“A reason built on lies!”
“Does it matter? The Hales are criminals, Samantha. Everything I told you about Grant might have been fabricated, but the core truth remains. He’s dangerous. He runs illegal operations. He’s hurt people.” Robert’s voice drops lower. “And now you’re in too deep with them. You’re compromised.”
“I’m not?—”
“You are. I can see it in your face. You care about them. Maybe you even love them.” He shakes his head. “That’s a problem.”
“What do you want from me?”
“I want you to remember who you are. Remember what you agreed to do.” His eyes are hard now. Cold. “You’re going to continue gathering information. You’re going to get me those account numbers and those names. And you’re going to do it quickly.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then I tell them the truth.” He says it simply. “I tell Grant and his sons that you came to their estate specifically to destroy them. That you’ve been working for me the entire time. That every moment between you has been a lie.”
The threat lands like a physical blow.
“They’ll never trust you again. Never forgive you. They’ll throw you out.” He takes another sip of wine. “And they’d be right to. Because you did lie. You did come here to destroy them. The only thing that’s changed is that you’re too weak to follow through.”
Tears are streaming down my face, and I can’t seem to stop them. “I didn’t know,” I whisper. “I didn’t know you were lying about everything.”
“Now you do. And you have a choice to make.” He stands, dropping cash on the table. “Continue the mission and get me what I need. Or lose everything you’ve built with them when I expose you. Either way, I’m getting what I want. The only question is whether you come out of this with anything left.”
He walks away, leaving me sitting alone in the booth.
I don’t know how long I sit there. Minutes. Hours. Time doesn’t mean anything.
Everything I believed was a lie.
My mother’s company. The Hales’ involvement. The entire foundation of my revenge plan.
Robert manipulated me. Used my grief as a weapon. Orchestrated my entire relationship with Logan just to get me close to his family.
And now I’m trapped.
30
GRANT
I’min my office reviewing acquisition contracts when my phone buzzes with an alert from resort security.
Security: Female matching Samantha Allen’s description entered Lakeside Restaurant 19:47. Met with unidentified male. Flagging for your review.
My jaw tightens. She said she was handling a work call. Didn’t mention meeting anyone.
I pull up the security feed on my laptop, navigating to the Lakeside Restaurant cameras. The timestamp shows twenty minutes ago.
There. Corner booth, partially hidden by a partition.
Samantha slides into the seat across from a man I recognize immediately from the background check. Mid-fifties. Graying hair. Expensive suit.
Robert. Her stepfather.
I watch her pull him into a hug. See her smile. See her mouth move, saying something that looks like “I’m so happy to see you.”
The affection seems genuine. Natural. Like she’s relieved to see him.
Then they sit, and I watch the conversation unfold in silence. No audio on these feeds, just visual. But I don’t need sound to read body language.
