2025-06-10 15:40:49
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She turned to him. “Why are you telling me this?”Roger stiffened. Just a flicker—but Sadie caught it.“Wh—what do you mean?” he said, forcing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m just… looking out for you.”Really?“You called my personal assistant at work,” she said, crossing her arms. “Told him to let me know what Charles was doing. Why go through all that trouble? Are we even that close?”“I was just… trying to warn you. So that, you know, if I bring this up again, you won’t be surprised,” he said quickly.“Shouldn’t you be more concerned about your girlfriend?” Sadie asked, brow raised. “She’s all over Charles, and you’re acting like you don’t care. Wasn’t she just proposed to a few weeks ago?”Roger chuckled, but it sounded empty. “You don’t know what Charles is capable of,” he said, eyes glinting with something that wasn’t pity—more like possession. “I’m doing this for you. Because I care.”
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Emmy’s driver pulled up in front of the restaurant. She slipped on her sunglasses before stepping out of the car. The entire place had been reserved for the day, but she couldn’t risk going in without a disguise. One fan interrupting her and the carefully crafted plan would fall apart.That was the last thing she needed. Not with the entire family waiting on her. This was the only shot they had—to get Charles back in the fold… or get rid of him for good.She walked into the restaurant.Charles was seated at the far end, waiting for Mr. Harrington, when he heard the door open. He looked up.Emmy?What the hell was she doing here?He stood.She wore a dress that, months ago, would’ve left him breathless. One he’d have done anything to touch, to kiss. Now, the thought alone made his stomach turn.She smiled as she approached.“Where’s your father? I was supposed to be meeting with him,” Charles said,
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“Keep quiet, all of you!” Mr. Harrington snapped, silencing the murmuring. His voice cut through the room like a blade. “Do any of you even understand the weight of what’s happening right now?”“Dad, with all due respect, this is partially your fault,” the eldest son said, his voice rising. “Every weekend you were hanging out with him, making him feel like more than the penniless idiot he is.”“Exactly. How many times have you spent that kind of time with us?” another son chimed in bitterly.“I’m not surprised this is happening,” the eldest daughter sneered. “He knew you’d come crawling back to him.”“Leave it to you, dear husband, to always do things the backward way,” Mrs. Harrington said, arms folded, her voice thick with irritation—irritation that matched her very view of Charles. “If we had dragged that idiot to court when the divorce happened, none of this would be happening now.”Mr. Harrington’s voice dropped lower, sharper.
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***Wednesday***Charles walked toward the hospital’s waiting room with a single flower in hand. He offered a small smile to one of the women at the front desk.“Good morning, sir. How can we help you?” the woman asked politely.“I need to see Mr. Holden. He was brought in last night. I just got the news that he drowned,” Charles said, his voice calm and concerned.She tapped at the computer, then looked up with a smile. “Room 18, sir.”Charles nodded in thanks and headed down the hall.He paused briefly in front of the door to the VIP room, then opened it.A woman—clearly Holden’s wife—rose from the chair beside the bed the moment Charles stepped in.“Good morning, ma’am,” Charles greeted with a respectful nod.“Good morning. You are…?”“My name is Charles, ma’am. I’m Mr. Holden’s colleague at work.”“Oh,” she said, her expression softening. “He mentioned you a few times. Tha
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“Yeah.” He set the glass down. “You not going to bed? It’s ten past four.”“I can’t sleep.”Charles tilted his head. “What if I could knock you out in the next ten minutes?”Sadie raised a brow. “Don’t tell me you’re planning to inject me with tranquilizers.”He chuckled. “I’m not as bad as you think.”“My doctor prescribed a drug a month ago,” Sadie murmured. “Started with one pill. He wasn’t sure how I’d react. After all that hype, I only slept thirty minutes before the effect wore off. So I upped the dose—three, then four. Still didn’t work.”Charles raised an eyebrow. “What if I make you sleep till nine a.m.?”“You can’t. That’s what I’m saying.”“Come on.” He reached for her hand and led her toward her room. “If you’re not asleep in ten minutes, do anything you want to me.”Sadie gave a weak laugh. “That’s cute. We both know you can’t. You’re not s
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His protests went ignored as she dabbed some minty ointment on the marks. He never said it hurt—but he let her do it anyway.“I was waiting for you when someone delivered this box,” she said later, once they were both in the living room again.“You see what I’ve been saying? Jasper is obsessed with me. His initial’s right there—‘J.’ I think it’s time I finally report him to the cops.”Charles nodded. “Yeah,” he muttered. No point telling her again that Jasper hadn’t been in town for days.“Open it. See for yourself.”Charles lifted the lid. If Hardin hadn’t already warned him, the fake hand inside might’ve made his skin crawl.Her name written in red only made it worse. He reached for the letter in the box.Sadie’s hand clamped onto his.“Don’t.”Charles darted her a look. “What?”“I’m sure he wrote really creepy stuff in there,” Sadie said quietly.“Wait. Other than the initial,
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