Chapter 51
All Sharon could think of now was, ‘Those who are favored, always act with impunity.’
Carter was sure of her feelings for him, sure that the existence of their child tied her to him. That’s why he treated her like this- so brazenly, so crudely.
Suddenly, Carter’s phone rang.
It was his assistant, Simon.
“Mr. Biggs, bad news!”
Carter frowned. “What’s going on? Why are you panicking?”
“There are a ton of videos spreading online-bad ones about Kelly. We can’t stop them, no matter what we try…”
Carter’s voice turned sharp. “Didn’t I tell you to block everything from that press conference? All footage, all livestreams, shut them all down?”
Simon’s voice trembled. “We did block everything at the scene. Nothing leaked from there. But the thing is… the videos didn’t come from the press conference.”
Carter’s tone went ice cold. “Then where? Speak clearly.”
“They’re playing on every single public advertising screen in the city… and we can’t take them down fast enough.”
Simon was on the verge of tears. “And it’s not just Kelly in those videos. You’re in them too, Mr. Biggs.” 1
He didn’t dare tell Carter the full extent-that it wasn’t just the big outdoor screens. The footage had been broadcast in subway
stations, on buses, in elevators-everywhere. The entire city had seen it.
Even if they’d held the press conference and posted everything online, the impact wouldn’t have reached this scale.
But now, plastered across giant screens?
Everyone was seeing it-old men in their seventies, little kids on their way to school. There was no filter, no distinction. Just a
full-scale, indiscriminate blast.
Sharon had played her hand with brutal precision.
Carter’s eyes narrowed, sharp as a blade. He turned to Sharon.
“It was you?”
She didn’t flinch. “Yes.”
Of course, he understood now. In an instant, it all made sense.
“So everything you just said to me-that was just to stall for time?”
“That’s right,” Sharon said coolly. “Against someone like you, with the power to control everything in Amstern City, I had to be prepared. If you hadn’t come, or if you refused to stop me, I wouldn’t have used the backup plan.”
But the moment he showed up, she knew the press conference wouldn’t go forward. So she sent a message to Xavier, quietly, while keeping Carter distracted. She’d made sure he had no time to pay attention to anything else.
By the time he found out what had happened, it was already too late to contain it.
Before the call even ended, Carter’s phone lit up again.
1/2
This time, it was Nate.
“Carter, something’s happened! Kelly just stepped out and got surrounded by some angry people there was a confrontation, and she’s been taken to the hospital!”
Carter’s expression darkened. “How is she?”
“For now, nothing life-threatening. But somehow the reporters found out she was hospitalized. They’ve completely surrounded the hospital. She’s really shaken up… Carter, come quickly.”
Carter was silent for a moment before saying, “I’m on my way.”
After he hung up, he turned to Sharon. His voice was glacial.
“Sharon, that was ruthless.”
She smiled faintly. “Some people don’t deserve mercy.”
212
