Chapter 162

ARIANA'S POV

I sat across from Odette, suddenly at a loss for words. The woman before me was a far cry from the broken figure I'd seen before Victor LaSalle's murder in the courtroom. Today, she was every bit the cunning, seductive persona she had always been, the same woman who had once vividly described how she planned to take over Vanderbilt Holdings and make Rob hers.

Odette’s eyes gleamed with a predatory light as she leaned back, her posture relaxed despite the cuffs. The corners of her lips turned up in a sly smile, as if she knew the turmoil raging inside me.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “This was foolish,” I said, my voice wavering despite my best efforts. “I shouldn’t have come here. I have nothing to say to you, Odette. I know you’re just going to lie.”

Odette leaned forward, her eyes locking onto mine with a predatory intensity. “Are you afraid to hear the truth, Ariana?” she asked, her voice a soft, mocking whisper. “Don’t you know your man is the beau