Chapter 40
Step –Taboo
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered through her sobs. “I should’ve never left you with Xavier. I thought I could trust him. I thought he’d…” She trailed off, shaking her head.
“It’s not your fault,” I said softly. “I gave him consent. I started it. This isn’t on you p>
She pulled back, looking at me with wide, shocked eyes. “You… what p>
I nodded, feeling my cheeks heat up. “It wasn’t just him. I wanted it too p>
She stared at me for a long moment, her lips pressed into a thin line. Then, instead of saying anything, she pulled me into another hug.
Later that night, I went to my room and shut the door behind me. I flopped onto my bed, exhausted from everything, and grabbed my phone. I started scrolling through I m, trying to distract myself, when a post popped up that made me stop cold.
It was Xavier. With another woman.
They were sitting at a restaurant, like they were on a date. The caption read: “Dinner with my favorite person
Her name was tagged in the post: Camilla.
My stomach twisted, and my hands started shaking. What the actual fuck?
XAVIER’S POV:
I was sitting at my desk, staring at the same unopened email for what had to be an hour. The office felt dead quiet, but my mind was anything but. Everything from the past week was constantly on my mind. Amanda, her mom, Alexander…
I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temple and letting out a sigh. I didn’t want to be here, didn’t want to be anywhere, honestly.
I just wanted to disappear for a while, shut the whole world out. But instead, I was stuck in this office, pretending like I could focus on work when all I could think about was Amanda.
My phone buzzed on the desk, snapping me out of my thoughts. I ignored it at first. Probably just some spam or a notification, nothing important. But it kept buzzing. Again. And again.
Finally, I grabbed it, muttering under my breath. The second I glanced at the screen, though, my whole body‘ stiffened.
The message was from Camilla.
At first, I thought it was just another one of her usual texts, flirty, annoying, whatever. But then I opened it, and my heart sank.
It was pictures. Of me and Amanda. At the pool.
I stared at the screen. There we were, pretty clear in the picture, kissing, touching, and worse, naked There was no mistaking what was happening in those pictures. Anybody would understand what was going on in the picture.
The message that followed made my blood boil.
1/3
Step–Taboo
+25 Bonus
C: Meet me tonight, or I’ll share these with everyone.
How dare she? My jaw tightened as I read it again. Camilla had always been a problem, but this? This was a whole new level of low.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm the rage bubbling up inside me. Without wasting a second, I called up my best hacker.
I told him to wipe everything, Camilla’s phone, her cloud, anything and everything she could use to save or share those pictures.
“Can you handle it?” I asked.
“Already working on it,” he replied. “Give me an hour p>
Good. That gave me just enough time to deal with her in person.
Later that evening, I met Camilla at some fancy restaurant she’d picked out. I walked in, spotting her immediately at a table near the back.
She was dressed up like she was going to a gala or something, a smug little smile on her face as she waved me over. I hated how confident she looked, like she thought she had me cornered.
I sat down across from her, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms. “Alright,” I said, my tone flat. “What do you want p>
Camilla’s smile widened as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “You,” she said simply.
I raised an eyebrow. “Cut the crap, Camilla. What do you really want p>
She let out a little laugh, twirling a strand of her hair. “Fine,” she said, sitting up straighter. “Two billion dollars p>
I blinked at her, then laughed. I couldn’t help it. “Two billion?” I repeated, shaking my head. “You’re out of your mind p>
Her smile faltered a bit, but she quickly recovered. “I’m serious, Xavier. Send the money, or the pictures go public p>
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table and locking eyes with her. “Go ahead,” I said coldly.
She huffed at me and pulled out her phone anyway, unlocking it and scrolling through her gallery. Her smirk froze as she swiped through her photos, her brows furrowing deeper.
“What the…?” she muttered quietly.
I smirked, leaning back in my chair. “Looking for something p>
She looked up at me, her eyes wide with confusion, and maybe a little fear. “What did you do p>
I leaned in close, lowering my voice so only she could hear. “I had everything wiped,” I said. “Your phone, your cloud, all of it. You have nothing p>
Camilla’s face went pale, and right now, she looked genuinely scared.
“And if you ever try to pull something like this again,” I continued coldly, “I’ll make sure you regret it. I’m only letting you go because of what we had before. But don’t ever try to mess with Amanda. Don’t mess with me. Got it p>
2/3
Step Toboo
+25 Bonus
She nodded quickly, her hands trembling as she set her phone down on the table. “Okay,” she whispered. “ Okay, I get it. I’m done. I swear p>
Satisfied, I stood up. “Good,” I said simply before leaving the restaurant.
When I got back to the office, it was quiet, almost eerily too. Amelia’s desk was empty, the surface completely cleared off.
I’d fired her earlier that day when I found out she’d been the one feeding information to Camilla. I made sure she never found anywhere to work ever again.
A
I walked into my office and sat down at my desk, staring out the window at the city lights. The whole thing with Camilla had been handled, but it didn’t make me feel any better. If anything, it just reminded me of everything else I’d screwed up.
I missed Amanda.
I missed her laugh, her smile, the way she’d look at me like I was the only person in the world that mattered. But I’d ruined that. I didn’t even know how to reach out to her, didn’t know if she’d ever want to talk to me again.
I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes and letting out a sigh. I felt empty.
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Sara Lili
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.