Chapter Ninety-one

Chapter 63: The GapThat same day, we were sitting in a 24-hour diner on the outskirts of Los Angeles when Sebastian’s phone rang.Edna.He stared at the phone like it was something dangerous, then he answered.“Hi, Mom,” he said. His voice was very careful.We couldn’t hear what she was saying on the other end, but we could see the shift in Sebastian’s face. The specific shift of a man hearing something that didn’t make sense.“When did this start,” he said quietly.There was a pause.“And the investigator hasn’t reported back.”Another Pause.“No. No, don’t push him. Don’t do anything that makes it obvious you’re looking,” Sebastian said.He listened for another minute. Then: “I know, Mom. I know he’s been loyal. That’s what makes this—” He stopped. “I have to go. Be careful. Don’t tell anyone you called me.”He hung up.Vivian and I were both staring at him.“What happened,” I said.“My mother has noticed something,” Sebastian said slowly. “About Kim.”He set the phone down on the

Last Updated : 2026-09-22

Chapter Ninety-two

“We buy time,” he said. “We go tomorrow. We listen to whatever Pascal has to say. But we don’t agree to anything immediately. We tell him we need time to think. We tell him we need to consult with people. We tell him we need space to process what he’s asking.”“And in that time,” Vivian said, “we figure out what Kim is actually doing. We figure out if Kim is a leverage point. We figure out if there’s something Pascal hasn’t accounted for.”“My mother is on the ground in Atherton,” Sebastian said. “My mother is watching what’s happening. My mother might have more information by tomorrow. If we can buy time—if we can stall Pascal—then we have a chance to understand the actual situation instead of just reacting to what Pascal is telling us.”“But Pascal has David,” Vivian said. “Pascal has threat leverage. If we stall too long, Pascal releases everything.”“Pascal won’t release everything immediately,” I said. Understanding it. “Pascal needs us. Pascal needs us to testify. Pascal needs u

Last Updated : 2026-09-22

Chapter Ninety-three

Chapter 64: The Second BetrayalSebastian’s phone rang at 7:47.Two blocks from the building. Two blocks from Room 2304. Two blocks from having to walk into a conversation we still weren’t prepared for.Edna.Sebastian’s jaw tightened when he saw her name on the screen. He looked at me, then at the car around us.“I can’t answer in here,” he said quietly. “If Pascal is listening—”“Pull over,” I said. “We’ll get out. We’ll find somewhere safe.”He pulled into a dark lot behind a shuttered restaurant. We bailed out before the engine was fully off, doors hanging open. We moved to the far edge and stopped—far enough to breathe, close enough to keep the car in sight.The Los Angeles morning was warm. Ordinary. Completely indifferent to three people trying to have a conversation they didn’t want anyone to hear.Sebastian called his mother back.“Mom,” he said. His voice was very careful.We couldn’t hear what she was saying, but we could see the shift in Sebastian’s entire body. The specif

Last Updated : 2026-09-24

Chapter Ninety four

“Chaos,” I said. “Julian’s endgame is chaos. Julian wants everyone at each other’s throats. Julian wants the entire operation to collapse while he watches from custody knowing that he orchestrated it all.”Sebastian looked at the car parked in the parking lot.“We need to play this very carefully,” he said quietly. “We need to sit across from Pascal and pretend we don’t know anything about Kim and Julian. We need to ask questions that make it sound like we’re interested in making a deal. We need to buy time.”“And while we’re doing that,” I said, “we try to figure out what Julian actually wants.”“We already know what Julian wants,” Vivian said. “Julian wants to destroy everyone. Julian wants to watch the world burn while he’s safely in custody where nothing can touch him.”Sebastian looked at his phone again.8:23 AM.Seventeen minutes until the meeting.“There’s something else,” I said very quietly. “Something that doesn’t make sense.”“What,” Sebastian said.“If Kim is working for

Last Updated : 2026-09-25

All Chapters of Left at the alter, married the enemy : Chapter 101 - Chapter 104

Chapter Ninety-one

Chapter Ninety-two

Chapter Ninety-three

Chapter Ninety four