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Chapter 646

Author: Rosie Steppe
Demi's call came in while I was in the bathroom, wiping Ron's splash attack off my face.

"Keira." Her voice was flat, almost hollow—so unlike the Demi I used to know. She used to talk like every sentence was lit with fireworks, sharp and alive.

Now? That fire was gone.

I didn't know every detail of what happened, but her suicide attempt had left a mark. She wasn't the same, and it broke my heart to hear it.

"If you didn't call me soon, I was about to come hunt you down myself," I said, trying to inject some levity into my tone.

"Don't come. I'm fine," she cut in, her tone shaky.

I tossed the crumpled paper towel in the trash and leaned against the sink. "Fine? Sure, because that sounded convincing. Spill, Demi. What's going on?"

She went quiet for so long I thought the call dropped. Then, finally, her voice cracked through the silence. "I have nothing left. Nothing. And now I'm stuck with almost $500,000 in debt."

Wayne had mentioned her boyfriend before, so the pieces clicked
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    Of course. A guy like him—a leech who targets women—would have a knack for spotting wealthy, attractive targets.If Jorian recognized me, he'd already done his homework. He might've even targeted me before."What do you think I'm here for?" I asked, letting the sarcasm drip.Jorian didn't flinch. "It's about Demi, right?"So, he knew. No point playing dumb. "Yeah," I said. "What did you do to her? And don't give me the cop version—I want the truth.""I'm not obligated to tell you anything," he replied smoothly, like he thought he still had some leverage.I raised a brow. "Then what'll it take for you to talk?"Honestly, he was in no position to negotiate. Even if I offered him cash, he wouldn't be able to spend it from behind bars. But he held up two fingers.I let out a sharp laugh. "Seriously? Aren't you worried about adding extortion to your rap sheet? And even if I gave you the cash, you can't spend it behind bars.""It's not for me," he said, serious now. "It's for my par

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    "What do you think you're doing?" I shouted.The men turned to look at me, their eyes scanning me from head to toe. One of them, his gaze practically dripping with greed. "Well, well. Since when does Lindale get girls this pretty?"Another one chimed in, "What's it to you, sweetheart? You looking to rent a place? Or are you friends with the lady in here?""Seems to me I was the one asking the questions," I said, my tone icy.The man pounding on the door swaggered over, his expression oozing sleaze and menace. "We're just here looking for pretty girls. And look at that—we found one."As he spoke, he reached out a finger toward my chin.I dodged his touch. He let out an amused "Huh."He said, "Oh, feisty. I like that. Feisty girls are more fun."He signaled his companions with a quick look. "Looks like this trip wasn't wasted after all," he said smugly.Before I could react, they started closing in. I stepped back, dodging hands as they reached for me. The situation was spiralin

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    The man fumbled with his phone and quickly rattled off an account number. Without hesitation, I transferred the $300,000."Now, the IOU," I demanded, holding out my hand.They passed it over begrudgingly, one muttering under his breath, "Damn, didn't think you were this rich."I met his gaze. "I'm not just rich—I have connections. If you ever come back to harass her again, you might hold the money, but I promise, you won't live long enough to spend it."Sometimes, you just have to bring the heat.Their cocky smirks vanished as they slinked off, but one couldn't resist tossing a jab at Demi over his shoulder. "With a rich bestie like her, why take out a loan?""Get lost!" I snapped.They scurried off, but Demi didn't relax. Her whole body trembled."It's over now. They're gone," I said softly, stepping forward to pull her into a hug."Ahhhh—"Her wail ripped through the silence, raw and full of anguish.I didn't say anything. I just let her release everything she'd been bottl

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