Chapter 54

Inokled

“Sevena, why don’t you stay with us? It’s such a big place, and it feels a little lonely with just your mom and me here,” Mr. Hastings Senior said after a short pause.

I was touched by his offer but shook my head. “Thanks, Mr. Hastings Senior, but it’s okay. I’m about to eat and start working soon. Moving back wouldn’t be convenient.”

After hanging up, I slumped forward, feeling a wave of helplessness. The incident had happened so long ago, and finding evidence now felt impossible. Worse, I had no idea who was behind the video.

Just then, my phone rang again. I frowned, wondering who would call me this late at night.

“Hello.”

“I have the original surveillance footage from outside the coffee shop,” a distorted voice said. The words jolted me upright.

“What do you want?”

“Give me five hundred thousand dollars, and I’ll sell you the video.”

I fell into deep thought when I heard the number.

“This must be a scam! How could a video be worth five hundred thousand dollars? If you’re trying to scam someone, do your homework first! I’m just a broke student. I don’t have that kind of money to spend!”

I moved to hang up, but the voice quickly interrupted, sounding panicked.

“The price is negotiable. Make me an offer.”

Something about their tone made me pause. I frowned at the phone, sensing there was more to this than met the eye.

After hanging up, I stayed in bed, lost in thought.

Just then, Lila came out of the bathroom, towel-drying her hair. She glanced at me. “What’s up, Serena? You look down?”

I held up the phone and replied, “Lila, someone just called me, claiming they have the original surveillance footage from the coffee shop. They wanted five hundred thousand dollars for it.”

“Five hundred thousand dollars? That’s weird,” Lila frowned.

“I think so, too,” I said with a nod.

“So, what are you going to do about it?” she asked.

“I don’t know yet,” I admitted with a sigh. “Let’s just sleep on it. Tomorrow is another day.”

What I didn’t expect was for Alex to show up the next day.

“What are you doing here?” Ever since I had reluctantly accepted his help, we had grown closer. Just seeing him put me in a slightly better mood.

“Serena,” Alex leaned casually against the door of his Cullinan, his gaze fixed on me. “Are you a celebrity now?”

His comment caught me so off guard that I gave him a dark look. He had no idea how to have a normal conversation.

“I don’t want to be,” I said, throwing up my hands in exasperation as I climbed into the passenger seat. “But I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

“And what about this whole coffee shop incident?” Alex started the car. This had become a routine of sorts. We’d grab a meal together whenever he came by.

Sighing, I relayed the full story, including the blackmail call I received last night.

“You’re saying someone called and tried to extort five hundred thousand dollars from you?” Alex frowned, glancing at me.

“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “Eyes on the road, please.”

He turned his gaze back to the road, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Now this is getting interesting.”