The One He Dismissed Became The One He Died For novel Chapter 140

Miles carried the cake upstairs, shoved it into the fridge, took a shower, and got into bed.

He stared blankly at the dark ceiling, sleep entirely evading him.

Every time he closed his eyes, Claire's bright, coaxing smile waged a violent war in his head against the memory of her ruthless, transactional promise to Mr. Zimmerman the night before.

He opened his phone and refreshed his feed. No updates from her.

The suffocating frustration burning in his chest only grew hotter. He threw off the covers, walked to the fridge, and grabbed a bottle of ice water.

His eyes landed on the small cake. He pulled it out.

He opened the box; the cake had already started to melt.

Miles took a bite. It was sweet but not overpowering, laced with a very subtle, lingering bitterness.

Just like Claire.

Delicious, but full of shattered glass. One wrong move, and he was left bleeding out.

It was true ten years ago, and it was true now.

First, it was a kidney donor. Now, it was the limitless resources the old man could offer her.

To Claire, he was nothing more than an NPC who dropped rewards if she got close enough.

The cake was gone. The plastic spoon scraping against the bottom of the box sounded deafeningly loud.

In that split second, panic seized him.

He wasn't afraid of being used. He was terrified that the moment he had nothing left to offer, she would vanish into thin air.

Just like this empty cake box.

So what if he was an NPC? Connections, resources, money...

Whatever she wanted, he would give it to her.

Miles unlocked his phone, opened her chat, and typed his reply without a sliver of hesitation.

[Tomorrow, come with me to the main estate for my birthday.]

She didn't even have to beg. He offered it willingly.

It was the absolute last thing in the world he wanted to do, but for her, he would compromise.

He hit send, but no reply came back.

Was she asleep? Or was she just ignoring him?

That night, Miles stared at his phone, barely closing his eyes.

Blue Ridge Mountain.

An elderly monk chanted a blessing and carefully placed the consecrated Blessed Guardian Rosary into her hands.

"Your devotion is pure. This rosary will naturally protect whoever wears it."

"Thank you, Master."

Miles sat guarding his phone, awake the entire night, but the message from Claire never came.

Restless and anxious, he drove straight to Square One Plaza.

The store was quiet. Betty Wade was organizing orders and looked up in surprise when she saw him.

"Dr. Zimmerman, what brings you here?"

"Is Claire here?" Miles swept his gaze across the room, panic bleeding into his tone when he didn't see her.

Betty shook her head. "She's not in the shop today. She left yesterday afternoon. She said she had to go to Blue Ridge County."

Blue Ridge County?

The color instantly drained from Miles's face.

His phone suddenly erupted with violent vibrations. Jared's frantic voice blasted through the speaker.

"Miles, whatever you do, do not go to Blue Ridge County tomorrow! There was a massive landslide, the roads are completely blocked off, cars are stranded everywhere, and there have already been a string of brutal pile-ups. Wait until next week when the sky clears up to visit your mother's grave..."