Chapter 77
CHARLOTTE
I didn’t bother fixing my makeup before I left the house. My mind was too scrambled, my nerves too shot to care.
I just needed to get to Liam.
He would fix this.
Or at the very least, he would know what the hell I was supposed to do next.
By the time I arrived at the restaurant, my heart was still pounding in my chest. I barely noticed the dim lighting, the polished tables, the low murmur of distant conversations. My legs carried me straight to our usual booth, my pulse roaring
my cars
in
Liam was already there, one arm draped over the back of the seat, his phone in his other hand. I had called him over the phone after my conversation with the blackmailer and told him every single thing He quickly arranged this timely meeting
The second he looked up and saw me, his expression darkened.
“Charlotte.” His voice was sharp, clipped. “You look like shit.”
I slid into the seat across from him, gripping the edge of the table like I needed to hold on to something. “We have a problem.”
gaze pinning
His jaw tensed. “Yeah, no kidding” He dropped his phone onto the table with a thud and leaned forward, his gaze me in place. “What the fuck did you do Charlotte?”
I exhaled sharply, pressing my fingers against my temples. “Liam, I—“
“What were vor
you thinking?” His voice was low, but the frustration cut through like a blade. His eyes burned into me, barely restrained anger simmering beneath the surface. “You shot someone, Charlotte. A mere cleaner. And for what? The blackmailer is still out there, and now you’ve got blood on your hands for nothing!”
A sharp stab of anger shot through me. “I didn’t know she wasn’t the blackmailer,” I snapped, my voice coming out more defensive than I intended. “She was acting suspicious! Everything pointed to her!”
Liam let out a humorless laugh, shaking his head. “Suspicious?” He exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple like he was trying to physically force patience into himself. “Jesus, Charlotte. Do you even think before you do shit like this?”
I clenched my] jaw, my nails digging into my palms beneath the table. “I did what I had to do. I wasn’t going to sit around and wait for some ghost to ruin my life. I followed the only lead | had”
“Well, congratulations,” he drawled, voice dripping with sarcasm. “You followed it straight into a dead end.”
I gritted my teeth, swallowing down the lump in my throat. I hated this. Hated being wrong. Hated the way he was looking at me–like I was some reckless idiot who had just made everything worse.
1 had thought it was over.
I had celebrated—too soon, too arrogantly.
And now!
Now I was sitting here, humiliated, while the real blackmailer toyed with me like I was nothing more than a game piece.
Liam ran a hand down his face, clearly trying to keep himself from losing it completely. “This is exactly what I didn’t want.
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Chapter 77
to happen.”
“You weren’t the one being blackmailed,” I shot back.
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He slammed his hand against the table, making me flinch. “No, but I’m the one who has to get the fall for your mess when. you fuck up.” His voice was sharp, cutting through me like ice. “Do you even understand what you’ve done? You shot someone. That’s not something you just walk away from, Charlotte. Even if you had gotten the right person, you really think this would have ended just like that?”
I pressed my lips together, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much his words rattled me
He let out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head. “Of course you did.”
I gritted my teeth. “I don’t need a lecture, Liam.”
“You need something,” he muttered under his breath, rubbing his temples.
We sat there in tense silence, the weight of my failure pressing down on me.
Liam finally sighed, leaning back against the booth. “Look, we don’t have time for this. The only thing we can do now is send the money. That’s it.”
I inhaled sharply, straightening my shoulders. “I already planned on doing that.”
“Good,” he muttered. “At least you’re thinking straight now. I’ll remit some funds to your account later on.”
I scowled. “Don’t act like this is all my fault.”
Liam shot me a look. “It is your fault”
My hands curled into fists. “I didn’t ask for this, Liam!” My voice rose, sharp and desperate. I immediately glanced around, forcing myself to lower it. “I didn’t ask to be blackmailed. I didn’t ask for some psycho to be watching me, waiting to ruin everything
His gaze stayed locked onto mine, unreadable. “No.” he said slowly. “But you did make it worse.”
I looked away, jaw tightening. I hated admitting he was right.
The silence between us was thick, suffocating.
Liam exhaled through his nose, clearly trying to push down whatever else he wanted to say. “Just send the money, Charlotte. That’s all we can do for now.”
I took a breath, steadying myself. “And then what?”
His eyes darkened. “Then we figure out who the hell this person is.”
A shiver ran down my spine. “And if we can’t?”
His lips curled slightly, but there was nothing amused about it. “Then we make them come to us.”
There was something in his tone that sent a chill through me.
I nodded, grabbing my bag as I slid out of the booth. “I’ll handle it.”
Liam didn’t say anything at first, just watched me, his expression unreadable. Then he nodded. “You better.”
I turned and walked out of the restaurant, my heels clicking against the floor.
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Chapter 77
This wasn’t over.
Not by a long shot.
Melanie sat on the edge of her couch, her legs tucked beneath her as she stared at her phone screen, a slow, wicked curling on her lips
Charlotte had taken the bait.
The great, untouchable Charlotte was crumbling
Melanie let out a small amused laugh, shaking her head. “Too easy,” she murmured to herself tapping the edge of her phone against her chin. “Way too easy.”
She had expected some resistance. Maybe a bit of hesitation, maybe even an attempt at fighting back. But no–Charlott had fallen for it like a fool.
Melanie leaned back, stretching her arms above her head as satisfaction filled her chest.
“All that money, all that power,” she mused rolling her eyes. “And yet, she still panics like a little girl when the pressure’s
Pathetic.
She swiped her thumb across her phone screen, rereading Charlotte’s last message.
Melanie smirked. She could practically see the panic on Charlotte’s face, feel the way her heart must have pounded in ter when she realized she had gone after the wrong person.
It was delicious.
She smirked, already imagining Charlotte’s expression–wide, fearful eyes, trembling fingers gripping her phone, her carefully controlled world slipping through her fingers like sand.
Charlotte had no idea who she was dealing with.
Melanie set her phone down on the coffee table, inhaling deeply, letting the moment sink in. This was her victory. And it tasted sweeter than anything she had ever known.
“This is just the beginning. Charlotte,” she whispered, her fingers dancing over her phone as she prepared to send the next
instructions.
She hadn’t done all of this just for a quick payday.
No.
She wanted more.
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