Chapter 112\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bella\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at the phone in disbelief as my hands shook. Then I set it down slowly and pressed my palm to my mouth, trying to hold my gasp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wanted to run after Scott and tell him everything. I wanted to scream until the walls shook.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, I thought about doing something like calling him again, like trying to trace the number, like walking into the police station and telling them everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, I knew that if I did that, Craig would only make things worse. I knew how quickly he could spin it all into something worse. What if he released the video now if I went to the police?\u00a0<\/p>\n
By morning, I was exhausted, angry, and running on pure anxiety. Because I didn\u2019t know what else to do, I called Troy. I needed to talk to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He picked up quickly. \u201cYes, my queen?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t call me that,\u201d I snapped, pacing near the window keeping my voice low as I heard my kids giggling from the kitchen. Then I took a deep breath. \u201cCraig called me!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d He sounded aghast. \u201cDo you have the number?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I have and I will share it, but he is getting impatient and said that Maya will come to meet me. So tell me where is Scott?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was a long silence. \u201cHe\u2019s\u2026 handling things.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTroy, I\u2019m not a child. Tell me where he is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t,\u201d Troy said, and he sounded uncomfortable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My chest tightened. \u201cWhy are you acting like this? You used to tell me things. Even when you didn\u2019t like me, you told me the truth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI always liked you,\u201d Troy corrected, and for once his voice softened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes, fury spiking. \u201cSo tell me where he is or what is going on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not allowed to discuss details, Bella,\u201d Troy answered carefully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s funny,\u201d I shot back. \u201cBecause when it comes to telling me what to wear or where to stand, everyone in this world has plenty to say. But when it comes to my marriage and my life, suddenly I\u2019m a child.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBella,\u201d Troy tried, voice low, \u201cplease-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs he even coming home?\u201d I demanded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another\u00a0<\/p>\n
pause. \u201cHe will. But Millie will join you soon. She\u2019ll help you with wedding preparations.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at the phone like it had offended me. \u201cThat\u2019s all you have to say? That\u2019s not what I asked,\u201d I snapped. When he didn\u2019t reply, I said, \u201cWill you let him know about Craig\u2019s call?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Troy exhaled. \u201cI will let him know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The call ended, leaving me more unsettled than before. I shared the unknown number with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 112\u00a0<\/p>\n
I decided I was going to meet my father or grandmother. Somehow, I was sure that Lucy was also with Maya in this. I didn\u2019t know why exactly I wanted to meet my father. Maybe because it felt like the only thing I could control. Maybe because part of me needed to confirm that Craig and Maya weren\u2019t doing something else behind my back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a bath and quickly got dressed. But before I could even grab my bag, Millie arrived.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you going, Bella?\u201d she asked, her face full of concern.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to meet my family,\u201d I said decisively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? No!\u201d she said, stopping me. \u201cThey are the last people you should meet.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at her for a moment. Tears filled my eyes and spilled down:\u00a0<\/p>\n
my cheeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Millie rushed to me and pulled me into a hug. \u201cHey, hey, don\u2019t do this to yourself,\u201d she urged softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the point of marrying him,\u201d I blurted out. \u201cScott has distanced himself from me because of that fake video. He has stopped trusting me.\u201d I let out a loud sob. \u201cHe hasn\u2019t even talked to me or discussed this issue. It is eating me from inside. Millie.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, honey,\u201d she said, hugging me softly. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry.\u201d Millie then pulled back enough to look at my face. \u201cBella, listen to me,\u201d she insisted. \u201cYou\u2019re already married in the pack\u2013lands. That bond is sacred. This human wedding is just a formality for your world. It\u2019s an eyewash for this society.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make it feel better,\u201d I whispered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Millie sighed and reached for my hands. \u201cCome on, the wedding is in three days. We still have appointments. If you sit here spiraling, you\u2019ll make yourself sick.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I lowered my head, and wondered if I shouldn\u2019t go to meet Daddy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease Bella, let\u2019s get through the day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I exhaled roughly and then nodded. Millie took me to all the places where I had been avoiding, and I went through it like a machine. Dress fitting. Hair trial. Beauty parlor. More dress adjustments. Everything felt mechanical. This wasn\u2019t what I signed up for. When I returned to the penthouse later, my head was aching.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maya was sitting in the main room, and that made my blood boil. Millie squeezed my hand softly to calm me. She looked at Maya and went inside with all the shopping bags.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I clenched my jaw and stood fixed to my place with my arms crossed across my chest. \u201cI got a call from him last night. He said that you\u2019ll come to meet me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maya swallowed, voice low. \u201cCraig wants his money soon.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My whole body tensed. \u201cDoes father know about this?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes widened in surprise, which meant that father didn\u2019t know. \u201cYou know Craig\u2019s serious. There\u2019s no point in dragging Daddy into this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a step forward, jaw clenched. \u201cI want to meet him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maya blinked. \u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to talk to him and end this,\u201d I snapped. \u201cAnd if he wants money, fine. After the wedding, I\u2019ll get my inheritance of twenty million. He can take it. I don\u2019t care anymore. I just want this to stop.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maya shook her head immediately. \u201cNo. The stakes have increased. He won\u2019t stop unless he gets fifty million.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 12\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was about to lash out at her, about to tell her exactly what I thought of her tears and her acting, when the elevator door. opened and Scott walked in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His face was hard, eyes cold, and his posture was controlled like he was holding himself together by force. The moment he saw Maya, something dark moved across his expression. I felt his Lycan stirring, wanting to do something untoward \u201cWhy are you here?\u201d he asked her in a barely controlled rage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCraig sent me saying he wants the fifty million as soon as possible. You haven\u2019t contacted him and so he is getting impatient.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scott\u2019s gaze stayed on Maya like he was assessing her or calculating something. When he didn\u2019t say anything, I offered, \u201cAfter marriage, I\u2019ll get my twenty million-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFine,\u201d he replied, voice dangerously calm, cutting me off. \u201cBut I have conditions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maya\u2019s breath caught. \u201cWhat conditions?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou will deliver my terms to Craig,\u201d he told her. \u201cAnd you will do it exactly the way I tell you, or this ends differently than he expects.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maya\u2019s face tightened, but she nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTell him that I will give him money just before our wedding. I don\u2019t trust him. Tell him that he has to be there for the wedding. If he doesn\u2019t come, this deal is off, come what may!\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 112 Chapter 112\u00a0 Bella\u00a0 I stared at the phone in disbelief […]<\/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-23077","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\/23077","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=23077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23077\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}