After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 322

The Blair family had money, but they were nowhere near the real elite. The James family, though, that was the kind of old money that truly ruled the city.

Shirley’s phone buzzed again. She glanced at the screen, then walked over to the window before answering. “Hello? What’s going on?”

“Shirley, the system crashed today. We restarted it, but it’s been freezing up a lot.”

Her face tightened. “How did this happen? I told you to fix all the bugs. What have you all been doing?”

“We didn’t do anything. The screen just went black all of a sudden.”

A chill ran down Shirley’s spine. Anxiety prickled at her skin. Resonance AI was her golden ticket into the James family. She couldn’t let anything go wrong with it, not now.

If the system failed at a time like this...

She lowered her voice, her words sharp and clear. “No one hears about this except me. Find the problem and fix it. Now.”

“Shirley, we might need more time. And maybe someone who really knows the system inside out...”

Someone who really knew the core of the system? Amy.

She realized she had no choice. She needed to get Amy into the James Group, no matter what it took. Otherwise, she’d never feel secure about this marriage.

Shirley hung up and went to her mother. “Mom, I have to handle something at work. Stay here and keep trying on dresses. Put everything on my card.”

Alice’s eyes brightened. “Alright, you go do your thing! I’ll just try on a few more.”

***

Meanwhile, Shirley drove straight to Amy’s hotel. She rushed out of the car, caught the elevator, and hurried to Amy’s room. She knocked, then rang the bell again and again. No answer.

She started pounding on the door, frustration rising. Just then, a staff member passed by, pushing a cart. “Miss, are you looking for the guest who was here? She already checked out.”

Shirley spun around. “What? Checked out? When did she leave?”

“This morning, at ten. Someone handled the checkout for her.”

Panic gripped Shirley’s heart. She fumbled for her phone and dialed Amy’s number.

“We’re sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service.” The automated voice felt like a slap.