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Chapter_299
The air around the pavilion thickened, the once casual atmosphere now charged with tension. Samantha felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff, and Charles was waiting for her to fall.
She quickly turned her gaze to Andrew, who was looking back at her with wide, curious eyes. His grin was gone, replaced by genuine interest. “What really happened back then?” he asked, his voice calm but clearly intrigued.
Samantha, however, couldn’t let him push her into a corner. With every fiber of her being, she was resisting the urge to just spill everything. She had to keep it together, not just for her own sake, but for the people around her. Yvette, Jeremiah, Charles—they were all watching her closely, waiting for the truth. But the truth was a dangerous thing, and Samantha wasn’t sure if she could handle the consequences of revealing it.
Her heart pounded in her chest, but she forced a smile. “Well, Charles,” she began, choosing her words carefully, “If you really want to hear it… let’s just say that we both had some… miscommunications that night. Things got a bit out of hand, but nothing that can’t be swept under the rug.”
The words came out smooth, but inside, Samantha was anything but calm. She knew Charles wasn’t buying it. His piercing stare didn’t soften for a second.
“You know, Samantha,” Charles said, his voice low and controlled, “I don’t think that’s the whole story. You see, I remember a bit more than that. A lot more. Including the little ‘incident’ with the 15 million-dollar check. You think I forgot about that?”
Samantha’s breath hitched. She could feel her chest tightening. The weight of that moment three years ago threatened to crush her now. She had hoped to never face this day, but here it was—Charles, standing in front of her, reminding her of everything she’d tried to bury.
“Look,” she said, trying to keep the trembling out of her voice, “It’s not what you think. I didn’t take the money. It wasn’t even mine to begin with.”
Charles leaned forward, his cold eyes narrowing. “So, you’re saying that you found it? A check for 15 million dollars, just lying around?” He shook his head. “No, Samantha. That’s not how it works. And I don’t think I’m the only one who’s been looking for answers.”
Jeremiah and Yvette remained silent, but their eyes were on Samantha, clearly waiting for her to say something. They had both seen this before—Samantha was playing a dangerous game, and even though she was good at keeping her composure, they could tell she was starting to crack under the pressure.
Andrew, sensing the shift in the air, looked from Charles to Samantha, his curiosity growing by the second. He wasn’t going to let this go. “So, Samantha, what really happened?” His voice was quieter now, almost serious. “Did you really just find that check, or was there more to it than that?”
Samantha felt like she was on the verge of a meltdown. The lie was getting harder to maintain, and the truth was one step away from spilling out.
But then, something in her snapped. She couldn’t stand the tension anymore. The years of regret, the guilt, the constant fear of being found out—it was all too much. She took a deep breath, preparing herself to finally let it out.
“Fine,” she said, her voice unsteady but resolute. “I didn’t just find the check. It was part of something bigger—a deal I didn’t fully understand at the time. But it wasn’t what you think, Charles. I didn’t want to get involved, I never wanted to, but I was forced into it.”
Charles’s eyes remained cold, but there was a flicker of something—curiosity, perhaps. He didn’t interrupt her, just listened as she continued.
“It was all about power, Charles. Money. A lot of it. And the people I was involved with—they weren’t the kind of people you’d want to mess with. But things got out of hand. The check… it was part of a dirty deal, and I didn’t know how to get out of it. So I did what I thought was the only way to protect myself—take the money and disappear.”
She stopped, her words hanging in the air, heavy and filled with guilt. For a moment, no one said anything.
Andrew was the first to speak, his tone a mixture of disbelief and shock. “Wait… are you saying you were involved in some kind of criminal deal? That check was part of all that?”
Samantha nodded, her eyes not meeting his. “Yes, but I didn’t have a choice. I was in over my head. I never meant to hurt anyone, but I was being pushed into a corner.”
Charles remained silent, his gaze never wavering from her. He seemed to be processing her words, the ice in his expression slowly melting, but just barely. “You were scared, weren’t you?” he said, his voice low, almost as if speaking to himself.
Samantha nodded again, feeling a weight lifting off her chest, though the tension was far from gone. “I was. But I didn’t have anyone to turn to. And I thought that by disappearing, I could leave all of that behind me.”
Charles took a step back, the ice in his eyes finally softening, though the intensity remained. “So what now, Samantha? You’ve been running from this for years. You think I’m just going to forget everything?”
Samantha met his gaze, her resolve hardening. “No. I don’t expect you to forget. But I can’t keep running either. I’m not that person anymore, Charles.”
There was a long silence before Charles finally spoke again. “I don’t know if I believe that, Samantha. But for now… I’ll let it go. But don’t think this is over.”
The tension in the air was palpable as the group processed what had just been revealed. Samantha had opened up, but she knew she’d just entered a new chapter of her life, one she wasn’t sure she was ready for. But one thing was certain—nothing was ever going to be the same again.
Andrew looked at Samantha with a mix of shock and admiration. “You really know how to stir things up, don’t you?” he said, shaking his head. “You’ve got a whole new level of trouble now.”
Samantha didn’t answer him. She just sat down, her thoughts swirling in a storm of emotions. This was only the beginning.
