Chapter 40: Chapter 40 I’m Fucking Free

For a brief moment, hope had flickered inside Amanda’s heart, a tiny, fragile flame that she hadn’t felt in years. But just as quickly as it appeared, it was extinguished, replaced by a crushing wave of reality.

She looked at Liam, the person who had just promised her a way out, and she couldn’t help but feel foolish. Seriously, Liam?!

She wanted to believe him. She really did. But what could Liam possibly do about her situation? Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

No one had been able to help her for three years. Not the police, not the school administration, not even any lawyers she had spoken to. The organization was too powerful, too well-connected, and had covered all their tracks too carefully.

And yet, here was Liam, acting as if he could fix everything with just a few words.

Amanda let out a soft sigh, shaking her head as she forced a small smile onto her face. “I appreciate the effort, Liam, but there’s nothing that can be done. I just have to keep paying them.”

But Liam only smiled, as if he found her response amusing. Then he tilted his head slightly and said, “And how exactly do you plan on paying them $2.9 million?”

Amanda’s lips parted, but no words came out.

Liam leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he stared at her expectantly. “Come on, Miss Amanda. I’m curious. How are you planning to come up with that kind of money?”

Amanda stuttered, struggling to find an answer. “I… I’ll pay it.”

Liam raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And where will you get the money from?”

Amanda scratched her head, suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable. She already knew where this conversation was going, and she wasn’t looking forward to it. After a moment, she finally admitted, “I… I took a bank loan.”

Liam’s expression immediately darkened. He furrowed his brows as if trying to process what he had just heard. “Let me get this straight. You took a loan from the bank… to pay off another loan?”

His voice was calm, but his tone carried an unmistakable hint of disbelief.

Amanda swallowed hard.

She didn’t want to look at him.

But she could feel his stare piercing right through her, and it made her want to bury herself in the ground.

Before she could say anything, Liam let out a sharp breath and leaned back against his chair. “Amanda, did you really think this through?” He didn’t have time for the Miss right now as he dropped it instantly.

Amanda clenched her fists. Of course, she had thought about it.

But what other choice did she have?

Liam, however, wasn’t done yet.

He crossed his arms over his chest and continued, “Let’s assume you keep borrowing from banks to pay your debt to them. What happens when your time is up and the bank comes knocking at your door? What will you do when you have to pay back the bank’s money?”

Amanda’s entire body tensed.

She already knew the answer to that question.

She would be out of options.

That was exactly what the organization wanted.

Liam’s next words sent a chill down her spine. “This is their plan, Amanda. They’re pushing you until you have nowhere else to go. Until you’re desperate enough to sign whatever contract they put in front of you.”

Amanda shivered slightly.

He was right.

She was already running out of options.

She had tried everything—borrowing, working extra jobs, cutting expenses wherever she could. And yet, no matter what she did, the pressure never lessened.

It only increased.

The realization made her stomach turn.

For the first time in years, she felt genuine fear.

And Liam could see it.

He could see the way her fingers trembled slightly, the way her breath came out just a little too unevenly.

He could see that she was trapped.

And she knew it too.

Amanda let out a slow, frustrated breath as she leaned back against her chair. Her mind was spinning.

She had been in this situation for years, and no matter how much she struggled, no matter how much she tried to find a way out, there had never been a solution.

She stared at him for a moment, studying his expression.

He looked completely unbothered, as if this wasn’t a life-threatening situation, as if there wasn’t an entire organization ready to make her life hell.

Finally, Amanda sighed and said, “Then what exactly do you want me to do?”

Liam smiled.

“I want you to stop paying them.”

Amanda’s eyebrows furrowed deeply as she sat up straight, “What? Liam, that would only make things worse!”

If she stopped paying, they wouldn’t just leave her alone. They would come after her.

They would make an example out of her.

And if that happened, she wasn’t sure if she would come out of it alive.

But Liam didn’t seem concerned at all. Instead, his smile only widened as he said, “Let them come. I’ll take care of it.”

His voice was filled with so much confidence that Amanda found herself speechless.

For a second, just a second, she almost believed him.

But then reality kicked in again.

How could he possibly handle something like this?

This wasn’t some high school fight. This was a criminal organization.

Could Liam really handle it like he said?

Amanda swallowed as her thoughts swirled in her head. There was no way… right?

Before she could say anything, Liam leaned forward and asked, “When’s the next time they’re coming?”

Amanda hesitated before answering. “If I don’t pay today… then they’ll come knocking tomorrow night.”

Liam nodded his head, satisfied. “Good. I’ll be at your house by seven tomorrow.”

Amanda’s eyes widened in shock. What?

She hadn’t even agreed to his insane plan, and yet he was already making decisions.

Before she could argue, Liam was already unlocking the door.

“Liam, wait—”

But he was gone.

Amanda sat there, frozen, staring at the door as it slowly creaked shut.

What the hell just happened?

Liam stepped out of the office and exhaled deeply.

He had absolutely nothing to do in school now.

Since he was suspended, he had no classes, no tests to take, no lectures to sit through.

It was freedom.

As he walked through the hallway and towards the school gate, he thought about everything that had happened.

There was still the issue with Kane’s father, the mayor.

That was a problem.

But it wasn’t an immediate problem.

Liam pushed it to the back of his mind. He had at least a week or two before he needed to deal with it.

For now, there was something much more important to handle.

As he reached the school gate, a grin slowly spread across his face.

Suspension isn’t so bad after all.

It actually felt… good.

A small chuckle escaped his lips.

“Maybe I should get suspended more often.”

But just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a voice call out from behind.

“Liam!”

He turned around, and to his surprise, he saw Ann standing inside the school compound.

Unlike him, she wasn’t suspended, which meant she couldn’t step past the school gate.

But that didn’t stop her from standing just close enough for him to see her.

Liam blinked in surprise. Ann? What’s she doing here?

She had been serving detention when she heard about what happened to him.

Her friends had explained everything to her—the fight, the suspension, the chaos.

And she had been both shocked and angry.

Shocked that Liam had lost control so completely.

And angry that Kane had dared to say something so disgusting in the first place.

She had wanted to see him.

She had wanted to ask him what the hell he was thinking.

But now, looking at him standing there so casually, her frustration only grew stronger.

She had expected him to be pissed off.

She had expected him to be furious about being suspended.

But instead…

He was smiling.

Liam looked at her, and instead of showing any sign of regret, he simply winked and said, “See you later.”

Then, as he turned around and started walking away, he raised his arms and stretched, letting out a satisfied sigh.

“In the meantime… I’m fucking free.”

****

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