The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 117

“That’s not me. That’s not me!”

Shannon was falling apart. Panic and regret crashed over her in waves, tears streaming down her face. Was this it? Was her life really about to be ruined just as it was finally starting to look up?

Her phone buzzed violently on the table, the ringtone slicing through the silence like some kind of horror movie warning. She jumped back, as if the phone might explode, and screamed, “Leave me alone. Please, just leave me alone…”

The ringing eventually stopped. She edged closer, hands shaking, and peeked at the screen. Of course, it was the same number—the blackmailer.

More videos landed in her messages. Each one worse than the last. In them, she was wild and uninhibited, begging, desperate, lost in something she could barely remember. If Steven ever saw these…

She’d rather die than let that happen.

A new message popped up:

[Ms. Rivas, I know where you live. If you don’t want everyone on the internet to see these videos, you’ll do exactly what I say.]

[Relax. As long as you cooperate, I’ll delete everything and never contact you again. Don’t even think about going to the cops. I’ve got backups in a hundred places. If you call the police, your scandal will be everywhere by morning.]

Shannon’s breath came in short, sharp bursts. She could barely steady her hands enough to text back:

[What do you want?]

She hit send and waited. Nothing. Just silence.

She curled up on the sofa, heart pounding, every muscle tense. Minutes crawled by. Twenty minutes later, the doorbell suddenly blared, making her jump out of her skin.

She froze, terrified to go near the door. Instead, she checked the camera feed. A tall man in a black jacket, cap, and mask was standing outside. He wasn’t the same bodyguard from that night. He had a different build.

As if he sensed her watching, the man glanced up at the camera and gave a twisted, arrogant smirk. “Open the door.”

Shannon’s stomach dropped. The doorbell rang again, each chime like a punch to her chest.

“Ms. Rivas, I know you’re in there. If you don’t open up, I’ll leave. I’ll take that as a sign you don’t want to solve this peacefully,” his voice echoed through the security speaker, low and menacing.

Shannon clutched her head, on the verge of tears. She’d just graduated from a top university, landed a dream job at Heath International, and she might even become Steven’s wife one day. If those videos ever went public, her life would be over. She couldn’t even imagine the blowback, the humiliation, and the media frenzy. She’d rather disappear than face that.

The bell rang again.

Finally, shaking with fear, Shannon forced herself to open the door.

He shrugged. “Nothing big. Just a tiny favor.”

“What kind of favor?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I heard your dad runs the Heath family’s car service. He’s the one who organizes Cody’s school rides, right?”

Shannon’s heart jumped. “…What are you planning?”

He smirked and suddenly pulled her into a rough embrace, his hands roaming. “Relax, Ms. Rivas. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m a lot nicer than Bill ever was. You help me, and we’ll get along just fine.”

Shannon shook with fear, trying to break free. “What do you want?”

He leaned in, lowering his voice. “I just need you to tell me exactly when Cody goes out, what car he’s in, and which route he takes.”

Her mind reeled. “You… you’re going to kidnap Cody?

“You can’t do this! I’ll pay you whatever you want, just don’t make me help you. I can’t, and I don’t even know all that stuff!”