From Betrayal to Brilliance Her Rise to a New Life novel Chapter 52

Chapter 52 A Misunderstanding

Before leaving, Harriet turned and added, “Oh, and Zaden too!”

Zaden offered a small helpless smile, accepting what Harriet said without arguing.

Finished

Then Harriet continued, “By the way, since things didn’t go as planned, Lewis won’t give up easily. I’m worried he might come after you again. You should stay at my place for now.”

Athena thought about it and agreed–it did make sense.

Harriet had sneaked out to check on Athena; once she saw Athena was fine, she went back to work. Before leaving, she reminded Zaden to take good care of Athena.

Athena felt a bit embarrassed at first, but when she noticed that Zaden didn’t seem to care much about what happened, she gradually calmed down.

She looked at him and said, “I probably need another favor. Can you drive me home?”

Zaden nodded. “Sure.”

Athena lifted her blanket and tried to climb out of the bed. The moment her foot touched the ground, her leg cramped.

Her body tensed, and she dropped back onto the bed.

Zaden frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Ow–my leg! I think it’s cramping.” Athena tried to straighten it out, wincing. Zaden crouched down in front of her and said, “Don’t move.”

Athena didn’t understand what he meant until she saw him take hold of her leg and gently press the muscle.

Her scalp tingled instantly–she almost choked on her own breath.

What–what is he doing?!

As she realized what was happening, panic hit her. Her heart raced. In the chaos, her phone started ringing. She didn’t even notice that she had accidentally hit the answer button.

“Zaden, you–you don’t have to-”

“Relax,” he said quietly.

“Easy! It hurts a little.”

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13:14 Mon, Oct 20

Chapter 52 A Misunderstanding

74

Finished

BANG!

The phone crashed to the floor and broke into pieces.

Lewis’s face turned dark as thunder. He had just woken up to find Athena gone and the back of his head throbbing. Furious, he called her number–only to hear that.

What is that conversation?

Where is Athena? Who is she with? Her boy toy or Zaden?

“Lewis, where exactly did Athena go?” Bridget walked in and froze when she saw her phone shattered into pieces. Her face darkened with anger as she demanded, “What happened? What did Athena say to you?”

Earlier that night, Bridget had sent all the servants away just to give Lewis and Athena privacy.

She never imagined Athena would escape. It made no sense. How had she even managed it? Did the woman grow wings or something?

Everything had been planned perfectly. Yet somehow, Athena had slipped through their fingers. This alone made Bridget furious.

Lewis took a deep breath, his eyes dark and cold. “I don’t know,” he said through clenched teeth.

But wherever Athena went, he would find her–even if he had to leave every stone unturned.

At the hospital.

Zaden gently released Athena’s foot and asked quietly, “Feeling better now?”

Athena nodded quickly. “Much better.”

She awkwardly sat up straight, her face a little flushed. It felt strange–intimate, even–to have him massage her. They weren’t a couple. There was no reason for that kind of closeness.

And then, there was that kiss in the parking lot.

Athena’s cheeks flushed. She tried to shake off the thought, grabbed her phone, and froze when she saw the screen. There was a disconnected call. It had lasted one minute.

The caller ID read Bridget.

Athena’s eyes turned cold. Bridget and Lewis. Of course it was them. Everything they had done

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13:14 Mon, Oct 20

Chapter 52 A Misunderstanding

tonight was disgusting–completely in line with who they truly were.

“What’s wrong?” Zaden asked gently when he noticed her staring at the phone in silence.

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