Demi was carefully massaging her shoulders, trying to ease her up.
"Ms. Quinn, are you still thinking about Camila?" Demi asked cautiously, carefully observing Chloe's expression.
Chloe didn't reply right away. She froze, her eyes locked on the mirror, dark and stormy. After a beat, her voice turned icy. "Last time, I asked Camila to work for me, but Yolanda shut it down." A smirk tugged at her lips. "She's so protective of Camila."
Demi lowered her head to mask her expression, chiming in, "You said it, Ms. Stone dotes on Camila more than anyone."
Chloe's eyes darkened. The memory of questioning Camila flashed through her mind: Camila's panicked, evasive eyes, Yolanda's tension and guardedness. It all pointed to something hidden behind Camila's innocent face.
She slammed the brush onto the table with a sharp crack. As she stood, the chair screeched across the floor. "Let's go," she said, her voice low and cold. "To Yolanda's room."
Demi hadn't expected Chloe to move so fast, but she followed without hesitation.
They walked down the corridor toward the second floor. The villa was eerily quiet at night, with only Chloe's determined footsteps echoing through the hallway, each one striking like a hammer on tense nerves.
When she reached Yolanda's door, Chloe raised her hand and rapped sharply on it twice, but there was no response.
The maid stationed outside looked flustered and hurried forward to block her way. "Ms. Quinn, Ms. Stone isn't feeling well. She's resting..."
Chloe impatiently cut her off, her tone icy. "Resting?" She turned to Demi. "Didn't you just say you saw her having quite a lively time in the gym earlier?"
Demi immediately chimed in, her voice edged with sarcasm. "Oh, and now she's suddenly sick, is she?"
The maid paled visibly, at a complete loss for what to do, and could only stand there with her head bowed. Chloe narrowed her eyes, staring at the maid intently for several seconds before her voice dropped to an icy command. "Move aside."
The maid gritted her teeth but still stood firmly in front of the door. "Ms. Quinn, this really isn't appropriate..."
Chloe finally lost her cool. She stepped forward, her stare sharp enough to cut straight through the maid's heart. "I'm only saying this once more. Move aside." Her voice stayed low, but the command in it was absolute.
Just as the tension reached its peak, a flurry of hurried footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway.
Phoebe, wrapped in a bathrobe, rushed over, her face a mix of worry and barely controlled anger. "Chloe, what on earth are you doing? Why are you making a scene in the middle of the night? Can you let Yolanda rest or not?"
Chloe turned to her, a cold sneer twisting her lips. "If she were truly ill, why hasn't the family physician been called? Instead, you have a maid standing guard at her door?"
Phoebe's expression faltered briefly before she quickly composed herself. "Yolanda's just a little tired. She doesn't need a doctor. But why are you making a fuss here in the middle of the night?"
"Make a fuss?" Chloe stepped forward, locking eyes with Phoebe. "Would I have to resort to this if you all hadn't kept covering for her time and again?"
They stood locked in a fierce standoff, the tension so thick that it felt like the air itself had frozen. Just then, a deep, commanding voice sliced through the silence from the top of the stairs. "What's going on here?"
Hayden appeared, his usual stoic demeanor now tinged with a hint of weariness in his eyes. He walked in slowly, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping across the scene.
Phoebe, as if grasping at a lifeline, rushed over. "Hayden, just look at Chloe. She's coming here and making a scene in the middle of the night!"
Chloe scoffed, turning to Hayden. "Making a scene? All I want is to see Camila."
Hayden frowned and turned to Phoebe, "What's going on with Camila?"
"Well, I... I don't know," Phoebe stammered, her voice tinged with panic. "Perhaps Chloe just misunderstood something..."
Chloe didn't bother to waste her breath. She shoved the door open without hesitation.
A cold, mocking laugh slipped from Chloe as she watched the scene unfold. Camila knelt on the floor, carefully organizing Yolanda's handbags and jewelry, while Yolanda lounged at her vanity, completely relaxed.
But what really made Chloe's skin crawl was the unspoken bond between them. It was an intimacy that felt way too deep for a simple boss-and-employee relationship.
Without a moment's hesitation, Chloe strode forward, her tone brooking no argument. "Camila, pack your things. You're coming with me."
Camila froze for a moment, instinctively glancing up at Yolanda. Without hesitation, Yolanda sprang to her feet, shielding Camila behind her. "She's mine now. You have no right to take her away."
"Yours?" Chloe arched an eyebrow, her piercing gaze sweeping over the two of them. "Then why don't you tell us exactly what she is to you?"
The atmosphere froze solid, a suffocating tension filling the room.
"Camila is nothing more than an ordinary maid. Why are you being so aggressive?" Yolanda bit out, but the slight tremor in her voice betrayed her deep unease.
"An ordinary maid?" Chloe scoffed, a chilling laugh devoid of warmth escaping her lips. "Well then, today I'm going to find out exactly what secrets this so-called ordinary maid is hiding."