SARAYA’S POV.
“And what do you think you’re doing?” I asked Arlan. “Are you trying to ruin things?”
Arlan ran a hand through his hair, his jaw clenched. “Saraya, I’m trying to make him slip. If he knows we’re onto him, he might panic and make a mistake.”
I folded my arms, glaring at him. “You don’t even have any evidence to pinpoint this on him. You keep guessing. Do you even realize you just revealed we are tailing the person. You keep trying to ruin everything.”
“Ruin everything?” He met my gaze, unflinching. “Do you have a better plan? Because I’m all ears.”
I sighed, pacing the room. My mind was racing, trying to find a way out of this mess. “We need to keep him calm, Arlan. Keep him thinking he’s in control. If he feels cornered, he’ll lash out, and we can’t afford that.”
Arlan scoffed. “Calm? The man just threatened to sell the story to the media if we don’t pay up. How do you expect me to stay calm?”
“I don’t know!” I shouted. “But we can’t afford to lose our heads right now. Do you understand what’s at stake?”
Arlan softened slightly, his expression shifting to something almost apologetic. “I know, Saraya. Believe me, I know. But we can’t let him keep dictating the terms. He is playing us.”
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed with a new message. My heart sank as I read the notification:
“Twenty minutes left. Tick-tock.”
I showed the message to Arlan, my hand shaking. “He is so serious. We’re running out of time.”
Arlan’s face darkened as he read the text. “We can’t pay him, Saraya. There’s no guarantee he’ll stop, even if we do.”
“And what’s the alternative?” I demanded. “Wait for him to destroy everything? My dad’s reputation, my career, your life? We don’t have a choice here. We should be putting the money together like my dad suggested.”
“He is trying to taunt us, if we pay him, he gets thirty million dollars.” Arlan said. “Let’s wait for him to call back and negotiate. After all, he won’t get that much from Alex or any of the media stations he is trying to reach.”
“We should inform my dad about this.” I was about dialling his phone when Arlan’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and sighed.
“What is it?” I asked nervously.
“It’s from one of my contacts,” he said, typing quickly. “I asked them to trace the wallet link. It’s a long shot, but if we’re lucky…”
I grabbed his arm, desperation clawing at me. “Arlan, there’s no time for long shots! We need to act now.”
He shook me off gently but firmly. “Trust me, Saraya. This might be the only chance we have to turn the tables.”
My phone buzzed again. Another message.
“Fifteen minutes. You’re cutting it close.”
I felt the walls closing in, my chest tightening with every second that passed. “Arlan, I can’t-this is too much. We’re running out of time.”
He grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. “Listen to me. We’ll figure this out. Together. But you need to trust me, okay?”
“I’m sorry but I don’t.” I snapped at him. “If only you didn’t come that night, none of this would have happened.” I hit him slightly on the chest. “I blame you for this predicament we’ve found ourselves. I’m calling my dad right away.”
I hit the call button on my phone, pacing back and forth as it rang. The moment my dad picked up, I didn’t even wait for him to say hello.
“Dad, we need to talk. Now.” I said, my voice shaky.
“What now, Saraya?” His voice was tired. “I just finished dealing with one mess. Don’t tell me there’s more.”
“It’s the blackmailer,” I said quickly. “He called again. He’s demanding thirty million dollars now. He gave us fifteen minutes.”
There was silence on the other end before he let out a sigh. “Of course, he’s upping the stakes. That’s what these people do.”
“He said he’ll sell the video to the media if we don’t pay,” I added, my voice trembling. “Dad, what do we do?”
“Calm down,” he said sharply. “I’ve already spoken to your mother, and I’ve sounded out your grandmother. She and Ian know nothing about this.”
I stopped pacing, my mind racing. “Then who is it? It can’t be Dominic right? Could it be someone we missed?”
“That doesn’t matter right now,” he said firmly. “Put Arlan on the phone.”
I hesitated, glancing at Arlan. “Dad, you don’t need to-”
“Now, Saraya,” he barked, leaving no room for argument.
I handed the phone to Arlan, who took it reluctantly. “Alex.”
“Listen carefully,” my dad said, his voice sounded stern. “This person called you. That means they’ll call me too. When they do, I’ll try to negotiate. But for now, we need to prepare the money.”
“Prepare how much?” Arlan asked cautiously.
“Get fifteen million ready,” my dad replied. “It’s the only way out. I got to know about this too late.”
Arlan sighed. “How do we know he’ll stop once he gets the money? What if he comes back for more?”
“We don’t,” my dad admitted. “But if we don’t pay, he’ll destroy everything. This buys us time to figure out who’s behind this and how to shut them down for good.”
“Fine,” Arlan said, though his voice was laced with reluctance. “We’ll get the money ready. But, Alex-this doesn’t feel like a solution. It feels like a delay.”
“It’s all we’ve got,” my dad said bluntly. “Tell Saraya to keep her phone close. I’ll handle this from here.”
Arlan handed the phone back to me.
“Dad?” I asked hesitantly.
“Don’t let Arlan do anything stupid,” he warned. “And don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment. I will find a way round this.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “Okay, Dad.”
The call ended, I looked at the time and we have only nine minutes left. That was all we had. I looked at Arlan, who was already dialing someone on his own phone.
“Who are you calling now?” I asked.
“A contact at the bank,” he said without looking at me. “If we’re getting fifteen million ready, I need to move fast.”
I sank into the nearest chair, my head in my hands. Time was slipping away, and all I could do was pray that this nightmare would end before everything fell apart.