Updated Dec 11, 2025 • ~11 min read
HANNAH
“Connor is blackmailing you.”
Oliver’s voice was flat. Deadly. The kind of calm that came before violence.
I nodded, unable to speak.
“Show me.”
With shaking hands, I pulled out the envelope. The photos. The note demanding fifty thousand dollars by Friday.
Oliver went through them methodically. His jaw got tighter with each image. By the time he reached the note, his hands were shaking.
“He took these Thursday night,” I said. “When you came over. He must’ve followed you.”
“And he wants fifty thousand dollars.”
“By tomorrow. Or he sends them to the tabloids.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you can’t be involved!” The words exploded out of me. “Don’t you see? If you pay him, if you get involved, it makes it worse. It proves we have something to hide. The photos are already bad enough—”
“I don’t care about the photos.”
“Well, you should! You’re engaged, Oliver. You’re a CEO. If these get out, it destroys everything. Your reputation, your wedding, the company—”
“I don’t care about any of that.” He grabbed my shoulders, forced me to look at him. “I care about you. About keeping you safe. That’s all that matters.”
“It can’t be all that matters—”
“It is.” His voice broke. “It is, Hannah. You’re all that matters.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks. “I don’t know what to do.”
“You let me handle this. I’ll pay him—”
“No. Absolutely not. Then he’ll just come back for more. Blackmailers always do.”
“Then I’ll make sure he can’t.”
The threat in his voice scared me. “Oliver—”
“I have resources. People who can make problems disappear.”
“You can’t make him disappear. That’s—that’s illegal.”
“I don’t care.”
“Well, I do!” I pulled away. “I’m not letting you become a criminal because of me. Because of a mistake I made.”
“You didn’t make a mistake. I did. I’m the one who came to your apartment. I’m the one who—” He stopped. “This is my fault.”
“It’s Connor’s fault. He’s the one blackmailing us.”
“Then let me fix it.”
“You can’t.” I wrapped my arms around myself. “I have to handle this myself.”
“How? You don’t have fifty thousand dollars.”
“I’ll figure something out.”
“Hannah—”
“Please.” I met his eyes. “Please let me handle this my way. I can’t—I can’t let you rescue me. I have to fix my own problems.”
He looked like he wanted to argue. Wanted to pick me up and solve everything and make it all go away.
But he just nodded. “Okay. But I’m here. Whatever you need. Call me.”
“I will.”
He kissed my forehead. Lingered there, breathing me in. “Be careful.”
“I will.”
He left. And I stood in my apartment with Connor’s photos and twenty-four hours to find fifty thousand dollars and no idea what I was about to do.
Friday morning, I found myself in the kind of office that doesn’t advertise.
Down an alley. Up three flights of stairs. A door with no name. Just a number.
I knocked.
“Come in.”
The man behind the desk looked like a banker. Pressed suit, neat hair, soft hands. Nothing about him screamed criminal.
Except everything about him did.
“You must be Hannah.” He gestured to the chair. “I’m Harlan Pembroke. Your friend said you needed money.”
Friend was generous. I’d found Harlan through a coworker’s brother’s roommate. The kind of connection you only use when you’re desperate.
“I need fifty thousand dollars,” I said. “Today.”
“That’s a lot of money.”
“I know.”
“What’s it for?”
“Does it matter?”
Harlan smiled. Shark-like. “Not really. But I like to know who I’m doing business with.”
“It’s personal. Family emergency.” Lie. But close enough.
“Interesting family.” He pulled out a folder. “Here’s how it works. I loan you fifty thousand. You pay me back sixty-five thousand in six months. That’s thirty percent interest.”
“Thirty percent is—”
“Fair, considering I’m giving you cash today with no collateral and no questions.” He leaned forward. “You have other options?”
I didn’t. That was the problem.
“What if I can’t pay it back?”
“Then you work it off.”
“Work it off how?”
“Let’s not worry about that unless we have to.” He pushed the papers toward me. “Six months. Sixty-five thousand. Or we renegotiate. Deal?”
I should’ve said no. Should’ve walked out. Should’ve done literally anything else.
But Connor’s deadline was in eight hours and I was out of options.
“Deal.”
I signed. Harlan counted out fifty thousand dollars in cash. Handed it to me in a duffel bag like we were in a movie.
“Pleasure doing business with you, Hannah. I’ll be in touch.”
I walked out with a bag of money and a debt I had no idea how to repay.
But at least Connor would leave me alone.
At least Oliver would be safe.
OLIVER
I had Hannah followed.
Not because I didn’t trust her. Because I didn’t trust Connor. Didn’t trust that he wouldn’t escalate, wouldn’t hurt her, wouldn’t do something stupid that put her in danger.
So I called my head of security, gave him her address, told him to keep eyes on her without being seen.
“Just make sure she’s safe,” I said. “And let me know if anything seems wrong.”
“Wrong how?”
“I don’t know. Just—if she goes somewhere unusual. Meets anyone questionable. Anything that seems off.”
He didn’t ask questions. Just said he’d handle it.
I tried to focus on work. Made it through exactly one meeting before my phone buzzed.
Boss. She’s in the warehouse district. Met with someone named Harlan Pembroke. You know that name?
My blood went cold.
Harlan Pembroke. Loan shark. The kind of man who loaned money to desperate people and ruined their lives when they couldn’t pay back.
What did she do?
Came out with a duffel bag. Looked heavy.
No. No, no, no.
