---- Chapter 599 Sydney's heart dropped to her stomach. If the people who had come for her were sent by Penelope, she might still have had a chance to escape. But these people were after Julian. She was the weak point they could exploit to control him. Worse, she had no idea who stood behind them. For now, they were still in Jouleston. As long as she could reach Julian, she had options. Once they left Jouleston, she would lose every advantage. She drew a quiet breath and forced herself to steady her thoughts. "Since you're targeting him, you'll need me to contact him sooner or later.
If you let me go, | can help you lure him out." The bespectacled man froze for a beat, then broke into a mocking laugh. "Are you trying to help us trick him, or are you trying to trick me? You and Julian have what, ten years together? Maybe twenty?" His gaze drifted to Sydney's already noticeable belly. "And you're pregnant with his child. You really think you can turn on him that easily?" "Normally, no." Sydney unclenched her hand, rested it over her ---- belly, and smiled faintly. "But there's one thing you got wrong.
The child I'm carrying isn't his." The bespectacled man stared at her as if she had said something completely unhinged. "What the hell? You actually cheated on Julian? This kid isn't his? "His eyes widened. "Don't tell me it's Mr. Hampton's." The more he thought about it, the more his expression shifted into something close to admiration. Either way, she had tied herself to a man of power. Julian on one side. Caleb on the other, only a step below him. No matter how he looked at it, she came out ahead. Seeing doubt creep in, Sydney pressed her advantage.
"So as long as you let me go, I'll cooperate with whatever you need." The bespectacled man studied her face. When he saw no sign of allie, he pulled out his phone and lifted it, ready to toss it to her. "Call Julian and tell him-" Before he could finish, a sharp ringtone cut through the car. It came from the phone in his hand. His expression tightened. He answered at once. "Mr. Sinclair, we're almost on the highway. | was just about to make this ---- woman call Julian. She's willing to cooperate-" "idiot." The car felt suffocatingly small, and he had not lowered the volume in time.
Every word carried clearly to Sydney. "You're still in Jouleston. Do you really think that the moment you place that call, Julian's people won't surround you?" The bespectacled man shot Sydney a vicious look and muttered through clenched teeth, "Got it." That single sentence shattered Sydney's fragile hope. Still, something about the voice on the phone felt familiar. Mr. Sinclair...' She was certain she had heard that voice before. Yet no matter how hard she searched her memory, she could not place it. Before she could think further, the bespectacled man ended the call.
He seized her hair at the back of her head and snarled, "You think you can play me?" Pain flared across her scalp. Sydney sucked in a sharp breath. " You're the one who didn't trust me and threw away a perfect chance to earn credit." Her face remained gentle and unthreatening. Her eyes stayed clear, almost innocent. When she chose to perform, people ---- believed her without question For a split second, the bespectacled man almost did again. He ground his teeth and drew breath to speak when the car suddenly slammed to a stop. The driver stiffened, panic tightening his voice. "Shit.
Cops." Sydney and the bespectacled man both looked ahead. At the highway entrance, several officers were stopping cars and inspecting them one by one. Hope flickered in Sydney's eyes. At once, the grip on her hair tightened, sending fresh pain through her scalp. The bespectacled man glared at her. "You don't look like much, but Julian treats you like his most precious treasure." He let out a cruel laugh. "Good. That'll make it even easier to take his life." At that moment, one of the officers appeared to notice something off and started walking toward their car.
The driver's hands slipped on the steering wheel, slick with sweat. "What do we do?" ---- "What do we do?" the bespectacled man roared. "Turn the damn car around and get us out of here. Or are you waiting for the cops to drag you straight to prison?"