Chapter b78 /bThe Mask Drops

Luke followed up quickly, trying to sound as sincere as possible. “If you don’t want byour /bbname /bbon /bbit/b, that totally fine. Everything’s negotiable.”

Colt pressed his fingers to his temple, visibly running out of patienceb. /b“You’ve definitely got bthe /bbwrong /bperson. I don’t write scripts, and I’ve never touched a screeny in my life.”

Stanley and Luke exchanged nces–both instantly sure they were being lied to. Colt must be btrying /bbto /bhide his identity.

Stanley grit his teeth, then forced himself into a bowed, groveling posture. “Officer Colt, I’m begging byou/b. bIf /bI can just get one more chance, I swear, any price you name, I’ll make it worth your time.”

Luke nodded furiously. “Seriously. Anything. You don’t even have to lift a finger–we’ll handle the brest/bb. /bbYou /bcan just give a rough idea, or even an old draft, and we’ll do the legwork.”

Colt started to sidestep them, but the two men crowded closer, cutting off every possible route of bescape/b.

He turned to Scarlett, giving her a helpless nce.

She shrugged, clearly uninterested in ying the rescuer. Her patience for this kind of nonsense had worn out a long time ago.

Colt sighed. “Look, I’m a cop. I don’t lie on duty.” He pointed at the emblem on his cap. “See this? bI /bswear on this badge–1 am not the Dreamer.”

That stopped both men cold.

Just seconds ago, they’d been practically groveling at his feet. Now they stood there ck–jawed and blinking like broken NPCs.

Colt didn’t waste the opening. He sidestepped the human blockade and made his escape, muttering, “Thirty–six Stratagems, number one: run.”

“Wait!” Stanley spun around and scanned the area again, this time with renewed intensity. There weren’t many people around. It had to be one of the two they’d seen earlier.

Luke’sst tracking ping had pointed to this exact spot. If Colt wasn’t the Dreamer, then…

His gaze slowly drifted to Scarlett.

iNo. /iiCouldn’t /iibe/ii. /i

But the longer he stared at her, the more disturbed he felt by the possibility. “Could she actually be the Dreamer…b?/bb” /b

Stanley scoffed, bursting into a sharp, humorlessugh. “Her? You can’t be serious.”

There, beneath the dappled light of the trees, Scarlett stood with her arms folded and her bexpression /bt. She hadn’t said a word since this whole ridiculous scene started That alone was enough bto /bbgrate /bbhis /bbnerves/b.

He snapped, “She’s just a headache in human form. Besides that? Useless. If she really bwere /bdon’t you think she’d be shouting it from the rooftops? Hell, she’d use it to ckmail bme /bbinto /bbspoiling /bbher /beven more and casting Reba aside!”

Dreamer,

Chapter 78 The Mask Drops

bHe /bturned bsharply /bbto /bLuke. “Come bon/b, buse /byour bhead/b. bShe’s /bnot beven /bin bthe /bbsame /bleague at Reba bnever /bwins banything/b, bnever /baplishes anything–just rides coattails and brags babout /bnothing

Colt, who hadn’t quite left yet, looked over his shoulder and frowned. He was starting to bwonder /bif State needed bhis /bvision checked.

Scarlett’s arms stayed crossed, her bodynguage utterly indifferent. She didn’t even bother bresponding /b

Stanley bristled at her silence. “Scarlett! Are you really not going to say anything? Pretending byou /bbdon’t /beven know me now?b” /b

His face flushed with anger, and his voice rose. “I’m telling you, you’re really getting out of hand! bYou /bbcould /blearn a thing or two from Reba. She’s thoughtful, she’s capable, she’s decent. You? All you do is bmake /bpeople ufortable!”

He looked at Luke again, clearly expecting backup. “Can you imagine this one writing a bestselling drama series? If she’s the Dreamer, I’ll do tenps around the whole medical campus–on my hands!b” /b

He clenched his fists. “Call that hacker again. He must’ve traced the wrong IP.”

Luke nced at Scarlett, frowning in uncertainty. Aside from her stunning face, she didn’t breally /bbseem /bblike /bmuch. No presence, no ir, no clever maniption.

He started to think he must’ve gone crazy earlier for even considering the possibility.

iThis/i? iThis /iicouldn’t /iibe /iithe /iiDreamer/i. iRight/ii? /i