Chapter 3
Chapter 3
“It’s a real bomb!” someone in the crowd squeaked.
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The guests, just seconds ago dishing gossip and playing morality police, freaked and bolted for the exits. Even the security goons sent to grab Solana ran like hell.
In a flash, only the Webbs–Robert, Gloria, Averie–and Mateo remained.
Solana stalked forward, each step dripping with intent, her words sharp as razors. “You killed my dad. Kept me from Mom’s last moments. You ruined us. Scum like you don’t deserve to live.”
Robert’s nerve started to crack. “What the hell? Drop that thing, Solana!”
Gloria was a wreck, crumpled on the floor, shaking like crazy.
“Drop it? You think I’m scared?” Solana shot back, eyes flicking to Mateo with a smirk. “Didn’t know you were so ride–or- die for her.”
Mateo was sweating bullets, itching to bolt.
Averie grabbed his arm, voice shaky. “Mateo, she’s bluffing! A bomb? Her? She just got outta jail–where’s she buying that?”
Robert jumped in, nodding fast. “Yeah, Solana, quit the act! Scram before you regret it!”
Gloria exhaled, thinking they’d called her out.
Solana’s lips twisted into a icy grin. “Buy it? Don’t need to. High school chem’s enough. Oh, wait–Averie, a dropout like you wouldn’t know.”
Her words hit hard. Mateo’s face went pale, and he shoved Averie off, sprinting for the door.
Averie stared at her so–called soulmate’s back, yelling, “Mateo! Get back here,
Mateo didn’t even glance back, running like his life depended on it.
you coward!”
Averie tried to chase, but Solana snagged her arm and shoved her back. With Averie’s twisted ankle, it was easy.
Solana sneered. “What happened to your ‘true love‘? That’s how he’s got your back?”
Averie’s face was gray, stunned that Mateo bailed when it mattered.
Solana locked eyes with Robert. “Oh, and that ‘cheap watch‘ you let me keep when you framed me? Sold it. Bought the stuff for this. Your family paid for your own end.”
“You’re nuts!” Robert roared, lunging for the bomb.
Solana pushed Averie into him, knocking them both back. In one slick move, she swiped the bomb across Averie’s birthday cake, candles sparking the fuse.
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14:36 Wed, 30 Jul G
Chapter 3
Averie dropped her tough act, shrieking, “Are you insane? You’ll die too!”
Solana’s lips curved into a stunning, deadly smile. She tossed the bomb at the Webbs with a flick of her wrist.
She’d lost it all. Death? Didn’t faze her.
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But if she was going down, she’d make sure her parents got their justice. This rotten family wasn’t walking away scot–free.
Seconds later, a massive blast shook Embridge City to its core.
Mom, Dad, I’m making this right… she thought bitterly.
HONK HONK HONK!
A blaring horn jolted Solana as the car screeched to a halt, her body lurching forward. Her forehead slammed into the seatback, pain snapping her awake.
“You good, Miss Webb?” Lucas Dunn, the driver, shot her an apologetic glance. “Sorry, some jerk cut me off.”
“I’m fine,” Solana muttered, rubbing her aching forehead. She sank into the soft leather seat, eyes flicking to the dashboard: July 25, 2020. Sophomore summer.
Yup. After she’d blown the Webb family–mom, dad, kid, and their swanky Prosperity Hotel–sky–high, she’d landed back here, five years earlier.
Before it all went south.
She’d woken up in Ofada City, 180 miles from Embridge City, smack in the middle of Mateo’s over–the–top twentieth birthday party.
She’d rather be anywhere else, but the Roberts were obsessed with hooking her up with Mateo. Gloria even splurged on a fancy gown to drag her here.
Mateo’s party was a spectacle. Embridge City was big, but Ofada? It was Vixaland’s glittering heart, a global hotspot that made Embridge look small–time.
Mateo, always flexing, dropped a million to book the Perce Hotel, Ofada’s ritziest seven–star hotel, just for a dinner with his buddies.
Solana hated the glitzy vibe and fake chatter. She’d parked herself on a corner sofa, sipping a drink, scrolling news on her phone, and dozed off.
A shrill ringtone snapped her awake.
The chaos around her felt like a dream–until Mateo, wasted as hell, stumbled over, kicking over wine bottles. Last time, he’d tried to flag her about the call before puking all over her.
Not today. Solana vaulted off the sofa like a pro, dodging just as Mateo barfed all over where she’d been.
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Chapter 3
“Whoa, Mateo, you okay, man?“A pack of brown nosers, desperate to impress the Hickum Construction heir, rushed to
clean up.
Solana stood frozen, heart pounding. This wasn’t a dream. She was back.
Her phone buzzed like crazy, the same old ringtone looping.
It had to be Hana Hawkins, the Webb family’s maid.
Solana answered fast, and Hana’s panicked voice hit her. “Miss Webb, we’re in deep trouble…”
Car horns blared outside as Solana stared at the hectic, familiar streets, a sly smirk creeping across her face.
Hana’s voice came through the phone, all panicked. “Mrs. Webb wiped out on the stairs yesterday–split her head open, blood everywhere. You gotta haul yourself back from Ofada City, stat!”
Everything was playing out just like she remembered. Not a thing different.
Solana could still feel the dread from that call years back, her heart pounding like a drum. The elevator at the Perce Hotel was moving at a snail’s pace, so she’d kicked open the emergency exit and raced down 28 floors, screwing up her ankle so bad it was swollen for weeks.
And what was her reward? Robert, slamming her with a paternity test that proved she wasn’t a Webb.
Lucas glanced at her from the driver’s seat, catching her peek at her watch. “Hey, Miss Webb, don’t stress. Mrs. Webb’s gonna be fine,” he said.
Solana stifled a laugh. ‘Do I look stressed? Nah. I’m dying to face the scumbags who trashed my family.”
In her old life, she had no clue this was the moment her whole world started to crumble.
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