ONE MONTH WITH THE DEVIL

Chapter 31

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I expected another message from a stranger, but when I checked the screen, my heart nearly stopped.

It was from the one person I thought I could trust.

Xander.

Meet me at the old boathouse. Alone. Don't tell Victor. If you do, your scholarship is gone before sunrise.

I stared at the message, reading it several times.

Why would Xander threaten me like this? After everything we had been through, after standing by me and helping us, why was he suddenly acting like my enemy?

My heart sank as I thought about my scholarship. I had worked so hard for it. It was my chance to build a better future for myself, and I couldn't afford to lose it.

But something about the message felt wrong.

Still, I knew Xander well enough to take the threat seriously. If he was involved in something dangerous, I needed to find out what it was.

I couldn't risk losing everything I had worked for.

Without telling anyone, I slipped out through the back door.

The night air was cold against my skin. The lake was dark and quiet, and the trees around it moved gently in the wind. I walked quickly, staying in the shadows as my mind filled with questions.

I was tired of secrets. Tired of people threatening me and making decisions about my life without asking me what I wanted.

All I wanted was to finish school, protect my future, and live without constantly looking over my shoulder.

But somehow, trouble always found me.

As I approached the old boathouse, I saw someone standing at the edge of the dock.

Xander.

He was looking out at the water with his hands in his pockets. When he heard my footsteps, he turned toward me.

His expression was difficult to understand. He looked worried, guilty, and almost desperate.

"You came," he said quietly.

I stopped a few feet away from him.

"Of course I came. You threatened my future, Xander." I folded my arms across my chest. "What do you want from me?"

He looked down for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"I didn't send that message."

I frowned.

"What?"

"I didn't send it, Lara. Someone took my phone. Someone has been using me to get to you."

I stared at him, trying to decide whether I should believe him.

"Who would do that?"

"Charles."

The name sent a chill through me.

"Charles?" I repeated. "I thought he was gone."

"That's what everyone believes, but he's still out there. He was never arrested like people think. He's been watching us and waiting for the right moment to strike."

My stomach tightened.

Charles had already caused enough pain. The thought that he was still around, secretly planning his next move, made me feel sick.

"But why would he use your phone?" I asked.

"Because he knows I care about you. He knows I feel guilty about everything that has happened, and he knows I would do almost anything if he convinced me it was for your own good."

Xander's voice grew quieter.

"He knows how to use people's feelings against them. He did it to me, and now he's trying to do the same thing to you."

I took a small step backward.

"Wait. Are you telling me Charles sent the message threatening my scholarship?"

"Yes."

"And the other messages?"

Xander nodded.

"He's been behind them, too. He's been trying to make you feel as though you can't trust anyone. He wants you to become afraid of everyone around you. Most importantly, he wants you to push Victor away."

My thoughts immediately turned to Victor.

Charles knew how much Victor meant to me. He also knew how much trouble our relationship had caused between the two families.

If Charles could make me believe that Victor was hiding something from me, he could destroy the trust we had worked so hard to build.

"He wants us to turn against each other," I whispered.

"Exactly." Xander looked directly at me. "He knows we're stronger when we stand together. That's why he's trying so hard to separate you from Victor before you discover what he's really planning."

I shook my head in disbelief.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Pain crossed Xander's face.

"Because I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Of Charles. Of what he could do to me and the people I care about. I kept telling myself that I could handle him, that I could control the situation before things got worse."

He paused and looked away.

"But I was wrong. Every time I obeyed him, I gave him more control. And now he's using me to hurt you."

I watched him carefully.

For the first time that night, I could see how frightened he was. He wasn't behaving like someone who wanted to threaten me. He looked like someone who had finally realised how badly he had messed up.

But I still needed answers.

"Why are you telling me all this now?"

Xander reached into his pocket.

"Because I can't keep helping him anymore."

He pulled out a folded stack of papers and held them toward me.

"These are the records Charles couldn't destroy. They prove he's been interfering with your scholarship from the beginning."

I stared at the papers but didn't take them immediately.

"What kind of records?"

"Documents showing how he's been using his influence to make things difficult for you. He's been leaking information, interfering with decisions, and making sure you have fewer options."

