Chapter 226 Hidden Leverage
Chapter 226 Hidden Leverage
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Sidonie bit her lip hard. Lindgren was right–the Graftons already disliked her. If Trent learned she wasn’t the one who saved him, he would drop her without hesitation.
Not yet.
First, I have to pacify Lindgren, then figure out the money.
“Fine, I agree, but no one else can ever know about our deal,” Sidonie said.
“Of course.” Lindgren grinned, perfectly pleased with himself.
Next door, Laura pressed her ear–and a drinking glass–against the wall, the rim of the glass cupped to her ear in hopes of amplifying every sound. After several minutes, she still heard nothing.
Since when does a cheap motel have this kind of soundproofing? she grumbled silently.
Harlan growled, “So you dragged me here just to book a room with you?”
“I wanted to hear what they’re discussing,” Laura replied. She had even bribed the front desk to learn which room Sidonie and that man had taken.
Harlan sneered, “You could eavesdrop till sunrise and still get nothing. If you ask me, we should just kick the door down and see what Sidonie’s up to.”
“That would alert them!” Laura objected.
A knock sounded. Laura and Harlan exchanged a look; at last, Laura said, “I’ll get it.”
She inched the door open and froze. The last person she wanted to see stared back at her. It was Sterling.
Laura’s heart jumped. Sterling? What is he doing here?
His gaze, icy and penetrating, met hers through the crack.
She wavered. Should she invite him in or slam the door and pretend she hadn’t seen him?
The door to the adjacent room suddenly opened. Startled, Laura yanked Sterling inside.
“What are you-”
Sterling frowned, but before he could finish, Laura clapped a hand over his mouth, silencing him. She left the door ajar by a sliver and peered out.
Sure enough, Sidonie and Lindgren emerged. Lindgren chuckled. “Ms. Stonehurst, my patience is short. I’ll wait one month. If the money isn’t in my hand, you’ll face the consequences.”
Sidonie shot him a murderous glare. “Fine. And keep out of my sight for that month. If Trent gets suspicious, you won’t see a dime.”
Lindgren shrugged and watched her leave before retreating into his room.
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07:43 Wed, 16 Jul D
Chapter 226 Hidden Leverage
884
+10 Free Coins
Laura closed the door at last, then turned to Harlan, who lounged on the couch. “See? I told you. Sidonie and that guy are hiding something.”
“I didn’t catch a word out there,” Harlan said, amused, “but I do know you’re in trouble.”
Laura blinked, then felt the warmth in her palm.
Oh, dear Lord!
Her hand was still covering Sterling’s mouth.
As if scalded, she jerked her hand away and gave Sterling an awkward smile. “Well… fancy meeting you again.”
Sterling said nothing. He simply fixed Laura with a glacial stare, the force of it so oppressive that she felt as if she were a defendant standing before a judge.
“Are you here for Harlan?” she ventured, grasping at anything that might break the tension. “Then I’ll leave you two to talk.” With that, she snatched up her purse, desperate to flee the room.
“I never realized my nephew had become so fascinating to you,” Sterling drawled, his gaze flicking from Laura to Harlan and back again. “Last time, you were taking off his clothes; this time, you’re booking a hotel room together?” A note of jealousy edged his voice, one he failed to notice.
Harlan, who had been lounging on the couch and enjoying the drama, nearly slid to the floor. “Laura, when did you ever strip me?”
Laura broke into a cold sweat. “You were drunk and threw up on yourself. I was doing you a favor by getting your shirt off, okay?”
Sterling nodded helpfully. “Exactly. If I’d arrived a bit later, you’d probably have stripped everything off.”
Between the two men–one gaze blazing, the other icy–Laura felt caught in a vise. This uncle–and–nephew duo is here to make my life miserable. Handsome men do not necessarily make life pleasant; sometimes, they make you utterly miserable.
07:43 Wed, 16 Jul ■ ·
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