Sabrina felt her inner child ache—an almost childish, desperate longing—for her mother’s embrace as she sat beneath the cold, assessing gaze of Noah Newman.
It didn’t matter that her mother was seated right beside her, close enough for their arms to brush, or that her father occupied a solitary sofa a few feet away; what she wanted was to burrow, to shrink inward, to escape that knowing stare that kept sending icy chills racing down her spine.
Without a single word spoken in the five minutes they had sat in suffocating silence, she knew enough of the reason he was here. To kill her.
Her gaze darted, quick, to his well-manicured hands. Empty.
She had checked before—she wasn’t sure what she had been expecting, a blade, a gun, anything—but the sight did nothing to soothe her nerves.
He could have n waiting outside, ready to cart her off the mont he gave the signal. Would her parents be involved too?
Finally, she heard her father clear his throat, the sound brittle in the quiet.
"Mr. Noah... to what do we owe this visit?"
Noah leaned back into his seat leisurely, his gaze never leaving Sabrina.
If Sabrina hadn’t been scared to the bones, she might have batted her eyelashes out of instinct or defiance—but this wasn’t even the atmosphere for that. The look in his eyes was anything but interested.
"I ca here because it seed my last warning didn’t sink in the last ti I made it," Noah replied, finally tearing his gaze away from Sabrina.
Her sigh of relief slipped out, audible to them all, before she could stop it.
Clent glanced at his wife, then at his daughter, and back to Noah. "I’m sorry, but you have to be more specific."
Noah smiled, but it was anything but friendly—a baring of teeth that had even Clent swallowing spittle, perhaps because his eyes grew colder, starkly opposing the aning of a smile.
"Of course, Clent. Firstly, Gianna inford that you lot did away with so of her belongings..."
Clent swallowed again and cleared his throat, but before he could speak, before he could defend himself, Noah was already talking.
"She also told about the money you are ant to pay in a month’s ti?"
Clent nodded, his wife nodding alongside him. Sabrina was too tense to move, her muscles locked tight.
She knew this was only a prelude. Hadn’t it been more than a week since the property affair? Noah was just trying to make things harder.
"Well, that deadline has been erased. You only have two weeks."
Clent’s jaw slackened.
"And that’s counting from the eting you had with her. So, you barely have a week..."
"But—"
"No buts," Noah cut in smoothly, slicing through whatever Clent had been about to say. "Do it, or else..."
He chuckled, harsh and dry, a sound that promised trouble. "Or else you will have to contend with. And trust , Clent Aldo, you don’t want to do that. And before you go to your friends..."
He laughed outright when Clent blanched. "Yes, you think I don’t know your little gas?"
A slight pause followed. "Well, that’s by the way. But I see you get the picture. Am I clear?"
Clent nodded like a chastised dog, to the surprise of his wife, who had been silently noting the entire affair.
"Is that all?" she asked, the words bitten out of irritation, only to shrink when her husband shot her a warning glare. She knew a slap would be waiting for her when they returned to the room they barely shared.
"Now, to the second reason why I ca here..." Noah drew out the mont, savoring it, even as he returned his gaze to Sabrina.
She shuddered under his scrutiny, a reaction that seed to give him the utmost gladness.
"You t my sister to hurt my girlfriend, Sabrina... did you forget that I am in the picture?"
Sabrina had no words, and neither did her parents.
Judging by how slow their daughter was to react, they finally understood why she had been panicky since Noah ca to the house. Their secret was out in the open.
"Are you aware of this, Clent?"
Clent shook his head quickly, eager to throw his daughter to the wolves. "I don’t. This is surprising to ... Sabrina, what is he talking about?"
Sabrina gritted her teeth but said nothing. She should be used to this attitude from her father, but still... the hurt kept coming.
"Talk, or else—"
"Or else what, Clent?"
Clent gulped when Noah called him out. "Well... she will be punished."
Noah nodded slowly, appearing contemplative. "And what kind of punishnt is that, considering that my life was also put at risk... you know the accident I am talking about, right?"
Clent nodded fast, too fast, and it gave him away.
Noah chuckled softly. "Idiot. So you were in it together with her, and your wife, I presu..."
Josephine bowed her head. The ga was up. What would he do to them? Turn them over to the police? Report them to Gianna? If that was the case, they were dood from all sides.
"And don’t worry about the evidence, too... your phone arrived by post this morning," Noah continued, his gaze sliding back to Sabrina. "So, you see, I can throw you three into jail if I don’t want to stain my hands. And I have a feeling the Thornes would be all too glad to do the sa."
Clent imdiately fell to his knees, realizing that if Noah had wanted to do that, he would have already done so, without ever coming here.
Him coming here ant sothing.
Clent was ready to do anything to avert this plague staring him right in the face—the company was already in shreds.
If this ca out... He shook his head, even prostrating himself further. His reputation would be torn apart even more. He couldn’t let that happen.
Seeing her husband like this, Josephine followed imdiately, dragging Sabrina down with her. This ti, Sabrina was all too willing.
"I am sorry! My family is sorry! Forgive us! This won’t happen again!"
"Of course it won’t happen," Noah drawled, crossing his legs as he settled back, openly enjoying the spectacle. "I won’t let it happen. And don’t think I don’t know you released the news this morning... I thought about it, and it can only be this family. I just need evidence..."
He waved his hand dismissively. "But that doesn’t matter."
He paused, then got to his feet, slipping his hands into his pockets. "The reason you three are still breathing is because your actions achieved so goal of mine. But it’s enough. No more of that. Any more, and you three are gone. Am I clear?"
All three nodded, gratitude almost choking them.
"Then secondly, I will be coming to acquire your company in two days’ ti... don’t fight it."
Clent looked up, startled and shocked, to see Noah smiling down at him.
"After all, it’s better that the company stays in the family, right?"
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