Chapter 45
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It felt as though there was a gust of wind blowing Megan back to the present from where she had briefly been transported back in time to seven years ago.
The leaves on the trees beside them fluttered to the ground. As Megan remained silent, Howard
implored, “Say something.”
Looking at Howard’s shadow, Megan replied, “You should go ask Alyssa what she said to me.”
Frowning, Howard said, “She doesn’t know you.”
He was implying that Megan had been making things up.
“Mr. Larson,” Megan started. She tilted her chin up, looking straight into his eyes. “Do you really believe her completely?”
Howard didn’t respond immediately. However, the familiarity he’d felt began bubbling up in him once
more.
“Mr. Larson, I gain nothing by toying with Alyssa. She’s your woman. With how influential you are in
Acreport, a nobody like me could never stand up against you. If I hadn’t been provoked,” Megan paused
and chuckled before going on, “why would I embark on a path of no return?”
Howard’s scowl deepened. What Megan said did make sense.
However, why was Alyssa eager to pick on someone she didn’t know, considering she only had six
months left to live?
Yet, in the end, he still believed Alyssa.
“Elena, whatever happened between the two of you, I hope you’ll keep in mind the fact that she’s
someone who’s only expected to live for another half a year.
“One of the reasons why she went on this show was to encourage others like her who are similarly
tormented by their illnesses.”
Megan studied Howard’s furrowed brows and dark gaze. He was speaking with conviction. Suddenly, she
recalled what Alyssa had said to her.
“In this era, it’s a battle of marketing tactics. Did you really sign up to put your singing and composing
skills to the test?
“Ferrell Entertainment invested in you, and they expect a return. It’s about commercial value, about
monetization. Got it?”
Was Alyssa so cunning as to have fooled him? Or had he believed her without hesitation?
Megan didn’t know, nor did she want to take a guess. Thus, she looked away.
Chapter 45
“Mr. Larson, sometimes, beautiful things blind you. Things might not be as ideal as you think they are.”
That was her last piece of advice.
Howard’s gaze sharpened. She’d clocked him.
From how she’d led him into the bushes to the questions asked and answers given, it was as though she could see right through him. She perceived his hesitation and doubt, even his entire thought process.
She even managed to make Howard reflect on her words and sway his judgment. Only someone he knew intimately would be able to do so.
“Who are you, really?”
The mask on her face was especially annoying at times like these.
Howard reached out, attempting to rip it off her.
Megan instinctively stepped back. However, her heel sank into the grass in the bushes. She twisted her
ankle.
Howard reached out automatically to grab her hand.
Lightning flashed, illuminating them. Because of how she was wobbling, her coat fell off her.
Holding on to her bony arm, he could see the bruises littered across her skin. It looked even worse than it
had on stage.
Thunder boomed belatedly, shocking them.
Howard dug through his memories. There had been someone he knew who had similar, horrible scars.
It was Megan, from seven years ago. He could still see her devastated eyes in his head.
“You…”
Howard was about to say something, but Megan yanked her arm out of his grasp and put her coat back on, steadying herself.
“Thanks for helping me, Mr. Larson.”
Her stiff address of him made him come to his senses.
Right. Megan had always called him “Howie“.
