My CEO Boss Is A Masked Internet Sensation-Chapter 222: No Man Is Trustworthy

(Arata)

All that conjured courage evaporated as I closed the door and bolted it. Quickly grabbing a chair, I placed it under the door knob.

I knew only I had the key card to my apartment, but knowing his true colours now, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a spare one made somehow.

The trust between us had fallen into such a deep void that it would never see the light of day again.

Extracting my cell phone from where I had hidden it to record a video, in case he attacked me or took me hostage, I paused the recording.

I needed to send this to Stella and Zaylen later with a brief summary and all other evidence I had gathered.

If anything were to happen to me, she would ensure his face would be on every media outlet.

One more night. Tomorrow morning, I will be gone.

Opening the flight schedule, I booked the earliest flight from Marica to Angel City.

I would call a cab and leave, I just had to spend this night.

My mind was sprinting like a rabbit being chased by wild dogs. So many thoughts bombarded my brain as I dragged out my suitcase and began to randomly dump whatever I found in it.

Karsten had seemed genuinely hurt when I had laid out the truth before him. He even cringed, revealing what a good actor he was. No wonder I fell for his act.

He rushed here to fuck me, to satisfy his lewd desires. That look on his face when I removed his mask was what I had wanted to see.

That’s what it feels like to be exposed, for your deepest, darkest secrets to come rushing out.

It was a crazy move on my part. He could have overpowered me but I wanted to tell the fucker that I wasn’t afraid.

Even though I was...I was shaking, my heart wouldn’t ease.

Palpitations

Sweating

The panic attack was just on the edge of creeping out.

He had even sent a man to kidnap me— the man who hurt me, and then Karsten acted all caring and possessive.

Revealing to me in his own way that he had beaten the man till he bled.

It should have been another clue for me because my kidnapper so conveniently disappeared.

I wondered if that blood was real or fake.

I could bet Ranold knew of some truths, and he would help me, knowing I was leaving like he had tried to suggest in a very few words.

That’s what he had said multiple times to me.

That I was an innocent girl who could differentiate between right and wrong. He knew of Karsten’s shadiness.

He was the one who could give me more evidence against Karsten.

I had Ranold’s number, but we had never spoken.

Grabbing my phone, I quickly texted him.

{Hey! Arata here. Can we meet and talk? It’s urgent.} I typed and hit send.

Waiting a few minutes, his reply dropped.

{Hi! Arata! Is everything alright? Where are you?}

{I am in my apartment. Can you come over? It’s about Karsten. I found something disturbing about him.} I replied with shaky hands. No matter how much I tried, they wouldn’t remain stable.

{Ah! I feared this would happen. I am on my way. Send me the address and come downstairs. I have to show you something.}

His answer came, and I knew he would bring some kind of evidence with him.

Besides, meeting him in a neutral place will be better, I didn’t want to give him any thoughts.

After forwarding him my address, I pulled off the nightgown and put on a fleece shirt and a thick woollen sweater with black flannel trousers.

Whatever came to mind, I just tossed it into my suitcase and zipped it up.

Once I would speak to Ranold and gather further evidence, every bit of it would be forwarded to Stella.

On second thought, I connected my phone to my laptop and stored every piece of evidence in a portable device. I hid it in a cereal box and sent a text to Stella, related to its location, but didn’t elaborate further.

I also sent the same text to Zaylen.

None of them saw the text, and I assumed they must be busy or had gone to sleep.

My phone chimed, and I saw Ranold had arrived downstairs.

Zipping my handbag, I placed it on my suitcase. I was so done with this place.

Quietly, I left the apartment and headed down using stairs to meet him.

The guard held the door open for me as I stepped out into the chilly air and tightly wrapped my arms around myself.

My eyes darted left and right in fear, hoping Karsten wasn’t lurking anywhere, but I couldn’t see him. It was just the usual traffic.

I began to walk as Ranold was parked away from the building and not in the parking lot since it was full.

Taking a turn, I spotted Ranold leaning against a gigantic jeep with tinted glass and huge wheels. It seemed to belong to some veteran or a seasonal hunter who loved going hunting.

The matte greyish green exterior was mesmerising to look at, but that was not the kind of car I had envisioned Ranold to drive. He seemed more like a sports car or BMW kinda guy.

So that’s what he had driven to arrive for the Christmas feast. If I hadn’t been tensed beyond my brain’s capacity, I would have passed a joke about his monstrous vehicle.

He waved at me, dressed in a denim jacket and a blue high-neck. His usual smile was very much intact.

"Hey! Look at my beauty." He thumped the bonnet of his jeep, and I couldn’t believe he had called me here to show me this.

But then he didn’t know what I was going through. Only I did. Only I had all the truth and secrets.

"It surely is something," I half heartedly said, and he threw the passenger door open.

"Come sit inside, it’s warm. I saw a coffee shop around the corner. We can grab some coffee and talk," he offered, his eyes twinkling.

My trust had been shattered with such force that I almost declined. But now I knew who my stalker was, and Ranold had offered help multiple times.

And I needed answers fast.

With a nod, I climbed into his jeep, and he closed the door.

The interior was warm and had a pleasant scent. Ranold climbed in from the other side and put his jeep in ignition as we headed towards the coffee shop.

My heartbeat accelerated the nearer we got to the shop, and I wondered what if he won’t stop?

Ranold was slowly whistling as if we were going on a cruise, while I was on the edge of my seat.

I could always punch his temple and take control of the vehicle.

Fisting my hands I kept myself ready as the coffee shop approached, hoping inside my heart that he would stop and I wouldn’t have to resolve to violence.

That’s what Karsten had done to me. I could no longer trust anyone.

Ranold on the other hand turned his head towards me and asked with a wink.

"So what secrets of Karsten have you unearthed?"