Xander's hands tightened around the papers.

"He wanted you to believe that your scholarship was your only chance at a better future. He wanted you to feel trapped, so you would eventually have to turn to him for help."

My chest tightened as I listened.

All this time, I had believed that getting my scholarship was the biggest challenge I had to overcome. I had studied hard, sacrificed my time, and done everything possible to secure my place.

Now I was learning that someone had been working against me behind the scenes.

"Why would he do this to me?" I asked.

"Because hurting you is a way to hurt Victor. And because Charles wants control over both families. He doesn't care how many lives he ruins to get what he wants."

I finally took the papers from Xander.

They felt heavier than they should have, considering how thin they were.

"Take them to Victor," he said. "Tell him everything. If possible, show them to your father, too. They need to know what Charles has been doing."

I looked down at the documents.

"And what about you?"

Xander gave a bitter smile.

"I'll deal with my part in this. I know I can't undo everything I've done, but I can stop making things worse."

He looked at me with an expression I couldn't quite understand.

"Please, Lara. Don't let him win. Not after everything you've fought for."

I wanted to ask him more questions. I wanted to know exactly how long Charles had been using him and what else he had done without my knowledge.

But before I could speak, bright headlights swept across the lake.

Both of us turned toward the gravel path.

A car was approaching the boathouse.

The engine grew louder as the vehicle came closer, its lights shining through the trees.

Xander's face changed instantly.

"He's here," he whispered.

"Charles?"

He nodded quickly.

"Hide. Now."

He pushed the papers more firmly into my hands.

I didn't argue. I hurried behind the wall of the boathouse, holding the documents tightly against my chest.

I had barely found a place to hide when the car stopped.

A door slammed.

Then came the sound of footsteps on the gravel.

Slow. Steady. Familiar.

I held my breath as a man stepped into the moonlight.

Charles Montgomery.

He looked exactly as I remembered him: calm, confident, and completely unbothered by the trouble he had caused.

He looked at Xander.

"I knew you'd run to her," Charles said coldly.

Xander stood his ground.

"You've always been weak where she's concerned. Just like Victor."

"It's over, Charles."

Charles raised an eyebrow.

"Is it? She has the proof. It's only a matter of time before everyone finds out what you've done."

For a moment, Charles said nothing. Then he smiled. It wasn't friendly.

"You think a few pieces of paper can change anything? I've built my entire life on secrets, Xander. You should know that by now."

He stepped closer.

"Besides, there are things you don't understand. Things that would make those papers completely meaningless."

"What else could you have done?"

"There's one secret that could destroy everything Lara has ever cared about. She thinks she's fighting for her scholarship. She believes if she works hard, she can protect her future. Poor girl. She has no idea what's really at stake."

"Leave her out of this."

"She's already part of it. The scholarship was never the real prize. It was a distraction. Something to keep her busy while the real battle continued."

My heart began to pound.

"Lara thinks she's fighting for her future, but she's really fighting for her father's name. And I have the one thing that could destroy his name forever."

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

My father had been gone for years, but his memory had always been important to me. Now Charles was claiming he had something that could ruin everything I believed about him.

"If Lara doesn't walk away by graduation day, everyone will learn the truth about the kind of man her father really was."

My hands began to tremble.

"Walk away from what?" Xander asked.

"Walk away from Victor. If Lara stays with Victor, both families will be destroyed. Everything we've built will fall apart."

"You're lying."

"Believe whatever makes you feel better."

Charles turned toward his car. For a moment, I thought he was leaving. Then he stopped. Slowly, he turned his head toward the boathouse. Toward me.

My heart seemed to stop.

He looked directly at the spot where I was hiding. He knew I was there. He had known all along.

"Good luck making your choice, Lara," he called into the darkness. "Choose wisely. Not everyone gets a second chance."

He climbed into his car and drove away. The sound faded until the night became quiet again.

I remained behind the wall, clutching the papers, my mind full of questions.

What had my father done? What secret was Charles hiding?

I had a deadline now. Graduation day. I had to choose between the future I worked hard to build and the man I loved.

But I wasn't going to surrender my future, my love, or my father's name to a man who spent his life controlling everyone.

Not without a fight.