Chapter 649

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 bottling up for who knows how long.

When her tears finally slowed, she led me into her tiny rented apartment. One look around, and my chest tightened.

The walls were damp and spotted with mold. The space barely fit a narrow bed and a rickety table stacked with scraps of stale food.

Demi used to live with confidence. She wasn’t wealthy, but she always had enough to live comfortably and freely. And now? This? All because of a man.

I reached for her hand, but it wasn’t how I remembered. Her fingers were rough, her palms dry and scattered with tiny cuts.

I didn’t need to ask. The answer was in her hands—she’d been working herself raw just to get by.

Still, she hadn’t crossed any shady lines to make ends meet. That was something, at least.

Back at my hotel, I let her shower and gave her clean clothes. When she finally settled beside me on the bed, the silence between us broke.

“It’s the Drago family,” she murmured.

I blinked, trying to catch up. “What?”

“They’re from Seavora’s Drago family,” she said, and just like that, I pictured Thorsten Drago.

The whispers about their dirty money weren’t exactly subtle.

I figured she was just scared, so I rubbed her back. “Don’t worry. We’ll steer clear of them.”

Chapter 650

Demi grabbed my hand. “I remember… Cole Drago pursued you, didn’t he?”

I frowned. Was this why she’d been so distant? Did she think I was tangled up with the Dragos?

“No. We were barely acquaintances. And even if he had, I’d never go—”

She cut me off, shaking her head.

“Keira, stay away from them,” she said, her voice trembling, “They… They force girls to sleep with men.”

Her words hit like ice water.

Everything suddenly made sense. Her suicide attempt—it wasn’t just about that insane $500,000 debt. The Dragos had probably tried to make her sell her body to pay it off.

She’d run, not just from the money, but from the nightmare waiting behind it.

“Keira,” she whispered again, trembling. “They’re demons.”

I pulled her close, murmuring soft reassurances until her trembling faded and she fell asleep. But me? Sleep wasn’t even an option.

I stared into the dark, my thoughts racing with a mix of rage and resolve. The Johnstons had sentenced my parents to die, but it was the Drago family who’d pulled the trigger. That wasn’t something I could forgive—or forget. I’d been biding my time, waiting for the perfect opening to destroy them all, and Demi just handed me that opening.

But the cost? Her dignity. Her life, almost. It was too much.

I turned to her, curled up on the bed. She looked so fragile. Even in sleep, her body shook, and something sharp twisted in my chest.

Then my phone buzzed.

I picked it up without thinking, glancing at the screen. It was a text from Lena:

[Rea, you’ve totally screwed me over.]