Chapter 746

“What is it?” Lena asked, unfazed.

If there was one constant in life, it was people always wanting something in return.

“Keira has to take the fall for ‘kidnapping my daughter’,” Sasha said bluntly, cutting straight to the point.

“You’re in a bind and need a way out, right?” she asked, zeroing in on Sasha’s true motive.

Sasha didn’t even try to deny it. “That bastard Thorsten—he acts like he cares about Nina, but when push comes to shove, he’s in no hurry to do anything.”

Her original plan had been to use Nina as leverage to squeeze money out of Thorsten, but the man wasn’t biting. Meanwhile, Nina was locked away, crying, throwing fits, and causing chaos. Sasha couldn’t risk checking on her without exposing herself, and now, the whole scheme was on the verge of crumbling.

But she couldn’t just drop the act and let Nina go without a cover story. Thorsten had already started digging into the kidnapping, and it was only a matter of time before his investigation pointed to her. She needed to get Nina back—and fast—before Thorsten connected the dots.

“But if Keira takes the blame, Thorsten won’t let her off easily,” Lena said.

“Thorsten owes Keira’s parents his life—two lives, actually. Even if Keira kidnapped his daughter, he wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. Besides, Nina’s unharmed. He won’t go after her over this.”

Lena gave a faint smile. “Not only are you pretty, but you’re smart too.”

Sasha let out a bitter laugh. If it weren’t for Thorsten, her life would have been completely different. She and Ian could have had real careers, successful lives. Instead, Thorsten had ruined everything, reducing her to nothing more than his mistress. She’d lost track of how many times she’d cursed her own face. Compliments like Lena’s only twisted the knife, reminding her that her beauty was more curse than blessing.

For most people, beauty was a gift. For Sasha, it was her downfall. She’d grown to despise it—and herself. She even went out of her way to hide her intelligence, letting people think she was just a pretty face. It was easier to bury the person she used to be than to face what she’d lost.

“You can ask Keira. If she agrees, I’ll help her,” Sasha said, her tone brooking no argument.

Lena smirked inwardly. Keira had predicted this scenario perfectly, down to the condition Sasha would demand.

“There’s no need to ask. She’ll agree,” Lena said, her tone so certain it caught Sasha off guard.

Sasha paused, then let out a dry laugh. “Alright, then. Let’s have drinks in two days.”

Lena didn’t waste a second. “Give me the address where the child is.”

The next morning, I got the all-clear to leave. No Lena in sight. She just dropped me the address in a text: “you’re welcome.”

Translation: “Handled it, Nina was fine, so no panic there. The only one spiraling now? Sasha. And honestly? She dug this hole herself. Might as well let her stew a little longer.”

I called Hayden. It rang forever, and just when I was ready to hang up—boom, he answered.

“You’re out,” he said, his tone calm.

No duh, Sherlock. I wouldn’t be calling otherwise.

“Where are you?” I shot back.

“I can’t meet you. I’ll see you when I’m back.” Yep, just as I thought—off playing hero in Wayne and Cole’s grand scheme.

It was game on now, no turning back. So I kept it simple: “I’ll wait for you.”

The second the call ended, another text popped up: [Time to keep your promise.]

Guess who? Sasha. I glanced up and, oh look, a conveniently parked taxi. She was obviously inside.

I strolled over, opened the door, and hopped in. There she was.

“You seriously don’t trust me, do you?” I said as I settled into the seat.