Victor turned his head to Master Fontaine and said, “Grandpa, as one of the kidnapped victims, I have something to say.” “What’s on your mind? Come and take a seat.” Master Fontaine pulled Victor over and sat him down on his seat. Victor smiled fakely as a ruthless resolution streaked across his pale face. He looked around the room and said, “My honorable elders, you might not know, but there’s more to the kidnapping. As a victim, I have a full picture of what’s going on, and it’s not as simple as my uncle put it out to be.” “Well, don’t keep us guessing, Victor. What’s the story?” Thaddeus curtly interrupted Victor, not believing for a second that the boy was not here to give his testimony. He got the feeling the boy came looking for trouble, and a big one by the looks of it. Victor curled his lips and smirked. “Why are you getting riled up, Uncle? I’m only speaking the truth. Why are you nervous when you’ve done nothing wrong?” Adopting a snippy demeanor, Thaddeus l
There was no longer a solid tenderness in Thaddeus’s eyes. Instead, cautiousness and indistinct concern hid behind those pupils. What was he afraid of? Mona looked into his eyes, getting the sense that he was hiding something from her. He was afraid that what they had would be gone when the truth came out. In other words, there was some truth to Victor’s words.Victor got up from the ground and adjusted his tie. He pointed at Thaddeus and righteously uttered, “He was bitter about his father’s affair, so he tried to get rid of Mona. I would secure holdings in the family business from my marriage alliance with the Grahams and earn a spot on the board of directors, so his concern was that I would be a threat to his standing. That’s the truth behind my uncle’s motives.”Thaddeus narrowed his eyes and scoffed. “That’s absurd. Why would I put the coast on lockdown if I were out to get you? The vessel belongs to the Fosters. I don’t have the right to decide the sailing route. How do y
Victor took the beating from Master Fontaine without protest. Master Fontaine was poor in health, and it would fall on Victor’s shoulders if anything were to happen to the old man due to Victor’s choice of words. He held his tongue and said nothing more. Standing in the middle of the meeting room, Thaddeus narrowed his dashing eyes at the nosy old folks. The tension surrounding Thaddeus seemed to intensify in the air. “Have you seen enough?”Thaddeus’s gaze fleeted across each and every one of the sly old foxes, sending chills down their spine. It was as if a sword was hanging over their heads.Filled with fear, the old folks said their goodbyes and left before Thaddeus unleashed his fury on them. With them gone, the circle was finally over. Nevertheless, Thaddeus and Victor’s relationship had moved in an opposing direction. Things would not be an easy fix. In fact, the situation could not get any more complicated with Mona’s mother now involved. The subject had always
Master Fontaine’s eyes lit up. Since it came from Mona, it must be true. So he took it seriously this time. The old man lost his head to bliss, not knowing what to say. “It’s true… It’s true… The kids will carry on the family line.”“B*stard! I want to hear it from you. Are the children Mona’s and yours?” Still doubtful, Master Fontaine turned to Thaddeus for confirmation. “Yes.” Thaddeus nodded his head. The definite answer brought Master Fontaine back to reality from the burst of joy. God knew what was going through the old man’s head as he kept switching between sitting and standing. It then struck Master Fontaine to ask where the children were. “I want to see them.” “They have been living in Worchester City. I have not brought them to meet you yet because the kids have not learned about their ancestry. I was worried you would not be able to accept them.” “Why wouldn’t I accept them? I love kids. Bring them over as soon as you can. I want to meet with them. They are
With a benevolent smile, Master Fontaine stroked Mona’s head and gleefully uttered, “Mona, since you and Thaddeus have kids together, have you given any thought to getting back together?” Mona shook her head without a second thought. “No.” How could they possibly get back together? The issue with Mona’s mother had not been sorted out yet. How could the relationship carry on when the man would not even communicate with her? Mona never trusted a relationship that had nothing to hold onto. It was the tackiest and most unreliable form of connection. Seeing that Mona had made up her mind, Master Fontaine found it a shame and glared at Thaddeus. The boy was such a letdown. Thaddeus only had himself to blame for losing a great wife like Mona. Things were going fine, but Thaddeus had to be caught up in the past and tracked down Mona’s mother. What on earth was Thaddeus up to? Most of the time, Master Fontaine could not understand what was going on in his grandson’s mind. However, T
Mona shook her head. “See. That’s the difference between him and me. He thinks he’s protecting me from harm, but I don’t get an open and honest relationship. We can’t get through to each other or get on the same page. How are we supposed to spend the rest of our lives together?“The past conflict is not what’s standing between us. It is because our approach toward the relationship never changed. I don’t think getting back together is in the cards.” Mona kept her head straight and made a conscious decision about the relationship. For a moment, she believed they were more than that, but who was she kidding? She would be repeating the same mistake by getting back together. Mona was better off living a carefree life as she did right now. Master Fontaine could understand where Mona was coming from, and he was furious. “Sigh. That character of Thaddeus’s… Sometimes, I just want to give him a good beating. You have no idea how many times he has gotten under my skin in a day. You spen
Marcus braced himself for Thaddeus’s icy stare as the latter must have gotten hell from Ms. Ortega. “Did you get a confession?” Thaddeus removed his sheepskin gloves and handed them to Marcus before taking large strides to the interrogation room. “No, but he admitted that he works for the Foster Group. He said the abduction was set up by two people.” Thaddeus raised his brows. “Two people? Are we talking about men or women?” “I’m guessing both genders.” “What do you mean by ‘guess’? Think twice before you answer me.” Thaddeus glanced at Marcus in disdain. Marcus’s half-hearted attitude did not sit well with him.Marcus anxiously covered his mouth and bobbed his head. It appeared Thaddeus had gotten a lot of smack from Ms. Ortega. Marcus muttered quietly to himself. Thaddeus entered the interrogation room and looked at the bearded man hanging off the ceiling. He stuck out a finger, raised the man’s chin, and blew at his face. The bearded man woke up choking and opened
The bearded man bobbed his head. “That’s right. Thomas took orders from Mr. Foster’s daughter. I was standing next to Thomas when he was on the phone once, and I heard him address the person on the other end of the line as Ms. Foster. I can’t think about anybody else other than Sherry Foster.” Thaddeus grimace grew. “Are you sure?” The bearded man paused and hesitated for a moment. “I’m not exactly sure because I didn’t see it myself, but it was a woman who gave Thomas ideas.” Thaddeus dwelled in his thoughts with a frown before looking up and taking stock of the bearded man’s face. He questioned, “Who told you to go out to sea?” “It was a corporate assignment. We were told to deliver cargo to Southeast Asia, but we only found out that there was no cargo once we were onboard. Instead, we had two people tied up below the deck. Since we are only employees, we just did as we were told without asking questions.” Thaddeus callously tucked the corner of his lips as murderous intent