Chapter 40
+25 BONUS
Peter, even after being kicked, wasn’t angry. Instead, he grinned slyly and said, “Fine, if you don’t want to give me the money, I’ll go tell him that Lucy Clark is an escort and Has been far from Innocent for a long time. Let’s see if he’ll still want you after that.”
Lucy was so furious she almost strangled Peter. She had me him through her line of work, and Peter had known all along what she did for a living. He also knew that she had stayed with him because she thought he had money. What she hadn’t realized at the time was that Peter not only didn’t have any money but was also in deep debt.
Peter used this to blackmail her, saying that if she didn’t give him money, he would tell everyone, including her family, about her work. Left with no other choice, Lucy had given in.
But she hadn’t expected Peter to demand half a million dollars today.
–
She didn’t have that kind of money, and she certainly couldn’t ask Duncan for it right away he would get suspicious.
Seeing Lucy’s troubled expression, Peter smiled even more smugly. “You have three days, Lucy. If I don’t get the money by then, I’ll go straight to Duncan and tell him everything.”
With that, Peter left. Lucy was so angry that she stomped her feet in frustration. But when she returned to Duncan, she had no choice but to act as though nothing had happened.
Seamus had already spoken to the doctor beforehand, so after receiving a clean bill of health for Lucy, they headed home. But Peter’s words still echoed in her mind.
Half a million dollars. Only three days. Even if she were killed for it, she couldn’t come up with that much money.
Duncan noticed that Lucy’s expression had changed ever since they got back home. “Audrey, is something wrong? ” he asked, his eyes full of concern.
“Nothing,” Lucy quickly avoided Duncan’s gaze, afraid he’d catch on.
Duncan, however, was convinced that she was hiding something from him. After all, there was a precedent- Audrey had hidden her illness from him before–so he pressed further. “What’s going on? We agreed that you wouldn’t keep anything from me anymore.”
Overwhelmed by the situation, Lucy blurted out, “I need money. Half a million dollars. I’ve been trying to figure out how to get it.”
For a moment, Duncan thought he had misheard. Audrey had never dealt with such large sums of money before. Sure, she invested in things, but always in small increments, never all at once. Besides, in recent years, her investments had made her a decent amount of money. That’s why, when people told him that Audrey had run off with a man, taking six million with her, he wasn’t angry about the money. He was hurt that she would leave him.
Back then, it wasn’t the six million that could have devastated his company that bothered him–it was the fact that she had abandoned him. Because nothing in this world, not even a fortune like Quartet Enterprises, could compare to her.
But now,
he was worried that Audrey was hiding something serious from him. Why did she need so much money? Was someone scamming her?
Duncan agreed without hesitation to give Lucy the half million. She asked for it in cash, and he was willing to provide it. If half a million would help him uncover whoever was deceiving Audrey, it would be worth every penny.
་་
Lucy was ecstatic when she received the money. She couldn’t believe Duncan had handed it over so easily, without asking any questions. His unwavering trust in Audrey made her both envious and grateful that she could pretend
+25 BONUS
Chapter 40
to be Audrey and stay by his side.
Three days later, Peter arranged to meet Lucy at a secluded beach. Lucy arrived first, standing by the water with at handbag beside her. The wind blew through her hair and made her dress billow, giving her an appearance that was both elegant and fragile.
Peter had been watching from a distance, having arrived catly. He saw Lucy with the handbag but didn’t dare show himself. Half a million dollars was no small sum, and if Lucy had called the police on him, it would be the end for him.
