Page 109 of Broken Dream

He looks at me, cocks his head, narrows his eyes. “You know, I wouldn’t expect you to be such a good little liar, yet here we are.”

His words hang heavy in the air, a foul stench that makes me want to vomit. “You think you know me, Ralph?”

He smirks. “I know enough.”

“You know nothing.” The words escape my mouth before I can stop them. There’s no point in playing nice anymore. Not with this man.

“Is that so?” He leans back on his stool, his eyes never leaving mine. “Enlighten me, then.”

I inhale deeply, the smoky scent of bacon somehow making me stronger. “I’m not going to let you blackmail me,” I say, meeting his gaze head-on. “I’m not going to let you ruin my life or Dr. Lansing’s over a lie.”

He chuckles. “You’ve got guts, Angie. But your little miss innocent act is lost on me. I saw what I saw, and the two of you were in a clench so tight that it could choke a snake.”

“If you saw someone kissing Dr. Lansing—and I’m not convinced you did—it wasn’t me.”

He crosses his arms. “Believe what you want. But the truth is a stubborn beast. It refuses to stay buried.”

“Your truth,” I reply, forcing the words out between gritted teeth. “Your twisted version of reality. It’s not a weapon you can use against me, Ralph.”

He leans in closer, his breath reeking of alcohol and stale coffee. “We’ll see about that,” he whispers, his voice slithering into my ear.

I shiver but hold my ground.

“I’m not afraid of you,” I say quietly.

“I know you’re not. You can pay me off in the next minute if I demand it. And if I do go to the dean, nothing will happen to you. Not to the sweet little heiress. Dr. Lansing is another story, though. He’ll lose his job, and wouldn’t that be a shame after all he’s been through?”

I tilt my head. “What are you talking about?”

“Save your little innocent routine. After that clench you were in, do you expect me to believe you didn’t stalk his socials and find out everything you could about him?”

I gesture to the waitress. “Could I get another cup of coffee, please?”

She flashes me a smile. “Coming right up.”

“And a Denver omelet for me,” Ralph says, “with hash browns and bacon. Put it on her tab.”

I glare at him.

He shrugs. “You can afford it. Right?”

I suppose if I want to protect Jason, breakfast is a small price to pay.

“Sure,” I say, “it’s on me.”

“That’s more like it.” Ralph grins and settles back onto his stool. He takes a sip of his coffee, the smugness in his expression making my skin crawl.

The waitress returns with my coffee, and I thank her as I wrap my hands around the warm mug. The scent of fresh coffee fills the air, and for a moment, I let it distract me from the man sitting next to me.

“What do you want, Ralph?” I ask eventually, breaking the silence that has settled between us.

His grin widens at my question, and he shrugs. “I’m looking for information,” he says nonchalantly.

I narrow my eyes at him. “And blackmailing people is the way to go about it? Haven’t you heard of the internet?”

He laughs again, that horrible, low rumbling sound that reverberates in my ears. “The information I’m looking for isn’t the kind you’d find there.”

I grit my teeth and take a long, slow sip of my coffee, forcing myself to stay calm. “You’re making a mistake,” I say quietly.