Delete My Love for You novel Chapter 41

A jagged stone sliced through the air, aimed straight at Charlotte’s chest.

Behind her mask, Charlotte’s eyes widened in alarm.

The chip in her body blared a desperate warning: **DANGER! EVASIVE ACTION!**

The command surged through her every nerve, but her body, locked by muscle memory, refused to move.

The stone struck her squarely in the chest. Even with the protective suit, pain exploded in her chest and radiated out from her heart.

At that exact moment, in the Astra R&D Center, alarms flared across a computer dashboard. The data readings had gone haywire.

Every professor at the workstation paled.

“This is bad, Mr. Nelson! The chip just crashed!”

“We need to bring Ms. Lawson back immediately—her life is in danger!”

Herbert’s breath was ragged. Grabbing his coat, he barked, “I’m going now! Stay here and monitor the data. Any changes, call me!”

Without another word, Herbert dashed from the lab, jumped into his car, and sped toward the competition arena.

…

In the arena’s break room, Charlotte’s body gave out. She dropped to one knee, clutching her burning chest with one hand, the other braced against the cold floor, trembling.

The chip was out of control.

She had to get out. Get back to the lab—now.

Fighting to stand, her vision swam with waves of blackness.

“Still faking it, huh?”

Xena’s sharp voice cut through the haze. She yanked Noah closer, pointing at Charlotte.

Charlotte kept clutching her chest, pain making it impossible to straighten up or even lift her head. She couldn’t manage a single word.

Xena stepped forward, feigning concern. “Mr. Harrington, just look at her. Noah barely touched her and she’s already like this. Doesn’t look like the winner from before, does she?”

She lowered her voice, a note of suggestion in her tone. “You don’t suppose… she took something before the match?”

Darren narrowed his eyes, studying Charlotte. His voice was cold and dismissive. “You certainly don’t look like someone who could beat Ms. Lancaster through skill alone.”

He leaned in, voice low. “Just admit it—you took something you shouldn’t have before the match. Do that, and I’ll wire you eight hundred grand. Enough to keep you comfortable for the rest of your life.”

Rage flared in Charlotte’s chest.

So this was how he planned to hand Xena the championship—by twisting the truth and resorting to threats.

But the neural chaos from the crashed chip strangled her voice. She couldn’t utter a sound.

“Not talking?” Darren turned to the sweating event official nearby. “Give her ten seconds. If she doesn’t speak, we’ll take that as an admission. Strip her of her title and ban her for life, per the rules.”