Chapter 813

Madeline Delmonico paced anxiously across the living room.

The clock's hands had circled several times, eroding her patience. Just as she reached for her phone to call Zoe Chamberlain, a shrill laugh pierced the silence behind her.

"Ha! Looking for me?"

Madeline whirled around.

A stranger had materialized in the Delmonico living room.

Madeline's pupils contracted violently at the familiar-yet-alien face. "V-Vivian...?"

Her breath hitched.

The woman bore an uncanny resemblance to Vivian Laurent—except for the cruel twist in her brows.

Annika Heilbronn lounged on the dining table, legs crossed. "I'm here to kill you, obviously."

Madeline froze, her lungs seizing.

——

Meanwhile.

Vivian and Isabella Langley stared at a computer screen.

The feed from the pinhole camera made both women pale simultaneously.

"Viv...that person..." Isabella's voice trembled. "Isn't that you?"

Had Vivian not been beside her, she'd have sworn the woman onscreen was Vivian herself.

How could two people look so identical?

"That's not me." Vivian's gaze burned through the screen.

The face reminded her of someone—Sophia Evans. But Sophia's resemblance paled compared to this doppelgänger.

——

Madeline's earpiece crackled with a prompt.

She steadied herself. "You're not Vivian Laurent."

Annika smirked. "Of course I'm not that trash." She stroked her cheek. "Is Vivian as beautiful as me?"

Her obsession with her appearance was pathological. She always forced others to acknowledge her superiority.

Madeline's nails dug into her palms as she compared them.

Though their features were similar, Annika's face had an unnatural stiffness, devoid of Vivian's effortless grace.

"Who are you?" Madeline demanded.

Annika crossed her legs. "I heard you wanted to meet me. Let's negotiate terms." Her eyes turned glacial. "Don't even think about refusing—or else—"

"Impossible!" Madeline snapped. "I won't help you smuggle anything."

Annika chuckled. "Fine. I'm sure your husband will cooperate." She adjusted her sleeve with deliberate slowness. "If he refuses...I can always replace him with someone more...compliant."