Back in Time to Fall for Him novel Chapter 136

Madison let out a slow breath, irritation building in her chest. "The only reason I never brought this up before was that I didn't want people thinking I was a poor judge of character. So why do the two of you think keeping quiet means I'm stupid?"

By the time she finished, exasperation was written all over her face.

She paused, then added flatly, "Johnny, Kaitlyn, this is the last time I'm warning you. Stop coming after me, or deal with the consequences."

Of course, Madison had said all that on purpose.

Johnny and Kaitlyn had spent years circling her like vultures. There was no way they would just walk away now.

That warning wasn't meant to chase them off. It was meant to make them panic.

People often made the biggest mistakes when they were panicking. And when they did, Madison would be in the position of power, free to pull whatever strings she wanted.

Ironically, it was the exact same method they had used on her in her past life.

Just as her thoughts drifted, Edmund approached with a folder. "Ms. Quinn, the IOU draft is ready."

"Let her sign it," Madison said.

Edmund handed the papers over. "Ms. Swanson, I need your signature."

Kaitlyn took the document without even glancing at the contents and scribbled her name across the bottom. Watching her, Madison asked, "Aren't you going to read it first, Ms. Swanson?"

"No need. I trust you," Kaitlyn replied and handed the paper back.

Kaitlyn was lying. She had no intention of paying a cent, so reading the IOU would have been pointless.

Madison accepted it with a sly smile. "Perfect. Then we'll follow everything exactly as written.

"From now on, 95% of your income will go toward paying off your debt. I'll notify your company's finance department, and I'll have the bank monitor your accounts until you've cleared every last dollar."

Once they were gone, Madison had the maid push her back to her room. The moment she crossed the doorway, her expression fell back to neutral.

She glanced at the wheelchair beneath her legs, then rolled over to the bedside table. Pulling open the drawer, she slipped the IOU inside and took out the check Johnny had once returned to her.

After a few seconds of thought, she picked up her phone and called Sam.

Almost immediately, his deep, resonant voice came through the speaker. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," she said. "I just wanted to tell you I had Johnny and Kaitlyn released. But I didn't let them go for free."

She continued, "Johnny apologized to me, and Kaitlyn chose to compensate me. You won't be upset that I let them off this easily, right?"

A thin thread of anxiety curled into her last sentence.