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Yasone to the world’s h for her There was so no amount of money or fame or possessions could ever fill Even if Yasmin succeeded, she wouldn’t be happy She would find all the flaws in life and hold theainst her She saw herself as a victi she did It was how she ed to live with herself What a miserable existence But it was all Yasmin understood

Alea realized that she could have beco down the path to empty bitterness She would have shut out anyone who could have loved her, and resentment would have ruled her life Her men had saved her from that The island had saved her, and now she wanted life and love in the real world, too It wouldn’t be easy, but nothing hile was That simple truth hat Yas to work, Yashtedness this ti you to a place where you can get soood place for Yasure out if she was a complete sociopath

For the first ti down for this"

"I disagree, bitch," Oliver’s words were guttural as though forced through sheer willpower froun firing wildly, hitting the balcony doors and sending glass flying out The sound filled the rooain Now she had to decide which way to run toward safety

Oliver shoved at Yas her to the floor His dress shirt had turned a horrible ray cast to his skin His hands shook as he reached for his wife’s throat Yasot to her knees

The bedrooht If she could get a shot off, it would likely hit Alea in the back

Another little ping zipped through the air as Yasmin fired wildly

Alea dashed to the doorway, sprinting as she looked back, trying to see as happening with Oliver and Yas hi

She made it to the balcony before Yasmin turned Alea forced herself to not breathe as she lass at her feet

"Where did you go, bitch? Do you think I won’t find you? I don’t care about anything now I just want to kill you! You wrecked everything! Everything!"

Alea clung to the et to the trellis and hope that she could still make it to one of the trees that were planted close When she’d been a child, she’d been able toto the tree and shi down Her aunt and uncles had been horrified Talib had called her a little ht come in handy now God, would the branches even hold her?

She heard a door sla for her in the bedroom

This was her one chance She stepped across the glass, crunching it under her shoes and stepped up on the terrace railing Shit It was a long way down

"Lea! Lea!"

"Lan?"

Landon stood on the ground beneath her, a gun in his hand He quickly shoved it into his holster and held his arms up "Jump, Lea Jump and I’ll catch you I swear I will Jump, darlin’"

"Got you," Yash the doors

Alea juet to Lan than face down a bullet She heard herself scream as she made the short trip from the second story

Her breath huffed fro, warm arms

"I can kill you both" Yasun in her hand

Lan un, and he pressed Alea to the ground

A loud report filled the air That hadn’t been Yasod," Lan whispered and pulled Alea upright

Yas over the balcony railing She hung there for a h, both with a seasped in horror as Yasmin teetered, her body unbalanced, then tipped over the railing She fell through the air, her blonde hair flipping with her body before she hit the ground with a sickening thud A glance told Alea that Yas’s neck hung at an unnatural angle She was dead

Dane looked over the railing "Is Alea okay?"

"I’ve got her," Lan yelled He scooped her up, holding her to his chest

Alea stared at Yasmin’s dead body as he carried her away, brutally aware of just how close she’d co to Lan and cried

Chapter Fifteen

"How is Oliver?" Piper asked as she poured out the tea and waited for the servant to step back "Thank you so much That will be all for now We should be finished in an hour or so Until then, I’d like to be alone with my cousin, please"

The servant frowned, but nodded and bowed as he left the room