Chapter 208 No Way Out

Jose had pride, too.

Why the hell should he be the one to call Samuel?

Before he could stew any longer, Scarlett mmed her wine ss down on the marble table.

The ss shattered instantly.

She picked up a shard.

And just as she was about to make her next move-

Jose’s eyes went wide, and he shouted with every ounce of strength he had left.

“Fine! It’s just a phone call! I’ll do it!”

The second the words left his mouth, his body gave out and crumpled to the floor.

He waspletely drained.

Even reaching for his phone took forever.

He tried to stall, hoping–praying–for someone to show up and save him. But no help came. No backup. No miracle. No way out.

Gritting his teeth, he scrolled through his contacts, finallynding on the number he’d blocked long ago.

His thumb hovered for a long time.

Then, with a defeated sigh, he hit “call.”

Honestly, he didn’t expect it to go through.

It had been ages since he and Samuelst spoke. After their falling–out, they hadn’t exchanged a word.

Knowing Samuel, the guy probably wouldn’t even bother answering.

But to his surprise, the call connected instantly.

That deep, gravelly voice came through the speaker before the first ring even finished. It caught Josepletely off guard. For a second, he just sat there, stunned.

Then something tightened in his chest–an emotion he couldn’t name. Something heavy. Ufortableb. /b

“Mr. Kramer. Hello.”

“Who is this?” Samuel’s voice barked through the line. “Where’s Jose?”

Scarlett nced at Jose, whoy on the floor, face twisted in regret.

“He’s not in great shape at the moment,” she said coolly.

“You kidnapped him?” Samuel’s voice roared through the phone. Even over the line, bhis /bbanger /bbhit /bblike /bba /bbgut /bpunch.

Chapter 208 No Way Out

Jose flinched without thinking–his body reacting before he could stop it.

+8 Pearl

“No.” Scarlett replied smoothly. “Actually, he tried to set me iup/i. nted illegal substances bin /bbthe /bbprivate /broom, hoping to destroy me. But unfortunately for him, things have flipped. The one in trouble now in him.”

She stood and walked to a chair nearby. With a sharp press on the cushion, a small stic bag dropped bout /bfrom underneath.

Nobody knew what was inside.

But when they saw it, the blood drained from their faces.

Jose looked absolutely stunned.

That bag was supposed to be a secret—no one else was supposed to know.

How did Scarlett find it?

He’d only nned to scare her. The bag was fake–just for show.

He didn’t want real conses.

Just a bit of humiliation.

But now? Even if it was fake–if she called the police, they’d still take it seriously.

He could be held for questioning, maybe even jailed temporarily.

Scarlett was using it as leverage.

But she clearly miscalcted.

That old man would probably love to see Jose locked up. It’d give the whole Kramer family some peace.

Then Samuel’s voice came back on the line. “What do you want? Name your terms.”

Jose’s eyes went wide..

He wanted to believe he misheard.

Samuel? The same Samuel who’d threatened to cut him off? Now he was giving in–for him?

Jose’s eyes burned. He wanted to grab the phone and take over.

But he couldn’t move.

Scarlett picked up the sealed bag and studied it.

“This one’s real. He’d be lucky to ever see daylight again.”

“No way!” Jose shouted. “Grandpa,/don’t believe her!”

But even as he yelled, he felt like aplete idiot.

Even if the bag had been fake…/she could easily swap in the real thing now.

They were in her hands. All of them.

b16.34 /bbThu /bThu

Chapter 208 No Way Out

Samuel had clearly heard Jose yelling.

But his tone stayed calm. Controlled.

“I’ll do what I

can to meet your terms,”

“Great,” Scarlett said, smiling. “I already called the cops. So… I guess I’ll see you at the stations

And with that, she ended the call.

Jose stared at her, stunned. “You–called the cops?”

Scarlett let out a shortugh. “Don’t believe me?”

Just then-

The door burst open.

Police officers stormed in.

Jose’s jaw dropped.

The officers secured the scene and picked up the bag for inspection.

“It’s real,” one of the officers confirmed. “Bag it all. Take them in.”

Jose’s eyes went wide again.

Real? iHow /iicould /iit ibe /iireal/ii? /i

He never saw Scarlett switch it out.

iWait/ii–/iwas it always ireal? /iiNo. No /iiway/ii. /i

He had Aurora nt that bag.

She-

And then it hit him.

His blood ran cold. His face turned white.

-Outside the hotel-

shing red and blue lights lit up the street.

Police tape

sealed off the entrance.

A small crowd had gathered.

No one knew the full story yet. But people talked. Whispered. Searched.

And soon, word started spreading: someone got caught with illegal substances in a private room.

Now the whole hotel was shutting down for inspection.

b16:34 /bbInu/bb, /bb14 /bbAug /b

Chapter 208 No Way Out

In the shadows, pressed against a wall outside-

Aurora stood frozen, hand mped over her mouth, eyes wide with panic.

This wasn’t how tonight was supposed to go. It was all supposed to be harmless. A scare tactic.

+48 Pears

It all started because Dreame and Jose couldn’t stand the idea of some outsider like Scarlett btaking /bfirst ce.

They only wanted to scare her a little.

Aurora hadn’t technically been involved.

But she hadn’t stopped it, either.

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