Winning Back His Ex's Wife's Broken Heart by Hayley

Chapter 91 Sarah's pov.

The air in the car was thick as Richard drove us toward the meeting spot. I sat there, fiddling with the cuff of my sleeve, trying to keep my breathing steady, trying to look like I wasn't on the edge of running. I glanced at Richard, his jaw tight, his hands gripping the steering wheel a little too hard.

He caught my gaze and softened, givinga slight smile that was supposed to be comforting.

But there was nothing comforting about this. Not when we were about to walk into a room with James and a few of his "network contacts." Just saying the word made my stomach twist. And James... Well, trusting him felt like trying to trust a snake. You just couldn't be sure he wouldn't bite.

"So, are you ready?" Richard asked, his voice low and calm. Too calm. He knew this was a big risk-maybe even our biggest so far.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I replied, trying to sound steady. But my mind was spinning. I knew we had no choice but to work with James.

He had the connections, the leverage, and-if he actually followed through-the key to finally getting out of this mess.

But I also knew we were playing a dangerous game, and one wrong move would send everything spiraling.

I forced myself to breathe, in and out, in and out. For Richard's sake, I tried to look calm, or at least not terrified. He needed to think I was handling this, that I was strong, and capable. We'd been through so much, cso far. If he saw any crack in my armor, it might just break him too.

So I straightened up, met his eyes, and gave him what I hoped looked like a reassuring smile.

"Let's get this over with," I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.

When we arrived, James was already waiting inside, lounging on a worn-out leather couch like he hadn't a single care in the world.

Seeing him there, smirking, made my skin crawl.

"Look who decided to show up," he said, glancing between Richard and me. "Was starting to think you'd chickened out." I forced myself to hold his gaze, to keep my face blank. No way was I going to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he rattled me.

"Cut the games, James," I replied, my voice colder than I felt. "We're here to talk, not to exchange insults." He chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. "Relax, Sarah. I'm just getting a feel for the vibe." He shot a quick look at Richard. "You two look tense. But I get it. This isn't exactly friendly territory." Richard stepped in then, his voice hard. "We're here because you said you could help us meet sof your people. So, is that going to happen, or are we just wasting our time?" James shrugged, still wearing that lazy smirk. "It depends," he said slowly, like he was savoring every word. "You're asking a lot. My contacts don't meet just anyone. They're... selective." Selective. Right. More like paranoid. People like James's friends couldn't afford to trust anyone-not fully.

Not with the kind of secrets they kept. And yet here we were, hoping they'd make an exception for us.

I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to snap at him. "We don't have tfor games, James. If you're going to help us, do it. Otherwise, we'll find another way." For a moment, I thought he might push back, and make things harder just to watch us squirm.

But then he nodded, all business now. "Fine. Follow me. I've set up a little meet-and-greet. Just..... don't do anything stupid, alright?" Richard and I exchanged a quick look. This was it-the moment we'd been dreading and hoping for in equal measure.

I couldn't shake the feeling that every step we took was just digging us in deeper, but what choice did we have? As we walked through the dimly lit hallway behind James, I found myself studying Richard's face, trying to read his thoughts.

He looked tense, and focused, his eyes narrowed slightly as he scanned the space around us.

I could see the decision pressing down on him, the way he carried it in his shoulders, in the tight set of his jaw.

He was doing this for us. I knew that. And yet, a part ofcouldn't shake the feeling that there was still more he wasn't telling me.

Maybe it was just paranoia, the stress of everything piling up, but... I couldn't help wondering. There were pieces of Richard's past that still felt hidden, locked away.

And as much as I trusted him, there were times when I wondered if he'd ever fully letin.

We stopped outside a heavy door, and James turned to us, giving us a smug grin. "Alright, here we are. Just... don't embarrass yourselves, alright?" I forced myself to stay calm, to not let him see how much he was getting under my skin. "Let's just get this over with." Inside, the room was dimly lit, shadows pooling in the corners. Three men sat at a table, their eyes sharp and assessing as they took us in.

They looked like the type who'd seen it all, who'd learned to trust no one.

"Sarah, Richard," James said, motioning to the men. "These are the people you wanted to meet." The men nodded in greeting, but their expressions were blank, unreadable.

One of them, a wiry man with a scar down his cheek, spoke first. "So, you're the ones James keeps talking about." His voice was low, gravelly, the kind of voice that didn't give away anything it didn't want to.

I nodded, feeling his gaze on me. "That's us. And we're here because we need help. We're willing to make it worth your while."

The man raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes "Worth our while hun? You talk a big gfor someone who's.... in over her head."

I fought the urge to bristle, to snap back. I couldn't afford to show weakness, not here We know wha NO we're doing," I replied, my voice steady. "And we know you have what we need." He smirked, clearly entertained. "And what's that, exactly? What makes you think we'd give it to you?" I swallowed, feeling the weight of the room pressing down on me. "Because we're willing to pay. And because... we don't have a choice." The man studiedfor a moment, his eyes narrowing. "You're desperate, aren't you?" The words stung, but I forced myself to keep my face calm. "Maybe we are. But that doesn't mean we're not prepared to make a deal."

There was a tense silence, and I could feel Richard tense beside me.

This was it. If these men If we didn't agree to help us, we were out of options.

Finally, the man leaned back in his chair, a slow, calculating smile spreading across his face. "Alright. I'll consider it. But you'd better be prepared to givesomething in return. I don't do favors." I nodded, relief flooding through me. "We understand. And we're willing to give you whatever you need." The man's smile widened, and for the first time, I felt a chill run down my spine.

There was something unsettling in his eyes, something that toldhe wasn't someone to cross.

"Good," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Because I don't like people backing out of their promises."