Chapter 194


    Chloe felt a chill run down her spine as the story unfolded. The intrigue of Eldridge''s high society was far deeper than she had imagined. Cassie had already finished her ss of wine, but the tale was far from over. "Just yesterday, my cousin was in a car ident, and this ire was likely behind it."


    A thought flickered in Chloe''s mind. "Is she alright?"


    "She''s fine. Otherwise, she wouldn''t be throwing a birthday party today," Cassie replied with a reassuring smile. "Don''t worry too much about her. She''s got some serious backing. Who knows, she might even end up marrying into the Sartori family and be ire''s equal. That would really set ire off."


    Chloe''s mind was racing. "Who is behind her-is it Connor?"


    Cassie looked genuinely surprised. "You know the name of our King of Eldridge?"


    The realization hit Chloe like a stone sinking to the bottom of ake. Her expression darkened.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Cassie picked up on the change. "Do you know Connor?"


    Chloe ignored the question and pressed on, "What''s the deal between Connor and Diana?"


    "What else? The typical boyfriend-girlfriend thing," Cassie said nonchntly. "You''ve probably heard that the rtionship between ire and Connor is beyond terrible. Calling them enemies wouldn''t be an exaggeration."


    "Rumor has it ire tried to kill him several times while he was growing up but never seeded."


    Chloe''s heart pounded. She knew their rtionship was strained, but this was on another level. "Why?"


    "Who knows? Maybe it''s because


    Connor was a child their parents had


    in theirter years. There''s a


    neen-year age gap between


    Connor and ire. If Connor hadn''t been born, the Sartori family empire would have gone to ire, the most capable of them all. So, when Connor came along, it''s no wonder she despises him."


    "Hating him is one thing, but trying to kill him? He''s still her brother."


    Cassie shook her head. "There might be more to it. Chloe, in the elite circles of Eldridge, family bonds are thin. Everyone is out for their own interests because the stakes are so high. The Sartori family is the top of the four big families in Eldridge City. The Shaw family has already moved abroad and faded from the scene. Evenbined, the wealth of the Nagel and Gilbert families doesn''te close to the Sartori family''s."


    Cassie sighed. "The Sartori family''s affairs are way tooplicated."


    Chloe listened intently, her brows furrowed. Cassie sensed something was off. "You''re not usually this curious. Why the sudden interest in the Sartori family today?"


    Before Chloe could answer, vibrant fireworks erupted outside. The red sparks lit up the sky like zing mes before fading away. Unintentionally, Chloe murmured, "Heart of the rose."


    Cassie assumed Chloe was enjoying the view. She grabbed Chloe''s arm. "Watching through the ss is boring. Come on, let''s go join the fun."