Chapter 326
Hearing Sharon’s words, a faint discomfort stirred in Carter’s chest.
Sure, he’d intended to teach her a lesson, but not once had he considered taking that 100 million back.
And yet, the way she spoke… it was as if he were some shameless man reneging on his word.
A subtle chill surfaced in his eyes. “Sharon, have you ever thought about this? You donated all that money… but if you fail to uphold your end of the deal, you’ll be left with 100 million in debt.”
Sharon smiled. “And have you ever thought… that the moment I dared to donate it, I was never afraid of that debt?”
His sharp brows lifted, forming an elegant but threatening arc. “So what-you’re betting that I won’t actually do anything to you?”
For a second, Sharon froze. Then she let out a laugh.
“Carter, do you think too highly of yourself? Won’t do anything to me? What about orchestrating my blacklist across the internet? What about leaking fabricated scandals to ruin my name? What about trying to send me to prison? When did you become this shameless?”
Carter’s eyes darkened. His lips parted, as if to defend himself, but Sharon’s voice sliced through his silence before he could.
“You’re going to say you weren’t behind it, right? Maybe. But even if it wasn’t directly your doing, you didn’t stop it either. You sat back, watching Nate use every filthy trick in the book against me… waiting for the perfect moment to deliver the final blow yourself.”
She set her coffee cup down. A crisp sound echoed between them.
“You disgust me.”
A flicker of something-shock, maybe-crossed Carter’s eyes.
How did she know? How was it that she seemed even more informed than he was?
Sharon met his gaze. “I know exactly why you wanted to talk to me. You’re here to ask me to let Nate go. But let me make this perfectly clear-that’s not happening.
“He targeted me again and again. You turned a blind eye every single time. And now that he’s finally reaping what he sowed. You think you can come to me and negotiate? If you didn’t want this to happen, you should’ve thought about that earlier.”
Her voice grew colder, threaded with contempt. “Nate’s been able to act so recklessly all this time because he had you-his ever- reliable, ever-cleaning-up-for-him best friend. You let him believe that no matter how bad it got, you’d be there to bail him out. That’s why he is where he is today.
“And you know what? I get it. With your power, protecting him would be easy. I don’t even care. In fact, I should thank you. People like him… when they get too arrogant, that’s when they walk themselves straight into ruin. You just made sure he went faster.”
She stood, her gaze cutting straight through him. “As for why I’m not scared of owing 100 million… it’s simple. Kelly isn’t going to die, because she never had a terminal illness to begin with.”
She knew full well Carter wouldn’t believe her. It didn’t matter.
Doubt, once planted, had a way of growing roots. (1)
In an office somewhere uptown, Julliard scrolled leisurely through the headlines on his phone, sipping his tea.
Chapter 326
“Hey, Carter. I heard Sharon’s accounts are all unlocked now. Every platform issued a public apology. The whole internet’s blowing up about her going head-to-head with the capitalists.”
He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Her follower count jumped another twenty million overnight. No one can suppress her heat now, even if they tried.”
Carter stood at the window, his back to him. His face was hidden, unreadable.
His voice floated out, low and quiet. “She spent 100 million. If that wasn’t enough to buy this… then it would’ve been a waste. And… it seems Sharon knew about Nate’s entire plan. Every detail.”
The teapot paused mid-pour in Julliard’s hand. “Oh?”
