Sneaking out…
“What?” I spat, my voice rising despite myself. “You’re insane if you think I’m coming anywhere near you!”
“Then I suppose I should start forwarding this video to some of my contacts. You know, just to see how quickly it can spread…”
“No! Wait!” I blurted out, hating myself for the panic in my voice. “Don’t do that. Just… don’t. Where do you want to meet?”
His laugh was slow and satisfied. “That’s better. I’ll text you the location. Be there at midnight. And princess-don’t even think about bringing anyone with you. You wouldn’t want me to think you’re setting a trap, now would you?”
The line went dead before I could respond. I stared at the phone, my hands trembling. How could I possibly get out of this?
As I stood there, paralyzed by the looming threat, the door creaked open slightly, and Amira peeked her head in.
“My lady, is everything alright? I heard you shouting…”
“Get out!” I snapped, my nerves frayed. Amira flinched, but didn’t retreat right away. Instead, she hesitated, her gaze flickering between me and the phone in my hand.
“If there’s anything I can do, please…”
“I said get out!” I screamed, and this time she bolted from the room. I slammed the door shut behind her and leaned against it, trying to steady my breathing. The truth was, I had no idea how I was going to handle this. The man had all the power now, and I was trapped.
But I couldn’t let him win. Not like this.
I had to think-quickly. There was no way I could face him alone, and even if I did, what was to stop him from blackmailing me again? Or worse?
Then an idea struck me-a dangerous, desperate idea, but it was the only one I had.
Ashley.
If I could find a way to manipulate her, to push her into a situation where she was seen as a threat to Lucas and Simon, then maybe-just maybe-I could shift the focus away from me. If I played it right, they’d be so concerned with dealing with her, they wouldn’t even notice my own mess.
But I needed to be careful. I couldn’t afford to make any mistakes now. One wrong move, and everything would come crashing down.
“Okay,” I whispered to myself, feeling the first stirrings of a plan forming in my mind. “It’s time to get rid of two problems at once.”
I grabbed my phone and quickly sent a message to Ashley, summoning her to my room. If this was going to work, I needed to set the stage perfectly.
As I waited for her to arrive, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the walls were closing in on me. But I shoved the fear aside. There was no room for doubt now. Only action.
When Ashley finally entered the room, I forced a smile, masking the turmoil churning inside me.
“Ashley,” I said sweetly, “we need to talk.”
This was it-the moment where everything would change.
As she stood in front of me, indifference clearly written all over her face, I cleared my throat and began.
“Nox, I’m guessing you’re probably wondering why I asked you to come here. Trust me, I hate that you’re in my room even more than you think you do.”
“So why am I here, then?” she replied, her tone flat.
“Lucas and Simon requested someone to help clean their ancestral crown. Since no one else is permitted to touch it except you, I figured you could help them.”
“Their crown?”
“Yes, aren’t you aware of it? Of all the people in this mansion, if there’s someone I expect to know about this before anyone else, it’s you. But I guess it’s fine, I’ll just try my luck with them.”
“Wait a minute,” she stopped me, and I smiled internally, knowing my plan was already coming together.
“Where do they store the crown?”
“Actually, I can’t really tell. I think you should go meet them and ask where they keep the royal ancestral crown so that you can handle it for them. Just say it exactly as I told you, and they’ll understand.”
“Alright then,” she said as she walked out, and I smiled once more.
I was thrilled to see that she was unaware of the great dishonor in requesting the location of the ancestral crown of the entire lycanthrope clan. Everyone knew it was a symbol of treachery, but thankfully, Ashley was completely oblivious to this. This ignorance made me even more excited to exploit it for as long as I could.
As soon as she left the room, I let out a satisfied smile, envisioning every possible way they would lash out at her. My phone dinged with an incoming message, and I frowned upon seeing who it was from and what it was about.
“I’ll be expecting you at midnight. Make sure you’re dressed in something attractive; it’ll help us get in the mood faster.”
I fumed as I read the message. Not only did I have to sneak out late at night, but I was also going back to the very person I had grown to despise.
Who the hell is he? How does he know so much about us, and why is he targeting me? I wondered as I stood up and walked to the window. The view stretched out over the beautiful landscape, the distant houses, and the day-to-day activities of the average wolf. The sun was setting, and everyone was packing up to go home. The people of the lycanthrope community seemed so happy and content, something I just couldn’t relate to for some reason.
Noticing someone downstairs spotting me through the window, I quickly stepped back, retreating into the dim light of my room to plan my next move. The night had fallen, but the colorful street lights illuminated the mansion’s surroundings, casting a soft glow that made the night more alive.
“I have to find a way to free myself from this blackmailer’s grip,” I muttered, scratching the back of my head as I tried to think. Whether I liked it or not, I had to go see him. However, what I did when I got there would determine whether things would go back to normal or spiral out of control.
I glanced at my phone to check the time and saw another text from the same man, this time with the location where we were supposed to meet.
“Oh wow, the same place as before,” I muttered, reading it aloud. Whatever his intentions, I had to be extremely careful. From the way things were unfolding, he was a calculative and cunning person. His manner reminded me of Simon, and I couldn’t decide whose aura was stronger between the two.
I spent the next few hours listening to music and resting, trying to steady my nerves. Finally, it was just minutes before midnight. The entire mansion was silent, and I hoped with all my heart that no one would notice my absence.
I grabbed my purse, slipped on a comfortable pair of shoes, and carefully opened the door to sneak out. I didn’t step out until I had checked both sides to ensure no one was around. Thankfully, the coast was clear. Although this was just the first level of the mansion’s security, I managed to slip out unnoticed and was soon on my way to meet that rascal.
When I arrived, I didn’t hesitate to head straight for the bedroom we had used before. The man in question seemed like a total lunatic. Just as I predicted, he had kept the room ready for our “conversation.”
“Hello, Veronica, my love. Come in,” he offered politely, and we both walked in. As he led me into the bedroom, his right hand possessively rested on my waist. No matter how much I tried to push him off, his grip only tightened by the second.
He offered me a seat close to him, but I declined and chose a chair farther away. He chuckled loudly in response, and I frowned even more at the sound of his obnoxious voice.
“I see you’re still shy from the other night. Don’t worry; you’ll get used to me soon,” he said, his voice dripping with arrogance. I rolled my eyes, but he wasn’t done yet.
“Well, it’s good to see the high and mighty princess acting all shy and weird in front of me. Who knew taming you would be this easy?”
“Hey!” I snapped, cutting him off. His smug smile faded slightly, but I wasn’t about to let him off so easily. Things were about to get very heated from my end.
His smug smile didn’t falter for long. “Now, now, no need to get feisty, Veronica. We both know you’re in no position to be making demands.”
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, but I kept my face composed. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me unravel. Instead, I leaned back in the chair, crossing my arms defiantly. “What do you want from me?”