Chapter 110\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bella\u00a0<\/p>\n
I snapped my head up. \u201cStop him?\u201d I said. \u201cBut this is insane.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maya\u2019s eyes filled with tears again. \u201cI\u2019m doing everything I can to save you, me and our family\u2019s reputation. Why don\u2019t you trust me? Do you realize the magnitude of this situation, Bella? Or are you still so naive? You have practically gone there behind mine and Scott\u2019s back and had sex with your old boyfriend, and there is evidence of it! You have ruined us, and yet you refuse to take action. Are you doing this only to come back at me? What have I done to you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStop it, Maya!\u201d I snapped on the verge of crying. \u201cYou are\u2014\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scott cut me off, and the coldness in his voice made me flinch. \u201cWhat does he want?\u201d he asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cScott?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He raised a hand to stop me. \u201cTell us Maya, what does Craig want?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maya drew in a shaky breath. \u201cHe has always been after money,\u201d she answered. \u201cHe says that if you give him fifty million, he would delete the video.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I felt the room tilt again. Fifty million was not a request; it was blackmail. I knew what these two were doing now. \u201cThis is pure blackmail,\u201d I rasped. \u201cThis video is not even true!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maya slapped the table hard, tears coming out again. \u201cEnough, Bella! You\u2019ve enjoyed and tasted both men. And now you\u2019re denying? How can you be so shameless? Are you now happy that you have successfully ruined my life?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t lie. Shut up!\u201d I barked. \u201cI\u2019ll fucking kill him!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maya let out a loud cry, wincing and looked back at Scott. \u201cAll I know is if Craig gets that money, he\u2019ll keep quiet. If he doesn\u2019t, he\u2019ll release the video,\u201d she explained. Then she looked at me with suspicion. \u201cAnd if Craig dies before the wedding, he\u2019s already arranged it to be released. It will be so bad that not only will the blame fall on you, you will be behind the bars.\u201d She wiped her tears. \u201cScott, I\u2019m fed up with this innocent act of Bella. I really want to leave this all behind me and start anew. I\u2019ll take my parents somewhere far away from all of you. This place has only given me bad memories.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Heavy silence fell in the room, and I felt like I was the reason for everyone\u2019s misery.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maya continued, \u201cHonestly, Craig wants to trap you either way. I just want to stop him, save our reputation in this society, and save people\u2019s lives. And for that fifty million is nothing. I hope you understand. That money won\u2019t come to me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scott leaned back slowly. The calm on his face frightened me more than his rage. \u201cCraig doesn\u2019t want to trap us. He\u2019s set a trap already,\u201d he murmured.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tightened my grip on the desk edge as nausea crawled up my throat. \u201cScott,\u201d I said. \u201cPlease\u2026 you know me. You know I wouldn\u2019t-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the moment got filled with Maya\u2019s sobs. The true danger wasn\u2019t Maya. It was my fear of Scott losing his trust in me. My chest tightened until it became hard to breathe. I rushed to the bathroom and vomited. After that I heaved for a while and then rinsed my mouth. As I stared at myself in the mirror, all I could see was a pale woman with messed up hair and red eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I came back into Scott\u2019s office, the air felt heavier than before. Scott was still behind his desk. He sat rigidly, his jaw tight, eyes fixed on Maya, like he was forcing his mind to stay calm while something violent paced inside him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maya was still there too, perched in the chair opposite him. She was crying quietly. The moment she noticed me, she stood up quickly, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. \u201cI\u2019ll leave you both to talk,\u201d she muttered, adjusting her purse strap over her shoulder. Her gaze flicked to Scott and then to me again. \u201cJust remember, your wedding is within a week. If you don\u2019t want everything to fall apart, you need to arrange Craig\u2019s money.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She took two steps toward the door, but Scott\u2019s voice stopped her. \u201cI want to meet Craig.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maya paused. She glanced back over her shoulder. \u201cCraig won\u2019t meet you,\u201d she replied. \u201cHe\u2019s scared for his life. He\u2019s gone somewhere unknown. I don\u2019t know where he is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scott didn\u2019t blink. \u201cThen how are you in contact with him?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m the only point of contact,\u201d she explained quickly. \u201cHe calls me. He doesn\u2019t take calls from anyone else. I can\u2019t call him either, so don\u2019t ask. If you push, he\u2019ll disappear completely.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scott gave her a tight nod and Maya slipped out of the office.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The door clicked shut behind her, and the silence felt like a noose around my neck. I walked to the nearest chair and slumped into it. I stared at Scott, trying to reach him through the bond, but all I felt was a storm of heat and rage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, without warning, he grabbed a glass paperweight from his desk and threw it across the room with a curse. It hit the wall with a violent crack, shattering into pieces that scattered across the floor. I flinched. My hands started shaking in fear. His eyes flashed gold, and I knew that his Lycan wanted to come out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cScott,\u201d I whispered, my throat tight. \u201cThat video is not true. It\u2019s not real.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He pushed back from his desk so abruptly the chair scraped the floor. For a second I thought he would finally turn to me, demand an explanation, anything. Instead, he reached for his coat. He shrugged it on with sharp movements.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cScott, please,\u201d I tried again, leaning forward in the chair, my voice trembling now because I could feel the panic rising. \u201cLook at me. You know me. You know I wouldn\u2019t-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t answer or glance at me. He stormed out of the office without a single word.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat frozen for a moment, staring at the spot where he had been, trying to understand how a few minutes could turn everything upside down. My mind kept circling back to Maya\u2019s face, to the way she had cried just enough to look wounded while crafting her words around that fake video. The thing was that I just didn\u2019t know how to prove that the video was fake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The bond between Scott and me felt strained, like a rope pulled too tight. I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to breathe through the sudden ache there, trying not to crumble, but tears were already rolling down my cheeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was when Troy walked in. Just in time to see Scott disappearing down the corridor. Troy\u2019s expression tightened, and he hurried a few steps after him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour Majesty\u2013Scott!\u201d Troy called, his voice firm, urgent. \u201cWait.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scott didn\u2019t stop.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He came inside and his gaze landed on the shattered glass on the floor, then on me. He crossed the room fast, his face full of concern. \u201cBella,\u201d he asked. \u201cWhat happened? Why does he look like he\u2019s about to tear the world apart?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wiped my cheeks quickly, but it was useless. More tears kept coming, hot and humiliating.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should ask Scott!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk what?\u201d Troy said, his eyes going wide.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
I drew a shaky breath and told him everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Troy\u2019s jaw clenched as he listened, but he didn\u2019t interrupt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like our whole foundation is shaking,\u201d I admitted, my voice cracking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\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 110 Chapter 110\u00a0 Bella\u00a0 I snapped my head up. \u201cStop him?\u201d […]<\/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-23075","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\/23075","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=23075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23075\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}