Chapter 46: Playing With Fire

Chapter 46: Playing With Fire

Sunday morning arrived with a calm peace and silence.

The house was empty.

Gabriel wasn’t home.

Riot took Arthur to Leon for a day.

Diane was standing by the window, gripping her coffee mug, staring out into the garden as sunlight filtered through the leaves.

She barely noticed the crisp.

Her mind and thoughts were elsewhere.

She knew her father had wiped Richard’s accounts clean, stripping him of his empire, but money like his didn’t just disappear.

Richard always had a backup plan.

And she knew exactly what it was.

Drug trafficking.

Richard had been running operations under the radar for years, laundering cash through businesses while using his shipments to transport high-end narcotics.

Even with his accounts frozen, he would still have millions in physical cash—cash he needed to fund his next big move.

And now, thanks to a little digging and her memory, she knew where and when his next operation was happening.

She pulled out her phone, opening her messages.

-Diane: Micha. I have something for you.-

It only took a few minutes before her phone vibrated with a reply.

-Micha: You’re making this a habit, rabbit.-

Diane rolled her eyes before typing again.

-Diane: Richard’s next shipment. High-end product. It’s happening in three days, in an old warehouse near the docks. 11:30 PM. Security will be heavy, but I’m sure you can handle it.-

Micha didn’t reply right away.

Diane exhaled slowly, running a hand through her hair.

She was playing a dangerous game, but if she wanted Richard to suffer—truly suffer—she needed to destroy him in the one place he thought he was untouchable.

Her phone buzzed again.

-Micha: You want me to steal it all?-

She smirked slightly.

-Diane: Every last dollar. Every last kilo.-

There was a long pause.

Then—

-Micha: You’re ruthless. I like it.-

Diane’s lips pressed together. Ruthless? Maybe.

But this wasn’t just about revenge.

It was about making sure Richard never had the means to hurt her again.

She set her phone down, staring out at the sky.

Three days.

Richard had three days left before his empire burned to the ground.

And he didn’t even know it yet.

Diane’s fingers touched her phone, her heartbeat was a bit faster than the usual rhythm.

She was playing with fire.

Sabotaging Richard once was bold. Doing it again? That was outright war.

But she didn’t care.

She wanted him to suffer the way he made her suffer.

Another message popped up.

-Micha: Consider it done. But I want something in return.-

Diane frowned, her grip tightened around the phone.

-Diane: What do you want?-

The reply came almost instantly.

-Micha: A dinner. With you.-

-She exhaled loudly, pressing her fingers against her temple.-

’Of course, he’d ask for something like this.’

-Diane: You’re unbelievable.-

-Micha: That’s a yes, then?-

Diane hesitated.

A part of her wanted to tell him to go to hell.

Another part—the dangerous part—knew that keeping Micha close was smarter than pushing him away.

-Diane: Fine. But after the job is done.-

Micha sent back a winking emoji.

She rolled her eyes and locked her phone, letting out a slow and long sigh.

There was no time to think about Micha.

Right now, she had to make sure Richard had nothing left.

About five hours passed, and Gabriel still didn’t come to say hello or even check on her.

"He just wants the possession and plays a hard-to-get baby..." Diane shook her head gently.

She stepped into the main hall, pausing as she heard hushed voices from the living room.

Riot.

And Arthur.

She peeked in, leaning against the doorframe.

Riot was sitting on the couch, flipping through a book, while Arthur sat cross-legged on the floor, stacking toy blocks.

"What do you think, kid?" Riot said, tossing the book aside. "Should we build a castle or a prison?"

Arthur scrunched his nose, tapping his chin dramatically before pointing at the blocks.

Riot smirked. "Castle it is."

Arthur grinned, silently clapping his hands together before adding another piece to his structure.

Diane’s heart clenched.

Arthur never looked that relaxed with her.

He wasn’t cold to her—just... distant. Like he wasn’t sure if he should let himself get close.

And that hurt more than anything...even if he was Rachel’s son, and the reason why she was ripped from her title, Arthur was still her little brother.

She sighed, stepping fully into the room.

Arthur immediately noticed her, his smile faded a little.

Diane ignored the sting in her chest and forced a smile. "You two look busy."

Riot leaned back, smirking. "The kid’s a genius. We’re building a kingdom. He’s the king. I’m his muscle."

Arthur nodded enthusiastically.

Diane chuckled. "And where does that leave me?"

Riot arched a brow. "Dunno. What do you wanna be?"

Diane hesitated, glancing at Arthur. "Can I be part of the kingdom too?"

Arthur stared at her for a moment before tilting his head slightly.

Then, finally, he nodded.

It wasn’t much.

But it was something.

Riot grinned. "Alright, Queen Diane. Welcome to the kingdom."

Diane let out a soft laugh, sitting down on the floor beside Arthur, helping him with the blocks.

She had work to do, revenge to plan, an empire to destroy—

But right now?

Right now, she just wanted to be a bigger sister...something she didn’t get to be in her previous life.

They played together for hours, making Arthur more comfortable, relaxed and eventually exhausted.

Riot took him to bed, Diane helped to change him into his pyjamas, and they eventually left Artur to sleep.

"Diane?" Riot called her name. "I’ve noticed that something is wrong with you, is everything okay?"

Diane paused her steps.

Riot was very observant, even though it was the main reason why she hired him to protect her.

"Yes. I’m thinking of ways to bite without having to hurt the innocent one."

Riot moved his head to Arthur’s room, and Diane nodded, agreeing to his question in silence.

"It must be tough, what are you planning to do exactly to you know who?"

"Father already kicked her out of the house, we’re thinking of the situation she will put us through."

"You mean...?"

"Yes."

Riot gulped, but didn’t say anything. He was getting used to Arthur, and also didn’t want to hurt him.

"The one who will go through the most is going to be him...my brother."

"Are you going to kill Rachel?"

"She has to go."

Arthur walked silently away from the door with his eyes widened, and opened mouth.

"M-my m-mom wi-will d-die?"

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read