Chapter 38
At that moment Cora sat still for a long moment, the words echoing in her ears. Her breathing deepened as the reality of it settled in.
And then, suddenly, rage flared in her eyes.
"That bastard," she hissed, clenching her jaw. "I knew he was low, but recording me? That’s beneath even him. And I never even slept with him not once. Even though I wanted to at the time... I never did. And still, he had the audacity to record me?"
Immediately her fists tightened on the arms of her chair. "It’s a disgrace. And I won’t accept that from him."
At that moment, Malisa leaned in slightly, her face serious, voice low but filled with purpose. "And that’s where I come in," she said firmly. "Because if James is truly planning to go public with something like this, then we don’t have the luxury of waiting. He’s desperate, Cora. Really desperate. And the problem with desperate men is, they stop thinking about consequences. They don’t care who they hurt, so long as they get attention, power, or revenge."
Again Cora’s jaw clenched, her lips drawing into a thin line as she listened. Her fingers tapped lightly on the arm of the chair, her mind already racing ahead. She hated this feeling—being watched, being violated, being threatened over something she didn’t even do. It wasn’t just wrong. It was infuriating.
Malisa continued, "And the truth is, we don’t know how far that desperation can push him. We don’t know what else he might have. Whether he’s bluffing or sitting on more recordings. But we can’t risk giving him time to act."
Hearing what Malisa said Cora exhaled slowly. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she gathered her thoughts.
"Well... honestly," she said, "I’m not even sure James knows who I really am yet. He might just be guessing, fishing around based on instinct or rumors. He’s not exactly clever, but he’s sneaky. He might not be sure if I’m truly this person I’ve become—or if I’m just close to it."