Back From Prison, Built For Revenge - Chapter 9: Chapter 9

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, striping the floor with brilliant beams of light.
A soft knock came at Chloe's door.
"Chloe? I need to talk to you." Yolanda's voice was soft, laced with a carefully measured note of concern.
The room remained silent. There was no reply. Yolanda's brow furrowed slightly. She raised her hand and knocked again. "Chloe?"
This time, a clear voice answered from within. "Come in."
Yolanda pushed the door open. The room was dark, the heavy curtains drawn tight against the day. Chloe stood alone in the center of the room, her back to the door.
Yolanda took a few cautious steps forward. "Chloe," she began, "I just wanted to apologize... "
Chloe slowly turned around. Her expression was as cold and empty as a winter frost, utterly devoid of warmth.
Yolanda's heart stuttered. She had never seen Chloe look like this. She wanted to step closer, but then hesitated.
Chloe's gaze settled on Yolanda's face, studying her as if she were a complete stranger. "What do you want?" Her voice was quiet, but it carried an unbridgeable coldness.
Suddenly, Yolanda dropped to her knees. She clutched the hem of her dress, tears tracing paths down her delicate face and hitting the floor in dark, spreading blots.
"I never meant for it to happen!" Her voice trembled, as if each word was an agony to speak. "What happened back then... I didn't have a choice!" She sniffled, her shoulders shaking with pathetic sobs.
Chloe looked down at her, regarding her with the detached curiosity one might afford a strange insect. She was silent, her stillness making the air thick and hard to breathe.
Time seemed to freeze, the only sound the soft, rhythmic hitch of Yolanda's weeping.
As if sensing the wall of indifference, Yolanda bit her lip and pressed on. "You know, that night... I'd been drinking. I... I had no idea something like that would happen... "
Her voice trailed off into a choked sob, as if she were lost in the memory, her mind spiraling back to that terrifying night. The screech of brakes, the shatter of glass, and the thick, coppery smell of blood—it was all seared into her memory.
Chloe remained silent, only tilting her chin up slightly, looking down on her from a superior height.
"I remember it so clearly... " Yolanda murmured. "The headlights were so bright, I couldn't see what was in front of me, and then... I hit someone."
Her fingers trembled, as if touching an unspeakable horror. "I was terrified. I didn't know what to do. And later... it was Dad who said... someone had to take the fall." She closed her eyes, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.
"So you chose me?"
Chloe finally spoke. Her voice was terrifyingly calm, without a single ripple of emotion, as if she were discussing a matter that had nothing to do with her.
Yolanda's head snapped up, her tear-filled eyes pleading. "I swear I didn't want to! I was just... so scared! You're part of this family, I thought you would understand."
Chloe let out a short, sharp laugh, thick with contempt. "Yolanda, have you forgotten how I was sent to prison?"
Yolanda's mouth opened, but no sound came out. She remembered hiding in the shadows, watching Chloe being put in cold handcuffs and led away.
"And you think a simple 'I didn't mean it' washes away your sins?" Chloe advanced on her, each footstep a hammer blow against Yolanda's composure. "Or do you think a few tears are enough to buy my forgiveness?"
She stopped directly in front of her, looming over her. Yolanda's body shook. She straightened up on her knees, pressing her palms together in a prayer-like gesture.
"I'll make it up to you, I swear!" Yolanda begged. "I'll give you my shares in the company, I'll even break off my engagement to Carlos. Anything... if you'll just forgive me!"
At that, Chloe paused. She looked down at Yolanda, a strange, knowing amusement entering her eyes.
"Shares? An engagement?" she repeated slowly, then laughed. "Have you completely failed to grasp the situation? Those things mean nothing to me."
Yolanda stared, dumbfounded. She had clearly not expected this response. In her world, no one was immune to the lure of power and wealth, least of all Chloe.
"Chloe... " she tried again, but Chloe cut her off.
"Don't call my name like that. As of three years ago, we are nothing to each other."
The air grew taught and brittle, the tension between them a wire pulled to its breaking point. Venom flashed in Yolanda's eyes before she quickly veiled it again.
"Your real reason for coming here today wasn't to apologize, was it?" Chloe said suddenly, her words a blade to the heart of the matter. "You're worried about Carlos, aren't you?"
Yolanda froze completely. She looked up, her face a maelstrom of panic, fear, and a barely suppressed sliver of hatred.
Chloe pressed her advantage. "You're afraid he'll be disappointed in you when he finds out the truth. You're terrified he'll call off the engagement. So you came here hoping you could use me to cover your tracks."
"That's not true!" Yolanda denied it, but the frantic haste in her voice was a confession in itself.
"Enough," Chloe said with a wave of her hand, her patience gone. "Your pathetic little schemes are transparent to me. I suggest you save your energy and perform this shoddy drama for an audience that might actually buy it."
In that moment, Yolanda finally understood. Nothing she could say or do would ever move Chloe. She took a deep breath, biting down hard on her lip. "Fine," she said in a low voice. "If that's how you feel, then I suppose this was a waste of time."
With that, she slowly got to her feet, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her sleeve. But as she turned to leave, she cast one last look over her shoulder, her eyes burning with raw, undiluted hatred.
The instant the door clicked shut, the room plunged into a dead silence.
Chloe stood by the window, staring out at the inky black night.
A gust of wind lifted the curtain, tearing open the wounds she had tried so hard to seal shut. Three years ago, she had been naive enough to believe in things like family, in things like love.
Reality had shattered those beliefs to dust. Now, she had learned to bury her feelings deep inside, letting no one see the wreckage within.
A soft knock broke the silence. Demi entered, asking cautiously, "Miss Chloe, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Chloe replied, though the weariness in her voice was unmistakable.
Demi hesitated. "Did Miss Yolanda say something to you?"
"Nothing important," Chloe said, turning to face her. "None of this is worth my time."
As she spoke, the sound of frantic footsteps echoed from the hall. A servant burst into the room.
"Help! Something's wrong!" he shouted. "Miss Yolanda is trapped in the elevator!"
The sudden news stunned both Demi and Chloe into silence. After a moment, Demi was the first to react. "Miss Chloe, should we go and see?"
"No," Chloe said, shaking her head, her tone chillingly calm. "That's her problem, not mine."