I Stopped Loving Him When He Let Me Bleed Out novel Chapter 61

At eight o'clock in the morning, Finn was perfectly on time.

Julian was in the editing suite, the three screens in front of him all glowing as they looped the same footage.

The Spring Muse lunging with her sword at The Commander.

Hearing the door click, Julian turned around.

"Captain Fletcher. No wonder you carry yourself with such arrogance," Julian mused. "A senior commercial pilot with a pristine background. Impressive. It makes sense why you're so terrified of this video getting out."

"Delete everything, including all the raw footage," Finn demanded, cutting straight to the chase.

Julian gestured to a chair.

"No need to rush. Take a seat, let's talk this through."

Finn remained standing.

Hovering by the doorway, a motion-sensor light flickered off in the hall behind him, casting his striking features into harsh shadows.

Julian leaned back, drumming his fingers casually against the armrest.

"Do you have any idea how many views this clip has racked up, Captain? Twenty-three million. Do you grasp the sheer commercial value of numbers like that?"

Finn didn't say a word.

Julian stood, closing the distance between them and looking up at the taller man.

A smug smile tugged at his lips, a calculated mix of triumph and deliberate provocation.

"I'm not deleting it, Finn. But we can work together. With your face, paired with The Spring Muse, I could turn the two of you into the biggest stars on the internet."

Julian's voice pitched up with excitement.

"Sure, you both have glamorous, respectable careers. But they don't pay out millions. You might make a decent salary, but it's nothing compared to A-list money. You're a smart guy. Think about it."

Finn slowly raised his hand.

Julian flinched, instinctively taking a step back.

But Finn merely reached into his tailored pocket, pulled out a sleek black card, and tossed it onto the desk.

The movement was so smooth that the plastic barely made a sound as it landed.

"There's a million dollars in that account. Erase every single frame. I mean all of it."

Julian stared at the card, then shifted his gaze back to Finn.

His smirk remained, but his eyes gleamed with a sudden, sharp calculation.

"Captain... forgive me for asking, but do you have a side gig I don't know about? A million dollars?"

"Since all you care about is cash, let's skip the theatrics. I pay you, you do exactly as I say."

"You're dropping this kind of money for that pretty doctor? Really?"

Julian looked utterly bewildered.

"I just wired another million. Find out who sent that text, and it's all yours."

Julian gasped in shock.

"You're... really throwing around this kind of cash?"

"Can you do it or not? You aren't the only person I can hire for this." Finn reached out as if to snatch the card back.

Julian slammed his hand over it instantly.

"I can do it! Consider it done."

Looking at Finn, Julian chuckled softly, as if he were staring at an absolute fool.

"Captain Fletcher, you're doing all this to protect the gorgeous doctor, and she has no idea. Aren't you getting a bad return on your investment?"

Finn offered no response.

He merely fixed him with a lethal stare.

"You have twenty-four hours. Otherwise, you don't get a dime."

With that, he turned on his heel and strode out.

The hallway lights flickered on as he walked, then plunged back into darkness in his wake.

Standing in the doorway of the editing suite, Julian watched Finn's broad shoulders disappear into the gloom, shook his head, and slipped the black card into his pocket.