No Escape from Love novel Chapter 55

"What's wrong?"

"Why would someone try to extort 500 thousand dollars from a college student who hasn't even graduated yet? It doesn't make sense," I said, frustrated by the sheer absurdity of it.

Alex, however, looked like he had it all figured out. "Because they're confident you can come up with the money."

"Confident? How could they possibly believe that? I don't have that kind of money," I exclaimed.

"They believe you'll find a way."

"And how am I supposed to do that? Steal it? Rob a bank? Honestly, at that point, I'd rather just deal with the online hate," I scoffed, finding the entire notion laughable.

"Or maybe, I'm the way they think you'll get it from," Alex said, his gaze steady and full of certainty.

"You…" I started to argue but then froze, realizing what he meant.

"Back then, you were practically invisible. No one cared enough to pay attention. That's why they held onto the video, waiting for the right moment to strike. But now that I've helped clear your name, they're taking a shot—not at you, but at me. They're betting I'll pay to protect you."

It made sense. To a regular person, 500 thousand dollars was a fortune. But to Alex, it wouldn't even make a dent in his bank account.

"You're not as clueless as you look," Alex said with a smirk as he parked in front of a hotel. It was clearly one of his properties.

As plates of beautifully presented food were brought to the table, I couldn't help but dig in. It had been days since I had eaten a proper meal. I had been too consumed by everything happening around me.

"So, to sum it up, this isn't about you; it's about me. What you need to do now is stay calm and let things unfold," Alex said and began to eat.

Taking his advice to heart, I spent the next few days holed up in my dorm, ignoring everything happening online.

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