The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 354

Was Dylan truly so indifferent to Rebecca, or was he just so tolerant that even something like his wife’s affair could be overlooked?

Crystal tended to believe the former. She figured Dylan simply didn’t care for Rebecca—that was why he seemed unaffected. In that case, Crystal felt no sense of guilt at all.

Not only did she stay put, she pressed on, her tone syrupy sweet: “But Dylan, the whole neighborhood at Sunset Villa Estates already knows about my sister’s… situation. If word gets out, don’t you think that’ll be a problem?”

Dylan’s patience snapped. His voice was cold and sharp. “Crystal, what are you really getting at?”

The chill in his tone made Crystal’s heart skip.

She hurried to explain, “Look, it’s simple. Everyone at Sunset Villa Estates knows about Rebecca’s scandal. If it gets out, it’ll ruin your reputation—and the Austin Group’s too. So I think it’d be best if we just… gave them a little hush money to keep things quiet.”

There was a greedy glint in her eyes as she continued, “I know you’re busy, Dylan, but you can trust me to handle this. Just give me the money, and I’ll make sure every last person keeps their mouth shut. Not a word will get out, I promise.”

Dylan lowered his gaze, considering her words for a moment, then asked, “And how much do you think it’ll take to keep them quiet?”

Crystal did a theatrical little calculation in her head before answering. “There are about twenty people in Sunset Villa Estates… Hmm, I’d say… ten million should do it.”

“Ten million?” Dylan looked up, as if surprised by the number.

Crystal started to worry she’d pushed too far, and quickly backtracked. “Uh… yeah, maybe that’s a bit much. Five million then. That should cover it.”

Dylan let out a cold laugh. “You’re demanding hush money without a shred of proof. Don’t you think that’s ridiculous?”

Crystal went pale, scrambling for a way out.

Before she could speak, Dylan calmly picked up his phone from the table and dialed a number.

Crystal didn’t understand what he was doing until Dylan spoke into the phone, “Hello, Mr. Eden? I have someone here attempting extortion and slander. Could you come over, please?”

With that, he hung up, leaving Crystal frozen in place.