Chapter 39 Death by a Thousand Cuts

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Boone finally let out a long breath, the tension in his chest easing. “Let’s hope it really blows over. Keep an eye on everything for me—any hint of trouble, I want to know immediately.”

The manager nodded like a bobblehead. “Absolutely. You can rest easy. I won’t miss a thing.”

But what Boone didn’t know was that this was only the beginning.

Back in her room, Sloane picked up her phone and dialed a number. “Stick to the n. Keep leaking it–slowly.”

iNothing /iihurts /iilike /iideath /iiby /iia /iithousand /iicuts/i.

A low voice responded on the other end, “Understood. You can count on me.”

Sloane hung up and leaned back on the couch, eyes sharp with cold resolve. “People should pay for what they’ve done.”

The next day, a newment stirred things up online.

The poster imed to be a resident living near the site of the infamous ident. ording to them, on the night of the crash, they saw a luxury car speeding away from the scene.

As soon as thement appeared, a flood of replies followed.

“For real? Sounds like a clout–chaser to me.”

“Pics or it didn’t happen.”

“Probably just wants inte fame. Dream on.”

The skepticism was overwhelming–but the original poster stayed silent, vanishingpletely.

And that silence only made things worse,

Thement’s poprity soared, boosted by its mystery and the public’s growing

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Chapter 39 Death by a Thousand Cuts

curiosity.

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Boone’s team caught wind of it fast. The manager panicked. “Shut it down. Now!”

“And put out a tweet,” he added. “Say Boone has nothing to do with any of this. If anyone keeps spreading rumors, we’ll take legal action. Make the tone firm–no room for doubt.”

Sure enough, the tweet worked. Suspicions around Boone nearly vanished overnight.

Breathing easier, Boone began feeding his manager juicy gossip–unrted scandals from inside the entertainment industry. His goal? Distract the public and bury the crash rumor.

And it worked.

One after another, scandals exploded online: a top–tier actress secretly married with kids, a famous director caught bullying crew members on set, and more. The publictched onto the new headlines, and the car crash thread lost traction fast.

For the moment, Boone seemed to have slipped away from the spotlight unscathed.

Meanwhile, Sloane scrolled through the headlines, half–watching the chaos unfold, half–counting the days until Lucas’s next detox session.

But Lucas beat her to it.

As she gazed out the car window, she realized they weren’t headed toward the Hawthorne family estate.

Catching her gaze in the rearview mirror, Andrew exined, “Ms. Rivers, sir thought the estate had too many eyes and ears. He’s taking you to one of his private properties–no interruptions.”

Sloane remembered mentioning after the Eastgate Lounge incident that they should avoid being seen together in public. At the time, she’d been disgusted by Mason’s actions. She hadn’t expected Lucas to take it seriously.

She gave a slight nod. “Got it.”

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Chapter 39 Death by a Thousand Cuts

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The car pulled to a smooth stop in front of a European–style vi, elegant and secluded.

Lucas was already waiting at the entrance, tall and poised, eyes dark and unreadable. As Sloane stepped out, he approached, voice low and gentle. “Miss Rivers. Thank you foring.”

Sloane met his gaze. “It’s fine. This is a transaction, after all.”

With that, she followed him into the house.

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