The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 386

Ethan, Aiden, and Evan overheard the conversation and quickly gathered around.

Evan, practically bursting with excitement, grinned at Noah. “Noah, you’re incredible! This chip you designed is going to make us a fortune, isn’t it?”

Aiden chimed in right after, “Yeah, Noah, you’ve got this! We’re all behind you.”

Ethan hooked his arm around Noah’s and laughed. “And once you’re rich, you have to take us out for a feast—lots of great food!”

Rebecca could only shake her head with an amused smile. “These kids…”

***

A week slipped by in the blink of an eye.

That afternoon, Louis came to report. “Young master, you told me to keep an eye on her. Today, I saw her being taken away.”

Noah looked up from his laptop. “Who took her?”

“The same two guys as before—Borg and Cedric.”

Noah thought for a moment, then nodded slightly. “I understand. You can go now.”

With that, he turned back to his computer, typing away, as if nothing had happened.

To Louis, his young master was as inscrutable as ever. Not only could he never guess what Noah was planning, he couldn’t even tell what exactly Noah was always doing on his computer. Questions crowded his mind, but he didn’t dare voice them. Instead, he slipped quietly from the room.

Staring at his screen, Noah opened a chat window with a mysterious contact.

***

Cedric sneered. “You’re the Thomson family’s daughter—don’t tell me you’re broke?”

Borg jabbed a finger at her. “Yeah, just go ask the Thomsons for some money. That should be easy enough.”

Crystal shook her head in desperation, her voice cracking. “I’m telling you the truth. I don’t have any money, I’m not lying. I’m their adopted daughter, not their real daughter. They won’t give me a penny—I’ve already tried…”

Borg had no patience for her excuses. He took a threatening step forward, baton raised. “I don’t care if you’re adopted or not. You owe Darcy, so you pay up. If you can’t come up with the cash today, you’re not leaving.”

Crystal was shaking from head to toe, terrified and helpless. Her words came out in a desperate plea. “Please, just give me a little more time. I’ll find a way, I promise!”

Cedric scowled, folding his arms. “We’ve already given you more time than you deserve. We can’t wait any longer. Either you pay up right now, or we’ll just…”

Crystal’s eyes widened in terror. She blurted out, “If you kill me, you’ll never get your money!”