Chapter 140

"Don't be anxious," Thea said, playing another recording. Familiar voices, familiar arguments. April's face paled. She tried to maintain composure, but her trembling hands betrayed her.

Thea's smile widened, but her eyes remained cold. "There's no need to pretend anymore," she said. "I anticipated your plans. Consider where Brannon is."

April's eyes trembled. A terrifying thought formed: "You put him under house arrest?"

She hadn't reached Brannon for days. She'd assumed he'd fled after their plan failed. Instead, Thea had not only resisted the drug that night but had silently captured Brannon and pretended nothing had happened. Remembering Corey's occasional comments, April's fear intensified. Thea closed the distance between them, appearing intimately close. Only April knew the coldness in Thea's eyes.

"Resolve this quickly," Thea said, "or I'll drag everyone down. I don't know why you're plotting against me, but Corey doesn't know about Brannon, does he?"

April felt guilty but couldn't refute Thea's piercing gaze. Her confidence shattered. She lowered her head, resentment lacing her voice. "What do you want? Convince Corey to help you? He's stubborn and won't change his mind easily."

Thea smiled. "Why involve Corey?"

Fear filled April's eyes. "What do you—"

"You don't want Corey harmed, or to know what he shouldn't know. Am I right? Settle this. I'll pretend nothing happened," Thea replied.

"Thea, you're dreaming!" April exclaimed sharply.

Thea sneered. "Whether I am or not, I'll try. Desperation makes people do anything. Don't think you can control me with this. I'm not as harmless as I seem."

April trembled with rage, speechless, afraid to retort.

Seeing April's daze, Thea pretended to leave. "I gave you a chance. Don't blame anyone if you don't take it."

April grabbed Thea's wrist. "I'll find a way. I'll do it, okay?" Panic set in; she felt Thea had forced her into something terrible.

Thea nodded, satisfied, then added cruelly, "I didn't expect someone as vicious as you to be loyal to Corey. Does he know your feelings?"

April's eyes darted around, unable to hide her sadness—it was unrequited love. Thea's curiosity about their relationship grew. They weren't related, yet both shared the last name Sandy. What was the story? But Thea decided against prying.

April turned, tears in her eyes. "Thea, if I do this, Corey won't spare me. I might die." She still tried to feign innocence. She had underestimated Thea's ruthlessness.

Thea crossed her arms, calm. "I know. That's why I came. Don't play pitiful. Why did you do it in the first place? If you hadn't, you wouldn't have leverage over me, right?"

Seeing her ploy fail, April left, hatred burning in her eyes.

The game was about to end when a sudden announcement declared Thea's earlier rule violation a misjudgment. She finished the remaining matches, though her ranking wasn't high. The earlier cheating accusations had drawn attention, surprising everyone with her skills. This made her unexpectedly popular.

After the competition, Thea, in helmet and motorcycle suit, quickly left, leaving a cool impression.

She changed clothes and found Corey. He was in a bad mood, angry at April's unauthorized actions, though he knew she hadn't acted alone—someone must have threatened her. He blamed April's stupidity for giving Thea leverage.

Before Corey could explode, Thea stormed in, throwing something on the floor. "Mr. Sandy, what does April mean? Am I not her friend? If I hadn't discovered her secret, I'd be ruined. What are you going to do?"

Corey's gaze was dangerous. "Do you think April did this?"

"Who else?" Thea said. "You and I have an agreement. You wouldn't attack me. And what motive would you have?" The last sentence, though a question, was a statement of her belief. She wanted to know what was going on in Corey's mind.

Corey's cold expression vanished, replaced by laughter. "I worried about misunderstandings. Now that you understand, I'm relieved."

Thea, too impatient for games, repeated her question. "So what's your plan? Ignore it? Fine, then I'll consider our cooperation canceled. The incident originated from your side. I'll drop my three requests. Let's pretend we never knew each other."