Chapter 334 Nothing but Bait

Chapter 334: Chapter 334 Nothing but Bait

Emilia’s POV

Well. The enemy of my enemy, and all that.

Richie Lind and Abigail Tanner were joining forces against me. That was an alliance I had no intention of ignoring.

I turned the paper over between my fingers. What could those two possibly be planning together that they hadn’t already tried and failed to do separately?

Right on cue, my phone buzzed.

A text from an unfamiliar number appeared on the screen.

[Your uncle has gotten himself into trouble. If you want the details, meet me tomorrow at Star City Café on Audish Street.]

I had sat across from Uncle Chuck at lunch that same morning, and he had looked perfectly relaxed. Still, given his colorful track record, I wasn’t taking any chances.

I screenshotted the message and sent it to him.

My phone rang almost immediately.

"Emilia, I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong," Chuck barked down the line. "Who the hell sent you that? Some prankster?"

"My money’s on Richie Lind." I glanced at Damien’s letter.

"He still hasn’t given up on marrying you off to Leighton?"

"Looks that way. But I’m asking because I’m concerned about you, Uncle. You haven’t done anything stupid lately, have you? Nothing Richie could use against you?"

"Absolutely not!" Chuck sounded offended. "I’m a reformed man, I’ll have you know."

"Fine, fine. I believe you. Go back to searching for your childhood cabin."

"I’ve been at it for hours. I think I’m finally getting somewhere."

"Good. Keep looking."

I ended the call.

Eve’s voice rose."Are you actually going to that café?"

"Of course I am." I tucked my phone away and let a slow smile pull at my mouth.

I wanted to see what kind of scheme Richie was setting in motion.

"I wouldn’t miss it."

The moment I stepped through the door, I spotted Damien at a table by the window. He had a coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other, though he clearly wasn’t reading it.

He looked up, met my eyes, and gave me the faintest nod.

Maybe he was there to protect me. If anything happened to me, Abigail would be treated as the mastermind behind it.

I scanned the room and found Richie Lind two tables away. He smiled at me like a cat that had cornered a mouse.

"Emilia," Richie called out.

Goddess, I did not want to breathe the same air as this man.

I crossed the room and dropped into the seat across from him.

"What happened to my uncle?"

Richie folded his hands on the table. He was in no hurry.

"We’ll get to your uncle. But first, let’s talk about something more important." He leaned closer. "After you left last time, Leighton collapsed. He’s been in a coma ever since. The doctors say he’s barely conscious now."

His voice cracked with fake grief.

"And you, cold as ice, couldn’t even be bothered to visit him once."

My stomach dropped.

A coma?

For half a second, guilt flickered through me. Then I caught myself.

No. This was Richie Lind. The man had lied to me more times than I could count. This sounded like another trap, a sob story meant to drag me back to Lakewood City, where he could corner me.

I kept my face calm.

"That’s tragic," I said flatly. "Now, what happened to my uncle?"

Richie’s smile thinned. He had expected tears, maybe for me to rush home and pack a bag. He got neither.

"Your memory really is terrible for someone so young," he said. "Have you forgotten the night you had sex with my son?"

I slapped my palm on the table hard enough to rattle his cup.

"Watch your mouth, Mr. Lind."

He blinked. I had caught him off guard. He clearly hadn’t expected me to deny it so quickly.

And there it was. I could see the whole ugly plan in his eyes. He wanted to provoke me until I admitted that Leighton and I had slept in the same room that night. The truth didn’t matter to a man like Richie. He only needed one word from me. He could leave the rest to everyone else’s imagination.

"Keep slandering me," I said, "and I’ll drag you into court so fast your head will spin."

"Don’t play innocent. I have proof."

"Wonderful. Let’s see it."

His face fell.

"My foolish son destroyed the evidence on your orders. But the truth is still the truth. No proof doesn’t make it a lie."

I stared at him for a long moment.

Then I laughed.

"What’s so funny?" His heart seemed to skip. Unease spread across his face.

"Your stupidity," I said sweetly.

I reached across the table, slipped my fingers under his lapel, and pulled out the recording pen clipped there.

I held it up between two fingers and gave it a small wave.

"Really, Richie? This?" I clicked it off. "Did you honestly think I’d be stupid enough to walk into such a cheap trap?"

I had spotted it the second I sat down. Damien’s warning look hadn’t even been necessary.

Richie shot to his feet, scraping his chair across the floor. He turned to leave.

"One last warning, Mr. Lind."

He stopped.

"Walk away now, and I’ll forget this ever happened. For Leighton’s sake, if nothing else. But push me one more time, and I promise you, I won’t hold anything back."

It was the first time I had ever called him Mr. Lind. No warmth. No hint of respect.

He understood exactly what I meant.

His jaw tightened until I could hear his teeth grind.

"Don’t forget," he spat. "I stood by you when you had nothing. When you needed help."

"You did." I tilted my head. "And if my mother had lived, I would have spent my whole life thanking you for it. But she didn’t. She died. And whatever debt I owed you died with her."

I placed the recording pen on the table between us.

"I’m not the soft little thing you keep mistaking me for. I put my own father behind bars. What makes you think I’d hesitate to deal with a stranger?"

Richie opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

He grabbed his coat and left, his shoulders stiff.

I sat back and turned the cup between my hands.

Sebastian had told me that once, and he had been right. There was no point wasting kindness on people who had never spared any for you.

"He didn’t tell you anything about Chuck," Eve pointed out.

"Because there was nothing to tell. It was bait from start to finish."

I looked toward the window.

The chair by the glass was empty. Damien was already gone.