Return of the Crowned Heiress (Felicia)

"Why should I stop them? Why would I care? I don't owe the Fuller family a thing," Lance scoffed, waving off his subordinate's suggestion. Despite his indifference, he quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Felicia. If she gave the order, he would intervene immediately and save the victim. However, the call went unanswered.

...

Felicia's phone sat buzzing on her desk, its constant vibration muffled by the wood. She had left it behind to charge when she went to talk to Sebastian. On her way back, she was stopped by Mina.

"Is there something else?" Felicia asked, her tone polite but clipped.

Mina gave a fake, syrupy smile, her voice slow and calculated. "Ms. Felicia, there's something I've been meaning to say, but I'm not sure if I should do so."

"Then, don't." Felicia turned to leave.

Mina's expression stiffened, but she quickly recovered. "Ms. Felicia, you may have the Fuller name, but you've only just returned to the family. Besides blood ties, you don't really have much else to rely on."

Felicia raised an eyebrow, amused. "Oh? If blood ties are so unshakable, doesn't that mean I already have something that others don't?"

The retort left Mina green in the face.

Felicia's voice was cold as she added, "If Kayla is so great, you'd do better to focus on her and leave me alone."

With that, Felicia brushed past her and returned to her room.

Once inside, Felicia picked up her phone to set an alarm for the next morning's venture capital conference. As soon as she unlocked the screen, she saw three missed calls from Lance-one from three minutes ago, another from two, and the last just a minute prior. Frowning, she immediately called him back.

On the other end, Lance grimly answered, "It's too late."

...

Shawn came running back to the beach with a bag of alcohol, the bottles clinking noisily with every step. He was panting as he asked, "What's all this for?"

"Pour it down his throat. As much as you can," Kayla ordered, pointing to the lifeless Ruben slumped in the driver's seat.

Shawn's jaw dropped. "W-What?"

"Now!" Kayla barked, her eyes sharp and cold. "We don't have time. Don't forget-you're the one who did this. You're the killer."

Shawn swallowed hard, then set to work. He uncapped bottle after bottle, forcing the liquor into Ruben's mouth. Kayla supervised, her gaze unwavering.

When the deed was done, Kayla adjusted Ruben's seatbelt to make it look like he'd been drinking and driving. Then, with Shawn's help, she pushed the car-Ruben still inside-into the river.

The black Rolls-Royce sank slowly, the dark waters of the river swallowing it inch by inch until it disappeared completely.

Kayla let out a deep breath, tension easing from her shoulders.

When questioned later, she would simply claim that Ruben had gone missing after she finished shopping His death would be written off as an accident caused by drunk driving. And even if someone investigated further, the evidence would point squarely at Shawn, not her.

Kayla turned to look at Shawn, who was nervously stuffing his pockets with the cash they'd pulled from the car.

"You're not going to silence me, too, are you?" he asked, voice trembling. "I'm your brother, your biological brother. I'm bigger and stronger than you You wouldn't stand a chance against me!"

Kayla rolled her eyes. She thought he was truly an idiot.

Her tone was calm but steely as she warned, "Keep your mouth shut. Once Felicia is dealt with, you'll get your share of the benefits.

"If you dare turn on me, though, I'll make sure you regret it. Got it?"

Shawn nodded quickly, clutching the cash tightly as he fled the scene.

Kayla left soon after, her heels clicking softly against the sand as she vanished into the night.

Lance and his crew stepped out of the shadows when the beach was finally deserted. He pulled out his phone and gave Felicia a ring again.NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.

"The location's at the end of Cedar

Street by the beach. I just sent you the video recorded-it's on your phone now. Ms. Fuller, does this count as me coming through big time? Please don't let me down on that big deal you promised!