LOGIN"He's changed his mind awfully fast about not wanting to see Sharon again," Carmen said. "He's not just fine with the idea of seeing her again, he's taken out Grant for her and now he's going to deal with Samantha for her too. "That's not like Thomas at all. Even if Sharon's useful to him, even if he'd step in to help her when she's in real danger, he'd stand back and watch everything else. He'd never go out of his way like this.""Wasn't it Marcus who dealt with Grant for him?" Chris asked.Carmen sighed. Chris never seemed to catch the actual point."Marcus isn't the point. The point is that even without Marcus, Thomas would have stepped in himself."That got through to Chris, more or less. "That's not really that strange, is it? Thomas's condition genuinely depends on Sharon. Helping her out a little isn't unreasonable.""He's helping her without her even knowing," Carmen said. "And even if he did nothing, the Kalens weren't going to let Grant off the hook either way."Chris
Seeing Carmen, who was supposed to be on his side, take Thomas's part instead, Chris was too angry to speak for a moment.Carmen didn't bother with him. She picked up the gift bag sitting on the chair beside her and handed it to Thomas."This is from me and Chris. Happy birthday, Thomas."Today was Thomas's birthday, and that was the real reason they'd come to find him. Sharon's situation mattered too, but it could wait for a gentler approach. Thomas wasn't a fool. Of course he'd caught the subtext under everything they'd said.He glanced at the gift inside the bag. "Thanks."He checked the time. "Anything else? If not, I should head out."Chris, seeing that Thomas was already trying to leave less than five minutes after arriving, couldn't resist a jab. "Not even staying for a meal? In that much of a rush? Off to go be with Sharon? Barely apart for a moment and it already feels like years, does it?""Seeing you ruined my appetite," Thomas said."You!" Chris sputtered, at a
Once Kelly had been taken away, the masked man finally pulled the mask off his face.That was when Preston stepped up beside him."Mr. Macaron," he said quietly, "an accusation from Kelly alone probably won't be enough to actually pin anything on Thomas. If she's lying and flips on us the moment she's confronted face to face, it could end up like last time, with Thomas coming out ahead in Ms. McKinzie's eyes all over again."Julliard's tone was flat. "Don't worry. I won't make the same mistake twice."He watched the direction Kelly had gone, his eyes distant and dark."Thomas is cunning and dangerous. Until I have solid proof, or the right moment, I'm not making a move. "I've paid enough for underestimating him already. And Sharon trusts him more than she trusts me right now. I can't keep going after him directly, or I risk losing her trust for good."Julliard knew he'd let his impatience get the better of him this time, and that it had already left Sharon wary of him. This t
Sharon didn't say anything. Julliard really had been acting unusually agitated this time.…Meanwhile, the masked man appeared in front of Kelly once again.His voice, distorted through the changer, filled the space. "Kelly. How was your rest last night? Have you thought over what I asked you?""I've thought it over," Kelly said. "I shouldn't have set Sharon up."She stared fixedly at the mask, as if she could see straight through it to the face underneath. "Sharon sent you to punish me, didn't she?"The masked man caught the bone-deep hatred in her eyes and paused, faintly surprised. Just yesterday, Kelly had been the picture of someone desperate to save her own skin. What had changed so drastically in one night?While he was still turning that over, Kelly's voice rang out again."If you let me go, I'll tell you anything you want to know. Things I never told Julliard, even during his interrogation.""Why didn't you tell him?" the masked man asked."Julliard is my boyfriend C
Carter continued, "So I came to ask you directly. If you couldn't stomach what she did and wanted to teach her a lesson, I'd understand that. I only ask that you spare her life."Nobody liked being suspected, but Carter did have a point. Right now, Sharon was the only person with a real grudge against Kelly. It wasn't unreasonable for him to come ask her about it directly."Kelly's disappearance has nothing to do with me," Sharon said. "If I wanted her to pay for what she did, I'd send her to prison. I wouldn't resort to something like this."Her explanation was simple, and she offered no real evidence to back it up. But for some reason, Carter believed her anyway. He gave a small nod. "I'm sorry to have bothered you."He didn't stay long after that.Once he'd gone, Wendy couldn't hold back. "How does someone just disappear like that? You don't think she's hiding out somewhere because she's scared we'll come after her?""She wouldn't," Sharon said. "Kelly has no roots and no ba
Kelly had no strength left to answer. She curled up on the floor, shaking all over, a fine needle still buried under each of her ten fingernails, blood dripping steadily from her fingertips into a small pool on the concrete.The man waved a hand, and two men in black hauled her up and dragged her to a battered chair in the corner of the warehouse, tying her to it, chair and all, with coarse rope.The warehouse door shut with a heavy thud.Kelly bowed her head, staring at her hands, each finger pierced through, the pain radiating out in waves that left her trembling all over. In the dark, she bit down hard on her lower lip, tears falling one after another onto her knees.Why?Julliard had already let her go, so why would anyone come after her now?Who could possibly want to do this to her?A name slowly surfaced through the fog in her mind. Sharon McKinzie.It was her.It had to be her. She couldn't accept that Kelly had been let go so easily, so she'd had Kelly snatched away i
Sharon paused for a moment, her gaze steady as it met Carter's eyes. Then she smiled, faintly."I wonder," she said quietly, "whether the prestigious Hendricks Group can afford to keep an heir with a criminal record… and a ruined face."Carter's expression darkened until it was almost terrifying.
"Sharon, did you know?" Kelly said lightly. "To make it up to me for everything I've just been through, Carter's taking me to pick out some jewelry."She smiled sweetly, the malice behind it barely concealed. "He said I can choose whatever I like—anything that makes me happy. Oh, and you and Carter
Perhaps realizing he was in the wrong, Carter's voice—for once—lost its usual chill. "That day, Kelly had a check-up. I really couldn't get away."Sharon let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "You couldn't get away, sure, but couldn't bother to let me know either?" Her tone was biting. "You already stood
Carter was stunned.He hadn't thought Sharon capable of something this shameless.Nate's voice dripped with anger. "Carter, she's still out there, shopping in your name like nothing's wrong—no remorse, no shame. I really don't see why you should keep going easy on her."You two need to get that d




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