Chapter 67: If You Can Survive Today, I'll Let You Go
"Shut up."
Theresa shot Danielle a glare, then stood up.
"Hey, you bitch—how long were you planning to keep this from us?"
Theresa rolled her eyes at Danielle, thoroughly unimpressed.
Danielle, however, clearly didn't care.
Ignoring her, Theresa walked over to William.
"Let's talk over there."
She pointed to a quiet corner of the café. William nodded.
A moment later, the two of them sat down.
"So," Theresa asked, studying William with curiosity,
"what did you want to talk to me about?"
They'd only met briefly the day before—and she'd even caught a glimpse of his little secret with Amanda.
Is he here to make sure I keep my mouth shut?
But then again… that didn't really seem necessary.
Just as Theresa was still puzzling over his intentions, William spoke—and the words made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
"How's Professor Gregory doing lately?"
The moment she heard that name, Theresa's entire body stiffened.
After his conversations with Carter and Ryan earlier that morning, William had already pieced together part of the plot.
Gregory's affair with Theresa—the dirty little secret—had come back to him.
And since she really was a full-blown bitch by definition, the method didn't matter anymore—as long as the job got done.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Theresa replied, her tone forced.
"I'm just one of Professor Gregory's students. I don't know him that well."
She didn't sound convincing—even to herself.
William chuckled softly.
"Do you believe that yourself?"
"Miss Gelbman," he continued calmly.
"If I can say Gregory's name out loud, that means I already have access to certain information."
"So why bother playing dumb with me?"
He looked at her with thinly veiled amusement.
Theresa's face darkened completely.
"What do you want?" she snapped.
"Money? Or something else?"
Like William, Theresa came from a solid middle-class background.
So when she mentioned money, it was pure sarcasm.
As far as she could tell, there was only one reason someone like William would threaten her like this—
And it definitely wasn't about cash.
So she sneered and continued, her tone edged with mockery,
"And you're not afraid I'll tell Amanda about this?"
"Tell Amanda?" William scoffed. "Tell her what?
Do you really think I'd be interested in trash like you?"
He looked at Theresa with open contempt.
"Listen, Theresa. If I were you, I wouldn't ask so many questions.
"If you don't want your little affair with Gregory to become common knowledge all over campus,
I suggest you be sitting in the passenger seat of my car in ten minutes."
As he spoke, William gestured toward the black BMW parked outside the café.
Without giving Theresa a chance to respond, he stood up and walked out.
Anyone would've snapped at that.
Theresa was no exception.
You could call her a bitch.
You could call her promiscuous.
But telling her she wasn't attractive?
That hit a nerve.
Still, reason prevailed.
If she lashed out now, William might actually expose everything about her and Gregory.
Grinding her teeth, she stood up and returned to the sorority table.
Forcing a smile, she said,
"Uh, William and I have something to do this afternoon. I'm heading out—bye."
She waved casually.
Everyone assumed she was leaving on a date.
No one suspected she was being coerced.
"Hey, Tree~ don't forget the party tonight!" Danielle called out.
"And if you can, try to bring William too!"
Theresa didn't answer.
Outside the café, she reluctantly got into the passenger seat of William's car.
She buckled her seatbelt and glanced at him with disdain.
"Heh. If you're not interested in my body, then what exactly are you doing right now?"
"You'll find out soon enough," William replied flatly.
Ignoring her provocation, he started the BMW.
At the same time, he hung up a call—he'd contacted Mandy just before Theresa got in, asking her to prepare something.
Twenty minutes later, the black BMW pulled into the parking lot of a rundown motel.
Seeing the sign, Theresa's contempt deepened.
"So? What excuse do you have now?" she smirked.
"We're at a place like this, and you're still pretending you're not interested?"
She looked smug—like a child who thought she'd won a bet.
Truth be told, under the American education system, unless you grew up under full elite conditioning with strict parental control, families like hers—or Amanda's—produced plenty of people who were… a little off.
Both Theresa and Amanda carried psychological cracks born from emotional neglect.
"Get out," William said simply, stepping out of the car.
Theresa was still basking in her perceived victory—until she followed him into the motel room.
Her face fell instantly.
"Who is she?"
Mandy, standing inside the room, immediately irritated her.
"Who she is doesn't matter," William said coldly.
"What matters is that you follow my instructions. Now."
Theresa opened her mouth to argue—
—and froze.
William had raised a Black pistol, the barrel aimed directly at her forehead.
"Whoa—what the fuck?!"
"William, what are you doing?!"
The sudden shift shattered her composure.
"Sit down."
William ignored her panic and pointed to a chair in the center of the room.
"What is this? What are you trying to do to me?!"
Theresa was genuinely terrified now—her body trembling.
William showed no mercy.
"I said, sit down. Are you deaf?"
One hard glare was enough.
She rushed to the chair and sat.
"Mandy. Tie her up."
The gun never left Theresa's head.
Mandy followed orders, pulling out a roll of duct tape she'd just bought.
She bound Theresa's wrists to the armrests first.
Then her legs.
"Listen, Blake… my family's just ordinary.
You won't get much ransom from kidnapping me."
Tears welled up in Theresa's eyes as she pleaded.
"So please—just let me go.
I swear I won't tell anyone about today!"
After listening to her desperate promise, William smiled.
His teeth—white as snow—
made Theresa feel colder than ever.
"If you can survive today," he said softly,
"I'll let you go."