Memories Drifted Like Paper Boats by Zyra Cole 70

Chapter 70 

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Edwina nonchalantly twisted their dislocated arms back into place. The fat guy and the skinny guy’s faces twisted in pain. but they didn’t dare make a sound, their faces turning red from Holding it in. 

They knew Edwina was not someone they could afford to cross. No amount of money was worth it, so they quickly backed away, ready to make a run for it. 

Edwina said coolly, twirling the phone she’d just used to call the front desk, “Stop right there. Who said you could leave?” 

The two guys lowered their heads, looking utterly submissive. “Just tell us what you want,” they muttered. 

They were the ones who’d come here with bad intentions, but somehow, Edwina had flipped the script on them so easily. 

“Was it Beatrice who put you up to this?” Edwina asked. 

“We don’t know who hired us,” they replied honestly. 

Edwina hinted, “Does the voice sound like a woman in her thirties or forties?” 

The two guys nodded together. “Yeah, it was a woman, but we couldn’t tell her real voice. She used some kind of electronic distortion.” 

Edwina hadn’t expected Beatrice to be this careful. She must be afraid of leaving any evidence behind. 

“What did she say?” Edwina pressed. 

“She said…” The two guys only dared to sneak glances at Edwina, stammering for ages without getting the words out. 

Edwina’s patience was shot. She grabbed another cup, raising her hand like she was about to smash it. That finally made the two men blurt out together. 

“She told us to mess with you, take some photos, and send them to her. If we pulled it off, we’d get 70 thousand dollars,” the fat guy blurted. 

Edwina snorted coldly, her face full of disdain. “You really took a job like this? 70 thousand dollars isn’t worth spending the rest of your life rotting in prison.” 

The two guys dropped to their knees at the same time. “We’re just two guys with no education and no skills. Even the factories won’t take us. We’re really out of options.” 

“Bottom line, you’re just lazy and want everything handed to you” Edwina scoffed, not buying their pity act. 

She headed straight into the bedroom and flopped down on the bed. 

“If either of you tries to run without my permission, don’t blame me for what happens next,” she warned. 

“Yes, we wouldn’t dare,” they stammered. 

Even when Edwina wasn’t in the room, those two stood ramrod straight, stiff as boards, not daring to relax for a second. Edwina had scared them out of their wits. 

Edwina glanced at her phone. It was 1:30 PM, which meant she still had two and a half hours before Beatrice’s deadline. 

Edwina wondered, ‘If Beatrice just wanted to set me up for a scandal, why bother with a specific time? 

What really bugged her was that the Dragon Hotel was just a run–of–the–mill spot in Grindel City. It’d be a pain for the paparazzi to even get there. 

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Chapter 70 

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A scandal there wouldn’t make nearly as much noise as one in a downtown hotel. Edwina thought, ‘Why go through all this trouble for a place like this? 

There’s no way this is as simple as it seems! 

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Edwina’s head. She shot a message to Kurt. 

Edwina: (Check the check–in records at the Dragon Hotel today see if anyone connected to the Lennox family booked a room.) 

Kurt: [Got it, boss.] 

Kurt got to work on his computer, breezing past the hotel’s security and pulling up the check–in records in no time. 

Kurt: [No one is directly tied to the Lennox family, but there is someone with the last name Motley, a servant of theirs, who booked two rooms, 451 and 606.] 

Edwina kept barking out orders. [Check the security footage for room 451] 

Kurt: [Got it.] 

Kurt was always efficient, but this time, the video he sent over was just a black screen before she even hit play. 

Kurt just sent a bunch of dots, then followed up with a voice message. 

He said: [Boss, if you want to watch the real–time footage, go do it yourself. I’m gay, okay? Watching that kind of thing seriously grosses me out.] 

Edwina clicked on the video. There was no sound, but the footage was crystal clear. 

On a big white bed, a man and a woman were going at it. The woman’s face was perfectly visible. It was Abby. 

Disgust twisted in Edwina’s gut as she shut the video. Suddenly, it all clicked. 

Abby had come to the hotel and got caught on camera, and now Beatrice wanted Edwina to take the blame. 

From the looks of it, Abby was desperate to get pregnant, making Desmond look like the ultimate fool. 

“They really think I’d take the fall for something this filthy? Not a chance in hell, Edwina thought. 

She was just waiting for 4 PM, ready to let this whole mess explode even more. Trying not to gag, Edwina hit save on the video. 

There was a faint, rustling noise coming from right outside the bedroom wall, so quiet most people would miss it, but Edwina caught it instantly. 

She jumped up and hurried to the window. Peering out from the sixth floor, her eyes widened as she spotted a face she knew all too well. 

‘Kelvin!‘ Edwina thought. 

Kelvin was clinging to the outdoor AC unit with both hands, his feet balanced on the narrow ledge jutting out from the fifth- floor window. 

He had no harness or safety net, scaling the building like he had nothing left to lose. One wrong move and it’d be game over. 

Edwina’s brows furrowed instantly. She opened the sixth–floor window, reached out, and helped pull Kelvin inside. 

He was still in his suit pants and shirt, looking like he’d just rushed over from work. 

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Chapter 70 

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His jacket was gone for easier movement, a few shirt buttons undone, sweat dripping down his forehead, the lines of his muscles faintly visible beneath the fabric. 

“How did you even manage to climb up here? This is the sixth floor,” Edwina exclaimed. 

Kelvin’s eyes glimmered with a teasing smile as he leaned in a lile closer. “Were you worried about me?” 

Edwina shot him a sidelong glance, saying nothing. 

Kelvin chuckled. “Relax, I’m not gonna die before I marry you.” 

“Did Peter tell you I was here?” Edwina asked. She’d recognized Peter’s 

when he knocked earlier. 

Kelvin nodded. “Yeah, he said you wouldn’t open the door, so I had to climb up from the outside instead. No one else saw me. So, what’s going on?” 

Edwina didn’t bother explaining. She just glanced toward the bedroom door. 

Kelvin stepped out and saw the two guys, one fat, one skinny, both him, they looked like they’d just seen a ghost. 

$ black eyes and swollen faces. When they saw 

‘How the hell is there another guy in this room? And he looks like he’s 

thought. 

With every step Kelvin took, they shook like leaves, convinced they were 

overwhelming presence, they spilled everything all over again. 

that woman,‘ the fat guy and the skinny guy 

get beaten up again. Under his 

Kelvin gazed at Edwina, heart aching. He thought, “The Lennox family raised her for more than ten years. Even if she’s not their real daughter, how can they be so cold to her?‘ 

‘Sacrificing her reputation just to bail Abby out is unbelievable. 

Kelvin asked, “So, what’s your plan? If you need backup, I’m here 

“I’ve got the footage. I don’t need you to get involved,” Edwina replied, her tone firm. She wasn’t about to owe Kelvin another favor. This was her fight, and she’d handle it herself. 

“What about your grandpa? If you expose Abby now, do you really think the Lennox family won’t go off the deep end?” Kelvin asked. 

Edwina had already thought about that, but she honestly didn’t have any other options. 

There was no way she could let the media catch her walking out of the hotel with two random guys. 

If the Lennox family stirred things up and used the press to make it worse, she’d be totally screwed. Her reputation would be ruined for good. 

Kelvin knew Edwina was in a tough spot, and his voice was calm and resolute. 

“Do 

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