Page 118 of Pucking Daddy

“Nothing’s wrong,” he says quickly. “I just—did you do something?”

“What do you mean?” I ask slowly, already bracing myself.

There’s a pause on the other end. Like he’s trying to figure out how to say it.

“My student account,” he says. “I logged in this morning because I had to check something for registration.”

Another pause.

“And?”

“And it says my balance is zero.”

My breath catches.

“What?”

“Zero,” he repeats. “Like—completely paid off. All of it.”

I sit up straighter on the couch. “That’s… that’s not possible.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” he says, a shaky laugh slipping through. “So I checked again. And again. And then I called the finance office.”

My heart is starting to pound now.

“What did they say?”

“That it was paid in full yesterday afternoon,” he says. “Single transaction.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” I murmur.

“Zara,” he says, more firmly now. “Did you do this?”

“No,” I say immediately.

Because I didn’t. I haven’t received the agreed-upon amount from Jaxon. It would look suspicious if anyone took a closer look. I don’t even have the money.

“Are you sure?” he presses. “Because you know you can tell me. If you did, I at least want to know.”

“I didn’t do this,” I repeat, slower this time.

There’s a silence on the line. “Then who did?” he asks.

I open my mouth to say I have no idea, but then I close it again.

Because I do have an idea.

“Zara?” Danny says.

I press my fingers to my temple, my pulse suddenly too loud in my ears.

“Oh my God,” I whisper.

“Zara, what?” His voice sharpens. “Do you know something?”

I do. I know exactly what must have happened.

“Zara.”