CHAPTER 76: CHAPTER-76. (SHORT, CLEAR AND THREATENING).

The room stayed silent for a long moment. It felt like even the air was holding its breath. My heartbeat thundered in my ears. Everyone’s eyes were on Caroline when Grace finally moved.

She leaned back in her chair, a smirk slowly returning to her face, trying to hide the unease I could already see creeping into her eyes. "Ha," she said, voice dripping with false confidence.

"So, we are all supposed to be afraid of your warnings, Caroline? Please. You think that those people are untouchable. My brother and I...we have power. Enough to crush anyone who dares to stand in our way."

Caroline’s lips curled into a bitter, dry laugh. She was not laughing at Grace’s words but at the ego dripping in her voice.

Her laugh was not too loud, but it cut through the room like a knife. "Power?" she said, her voice low and cutting.

She raised her eyebrows, her tone sharp. "If you were really that powerful, why couldn’t you find anything on us?"

She leaned forward slightly, emphasizing each word. "Not a single lead. Not one clue."

Her gaze hardened. "You talk about control... but you’ve been fumbling in the dark, just like the rest of us."

Grace froze, and even Nicole’s eyes flickered with shock. My heart skipped a beat.

But Dave... Dave stayed calm, as always. He leaned back slightly in his chair.

His hands clasped thoughtfully as his face was still unreadable, but his eyes watched every shift in Caroline’s expression, every tiny reaction in the room.

Finally, Dave spoke. His voice was calm but heavy, and it cut through the tension. "Enough."

Everyone’s eyes turned to him. "Caroline. No more hiding. Tell us everything. How did you get caught in the blackmailer’s trap? No skipping, no sugar-coating. We need the full story."

Caroline’s chest rose and fell fast. She blinked rapidly, trying to keep herself together. Her hands, which had been twisting nervously in her lap, clenched tightly. Slowly, but she began.

Caroline’s hands trembled as she spoke up, finally letting herself speak in full. "It all started with an email."

I leaned forward instinctively. The room was quiet, every eye on her.

"It was subtle at first," she said, her voice low. "I did not even think much of it. A message in my inbox, no subject line, nothing to indicate who it was from. Just... a file attached." She swallowed hard, and I could see the memory clearly tormenting her.

"When I opened it... it had pictures. Things from my life that no one should have known. Private moments. Things about my family, too." Nicole’s jaw tightened.

His eyes narrowed, studying her as if trying to piece together the unseen forces at work.

"They did not say anything at first," Caroline continued. "Just... let the fear settle. I did not know who it was, what they wanted. Then the next email came. Short, clear, and threatening. ’Do this, or we show everyone."

Grace’s smirk faltered slightly as if even she seemed to understand the weight behind the words.

"They were careful," Caroline said, voice trembling. "Every email was discreet. No sender address I could trace, no way to track them. No mistakes. Nothing. And it was not just emails... calls, messages, even people showing up in the background, watching, making me feel... trapped."

Her eyes flicked toward me. "I thought I could ignore it. I thought I could fight back. But they knew everything about me, about everyone I cared about. Even the smallest mistake could give them an advantage. I... I had no way out."

Dave leaned forward slightly, hands clasped as he listened to her carefully. "Emails alone would not have been enough," he said calmly. "They needed leverage, control. How did they manage that?"

Caroline’s lips trembled, but she continued. "The emails weren’t just threats. They came with instructions, subtle at first. ’Meet this person,’ ’take this action,’ ’say this to them.’ And every time I hesitated... a new email. A new file. Photos of my parents, of my apartment. Proof that they could ruin everything if I did not obey."

Nicole’s fingers drummed on the table. His voice was low, sharp. "And they were always right? Every move you tried, they countered it?"

She nodded, tears glimmering in her eyes. "Every time. I tried to find the source, but they were ghosts. No IP trace, no identity, nothing. It was like they existed everywhere and nowhere at once. Every attempt I made to fight back just made the trap tighter."

Grace’s posture stiffened. She leaned forward, trying to regain some control over the conversation. "But... emails alone cannot be that powerful. You were terrified, yes, but aren’t we talking about someone who only watched from a screen?"

Caroline’s laugh was bitter, sharp. "You think they only watched? No. They had people inside. People I trusted. Connections I never even knew existed. My boss, my colleagues... a friend... someone I thought I could rely on. They were all part of it. Every person I tried to tell or trust used them. It was invisible. I could not fight against something I could not even see."

Dave’s expression did not change, but his voice carried weight. "So they used fear and manipulation. Discreet, quiet, invisible. That’s how they controlled you."

Caroline nodded, exhaling shakily. "Yes. And they made sure I never knew who exactly was behind it. That’s why I cannot give names. If I did... if I revealed anyone... the consequences would fall on them. On everyone I care about. They are... careful. Too careful and too precise. And I have seen what they do when someone fails."

Nicole finally spoke, voice low but urgent. "Then give us everything you can. Every email, every message, every interaction. We can not fight them blind. We need patterns, clues. Even the smallest detail could be the one we need."

Caroline nodded again, shoulders trembling but stronger now. "I have kept all the emails. Everyone. I kept them hidden, saved copies, even the ones that didn’t make sense at first. I can show you everything. But... be careful. They are watching, always."