Merry had finally stopped crying by now. She didn’t feel right asking her aunt for the drama role, but three million was nothing to her. But the valuable things Oswald had taken from her house had already drained her bank account below that amount.
Merry wiped her eyes and said, “Sarah, give me the phone. I’ll call my dad for the money.”
Sarah replied, “No need.”
Merry was confused, “Uh, Sarah, are you gonna pay for me?”
Sarah shot back, “Of course not!”
Asking Sarah for money was like asking for her life! No one could con Sarah out of her cash!
“You idiot, we’re obviously not giving him any money.” Sarah crossed her arms. “We’re just gonna trick him into coming over. We need to show him that messing with us was a big mistake, so big he won’t dare do it again in his life.”
Merry got it. “So, we lure him in, then we kill him, chop him up, and secretly bury him in my basement. I’ll have my parents help cover it up, and no one will ever find him.”
Sarah, “…”
That’s a bit too extreme.
Sarah had no idea Merry was so dark and twisted inside.
The police and the state in this world were different from those in Sarah’s original world, with many things exaggerated from what they were before. After all, her original world didn’t have someone like Holden, a mysterious international financial tycoon.
Even so, Sarah, influenced by her original world’s rules, didn’t want to do anything illegal or criminal.
“Stop,” Sarah sighed. “Merry, we’re law-abiding citizens. Let’s not do something like that ever again.”
Merry always did what Sarah said. Hearing this, she nodded obediently, “Whatever you say, Sarah.”
******
Oswald was buzzing with excitement, clutching his phone as he got to the hotel Sarah had mentioned earlier, booking a room and waiting.
The more he thought about it, the more he regretted asking for just three million dollars. After all, Merry’s car alone was worth more than that.
But then, he was afraid if he pushed too far, they might just flip the script on him, and he’d end up with nothing.
Three million wasn’t much in their circle, but for a no-name actor like Oswald, it was a lot of money-a pretty big deal. After all, he didn’t have a fanbase, and he usually didn’t get any good gigs. This money would be enough for him to live it up for quite a while.
And besides-
Oswald smirked, thinking that he never agreed to hand over all the photos to Merry. He planned to keep a few, and when the money ran out, he’d just ask her for more. These young girls all had such thin skin; he was sure she’d pay up again.
Feeling smug at this thought, Oswald sat back and relaxed.
A little while later, the door opened, and Sarah and Merry walked in, both dressed head to toe in black, making them stand out.
Sarah, in particular, was striking. Her long legs were perfectly showcased in those black skinny jeans, her body proportions were incredible, and Oswald’s sleazy gaze couldn’t help but linger on her a little longer.
Sarah and Merry placed a huge canvas bag on the table. When Sarah unzipped it, a pile of bills was revealed inside.
Oswald’s eyes moved from Sarah to the money, and they practically turned red with excitement. “So much cash? Why didn’t you just transfer it to me?”
Sarah sneered, “A bank transfer? Aren’t you worried about the cops?”
Oswald thought about it for a second. It did seem like in all those TV shows, the robbers always demanded cash. Bank transfers could be traced much more easily.
He reached out to grab the canvas bag, but Sarah smacked his hand with the little purse she had tucked under her arm. “Don’t be so greedy! Delete the photos first!”
Sarah’s purse was made of crocodile leather, and the smack left Oswald’s hand red. He was furious, but for the sake of the money, he held back. He opened his phone’s gallery right in front of Sarah and started deleting the photos, one by one.
Sarah then checked his cloud storage and other apps. “Anything else? Got any backups on your computer or another phone?”
“I don’t use a computer, and this is my only phone,” Oswald said, nodding toward Merry. “She knows that.”
Merry nodded in agreement.
Sarah slipped his phone into her purse. “The phone’s confiscated.”
Oswald chuckled, “If you want it, take it. Now, can I take the money?”
Sarah folded her arms and grinned, “Sure, go ahead and share it with your ancestors.”
As Oswald looked at Sarah’s face, he suddenly had a bad feeling. He opened the big bag and grabbed a stack of bills to take a closer look.
The color was right-wait, something was wrong! They were ghost money!
“You damn bitches!” Oswald shouted, his rage boiling over. “You two really think you can trick me?”
He pulled another phone from his pocket. “I swear I’m gonna share those sleazy pics of you all over the internet!”
Sarah kicked him square in the groin. “I knew you’d pull something like this.”
Oswald was fuming. He never thought he’d be outsmarted like this. But he had come alone because, on one hand, Merry always seemed dumb and clumsy, and on the other, he didn’t think two women could be much of a threat.
Sarah clapped her hands, “David.”
David kicked the door open and came in with eight big, burly bodyguards in black suits right behind him.
Seeing this, Oswald started to panic, backing away quickly. “What do you want to do?”
Sarah folded her arms, her sneer deepening.
What did they want to do?
All three of the book’s notorious villains were here. What else could they do?
To be honest, Sarah actually felt a bit sorry for Oswald. Out of everyone he could’ve messed with, he had to pick the lawbreaking trio. These three, except for their failed attempts to kill the heroine, were always successful in their evil schemes.
A minor character like Oswald, without the protection of a main character’s aura, thought he could blackmail the villains?
For some reason, Merry’s inner evil sidekick instincts suddenly kicked in. “Sarah, are we really not gonna chop him up? My basement’s huge. If we hide him there, no one will ever find him.”
Oswald’s face filled with terror. Was this woman still his gullible, easy-to-manipulate ex-girlfriend Merry?
David, seeing that this guy had not only hurt his friends but also dared to try extortion, frowned and spoke up. “I don’t think chopping him up is a good idea.”
Oswald’s eyes lit up with hope. Of course, men understand men; men are the most sympathetic to other men.
“Let’s just castrate him,” David suggested, stroking his chin. “A scumbag like him, if we let him loose, who knows how many more innocent girls he’ll trick!”
Oswald nearly passed out; his vision went black for a moment.
Sarah stared coldly at him. “Where are the backups? Delete everything, now.”
Terrified, Oswald wet his pants. He quickly logged into his phone’s private space and deleted every last photo.
Sarah went through everything and couldn’t find anything else. Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t trust a word he says. Cut out his tongue. He’s probably got photos hidden somewhere else.”
“I swear, there’s nothing left!” Oswald clutched his mouth, terrified one of the big guys might actually cut out his tongue. “I swear on my life, there’s nothing! If I’m lying, may lightning strike me down!”
Sarah watched his panicked expression, still suspicious. “I don’t believe you.”
“I swear, it’s all gone, every last bit. I deleted everything!” Oswald was crying, his face soaked in tears. “There’s really nothing left…”
Sarah made a sound of acknowledgment. “Merry, David, let’s go.”
Merry couldn’t believe it. “We’re really not gonna kill him?”
David also thought it was too easy to let him off like that. “Let’s have these bodyguards strip him down and take some photos of our own.”