Chapter 108\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maya\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Craig had been distant ever since he met Bella again. He stopped showing up at the shop or at my house. He was also avoiding my calls.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said he had a meeting or something \u201curgent\u201d had come up. But his excuses were on repeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew he was calculating. After the promise of money was gone after there was no hope for Bella\u2019s inheritance, Craig\u2019s interest had evaporated. I loathed Bella. Couldn\u2019t she just marry him?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jared was nearing bankruptcy. The fashion house was wobbling ke a sick old thing. The worst part was that Jared wasn\u2019t even trying to hide his disdain about it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A month ago, when I asked him for money, he would have handed it over with a sigh. Now he had stopped completely. The last time I brought it up, he didn\u2019t even pretend to be sympathetic. \u201cMy business needs money too,\u201d he had snapped. \u201cGo to your father!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at my phone. I hit his number and pressed the phone to my ear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He picked up on the third ring, sounding distracted. \u201cMaya.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you meet me?\u201d I demanded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t,\u201d he replied immediately. \u201cI\u2019m in the middle of something.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always are,\u201d I snapped. \u201cJust meet me for twenty minutes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaya-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCraig,\u201d I cut in. \u201cI need you. One last time. It\u2019s urgent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was a long pause. \u201cI\u2019m not doing this tonight,\u201d he finally said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My nails dug into my palm. \u201cPlease,\u201d I forced out. \u201cJust\u2026 meet me at the pub near my place. The one on Ridgemont.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He gritted, \u201cFine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood up, smoothed my hair, picked up my purse, grabbed the wedding invitation card, and drove there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bella was getting married in a week. The thought made my stomach churn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
pub was dim and loud. When I walked in, I scanned the room until I spotted Craig near a corner booth, his jacket still\u00a0<\/p>\n
I walked over and dropped into the seat opposite him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d he grunted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t waste time. I pulled out the invitation card and slid it across the table toward him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes flicked down to it. I watched his jaw tighten. \u201cIs this real\u201d he asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, the wedding is in a week. Bella Williams with Scott Moore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo?\u201d he scoffed, looking away with pain in his eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo,\u201d I said, \u201cwe don\u2019t let it happen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig\u2019s gaze snapped up. \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m talking about stopping them,\u201d I insisted. \u201cI\u2019m talking about ining it, Craig. If that wedding goes through, we can kiss that twenty\u2013million dollars goodbye.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His expression darkened. \u201cWe?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, we,\u201d I pressed. \u201cYou wanted the money. You wanted the power. Now she\u2019s handing it to Scott, and we\u2019re just going to sit here and drink?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cScott Moore isn\u2019t a fool, Maya.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just need to scatter them. One scandal that makes Bella look terrible. If they fall apart, I get time to fix my shop, and you grab her!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig shook his head. \u201cYou\u2019re not hearing me. If Scott gets even whiff of a scheme, he\u2019ll destroy anyone involved. He has resources you don\u2019t understand. People who do his dirty work, do so without leaving fingerprints.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My frustration rose. \u201cSo what? You\u2019re scared of him?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig hissed, leaning closer, \u201cI\u2019m not stupid. You don\u2019t poke a lion with a needle!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at him, disgust rising. \u201cYou\u2019re backing out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m done,\u201d he answered bluntly. \u201cI told you, I\u2019m not part of your games anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He started to get up. Panic flashed through me. I reached out and grabbed his wrist. \u201cCraig, don\u2019t. Help me,\u201d I pleaded. \u201cJust this once. If I lose the mall contract, I\u2019m finished.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He still pried my fingers off his wrist. \u201cNo!\u201d He was halfway out of the booth when a voice came.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can help you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
We froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A man sat in the next booth alone. He turned slightly toward us. He wore a hat pulled low and an expensive suit. A glass of whiskey sat in front of him. He lifted it calmly, sipped it, and then looked at us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig straightened, suspicious. \u201cWho the hell are you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone with money,\u201d he replied as he came to stand near us. Enough to fund what you were just discuss\u00a0<\/p>\n
I narrowed my eyes. \u201cYou were listening.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He tilted his head. \u201cYou weren\u2019t exactly whispering.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My spine stiffened. \u201cWho are you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJos\u00e9,\u201d he introduced, his tone smooth. \u201cAnd I hate Bella Willian\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig gave a short, humorless laugh. \u201cWhat kind of coincidences this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jos\u00e9 looked at him firmly. \u201cNot a coincidence. I\u2019m a solution. I\u2019ll help you destroy her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched him carefully. Jos\u00e9 looked confident.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He tilted his head. \u201cBella destroyed me,\u201d he continued, his voice hardening \u201cWith Scott\u2019s help. I want her gone from this world, but Scott is too powerful for me to take on alone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig\u2019s face tightened. He glanced at me like he didn\u2019t like where this was going.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I lifted my chin. \u201cWe don\u2019t know you. We can\u2019t trust a stranger.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jos\u00e9 didn\u2019t argue. He simply reached into his coat, pulled out a card, and slid it across the table toward me. \u201cIf you can trust me, come to my house,\u201d he instructed calmly. \u201cWe\u2019ll talk properly. This isn\u2019t the place for a plan that matters.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I stared at the card in my hand, Jos\u00e9 left, placing cash on the counter. Before leaving, he paused just long enough to glance over his shoulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have two days,\u201d he reminded us. \u201cAfter that I\u2019ll proceed with my own plan.\u201d Then he walked out, leaving us totally shocked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, blood pounded in my head. When I finally blinked and looked back at Craig, he was watching the door with a conflicted expression. I leaned forward, gripping the card. \u201cDid you see that? He has resources.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig\u2019s mouth tightened. \u201cOr he\u2019s setting a trap.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe hates Bella,\u201d I insisted, my voice quickening. \u201cI can feel it. He\u2019s been ruined like us. He wants revenge.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig turned back to me, eyes narrowing. \u201cYou can\u2019t trust feelings.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I held his gaze. \u201cIf you won\u2019t help me, I\u2019ll go to him myself,\u201d I threatened, then softened just enough to make it sound legit. \u201cBut you should be with me, Craig. Because whether you want to admit it or not, this is your last chance to take everything from Bella the way she took everything from you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig hesitated. And in that hesitation, I saw it. He wasn\u2019t over Bella. Even though jealous as hell, I knew I could use that emotion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He exhaled slowly and slid back into the booth. \u201cFine,\u201d he muttered. \u201cWe\u2019ll go!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Relief surged through me. I nodded, clutching the card tighter in my hand. \u201cGood,\u201d I murmured. \u201cBecause I\u2019m done watching Bella win. I\u2019ll let you know the day and time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
When Midnight Winds Carry Secrets Toward Worlds Yet Unknown `108 Chapter 108\u00a0 Maya\u00a0 \u00a0 But Craig had been distant ever […]<\/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":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-new-world-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23073","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=23073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23073\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}