My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 686

Two officers immediately stepped forward, pinning Matthew Ross’s shoulders with firm hands and hissing warnings under their breath.

Only when Matthew’s body finally curled inward, his face regaining its former composure, did the officers release their grip and step back.

Emily Blair approached at a measured pace and took the seat across from him.

Matthew leaned forward, his gaze fixed on her, pupils trembling as he reached for the phone receiver at his side.

Emily hadn’t picked up her receiver yet; she could see from the way his lips moved that he was urging her to answer. Even speaking, his mouth was visibly shaking.

She lifted the receiver slowly. The instant the speaker pressed against her ear, Matthew’s coarse, almost growled voice came through.

“Who are you?”

“Emily Blair.”

Her voice was as steady as her eyes, watching the panic Matthew was desperately trying—and failing—to suppress.

“I don’t know you,” he shot back quickly.

“I’m a friend of Rose Ward.”

Matthew’s jaw clenched, the muscle in his cheek twitching. “What do you want?”

Emily’s lips curled in a faint smile. “What do you think? I know quite a lot about you—including your missing younger siblings.”

His breathing quickened. He licked his dry lips. “How—how do you know that? I kept it under wraps. No one could know. How did you—”

“Was it really so hard to find out?” Emily arched an eyebrow. “And I know even more. You’re aware, aren’t you, who’s been paying their tuition while they study overseas? They’re set to graduate soon. What do you think would happen if the university discovered their records didn’t add up?”

Matthew’s composure broke. He slammed a palm on the table and shot to his feet, gripping the receiver so tightly his knuckles blanched. He shouted into the phone, “What do you want from me?”

The two officers rushed back, wrestling his shoulders and arms, forcing him back into his seat.

She gave a faint, cold smile. “You can deny everything if you want, and maybe you can fool others, but you should know—if you keep denying, your siblings could end up paying a price you can’t even imagine.”

“I know the truth. So do you. You can lie to anyone you want, but it won’t work on me.”

Matthew’s breath caught in his throat. He was silent, speechless.

Emily’s voice was cool and even. “Tomorrow, I happen to have a business trip to Astoria.”

Just at the mention of Astoria, Matthew’s expression shifted again. “What are you going there for?”

“Let me finish,” Emily said.

He wiped a trembling hand across his face and exhaled shakily. “Go on.”

She kept her tone icy-calm. “You have two choices. First, you can keep denying everything, just like now, just like before—keep covering for the people behind all this. If that’s what you want, I’ll pay a visit to the principal in Astoria and have a little chat about your siblings. Maybe I’ll bring their real records along.”