You Had Me, You Lost Me, You'll Never Find Me novel Chapter 107

With that, she stood up and marched toward the door.

Just as she reached the exit, Valerie lunged forward, desperately clinging to her arm. "I am begging you! Hugo cannot go to prison! He was just trying to turn his life around when this happened. Seriously, he was learning a trade to open a food stall! If he goes to jail, his whole life is ruined! I'm begging you!"

A crushing wave of exhaustion settled over Sylvia's soul.

"Valerie, you're begging me? Did you ever stop to consider that I don't have that kind of money either? Do you think my life is easy? Why don't you ever feel sorry for me? I'm not some A-list superstar. My acting fee is maybe a couple hundred thousand at best. How many lifetimes of shooting would it take to pay this off?"

Tears streamed down Valerie's face. "I know it's hard for you, but you have a way out! This is the absolute last time I will ever ask you for anything. Just help him this one last time. If we end up dying in the streets after this, I won't ever bother you again. Please, just this once."

Sylvia felt a horrifying chill seep into her bones. Looking at the woman who used to protect her from her violent stepfather, the woman she genuinely believed cared for her, she suddenly saw a complete stranger.

What did she mean, 'a way out'?

She knew perfectly well that Valerie had figured out the dark reality of her relationship with Ashton.

Sylvia took a step back, her lips trembling.

"No."

She took a ragged breath and tried to walk past her toward the hallway.

From behind her, Valerie's voice rang out flatly. "Go on, then. Just remember to come collect my body tomorrow."

Sylvia stopped dead in her tracks, a suffocating wave of despair crashing over her.

After a lifetime of being her daughter, Sylvia knew exactly how serious that calm tone was.

Sylvia wanted to leave, but she knew that the second she walked out that door, Valerie would actually kill herself.

This uneducated, simple woman was entirely capable of going through with it. Her narrow worldview meant she thought in dangerous absolutes. Once her mind was made up, nothing could stop her.

Sylvia clutched her stomach and leaned heavily against the doorframe, overwhelmingly helpless. Why were they pushing her to the brink like this?

Valerie shrank under the violently sharp glare, lowering her head, entirely unable to speak.

After a long, heavy silence, she whispered, "I really do hope all your dreams come true..."

Sylvia acted as if she hadn't heard a word.

Valerie dragged Hugo out of the room.

Sylvia collapsed onto the sofa. She felt utterly drained, needing just a moment to breathe before facing Ashton.

Ashton sat down beside her, effortlessly lifting her legs and draping them over his thighs. Sylvia panicked, kicking at him. "I said I'll pay you the fifty million! What are you doing?"

Ashton easily pinned her slender ankles down, shooting her a dark, mocking look.

"If I really wanted to do something to you, do you think you could escape?"