Chapter 18
The following day, Collin sat alone in his old study, staring at the photograph.
The rooftop shot. The red scrawl at the bottom. It wasn’t just a threat—it was a message from someone who knew exactly how to reach him: through Linsey.
He flipped the photo over. No watermark, no traceable detail. But the angle told him everything.
Whoever had taken it was close—too close.
He opened his safe, pulled out a dusty black binder, and placed it on the desk.
Inside were documents marked confidential, most with the name Harrow International stamped at the top—his first investor, his darkest deal, the man whose shadow had loomed over him since he refused to destroy Linsey five years ago.
Vincent Harrow.
A billionaire with a crooked empire who didn’t like when people told him no.
And Collin had said no.
Now he was paying for it.
Linsey entered quietly, seeing the open binder on the desk. “You kept it all this time?”
“I thought I might need it someday,” Collin said, not looking up. “I hoped I never would.”
She pulled up a chair beside him, eyes scanning the files. “Who is Vincent Harrow to you?”
Collin finally met her gaze. “The man who gave me my first million… and tried to take my soul in return.”
She listened as he explained everything: how Vincent had funded his early projects, then offered one final deal—remove a girl named Linsey Brooks from a scholarship competition. Collin had been desperate then, drowning in debt. He’d accepted the job… until he saw her.
And he couldn’t go through with it.
“So you walked away?” Linsey whispered.
“More like I ran,” he admitted. “And I’ve been looking over my shoulder ever since.”
She stared at the documents. “Then we’re not just fighting rumors anymore.”
“No,” Collin said grimly. “We’re fighting someone who doesn’t leave loose ends.”
Suddenly, his phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
He answered. “Collin Riley.”
The voice on the other end was smooth, almost amused. “You’ve done well for yourself, Riley. Built quite the empire.”
Collin stiffened. “Vincent.”
“Your wife is… exceptional,” Vincent said. “I can see why you disobeyed. But you know better than anyone—disobedience always has a cost.”
“What do you want?”
“Just a meeting. No threats. No violence. Come alone. Tonight.”
Collin gritted his teeth. “Why now?”
“Because I’m offering you one final deal. Refuse again, and next time, I won’t just send a photo.”
The line went dead.
Linsey stood beside him, having heard enough from the tone of Collin’s voice.
“You’re not going alone,” she said.
“I have to,” he replied.
She stepped in front of him, fire in her eyes. “No, you don’t. You think facing him alone makes you brave? It doesn’t. It makes you stupid. We do this together.”
He hesitated, then gave a slow nod.
“Then let’s do it right,” he said. “We get the evidence. We expose him. End it once and for all.”
Hours later, in a nondescript hotel parking garage, Collin waited by his car.
A black SUV pulled up. The back window lowered.
Vincent Harrow sat inside, older now, but no less dangerous.
“You’ve come far,” Vincent said. “Even got the girl. Shame you forgot who helped you start it all.”
“I didn’t forget,” Collin said. “I just stopped being afraid of you.”
Vincent chuckled. “You should be. Because this time, it’s not just your reputation I can bury. It’s her.”
Before Collin could respond, a second voice came from the shadows.
“Wrong move, Vincent.”
Linsey stepped out, holding her phone up, still recording.
“Every word of that threat?” she said calmly. “Now belongs to the authorities. And your empire? Is about to crash.”
Vincent’s smile vanished.
“You always underestimated me,” Linsey added. “Big mistake.”
Collin stepped beside her, and together, they turned their backs on him and walked away, the recording already uploading to three encrypted sources.
This time, they weren’t running.
They were fighting back.
Together.