She’d borrowed from Harlan. She’d gone to a loan shark to pay off Connor.
Where is she now?
Heading to 5th and Madison. Parking garage.
Meeting Connor. She was paying him off.
Keep following. Don’t let her see you.
I should’ve stayed at the office. Should’ve trusted her to handle it.
Instead, I grabbed my coat and ran.
HANNAH
The parking garage was empty. Cold. The kind of place where bad things happened in movies.
I clutched the duffel bag and waited.
Connor appeared from the shadows, all cocky confidence. “You actually got it. Impressive.”
“Here.” I shoved the bag at him. “Fifty thousand. Just like you asked. Now give me the photos.”
He unzipped the bag. Started counting. “You know, I had my doubts. Wasn’t sure if you could pull together that kind of cash.”
“You have your money. Give me the photos.”
“About that.” He looked up, smiled. “I’m thinking this is more of an ongoing arrangement.”
My stomach dropped. “What?”
“You work for Oliver King now. You have access. Information. Things that could be valuable.” He zipped the bag. “So here’s the new deal. You keep me informed. Corporate secrets, upcoming deals, that kind of thing. And I keep these photos to myself.”
“You said fifty thousand and you’d go away.”
“I lied.” He started to leave. “I’ll be in touch with what I need. Don’t try anything stupid, Han. I’ve got backup copies of everything.”
He walked away. Left me standing in a parking garage, fifty thousand dollars in debt, with no guarantee he wouldn’t come back for more.
I’d made a deal with a loan shark for nothing.
I was still trapped.
A car door slammed. I turned.
Oliver stormed toward me, fury written across every line of his body.
“What the hell did you do?”
OLIVER
She looked terrified. Good. She should be terrified.
“Did you give money to Harlan Pembroke?”
Hannah’s eyes went wide. “How did you—”
“I had you followed. Did you borrow money from a loan shark?”
“I had to! Connor wanted fifty thousand and I didn’t have—”
“So you went to HARLAN PEMBROKE?!” I was yelling. I never yelled. But the thought of her in debt to that man, of what he’d do when she couldn’t pay—”Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“I saved your reputation! I kept those photos from—”
“I don’t CARE about the photos! I care about you being in debt to a criminal!”
“I’ll pay him back—”
“How?! Sixty-five thousand in six months? On your salary?” I wanted to shake her. Wanted to make her understand the danger she’d put herself in. “And what happens when you can’t pay? What did he say you’d do then?”
She went pale. “I’ll work it off.”
“Work it off.” I laughed. It sounded slightly unhinged. “Do you know what that means? What he makes people do?”
“I’ll figure it out—”
“You’ll figure it out. Just like you figured this out?” I gestured to the garage, to the disaster she’d created. “You borrowed money from a loan shark to pay off a blackmailer and now you’re in worse trouble than before!”
“Then what should I have done?!” Tears streamed down her face. “Tell me, Oliver! What was the right move? Let Connor ruin you? Let those photos destroy everything you’ve worked for?”
“Yes!” The word exploded out of me. “Yes, I’d rather lose everything than watch you destroy yourself trying to save me!”
“Well, that’s not your choice to make!”
“Like hell it isn’t!”
We stood there, both breathing hard, both furious and scared and not knowing how to fix this.
“I was trying to protect you,” Hannah said finally. Quiet. Broken.
“I don’t need protecting. I need you safe.”
“I am safe.”
“You’re in debt to Harlan Pembroke. You’re being blackmailed by your ex. You’re the opposite of safe.” I pulled her into my arms, felt her resist, then collapse against me. “What the hell are we going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’ll pay off Harlan. Tonight. I’ll—”
“He won’t take your money. I asked. The debt’s in my name. I have to be the one to pay it.”
Of course. Because this nightmare couldn’t get any simpler.
“Then I’ll give you the money. You pay him.”
“Oliver—”
“I’m not arguing about this. You’re not working off a debt to a loan shark. I’ll transfer you the money tonight.”
“And what happens when Connor comes back? Because he will. He always does.”
She was right. Connor wasn’t done. He’d taken the fifty thousand and promised nothing. Probably had backup copies of those photos. Was probably planning his next move already.
“We’ll deal with Connor when he comes back. But first, we’re getting you clear of Harlan.”
Hannah pulled back, looked up at me. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because I love you.”
The words came out before I could stop them. Honest. Terrifying. True.
Hannah stared at me like I’d spoken another language.
“You what?”
“I love you. I’m in love with you. Have been since the night you got in my car and told me about your terrible day.” I cupped her face. “I love you. And I’m not letting anyone hurt you. Not Connor, not Harlan, not anyone.”
“But you’re engaged—”
“I’m calling it off. Vivian already knows. She told me to walk away. Find a loophole in my father’s will. Choose you.”
“Oliver—”
“I’m choosing you, Hannah. No matter what it costs.”
She was crying now. Full tears streaming down her face. “You can’t throw away everything for me.”
“I’m not throwing anything away. I’m finally choosing what matters.”
I kissed her. Poured every ounce of feeling into it. Felt her melt against me, felt her kiss me back like I was oxygen.
When we pulled apart, she was smiling through tears.
“I love you too,” she whispered. “I’ve been trying not to. But I do.”
“Then let me help you.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “Okay. We’ll figure this out. Together.”
Together.
It felt like a promise. Like a beginning.
Like maybe, despite everything, we could actually survive this.
But first, I had to deal with Connor.
And this time, he wasn’t walking away.
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