Chapter 16(Game Within Games)

Chapter 16(Game Within Games)
The sound of the video playing in the quiet hallway was deafening. It was a distorted, shaky clip, but there was no mistaking Callie's voice, sharp and biting, "He's a narcissistic, arrogant..." Her insult hung in the air, a verbal grenade.

​Callie's heart leapt into her throat. She snatched at the phone, but Omar was too fast, pulling it back with a triumphant smirk.

​"Don't even try, dear," he said, his voice a low, venomous hiss. "I have it backed up. In fact, the whole family has a copy in their email right now. The moment I send it... boom! You're toast."

​"You... you wouldn't," Callie said, her voice a ragged whisper. The mocking tone was gone, replaced by a genuine fear that she couldn't hide. She had walked right into a trap. This wasn't about her anymore; it was about Mrs. Wolfe's health, the trust she had just earned.

​"Oh, I would. In a heartbeat," Omar said, his thumb hovering over the "send" button. "Unless..."

​Callie's eyes narrowed. "Unless what?"

​"You tell me what you're really after. How much is Grayson paying you? What's the real story? Tell me, and I might just consider not clicking this little button." He held the phone up, the screen a glowing threat. "I want the truth, Callie. And if you don't give it to me, you and Grayson are done." 

Callie sighed, defeated.

She glanced at the video and nervously chewed on her lower lip, "Okay, I'll tell you. But you have to... oh?" She paused and stared at the glitching video.

"Huh? What's going on? No, it can't get corrupted," Omar frantically tapped on his screen to salvage the video, but it was of no use. 

The hallway turned silent in the next second, the screen blank.

"You don't have to worry, cousin. All your backups are destroyed as well." Grayson suddenly walked out from the corner and wrapped his arm around Callie, pulling her to his side.

"Trust me, darling, you don't have to stand his bullshut for a second. He's got nothing on us," He whispered into Callie's ear, smirking.

Callie froze, relieved and surprised at the same time. 

Grayson's touch always had a way of unsettling her, and the way he had saved the situation was so Grayson: unapologetic, tactical, unexpected. 

However way he did it, Callie was glad he did. She couldn't risk exposing their contract, she had yet to receive her cash prize.

"You cunning bastard, what have you done?" Omar sneered.

Grayson smiled, releasing Callie and walking over to stand in front of Omar.

He raised his hand and tapped Omar's cheek, "What did I do? I destroyed the content you wished to use to build a wall between my beautiful wife and me... It's not my fault you can't tell real love when you see one, right, baby?" He glanced at Callie.

Callie slowly nodded, still processing everything that had happened in her head.

Grayson leaned his face to Omar's ear, "I told you, Omar... that game you're playing, I programmed it. You can never beat me." He whispered and tapped his shoulder before stepping away.

"Come on, sweetheart, let's go eat," he gently held Callie's hand and led Amherst away from the hallway. 

Omar was once again left to fume over the new couple. His gut told him that something was wrong and Grayson had just confirmed it by destroying those videos.

Now that he knew that Grayson was hiding something, he would stop at nothing until he uncovered the truth and proved to Mrs. Wolfe that Grayson wasn't trustworthy.  

At the dining table, Grayson gently pulled a chair out for Callie, "Have a seat, sweetheart." He said, smiling. 

Callie almost gave him a ridiculous look but she reminded herself that she was in the midst of his family, she couldn't act carelessly.

"Thank you, baby," She muttered her thanks and lowered herself into the chair.

"Aww, now I wanna marry, too, Mama," Lily gushed, standing from her chair to move closer to Callie.

"Sorry, excuse me, I want to sit here," She gently pushed Grayson away as he was about to sit beside Callie. 

Grayson frowned, staring at the way Callie smiled at his sister. 

He sighed and quietly walked over to sit on another empty chair by Callie's side, clearing his throat.

"The food smells nice, Mother," Grayson said to his mother, who was quietly at the head of the table. 

"I asked the cook to prepare your favourite meal, I hope Callie finds them tasty," Mrs. Wolfe said, looking over at Callie.

Callie paused and faced the older woman, "I'm no picky eater, Mother. I eat just anything tasty, and I'm sure I'll love the food." She replied sweetly. 

Grayson watched her through his side eye, rethinking his decision for the hundredth time. He wasn't comfortable with the way Callie was being nice to his family members. He was yet to find out what got her so desperate to marry for a few amount of money. If she was that desperate, then it meant she was operating on a bigger scale. 

Perhaps she was waiting for the perfect moment to publicly ask for a divorce and demand that he give her half his capital. That voice in his head reminded him to be wary of girls like, girls who had nothing to lose; they could ruin you alongside themselves just to get what they wanted. 

"Excuse me, sir," a maid spoke softly beside Grayson.

Grayson quietly cleared his throat and leaned out of the way to allow the maid to place the plate of food in front. 

"Enjoy your food, sir," The maid said and stepped away from the table.

Several other maids moved around the table, setting down dishes.

Callie turned to her side and smiled at the maid who placed a plate before her.

"Thank you," she said warmly.

The maid didn't respond. Her expression remained unfriendly as she walked away.

A flicker of discomfort passed through Callie—she felt ignored. But she brushed it off, convincing herself the maid simply hadn't heard her.

"Enjoy your meal, Callie," Mrs. Wolfe said, lifting her fork.

"Thank you," Callie replied politely with a small nod.

"I'm sorry for being late, Aunt." Omar's voice carried across the room as he entered. He leaned down to kiss Mrs. Wolfe on the cheek before taking a seat opposite Callie at the table.