"The best!" Niki beamed, proudly thrusting the little red star into the air, her voice meltingly sweet. "My art teacher gave me a prize for my drawing!"
Danielle took the paper star, examining it with immense pride. "You're so talented, sweetheart. Come on, let's go get your favorite strawberry ice cream."
"Yay!" Niki cheered, throwing her arms around Danielle's neck and planting a sloppy kiss right on her cheek.
Neither of them noticed the figure lurking in the shadow of a massive camphor tree nearby. Ella was standing perfectly still, her dark eyes tracking their every move.
She watched Danielle affectionately take Niki's hand, watched the little girl chatter animatedly up at her mother, and watched Danielle smile back with pure devotion. The icy malice in Ella's eyes intensified.
That child was the very thing that made Danielle so utterly destructible.
Ella clenched her fists, an obsessive thrill coursing through her.
She waited until Danielle buckled Niki into the SUV and drove away before finally stepping out of the shadows, a highly calculated, malicious grin spreading across her face.
The very next afternoon.
Niki's elementary school was buzzing with chaotic energy.
Several delivery trucks plastered with 'Charity Donation' banners were parked directly on the playground. Workers were busy hauling out brand-new desks, mountains of books, and school supplies.
The children crowded around, buzzing with excitement as they ogled the shiny new gear.
Danielle was stuck in an emergency board meeting, so she had asked Alex to handle the school pickup.
Right now, Alex was standing on the second-floor breezeway, his brows locked in a deep scowl as he watched the spectacle unfold below.
His assistant had just briefed him over the phone: Ella had personally orchestrated a massive, highly publicized donation drop at Niki's school, completely unprompted.
Alarm bells instantly went off in Alex's head.
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