Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 63289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
“None of this is true.” Horace shook his head. “I don’t know why Claire is doing this. She’s just trying to ruin our friendship and working relationship. You know she always has been jealous of you, Maya. Wishes she had your talent? Wants your life? Your independence? She secretly hates you.”
She hates me? Interesting.
“Now, you’re lying.” Claire glared at him. “I have never been jealous of Maya. What would I need to be jealous of her for? She came from nothing.”
Horace rolled his eyes. “You wish you had something more in life than a pretty face and a nice weave.”
“First of all, this is my hair.” She tossed it over her shoulder. “And I have a lot—”
“You have nothing, but a rich husband—”
“Fuck you, ghetto trash!”
“I may be from the hood, but I worked myself out of it. Meanwhile you had mommy and daddy paying for everything until you trapped poor Bernard over here and now have him paying—”
“Worked?” Claire screamed. “You stole!”
“Hold on, buddy.” Bernard held up a finger. “Do not talk to my wife like that.”
Silent, I smoked the joint and watched them.
My mother always gave me great advice. Once she said that if ever I was in an argument, I should listen closely, not talk much, and let my enemy be the main one speaking. Because in silence, the truth was always revealed and lies consistently unfolded.
All of their voices rose.
The driver must have been cringing this whole journey.
While they argued, I considered the killer.
Would jealousy be enough of a reason for Claire to kill me?
This person knew I was going to the party.
Horace and Claire both knew I was going a week before.
Was that enough time to plan?
Honestly, if the killer did a lot of planning, then I doubted it could be Claire.
I never saw her plan anything in her life. She had two assistants even though she had no occupation. Most of the time, they were working to get her beauty appointments together.
I watched Horace as he screamed, fisted his hands, and waved them in front of Bernard.
Horace is deceitful as hell. I could see him planning this.
My agent could have gotten in touch with someone to figure out the costumes. He also had been to several of Ethan’s parties and would somewhat know the layout.
I checked his clothes.
Where would the gun and poison be?
I looked back at Claire and checked her purse.
He could have had her keep it, but then. . .I feel like she would have blurted that out this time.
And then there was the killer turning off the camera system in Ethan’s manor. How would Horace have done that?
I took another hit of the joint and blew out smoke.
I don’t think Horace or Claire did it.
Honestly, if Horace wanted me dead, he could have murdered me in my home any number of times. First, he knew my staff and when they were on and off. There were so many times he grabbed me a coffee or tea on the way to my house, he could have put poison in there and slipped out the back of my house with no one ever knowing.
It wouldn’t make sense for him to go through so much planning to kill me at Ethan’s party.
I gazed around the limo.
What about everyone else?
I glanced at Shi.
My assistant watched me.
She was new. All I knew about her was in a resume and from an interview. She could have lied about it all.
But what would be her motive to kill me? And why at Ethan’s party?
I turned to Bernard now screaming at Horace. His pale face tinted red.
Bernard has absolutely no reason to kill me.
I moved my view to Ryan.
Still smirking, Ryan finished his glass of champagne and watched me.
Oh yeah. I almost forgot.
“Hey, Ryan.” I pointed at Claire and then Horace. “They’re fucking! Those panties in your purse, they’re Claire’s.”
Ryan’s smirk left his face. “What?”
“Yep.” I nodded. “They’ve been having an affair.”
Horace and Claire stopped talking and turned back to me.
I took a hit from the joint.
“No. No.” Horace shook his head. “T-these are more lies!”
“I thought that was Chanel No 5 on my sheets.” Ryan shook his head and put all of his attention on Claire. “You bitch!”
Claire glared at me. “I said everything! What is wrong with you?”
Bernard stared at her. “What is going on, honey?”
I blew out smoke. “What’s going on is that she’s fucking Horace, and they’ve been lying to all of us.”
Bernard opened his mouth in shock. “Is this. . .a joke?”
“Fucking slut!” Ryan slung the empty glass at her.
Claire ducked. “Are you insane, Ryan? Why would you listen to Maya? She has clearly lost her mind.”
Both couples argued with each other and with the other couple. It was a hot mess, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
When the limo pulled up to the Manor, Horace and Bernard were close to throwing blows, and Ryan had slung all the panties at Claire.