He Waited She Wilted (Ottilie and Yorath) novel Chapter 155

"I can't exactly control my feelings," Nyssa said, standing up and elegantly smoothing out her skirt. "Who knows, maybe one day I'll meet someone who catches my eye more than you do, and I'll stop liking you entirely. But until that person shows up, please don't stop me from caring about you."

She paused for a moment.

"Mrs. Fordham told me you're using heavy resources to dig for Ms. Sewell. She's worried someone will use it to destroy your reputation. I came here to let everyone know that it was me—the A-list celebrity—who pulled strings and abused my privilege to get those excavators here. You just focus on doing what you need to do. Don't worry about the rest."

Without waiting for a response, Nyssa turned and walked out of the tent.

She was willing to shoulder the blame that no one else dared to touch.

If this scandal blew up, her career in the entertainment industry would take a massive hit.

But Yorath would owe her an astronomical favor.

As long as she was willing to put everything on the line, earning the Fordham family's favor and eventually marrying Yorath wasn't out of the question.

Just as she lifted the tent flap, Nyssa glanced back through her peripheral vision.

Yorath had already lowered his head, his eyes fixed on the map again. She had no idea how much of what she said had actually registered.

The map in Yorath's hands was frayed at the edges from how much he'd studied it.

The torrential rain grounded the cargo drones, making it impossible to bring in the heavy machinery.

For now, the primary focus remained on manual search and rescue around the landslide's perimeter.

They had combed through a twenty-mile radius, but there was still no sign of Ottilie.

If she were alive, where the hell could she be?

Just as a flicker of a theory sparked in Yorath's mind, loud shouting erupted outside.

Marie's wailing was a direct signal to the reporters who had followed them up the mountain, hiding in the nearby tree line.

At the sound of her cries, they swarmed out like vultures, shoving their cameras straight into Yorath's face.

Seeing the perfect opportunity, Shawn grabbed his parents and violently dropped to his knees right in front of Yorath.

"Mr. Fordham! You forced my eighteen-year-old sister into a ten-year ironclad contract! You dragged her into the filthy entertainment industry! You exploited her, forced her to sleep with you, and tortured her until she lost her mind and had to be locked up! Even then, you used her to make money, squeezing every last drop of value out of her..."

"I'm begging you, just give us her body back! We don't want anything else, just give me my sister!"

"Give me back my daughter!"

"My poor Tilly!"