Blake —

I felt completely weakened and confused. "Are you trying to blackmail me, Danielle?" I asked, trying so hard not to make my fretting obvious to her.

She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, tucked the few strands of hair cascading down her cheeks behind her back, and turned to me with a mean expression.

"I'm not here to debate, Mr. Blake. I've already fulfilled my mission, so you should do what's necessary; otherwise, your wife will find out..."

"No, no, no. It's fine. Let's settle it here, please," I said with tension, reaching into my wallet and taking out a few bundles of dollars. "I hope...