Chapter 348\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara stood there, almost in tears, her voice trembling. \u201cRiley, please. One last chance. Whatever you want- tell me. I\u2019ll give it to you. I swear.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly, steadying the turmoil inside me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I opened them again, I was ready.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFine,\u201d I said coldly. \u201cOne last chance. But if you fail me again-if you lic, hesitate, or make excuses-we\u2019re done. Forever. You\u2019ll be nothing more than a stranger.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She nodded eagerly, as if she\u2019d been waiting her entire life to hear that from me. \u201cYes, of course. Anything. Just tell me what you need.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked her dead in the eyes. \u201cYou raised Scarlett for twenty-three years. She\u2019s worn designer clothes, driven imported cars, traveled the world, and had every privilege thrown at her feet. You spent more than a fortune on her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara blinked, unsure. \u201cAre you asking for money?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m asking for the only thing you can give,\u201d I said without emotion. \u201cI want ten million credits. That\u2019s all. Give me that, and I\u2019ll forgive everything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked stunned. Ten million was a lot, even for her. Not impossible, but not something she could just hand over today.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But compared to what I had demanded before-to cast out Scarlett and sever the blood-bonded tie of guardianship-this was a walk in the park.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was so terrified I might change my mind that she didn\u2019t even hesitate. \u201cOkay. I agree. I\u2019ll get it for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded. \u201cGood. Then leave. I\u2019m tired.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She practically fled in relief, clinging to the promise of redemption like it was a lifeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched her go, and a small smirk curled at the corner of my lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was always the plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I never expected her to exile Scarlett. And climbing the sacred nine hundred and ninety-nine stairs at Ashfang Temple? Please. I knew she couldn\u2019t do it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I gave her impossible choices first so that when I finally asked for the money-she\u2019d jump at the chance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She would never have agreed to ten million upfront. Not when she couldn\u2019t even bear to give me a proper allowance before. But now?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, I had what I needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next day, Mia returned as usual to bring me food-but this time, she wasn\u2019t alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:58 Sun, Dec 28 G\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 348\u00a0<\/p>\n
Carman came with her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
4471\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was only twenty, but she radiated a light I hadn\u2019t felt in a long time. There was no pain in her eyes, no cynicism-just the brightness of a young she-wolf with a future.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was only three years older, but in my reflection, I barely recognized myself. My eyes were hollow. My skin pale and bruised. My hands scarred.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Carman\u2019s gaze landed on my bandaged hand, and her eyes filled instantly with tears. She stepped forward and gently cupped my wrist, her fingers trembling. \u201cRiley\u2026 What did they do to you\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The bruises were still vivid. The belt wounds from Alaric\u2019s rage cut across my arms in ugly, swollen marks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Carman\u2019s voice cracked. \u201cYou can\u2019t stay with them. The Vales are monsters. Leave them. Please.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew she meant it. She and Mia were the only ones who ever visited me in prison. Not Kael. Not Zara. Not Theo.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And for that-I would protect them with everything I had.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I gave her a small smile. \u201cOkay. I\u2019ll listen to you, Carman.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her\u00a0<\/p>\n
eyes\u00a0<\/p>\n
widened. \u201cReally?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded. \u201cReally.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But before I walked away from the Vale estate for good, I needed to make sure they had a way out too. If Kael ever tried to use them against me again-I wouldn\u2019t survive it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So I shifted the topic. \u201cHow are your classes?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She beamed. \u201cPretty good. I\u2019ve been making the Dean\u2019s List every semester.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I felt a flicker of warmth. \u201cThat\u2019s my girl. Do you want to study abroad?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hesitated. The light in her eyes dimmed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026I\u2019d love to,\u201d she admitted. \u201cBut there\u2019s no way. Mom\u2019s already doing everything she can just to keep me in school here. Studying overseas? That\u2019s a luxury we can\u2019t afford.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I leaned forward. \u201cWhat if-just what if-you didn\u2019t have to worry about money? Would you go?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Carman laughed softly, shaking her head. \u201cIn a heartbeat\/But dreams don\u2019t work like that, Riley. It\u2019s just a fantasy,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
No. Not a fantasy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once I got that ten million, they were the first ones I\u2019d send away. Carman would finish her education in another country-far from the Vale Pack. Far from Alaric. Far from Kael. Far from pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:58\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 348\u00a0<\/p>\n
And Mia would go with her. She deserved peace.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I would tie up the last of my loose ends.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once they were safe-no one could use them against me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And then?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d burn the rest down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Let the Vales come for me if they dared.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because this time, I wasn\u2019t afraid to take every last one of them with me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
788\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u3002\u00a0<\/p>\n
(11)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Midnight Letters by Daniel Crowe 348 Chapter 348\u00a0 Riley\u2019s POV\u00a0 Finished\u00a0 Zara stood there, almost in tears, her voice trembling. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pack-princess"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20621"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20621\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}