Chapter 111
He just wanted to know–after Niamh mistakenly believed she’d slept with another man, would she feel guilty toward him?
Niamh hurled the photograph onto Jonathan’s face, then turned sharply and headed inside.
It wasn’t until she was safely indoors that the tears finally came.
By the time she got home, the chaos in her mind had slowly started to settle.
The photographer, after all, was only in this business for the money.
And she had, in fact, paid him a staggering five million for his silence.
Logically speaking, there was no reason for him to release the photos; if he did, he’d ruin his own reputation and future blackmail opportunities.
But just because he wouldn’t release them didn’t mean he wouldn’t keep a backup.
After weighing her options, Niamh made a phone call.
“Rina?”
A man’s voice answered–a clear, melodic sound, like water running over stones.
When Niamh didn’t reply for a long moment, the man corrected himself:
“Niamh, what’s wrong?”
Only then did she ask for his help.
He listened without interrupting, not asking a single unnecessary question.
“If you’re tired, get some rest. If not, wait half an hour for me.”
Niamh decided to wait.
Half an hour later, her phone rang again.
“I’ve hacked into all his devices–his phone, computer, camera. He did keep a backup on his home computer, but you can relax now. I’ve deleted everything. And no, I didn’t look at any of it.”
Niamh believed him.
“Thank you.”
“Are you… okay?”
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“I’m fine.”
“You know, you could always come ba-
She hung up before he could finish.
With the photo situation finally resolved–though it had cost her five million and left her owing someone a favor–at least the scandal hadn’t blown up, and her reputation remained intact. To Niamh, it was money well spent.
The problem was…
Daniel hadn’t succeeded this time, but who knew if he’d try again.
Niamh tossed and turned in bed, sleep eluding her. Eventually, her mind drifted to
Jonathan.
Her thoughts grew more tangled and painful. She didn’t want to keep thinking, so she put on a sleep playlist and forced herself to close her eyes.
The next morning, Niamh went to work as usual. Marina was still out on sick leave. All around the office, people whispered that Jonathan had been by Marina’s side in the hospital, sleepless and devoted.
Niamh paid it no mind.
It was during lunch break that Prescott came looking for her, inviting her out for a
meal.
From the serious look on his face, Niamh guessed there was something he couldn’t discuss at the office.
She picked a restaurant a little farther from the company–elegant, expensive, not the sort of place most people could afford on a regular salary.
“I’m sorry, Miss Rivers.”
Prescott’s apology was formal, almost ceremonial.
That night, Daniel had gotten him so drunk he hardly remembered getting h When he woke up, it was already the next morning.
Even now, he still didn’t know what had happened after the dinner that night–especially between her and Daniel.
His guilt caught Niamh off guard.
She waved it away. “It wasn’t your fault…”
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“No, it was,” Prescott insisted. “I failed at the job Mr. Thomas entrusted to me.”
“Mr. Thomas entrusted you with… what?”
Niamh almost laughed.
That night, Jonathan had been too busy worrying about Marina’s car accident to care about anything else–not even about driving drunk.
She knew Prescott was Jonathan’s most trusted assistant, so she wasn’t about to
criticize Jonathan in front of him.
If Prescott wanted to apologize, she’d let him.
Throughout the meal, Prescott muttered “I’m sorry” and “Forgive me” at least ten times. Niamh could see he was genuinely conscientious.
But she also picked up on the way Prescott probed, ever so carefully, about what had happened between her and Daniel that night.
Niamh never gave anything away.
Even with Prescott, there was no point dredging up the past.
When the check came, Niamh paid.
She was well aware that Jonathan paid Prescott more than enough.
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