Karma Doesn’t Sleep: The Revenge Queen Rises novel Chapter 43

A heavy, suffocating pressure settled over her.

Amelia’s lashes quivered as she edged backward, avoiding Ryan’s eyes. Her heart thudded so hard in her chest, she was sure he could hear it.

With looks like Ryan’s, it was almost criminal. He was dangerously handsome—no one could keep their cool in front of him.

Ryan went quiet for a moment, then suddenly let out a cold, mocking laugh. His voice, chilly as ice water, echoed above her.

“Amelia, before you worry about my business, maybe you should get your own eyes checked. Even someone like Clive could fool you…”

Before she even realized it, her hand shot up and smacked him across the face. The sound cracked through the air. Five red marks instantly bloomed on Ryan’s pale cheek.

For a split second, Amelia thought he’d hit her back. She braced herself, ready for it. Instead, Ryan just gave her a cold, unreadable smirk, turned, and walked away.

Amelia snapped out of the memory.

Back then, when she was eighteen, she’d been all fire and loyalty, fiercely protecting her first love, Clive. She wouldn’t let anyone say a bad word about him. Now? She agreed with every word Ryan had said about Clive.

Quietly, she peeled another clementine, thinking back to the last time she ran into Ryan at that restaurant. The people with him called him Mr. Packman now.

He was probably doing just fine these days.

Across the room, Klaus stormed out onto the balcony, face like thunder, phone pressed to his ear. Clive got up and followed after him.

Amelia didn’t even look up. She kept peeling clementines, focused and calm.

Timmy and Penny probably liked them too, so she peeled a few more.

It wasn’t long before Clive and Klaus returned, both of them looking sour.

Klaus announced, voice stiff and dark, “Mr. Ryan Packman had something urgent come up. He won’t be coming today.”

Ben couldn’t hide his satisfaction. He’d shown up today half-hoping to meet Ryan, but if it didn’t happen, no loss. He wasn’t the one who had to worry about looking bad.

His wife, Lola, put on her most concerned face. “Klaus, you really should double-check everything with that middleman. Don’t let anyone take advantage of you—don’t just hand out favors for nothing.”

Klaus’s face turned a little green, but he held his anger in.

“Amelia, Mom says this for your own good. You’ve got plenty of free time lately. Why don’t you stay home and let Mom teach you?”

Amelia knew exactly what he was thinking—he didn’t want her at the company, fighting Kristen for the manager position.

She quietly pulled her hand from Clive’s and said, “I’m going back to work in a couple of days.”

She wasn’t asking. She was telling him.

Clive’s expression froze; he frowned, clearly unhappy with her answer.

But with the whole family watching, he didn’t say more.

“We’ll talk about this when we get home.”

Amelia didn’t reply.

Her attitude was crystal clear: there was nothing more to discuss.