When They Beg, I Rise!

Chapter 380

Lemira had already sprawled out on her dorm bed, snapping a selfie with a patch plastered on her arm and sending it with a message: [You left me all banged up. Had to slap on a bunch of these patches.] Otherwise, she joked, she might wake up with someone else's limbs.

Orion's car idled at a stoplight when he instinctively reached for his phone, his expression darkening as he read her message.

Resting an arm on the open window, he typed back, [Wasn't me.]

Lemira responded with a string of ellipses.

Orion glanced at her reply, tossed his phone aside, and drove home in a better mood, the brief exchange already fading from his mind.

Lemira, still mulling over his response, couldn't help but send a "beating a dead horse" emoji.

She was clear in her accusation, after all.

---

The next day, Lemira was jolted awake by her phone's incessant ringing.

She had planned on sleeping in, given her morning off.

Annoyed, she answered, "What?"

"Lemira, I can't believe you'd go this far to see me dead. I took the fall for everything, yet why'd you have to drag it all into the spotlight, hellbent on ruining me completely?" Alaric's voice was filled with indignation and despair. Sitting up, Lemira yawned, "Are you out of your mind? When did I ever expose anything to the media?"

the news. Who else but

knew

bombarding him with calls,

that many

mistakes. I'm even willing

there was the news item

Group Accused of Corporate Espionage, Gaming

piece detailed how

pilfered corporate secrets for Asher's company, without specifying the secrets or

scandal now public, Asher's company's

or not, I didn't do this." "Then who else would

that's what you want to believe, t then fine.

lying;

true." et

explain further. Let

the first time the Langstons

years, I owe you nothing.

her phone but was puzzled.

forwarded the news to Thaddeus:

was the only person who came

"How did you know?"