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.”Serena backed away, her leg limping.She must have done something—twisted her ankle, or maybe broken it.She winced as he backed her against the wall, gathering her strength.“You forgot something,” Serena gasped as he stalked towards her, his eyes on fire.“Yes,” he hissed, “I was an idiot, forgetting to kill you when I had the chance.But I don’t make the same mistake twice.” He reached down, snatching the lead pipe from the ground and swinging it around so that it rested on his shoulder.“You should have run when I let you,” he seethed.“No,” Serena said, reaching into her coat.With the last of her strength, she pulled her hand out from her coat, revealing only the glint of metal in her clutched fist.Jacques began to growl something but stopped in his tracks, horrified as the realization dawned on him.He stood stone still, frozen in the middle of the room, as Serena stood up.“You forgot to take the gun when you left,” Serena rasped, shooting him through the heart.*****Three weeks later, Serena sat in the reception room of the mansion, sharing a couch with Ellen and a few of the Marquette lawyers.Val may have hated journalists and tabloids, but with his being unconscious, there wasn’t much he could do about it.The last month had been dedicated to endless interviews and hiding from cameras.No one was quite sure who Serena was, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to let them print her name next to the title ‘sex slave.’ So Ellen set her up with a nice backstory: the childhood friend turned love interest and confidant, the only person close enough to Val to suspect something was wrong and save him.“So they don’t suspect a thing about what we really are?” she asked Ellen one day.“They’re not going to interview his real family or real friends? Or try to hunt down my family?”“Of course they aren’t,” said Ellen blithely.“We paid them far too much, and Mr.Marquette doesn’t have much in the way of friends and family.Jacques was the closest—” She cut herself off, frowning.“But either way, this is a much better story.Long lost childhood love turned white knight? They’ll eat that up.That’s a story that will sell papers, I’ll tell you that.That’s all that matters to them.”A crowd of cameras and journalists with pen and notepad in hand surrounded them.The lawyers were fielding questions as Serena and Ellen sat for pictures, dutifully playing the part of Valentine Marquette’s two saviors.Serena had taken more pictures in the last three weeks than she had in her entire life.“Ms.Nicoletti,” called one journalist.“How do you feel about the rescue of your brother, Henry Nicoletti?”Serena swallowed hard.Ellen had done a good job on that one too.No longer was Harry an idiot who had lost a shipment of cocaine and got himself imprisoned, making his sister do all kinds of fool plans to save him.Now he was the virtuous boy next door taken as a hostage to manipulate Val’s one true love.(He had also been a childhood friend of Val’s, according to Ellen’s spin.She was far too good at this.)“I’m very happy,” Serena said.At least that was true.One truth in the sea of lies that had been this whole last month.“And Mrs.Proctor?” asked one journalist, turning to Ellen.“How do you think this will affect Marquette Industries?”One of the lawyers attempted to dive in, but Ellen waved him off.“I’m glad to say the business is doing very well,” she chirped.“But I think what we really need to focus on here is the human story, hm? Mr.Marquette was betrayed by his best friend and closest business associate, and if it hadn’t been for the work of Ms.Nicoletti and her brother, I really doubt he’d still be here with us.”Another round of camera flashes went off.Serena shrunk in her seat, still unused to them.“How do you feel about the arrest of Ian Harlow?” asked one of them.Serena began to say something about how she hoped he rotted in a cell for the rest of his life, but Ellen and the lawyers jumped it.Ellen said something diplomatic about knowing he would receive his due process and that she trusted the justice system
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