The CEO's Hidden Love: Midnight Temptations and Deep Desires novel Chapter 896

The night before her meeting with Amanda, Dorothy didn't resort to her usual glass of wine to coax herself into slumber. Instead, she allowed insomnia to be her bedfellow until the break of dawn. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, so many that it felt like her head might explode, so overwhelming that she had to pop an aspirin to dull the throbbing pain.

Finally, the appointed time arrived.

Dorothy lingered in front of her wardrobe for what felt like an eternity before settling on a crimson dress.

Her skin, already fair, seemed to glow against the red fabric, accentuating her hourglass figure without a hint of vulgarity. Instead, she exuded an air of untainted desire, her petite face delicate and unmarred by the toils of motherhood to her two children.

She arrived at the agreed-upon restaurant to find Amanda hadn't yet made an appearance.

Dorothy knew this was likely a power play. It was a deliberate tardiness meant to assert dominance and remind Dorothy of her place.

"I'll have a Blue Mountain coffee, thanks." Dorothy was unfazed. She was even sitting on her seat with a stoic expression.

Nearly thirty minutes passed before Amanda made her fashionably late entrance. She carried the same regal aura she had in the courtroom, looking down her nose with an air of haughty disdain.

"Let's cut to the chase. How much do you want?"

Amanda didn't bother with apologies for her lateness. She got straight to the point upon sitting down.

"That can wait. What I want to know is why you were so hell-bent on seeing my mother dead."

Dorothy had her theories, but she wanted to hear it straight from Amanda's lips.

"Why would I need a reason?" Amanda had done her homework; there were no cameras here, so she spoke freely. "The life of a commoner holds no value to me. Why would I waste time contemplating it?"

Dorothy didn’t speak.

"The real person responsible for your mother's death is you! You are way over your head by dreaming of being with my son, and that brought this upon her. You have no one to blame but yourself!"

A chill settled at the bottom of Dorothy's eyes as she nodded in agreement, "Yes, to people like you, our lives are indeed worthless."

...

Everett's plane touched down in Lumina Bay for a layover, and he took the opportunity to call Kevin to check in on Dorothy for any unusual behavior.

Relieved to hear she had been acting normally by just casually strolling downstairs and even giving her apartment a thorough cleaning, he felt a measure of peace.

When he finally arrived at Eldorria City Airport, he received a call from Ephraim.

"Mr. Lopez, there's something I need to tell you! Ms. Sanchez instructed me not to speak of it, but I think it's best you know."

"Go ahead."

"Ms. Sanchez's decision to forgo an appeal was quite unequivocal. She mentioned it even before the first trial."

Dorothy was giving up her appeal?!

"Did she say anything else?"

"No, that's all. But after the verdict, Ms. Sanchez seemed exceptionally detached, as if the lawsuit had nothing to do with her!"

Everett strode out of the airport with long, purposeful steps, sliding into the car Kevin had driven to pick him up.

After a brief pause, he asked in a deep tone, "Did you explain the rules and benefits of an appeal to her?"

"I did! I tried to encourage her not to lose heart, but she insisted on not appealing."

Everett's brows furrowed deeply.

Suddenly—

A sense of foreboding rapidly took hold of him.

He ended the call and dialed his father's number.

"Dad, where's Mom?"

Jonathan paused, "Not sure. She said someone wanted to talk business, and she left on her own."