Chapter 20: Confession Crisis
464words
"Zoe, I've fallen in love with you," Michael declared, staring intently into her eyes. "I'd sacrifice everything for you—even Davis Group itself."
Jack's expression darkened dangerously, his grip tightening on his wine glass until his knuckles turned white.
Zoe smoothly deflected. "Mr. Davis, you've had too much champagne." Her voice remained steady, though wariness flashed in her eyes.
"I'm perfectly lucid," Michael insisted, stepping closer. "Leave Thompson and be with me. I can offer you so much more than he ever could."
Jack's lip curled in contempt. "Are you seriously trying to steal my fiancée right in front of me, Davis?"
"This is between Zoe and me." Michael met Jack's glare with challenging arrogance. "You can't satisfy her the way I can."
The tension crackled like electricity. Zoe intervened swiftly. "Gentlemen, please. Mr. Davis, you've misinterpreted my professional courtesy. Jack, I think we should leave."
At that moment, Mia materialized beside them, clutching a manila folder. Gone was her vulnerable facade, replaced by cold calculation and a predatory smile.
"What a touching declaration," she said with biting sarcasm. "Too bad it's wasted on an impostor."
She extracted photos from the folder—close-ups of Zoe's crescent birthmark alongside Rachel Williams' medical records showing an identical mark in the exact same location.
"Care to explain this?" Mia challenged Zoe, her eyes gleaming with malicious triumph.
Zoe remained unnervingly composed. "Mrs. Davis, your imagination is truly remarkable." Her tone was chillingly calm.
Jack stepped in smoothly. "This is absurd. Zoe and I met in Switzerland years ago. I have documentation to prove it."
"Is that right?" Mia sneered. "Then explain why she has the exact same crescent birthmark as Rachel Williams. What are the odds of that coincidence?"
Michael frowned, his gaze darting between Zoe and the photographs. "Mia, what the hell are you implying?"
"It's not nonsense!" Mia's voice rose to a near-hysterical pitch. "She IS Rachel Williams! Your dead wife isn't dead at all! She's had plastic surgery and come back for revenge!"
Zoe maintained her composure, offering a sympathetic smile. "Mrs. Davis, perhaps you should consult a professional. Such paranoid delusions can't be healthy, especially in your condition."
The calculated jab hit its mark. Mia stormed away in humiliation, her stilettos clicking furiously against the marble floor.
Back at the villa, Jack took Zoe's hand firmly in his. "You were brilliant back there."
Zoe nodded. "Mia's more dangerous than I anticipated, but she's also emotionally volatile. We can use that against her."
Jack gazed at her determined expression and suddenly pulled her into his arms. Zoe stiffened briefly before melting into his embrace.
