Falling For My Accidental CEO Husband-Chapter 290: Help Me

Her voice, when it came out was a stutter as she looked at him and asked," Wh... What are you doing here?"

Dale gave her a smile that chilled her to the bone, not saying a word.

Kimberlee’s body jolted upright, her fight-or-flight instinct screaming at her. She scrambled to her feet, heart hammering against her ribs, but before she could take a single step away to move out Dale’s hand shot out.

His fingers wrapped around her wrist—ironclad, unyielding. With a practiced ease, he pulled her back down into her seat. She barely had time to react before he leaned in, his voice quiet but carrying the weight of a thousand unspoken threats.

"Sit down, Kimberlee. You don’t want to try and make a run for it. Trust me."

Her breath came in short, sharp gasps. "Let me go—"

Dale only smiled. "You don’t want to do that."

Panic flared in her chest, her eyes darting around the cabin. The air hostess—she had to call for her. If she made a scene, someone would help. Someone had to.

Kimberlee’s hand shot toward the call button, but Dale caught her wrist again. This time, his grip was just a touch firmer. Not enough to hurt. Not yet.

"Think again," he murmured, his voice so calm, so maddeningly composed. His expression didn’t waver. If anything, he looked... amused.

Kimberlee froze.

Dale tilted his head slightly, his tone dropping into something even softer, more insidious. "And don’t even think about screaming." He leaned closer, his lips just by her ear. "Because the moment you do, I’ll make sure you lose consciousness."

A shiver ran down her spine.

"I’ll tell everyone you fainted." His fingers gave the smallest, most deliberate squeeze. "Heart problems. Nasty thing, that. Can even cause sudden death."

Her entire body trembled. No one would question him if he did that. After all, to prove himself, all he had to do was take out his military issued ID card. Everyone would believe him.. No one would know how to help her.

A strangled noise crawled up her throat, but she swallowed it down, hands curling into fists in her lap. Her nails dug into her palms as she shrank into her seat, as if she could merge into the fabric and disappear.

Dale leaned back, satisfied, stretching his legs out casually. He looked as if they were simply two old friends catching up on a long flight. Not someone who had chased her to capture her.

"Good girl," he murmured. "Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride."

Kimberlee’s breath came in ragged gulps, sweat slicking her palms.

She was trapped. And Dale?

He was in no hurry.

As the plane ascended into the sky, Kimberlee turned her head toward Dale, her heart hammering in her chest. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to meet his gaze.

She had to try. She had to talk to him. Had to reason with him. Try to pull at whatever heart strings or good feelings he might have.

"Dale," she began, her voice barely above a whisper. "I... I didn’t know she was related to you."

Dale’s lips curled into that unsettling excuse for a smile—not quite a smirk, not quite anything warm or human. Just a slight tilt of his mouth that sent ice crawling down her spine.

"Good thing you didn’t try to deny the blame," he murmured pleasantly, almost amused.

Kimberlee’s fingers twisted together in her lap, clammy with sweat. "I know what I did was wrong," she admitted, desperation creeping into her tone. "I do. But—" She swallowed again, her throat dry as dust. "Can’t you let this go? Just this once?"

Dale didn’t respond immediately. He only stared at her, his gaze steady, unreadable, like a predator studying its prey.

Kimberlee pressed on, panic clawing at her insides. "She’s already dead," she said quickly, trying to keep her voice steady, trying to make him see reason. "She’s gone. Nothing can bring her back, and—" She exhaled shakily. "And we... we were family once, weren’t we?"

Still, no reaction. At least not visibly. Kimberlee could not have imagined that the more she spoke, the deeper she was digging her grave. If Serena had indeed been dead, Dale would not have been sitting there, but would have already buried her alive.

Kimberlee’s throat tightened, her heart pounding as she grasped for something, anything, that might get through to him. "The first few years of our lives... we were cousins. We played together. We shared the same family. Doesn’t that mean anything to you? I love Aiden. All I wanted... all I ever wanted... was to be with him. And that is why I did what I did. Please understand Dale... Otherwise I would never do anything to hurt anyone."

Her voice cracked on the last word.

Dale remained silent for a moment longer, his expression unreadable, his body language entirely too relaxed for someone holding her fate in his hands. Then, finally, he exhaled and spoke," Kimberlee, are you a good person?"

Kimberlee’s eyes widened. What kind of a question was this? But looking at him, she somehow nodded her head vigorously," Yes."

"So, according to you, this time you did something bad because you wanted to be with Aiden and Serena was standing in your way?"

Kimberlee nodded again, her eyes hopeful now. Would he really let her go in this case?

But Dale continued," Do you remember when we were younger... I think you were about eight years old? And I was almost a teenager? I broke one of your dolls by mistake. I stepped on it."

Kimberlee paled. She remembered the incident. And it was not a good one... Hurriedly, she tried to explain herself, "I was too young then...."

But Dale seemed not to have hurt her and continued, "You cried and cried for your doll, demanding that I ve punished for breaking her leg. What was the punishment again?"

Kimberlee shook her head, her face still white as she remembered the punishment. She had demanded that her uncle break his leg because he had broken her doll’s leg... And that is what had happened eventually...

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