hapter 62
CHARLOTTE
Ü
The drive home was a haze, each streetlight a streak of pale yellow against the darkening sky. My grip on the steering wheel was vice–like, my palms slick with sweat as the low hum of the engine barely registered over the relentless pounding in my ears. My mind wouldn’t stop spinning, wouldn’t stop replaying the words in that email, each line a brick building a wall of dread around me.
Someone knew.
Someone knew I had taken the video.
It was a thought so sharp, so shocking, it felt like a physical blow every time I considered it. I’d been careful, hadn’t I? I’d covered my tracks meticulously, wiped every trace of my involvement clean. Or so I’d thought. But now… now it was clear that I’d made a mistake. A small, careless mistake that had opened the door for someone to find me.
I pressed my lips together in a hard line as I pulled into the driveway. My chest felt tight, my heart pounding so loudly it drowned out the sound of the gravel crunching under the tires.
Could it be someone from Damien’s company? It had to be. No one else had access to the kind of information that could connect the dots back to me. That narrowed it down, sure, but instead of easing my anxiety, it made it worse. Because if someone in Damien’s company knew, then they were close–far too close.
The car jerked to a stop, parked haphazardly at an angle that I’d normally correct, but not tonight. I shoved the gear into park, grabbed my bag, and slammed the door shut behind me without a second thought. Locking it didn’t even cross my mind. My feet carried me into the house automatically, the familiar click of my heels against the tiled floor doing little to steady my nerves.
I barely registered the faint murmur of voices coming from the living room. My parents, probably watching the news or one of their mindless sitcoms.
“Charlotte?” my mother called, her voice faint and curious.
“Not now,” I snapped, my tone sharp as a blade as I climbed the stairs two at a time.
The moment I stepped into my room, I slammed the door shut and twisted the lock. Leaning against the wood, I exhaled shakily, my chest rising and falling as I tried to regain some semblance of control. But the air in the room felt heavy, suffocating, as if the walls were closing in on me.
I dropped my bag onto the bed and started pacing, the sharp click of my heels echoing in the small space. My thoughts were a chaotic jumble, each one louder and more intrusive than the last.
This couldn’t be happening. It just couldn’t.
I stopped in front of the mirror, my reflection startling me. My face was pale, my usually sharp features drawn tight with worry. My eyes, normally so bright and calculating, were clouded with fear. I barely recognized myself.
“What am I going to do?” I whispered, the words barely audible over the thundering of my pulse.
The sharp buzz of my phone snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts. My heart leapt into my throat as I snatched it off the bed, my hands trembling as I unlocked the screen.
Another message.
1/3
Dreame–Read Romance…
Open
44 FREE
14:35 Tue, 18 Feb
Chapter 62
M
“Tomorrow. You’ll meet me at a location I’ll send you in the morning. Come alone. No excuses.”
X42%
The words stared back at me, simple and cold, but they hit me like a sledgehammer. The idea of meeting this person- whoever they were–made my stomach churn. What if it was a trap? What if they weren’t planning to blackmail me but something far worse?
My fingers hovered over the screen, shaking slightly as I typed out a response.
“How do I know this isn’t a setup to hurt me? What if you’re planning to kill me?”
I hit send and stared at the screen, my heart hammering in anticipation. The reply came almost instantly, the speed of it unsettling.
11
“Kill you? Don’t flatter yourself, Charlotte. Your death would be of no use to me. But your reputation? Your name? Now that’s valuable. Do as I say, or I’ll ruin you. Your choice.”
I clenched my jaw, anger bubbling beneath the fear that had taken root in my chest. Whoever this was, they had me cornered, and they knew it.
I tossed the phone onto the bed, resuming my frantic pacing. My mind raced through every possible scenario, every potential outcome. What did they want from me? Money? Information? Or was this about something else entirely?
For a fleeting moment, I considered going to Damien. If this person worked for him, surely he had the resources to figure out who they were. But the thought vanished almost as quickly as it had come. What exactly was I going to tell Damien‘ That I was being blackmailed because of a video? No. I couldn’t risk it.
No one cou
I stopped by the window, staring out at the city lights twinkling in the distance. They seemed so far away, so removed from the mess I’d found myself in. The room was silent except for the faint howl of the wind against my window.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, I turned back to the bed and grabbed my phone again. My fingers hovered over the screen before I typed out another message.
“Fine. I’ll come. But if you try anything, I swear you’ll regret it.”
The response came almost immediately, as if the sender had been waiting for my reply.
“Good girl. Don’t worry, Charlotte. All I want is your cooperation. See you soon.”
I stared at the screen, my grip on the phone tightening until my knuckles turned white. My chest heaved as I tried to process what had just happened, the weight of the situation pressing down on me like a boulder.
Fear coiled in my stomach, cold and unrelenting, but beneath it, another emotion stirred. Anger.
Whoever this person was, they thought they had the upper hand. They thought they could manipulate me, control me. But they didn’t know who they were dealing with.
I tossed the phone onto the bed again and crossed my arms, my gaze hardening as I stared out at the city lights.
I’d play along, for now. But I wouldn’t let them win.
2/3
