Lethal Temptation (by Michelle Ray) novel Chapter 197

197 Hidden Reserves

Mara

“That’s true, Rowan, Lucian’s Alpha Mark should override theirs”, I said, voice low. Faith and hope were

what kept us going, and planting doubts in Rowan’s mind right now would be foolish.

“Even though the option of Lucian using the Alpha mark is available, we can’t just sit and hope. We need to prepare. If we let them cripple us financially, we won’t survive the fallout.”

Rowan exhaled heavily.

“So… what exactly are you asking me to do?”

I offered a quiet smile.

“I need you to open a private account under an alias in a different bank. Something clean. I’ll start moving small amounts of money there-just enough to give us a cushion if things collapse. Once Chase is caught, I’ll return every last coin. No one will even notice.”

He stared at me, hesitant.

“Mara… if they catch us, this won’t look like strategy. It’ll look like theft.”

I nodded.

“They won’t. I’ll make sure of it. The audit’s over. And if it ever comes to light… I’ll take the blame. I’ll tell

them it was my plan.”

He was silent for a beat, then gave a reluctant nod.

“Alright. I’ll set it up tonight.”

We stayed a while longer, talking through every angle of the case-about Chase, about the silence from Winston’s Corp, about the traitors still hiding in plain sight. Time passed quickly, and before long, I stood and thanked him. It was time to return home.

When I arrived at the mansion, I didn’t expect to see her.

Martha was outside. Alone.

She looked… frail. Thinner. Her posture hunched, her movements slow. The sharpness that usually danced in her eyes was gone, replaced by a heavy, hollow kind of calm.

She stood near a cab, loading small boxes into the back seat. Jewelry boxes.

I walked toward her slowly.

“Good evening, Luna Martha,” I said softly, half-expecting a bitter jab or icy glare.

But she didn’t lash out. She turned, gave a small, tired smile.

(197 Hidden Reserves

“Good evening, Mara,” she said kindly, almost… peacefully.

“Big day tomorrow. Hope you’re all set.”

That tone-it unsettled me. Too gentle. Too final.

My eyes dropped to the boxes. Fine velvet, neatly stacked. Not thrown together in a panic, but arranged

with purpose.

She’s leaving.

No-she’s preparing to disappear.

“Are you… going somewhere?” I asked, keeping my voice light.

She looked at the boxes for a second, then back at me with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Just settling some things. Tying up loose ends.”

Something inside me shifted.

This wasn’t Martha scheming.

This was Martha resigning.

And whatever she was walking away from… or toward… it didn’t feel right.

Noticing my eyes lingered on the boxes, Martha gave me a smile. But it didn’t reach her eyes. It was the kind of smile you wear when everything’s falling apart and you don’t want anyone to notice.

“Since Vander’s abandoned me,” she said with a hollow shrug, “I doubt I’ll need any of this.”

She gestured toward the jewelry boxes with that same flat smile.

“Might as well sell them. See what I can do with the money. Lucian’s definitely kicking me out tomorrow.”

Her tone was calm, but something about the way she said it like the decision had already been made- caught me off guard.

Lucian wouldn’t just throw her out… would he?

I didn’t know what to say at first. The weight of everything she wasn’t saying was heavier than what she was. I glanced again at the boxes. Selling off jewelry? It didn’t feel right. I wasn’t sure I believed that was the real reason.

Alaric.

It had to be about him. She was trying to raise money for him-not for herself.

“I think you should come clean about the blackmailer, Luna Martha,” I said quietly. “You really have nothing left to lose.”

Her expression hardened immediately. The faint flicker of warmth vanished.

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197 Hidden Reserves

“I’m on my own now, Mara,” she snapped, her voice sharp and familiar. “You should mind your business.”

For a moment, I almost laughed. Not because she was unraveling-but because that tone, that fight, meant she was still in there somewhere. Still alive. Still resisting.

I’d been worried she was fading into depression, maybe worse. But her defiance? That was a sign she

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