Chapter 179 ExtortionAt that moment, it all clicked for Alistair.19 min leftThe woman had produced a stack of documents—evidence tying Alistair to theWhitfield case.And not just any evidence. The kind that, if made public, could utterly destroy him.She had somehow gotten hold of Caroline's contact information and arranged tomeet her in person.And Caroline had come.A storm of emotion stirred inside Alistair.So her odd behavior today… was because of him.Of course, Alistair knew the so-called “evidence” was fabricated. None of it couldactually incriminate him.But Caroline showed up anyway. Was it because she didn’t fully believe he wasinnocent?He studied her face through the mental projection, searching for even a flicker ofhesitation. She gave him nothing.The woman was still smiling, her expression a mix of flattery and threat.22:37Chapter 179 Extortion19 min leftAnd really, what else could Caroline do? No matter how powerful she seemed,she was still just in her twenties. Driven by love, maybe she’d made a rashdecision.But as the woman kept grinning, Caroline’s gaze stayed steady and unreadable.Gradually, that smug smile began to falter.Caroline tilted her head slightly, amusement lacing her tone. “What’s wrong?”The woman sneered, “Guess you don’t love your husband that much after all.Can’t even cough up five million dollars.”“Are you done?” Caroline asked calmly.The woman pouted, annoyed.Just then, footsteps echoed from the hallway—several pairs, hurried and heavy.Still hidden in the shadows, Alistair saw a group of uniformed officers headingstraight for the door.Caroline opened it and pointed at the now-panicked woman. “Officer, this is theone. She tried to extort five million dollars from me.”The woman panicked and immediately denied it. “She’s lying! Inever—”22:37Chapter 179 ExtortionHer denial was weak. Caroline had clearly come prepared.19 min leftAlistair watched as she calmly followed the officers out of the building. Was shereally going to be back at the office within two hours like she promised?noveldramaWith the story already spinning out of control, the facts muddled and opportunistscircling like vultures, Caroline had every excuse to look the other way, but shedidn’t.Not only had she shown up, but she had barely let the woman finish her demandbefore secretly reporting her to the police.It was like she came for one reason only—to personally bring a criminal to justice.But Alistair knew better. It wasn’t that simple.When the officers searched the woman and found a hidden camera, and afterhearing Caroline’s statement, everything became clear.Caroline wasn’t about to take chances when it came to him.If she hadn’t come, she might’ve missed the opportunity to trace the personbehind it all.But by coming in person, she also risked something. No matter what answer shegave that woman, her presence alone could be22:37Chapter 179 Extortion19 min leftused as leverage. After all, if she had nothing to hide, why would a CEO with apacked schedule show up herself?So instead, she flipped the script. She came, and then she had the womanarrested. Loud and clear, she sent a message that she would stand by Alistair—publicly, unequivocally.Alistair watched through the windshield as Caroline exited the station alone, calmand composed.He had to fight the urge to jump out and hold her.Moments later, his phone lit up with a call.“Hey, babe,” she said, “I’m heading back now.”Exactly on time, within the two-hour window.“Okay.”“You still out?”“Yeah.”“Come find me. I miss you.”Just six simple words, yet they landed with… the weight of a spell that tugged at hisentire soul.22:37Chapter 179 Extortion19 min leftTwo new trending topics had exploded online with hashtags: “Billionaire familysnubs Alistair—so much for that gold digger dream” and “Alistair trying so hard—theAshbournes could not care less”.Both, of course, were about Alistair.He had somehow become America’s most talked-about man. The chatter aroundhim was so loud it drowned out the usual buzz from even the most publicity-hungry influencers.And strangely, those trending posts weren’t disappearing. With AshbourneGroup’s influence, removing a couple of hot topics would’ve been effortless.So why were they still up?The message couldn’t be clearer. Ashbourne Group was ready to cut ties withAlistair.Online haters who’d been convinced of Alistair’s guilt celebrated.Without the company shielding him, they felt like justice was finally on its way. Thetruth, they believed, was about to shine through.No matter how messy the headlines got, production on If There’s a Next Secondcontinued smoothly.22:37Chapter 179 Extortion(*) 19 min leftOf course, the drama brought attention. Each member of the cast gainedsignificant public exposure.It was trending long before it hit the screen, but not for the right reasons. Mostpeople were skeptical of its success.XXXXXIn a sun-drenched sitting room that smelled faintly of flowers, Caroline poppedthe last grape into Alistair’s mouth. “Gordon came to talk about Grandma,” shesaid softly.She didn’t mention the woman she had sent to jail, and Alistair pretended not toknow.But in the quiet hours of the night, as he held her close in bed, he often wanted towake her up with a long, hard kiss.Caroline glanced cautiously at Eloise, who was focused on building blocks a fewfeet away. She lowered her voice. “He wants to take her on a trip.”Alistair’s heart sank.Just as I feared.“She seems happy here in New York,” he said. “Is this trip really necessary?”22:37Chapter 179 Extortion18 min left“He says she’s too old to be stuck in one place all the time. That she should getout more, see the world while she still can.”“And what does Grandma think?” He had a sinking feeling he already knew.Caroline gave Eloise another quick glance before whispering, “She’s the one whobrought it up.”“You’re worried Eloise won’t want to let her go?”Caroline shook her head slightly. “It’s not just Eloise. I don’t want her to go either.”Though Mabel wasn’t Caroline’s only family, she was the one who truly felt likehome.She had a home now—a husband, a daughter—but maybe she was being selfish.Maybe she wanted to keep being loved like a child, too.Apart from that one year, she’d never really been away from Mabel for long.But she also knew Mabel had already given her everything. Raised her with loveand patience, she had no obligation to spend her whole life orbiting aroundCaroline.And even though Caroline felt she could probably convince her to stay, she didn’twant to be that selfish.22:37Chapter 179 Extortion1. C) 18 min leftA quiet sadness settled over her. She rested her head on Alistair’s shoulder andsaid nothing.“She’s just going on a trip,” he murmured, wrapping an arm around her. “It’s notlike she’s moving away. She’ll be back soon.”Alistair glanced at his phone.Since giving Jaxon his contact information, he hadn’t heard from him once.So the pressure didn’t work.Maybe Gordon already found out what he needed to know about Mabel. MaybeJaxon felt safe backing off.Caroline hesitated and then gave in.“Babe, I don’t know why, but I’ve got a bad feeling. It’s probably just me beingparanoid, but… I keep thinking maybe once she leaves this time, she won’t comeback.”Alistair took her hand gently. “Don’t go there. Don’t even thinklike that.”Write your commentGifts