Chapter 723: Leave by Tomorrow Evening

Tanya Hughes looked at her father. She knew what he was thinking.

“It’s better that no one is talking about it. I’ve been really uneasy all day; I couldn’t even sleep well this afternoon.” Tanya Hughes tried to reason with her father earnestly. “Dad, stop trying to get rich off of something like this. Almost nothing we said today was true. If—and I mean *if*—we get exposed and this whole thing blows up, we could both go to jail.”

“Judging by Lily Sterling’s attitude, you can forget about her ever acknowledging you. We were on pins and needles just to earn those twenty dollars. I’m not risking it again.”

This wasn’t a matter of being timid anymore. The situation was completely out of their control, and no one could predict where it would go from here.

People are instinctively afraid of the unknown. Tanya Hughes knew they couldn’t afford the consequences if things went off script.

“Oh, come on. How could we get exposed? There’s no evidence,” Leopold Hughes said dismissively, picking up his meal and starting to eat.

Just then, Cecilia Sterling was leading two men into a hotel.

A cheap, independently-run motel like this had virtually no management. The attendant at the front desk didn’t even look up as Cecilia Sterling led her men into the elevator.

The elevator was old and dingy, with paint peeling off the buttons. No keycard was needed. Cecilia Sterling pressed the button for the top floor—the fifth.

In the room, Tanya Hughes was cleaning up their empty takeout containers when a sudden knock came at the door.

Perhaps because she was already so tense, seeing enemies in every shadow, the sudden knock made Tanya jump.

Leopold Hughes was also taken aback. He looked at his daughter. “Who could that be so late?”

No one knew they were staying at this hotel.

Tanya Hughes shook her head slightly. The knocking came again, and her heart began to race, but she gathered her courage and walked to the door.

‘A guilty conscience is a constant torment.’ She nervously pressed her eye to the peephole and saw a beautiful young woman standing outside.

Puzzled, she turned the handle and pulled the door open before the woman could knock again.

Only after opening the door did she realize the woman was flanked by two men in black. Tanya’s expression froze.

Cecilia Sterling stared at the face before her. Even though she had been prepared, she was still stunned seeing it up close.

This girl was a perfect replica of Lily. They were even nearly identical in height and build.

“Who… who are you looking for?” Tanya Hughes asked quietly.

The slight difference in her voice instantly snapped Cecilia back to reality. She knew this wasn’t Lily.

“You.”

Inside, Leopold Hughes had put on his shoes and come to the door. Thinking another media outlet had found them, he said excitedly, “Are you here for an interview, too? Please, come in!”

Cecilia Sterling smiled without a word and led her men straight into the room.

‘Even in Lorcain, this place probably wouldn’t cost more than a penny a night.’

Once the door was shut, Cecilia finally spoke. “Let me introduce myself. My name is Cecilia Sterling. I’m Lily’s older sister.”

“You…” Leopold Hughes’s eyes widened. He shot a wary glance at the two men behind Cecilia and didn’t dare say another word.

Tanya Hughes asked in astonishment, “You’re Lily Sterling’s sister? How did you find us?”

Cecilia Sterling gave a wry smile. “This is Lorcain. Finding someone here is child’s play for me.”

The father and daughter exchanged a look. Leopold Hughes looked even more frightened than his daughter. The woman before them might have looked young, but her tone and bearing radiated a powerful aura.

Coupled with the two expressionless men in black, the cramped room suddenly felt dangerous and cold.

“Did you want something from us?” Tanya Hughes asked.

“Of course.” Cecilia raised an eyebrow, the smile vanishing from her lips. “I know about the interview you gave today,” she said coldly. “And I have the full, unedited video.”

“And I mean the *complete* video,” Cecilia stressed. “You understand what that word implies, don’t you?”

Tanya Hughes’s eyes widened in terror, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on her back.

“I don’t believe you. How could you possibly have…”

Leopold Hughes’s words caught in his throat as Duane produced a device.

“Look familiar?”

Tanya Hughes’s voice trembled as she asked, “What do you want?”

“What I want depends on what you do,” Cecilia sneered. “You’re even more disgusting than the reporter who interviewed you. If I release this video, with a few marketing tricks, considering the potential impact… you’ll face social death.”

In the age of the internet, things escalated and spread like wildfire. She wasn’t exaggerating.

“Don’t…” Tanya Hughes shook her head instinctively, her eyes pleading. “Please don’t release it. We’ll apologize.”

“An apology won’t be necessary.”

Cecilia had no use for their apologies. They were meaningless.

She glanced from Leopold Hughes to Tanya Hughes. “To be honest, my first instinct was to just pay you off. It’s the simplest solution, and I don’t like complications.”

“But since Lily said she wouldn’t give you a single penny, I have to resort to other methods.”

“I won’t touch the money you got from that reporter. Take it and be out of Lorcain by tomorrow evening. At noon tomorrow, I’m going to give your hotel and room number to that reporter. Since I have the video, the money he invested in you has gone down the drain. He’ll probably come looking for it back. After all, twenty dollars is no small sum.”

At this, Cecilia smiled contemptuously. “So you should be content. At least you didn’t come all this way for nothing. Leave early, before your efforts amount to nothing at all.”

Without waiting for a response, Cecilia turned and walked out. Pausing at the door, she added without looking back, “I’m keeping the video. As long as you never bother Lily again, it will never see the light of day.”

After Cecilia left, Tanya’s taut nerves finally gave way, and she collapsed onto the bed behind her.

Leopold was also terrified. “Who is this sister of Lily Sterling’s? How… how did she find out where we’re staying? What kind of people live in this city, Lorcain? And how did she get her hands on that video?”

Tanya Hughes stared blankly, unable to process anything. The thought that the video could be leaked sent a chill down her spine.

“Tanya! I’m talking to you!”

“Don’t say another word. We have to leave. Now.” Tanya finally snapped out of it and immediately pulled out her phone to look for tickets.

Seeing this, Leopold grabbed her arm. “We’re really leaving? But we…”

“Dad!” Tears welled in Tanya’s eyes. “We have to do what she says! If that video gets out, the entire country will know we conspired with that reporter to fabricate a story and manipulate public opinion! How could we go on living after that? Netizens would dig up everything about our entire family! I still have to go to college!”