Chapter 386:
ð ð ð ð ð
âDo you really think I couldâve called you when I was unconscious for days?â His tone was unmistakable, laced with sarcasm. âYou claim you were worried, but you only called me once.â
Hoytâs smile was icy, filled with contempt.
Melany stayed silent, inwardly fuming at how absurd he was being.
She had only said what she thought he wanted to hear, but this idiot actually believed she meant it.
She fought the urge to roll her eyes but instead put on an innocent, vulnerable expression. âHoyt, youâve misunderstood. Coltonâs been keeping tabs on me. He checks my phone constantly,â Melany murmured, sniffling for effect. âI had to sneak out just to call you from the Underground. Donât forget, Iâm still committed to our plan.â
Hoytâs eyes narrowed, suspicious. âHas Kellan shown up yet?â
If Kellan wasnât at the event, their plan would fall apart entirely.
Hoyt glanced at his battered body with a dark, brooding expression. He blamed Kellan for everything, especially the accident that had left him in this pitiful state. Kellan was like a curse, always leaving disaster in his wake.
âNot yet,â Melany replied, frowning. âAlmost all the competitors are anonymous, wearing helmets, masks, disguises everywhere. Finding Kellan in this crowd is like looking for a needle in a haystack.â
She scanned the scene around her. It was chaotic, and though it would be easy to make subtle moves, targeting someone specific was nearly impossible.
But Hoyt wasnât deterred. He sneered, âDonât worry. Mask or not, Kellan wonât be able to resist going after the prize.â Thinking of his injuries only fueled his hatred. Even his own father had been disgusted when visiting him in the hospital, calling him a useless idiot.
The word echoed in Hoytâs mind, burning him with rage.
Useless idiot? He would prove to his father that Kellan was the real useless one.
âIâve hidden a timed bomb in the prize. Itâs set to go off after a certain time. No one can stop it.â
Hoyt was betting everything on the idea that Kellan wouldnât walk away without the prize.
And even if Kellan did lose, it wouldnât matter, as he wouldnât be the one facing death.
Melanyâs heart raced in shock. She hadnât expected Hoyt to go this far, to actually plan to kill someone.
Hesitantly, she asked, âWhat if someone else ends up with the prize?â
âTheyâll just have to consider themselves unlucky,â Hoyt responded coldly, his voice devoid of remorse.
The car accident had left him paralyzed, and now his father dismissed him as a useless man, while his mother ridiculed him for being a fool.
But Hoyt didnât believe he was the problem.
To him, the world was at fault.
Whoever took the prize would pay the price.
Melany remained quiet, grappling with the weight of his words. She couldnât afford to jeopardize her future over this.
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