Chapter 263 - A Test of Trust

Cassie flinched, her eyes brimming with tears. "I'm so sorry. I never meant for it to go this far. The reporter, he... he recognized me from my past. Threatened to expose my record if I didn't cooperate." Deonna stepped forward, her voice gentle but firm. "What record, Cassie? What aren't you telling us?" Cassie took a shaky breath. "When I was seventeen, I... I got caught shoplifting. It was stupid, a dare from some friends. I did community service, and the record was supposed to be sealed. But this reporter, he found out somehow." Logan's fists clenched at his sides. "So you thought the solution was to betray our trust? To sell us out?" "Logan," Deonna murmured, placing a calming hand on his arm. "Let her finish." Cassie nodded gratefully at Deonna. "It started small. Just little things about your routines, your habits. But then he wanted more. Personal details, conversations he couldn't have known about otherwise. I tried to keep it vague, to protect you as much as I could, but