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Chapter 25
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His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 26
Bernice and Rafael sat and stared at the plain, brown, very brittle envelope that Madam Alice seemed to push at both of them. So tense seemed the room, with this subconscious accusation leveled at the Hidden in the room, by the covered bird of prey. Bernice watched him as he ripped open the envelope. Her heart was pounding as though one would watch some bird of prey. A small black flash drive dropped onto the desk."Wait, what's that supposed to be?" Bernice's voice quivered, big eyes boring straight into Rafael like they held an equally desperate amount of urgency expressed by her face. She knew Rafael was already on to her, and whatever was on the drive could literally make or break her."I don't know." Rafael grumbled and got down to retrieve the flash drive. He held it in front of him like he expected the thing to talk in his hand. "But we're about to find out."He plugged in the drive to his laptop, and they both crowded around the screen as it flickered to life. The seconds se
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 27
The next morning, Rafael headed into his office with a razor-sharp look. The video was hauntingly poisoned, but he looked so cool, as if nothing was happening, while anger boiled inside him. He did not lose any time and called Gabriel's number."Gabriel, come to my office now," mandated Rafael with a cold-cutting tone in his voice.That had been instinctual on Gabriel's part, but there hadn't been a flashing open hotline for questions as the call ended. He paced a good full-length of his office, the thoughts seemingly galloping every which way as the sting of betrayal stung, and he was going to get to the bottom of this.It was moments before the door to the office was closed and Gabriel was in the room. "Rafael, what's wrong? You sounded urgent."Rafael didn't answer right away. Instead, he gestured to the other chair, motioning for him to be seated, and then turned to get his phone off the desk. Even while he completed the call, his fingers drummed on the surface."Angela, come to m
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 28
Rafael's phone buzzed; he picked it up to the receiver. He really hoped that it was the news he had been waiting for. On the other end, it was Gabriel's voice, very calm but for the thrum of his urgency."Rafael, we've got something. You need to come to the IT room right away."Without hesitation, Rafael was out of the office and on his way toward the IT department. His heart was racing as he pushed open the door before him, anxious and a little impatient. There, he met Gabriel, flanked by some specialists in IT at some monitors, somber."What do you have?" Rafael demanded sharply in his query. "Who was it?"Gabriel cast a glance across the team before he stepped to the front. "We found out who the hacker is. His name is Ryan, a young guy with a reputation who's really good. Not exactly a balloon name, but good enough to pull this one off." Rafael scrunched up his face as his mind revved up. "Ryan? I don't know any Ryan. How did he get in?"One of the IT guys, a thin man with glasse
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 29
His shoes clicked onto the marble floor as he stormed down the hall. He knew he had to move quickly but above all, immaculately. Rafael was all about precision and power and one wrong move, one single delay in deciding, would seal Ethan's doom. Stopping in front of his secretary's door, he took a deep breath then pushed it open."Close the door," he ordered in a low, but firm voice.His secretary is a young girl, barely out of her teens, and her name is Claire. She looked up from her desk, pale-faced, and said, "Is something wrong, Mr. Ethan?"Ethan pinned his cold eyes on her. "Yes, Claire. Something is wrong."She gulped audibly. "I.I don't understand."It was incredibly ladened in Ethan's voice, "I am serious, Claire? You couldn't do a simple job right."Claire's eyes widened with fear, "M-Mr. Ethan, I swear to God I-""Save it," cut Ethan in the middle and took a step closer to her. "I think Rafeal knows everything. The hacking, the meeting with Ryan, all of it, and you've put me
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 30
Rafael stood in the sterile hall of the police station, his jaw clenched as he watched the police escort Ryan into an interrogation room. Tension buzzed in the air and pressed heavily upon his shoulders. He had Gabriel right next to him, his arms crossed and fists over his biceps, with sharp, blue eyes taking in everything that was happening in front of them. Meanwhile, Ethan remained rather composed; Rafael knew how much alarm the man had by the way his hands flexed every now and then."Ready for this?" he heard Gabriel ask in the quietest voice.Rafael only nodded. "Let's hear him out."They entered the small room; the door slammed noisily behind them. Ryan was seated at a metallic table, his wrists cuffed but his head held defiantly high. There was one officer who leaned against the door while the other positioned himself to start the interrogation.Ethan sat opposite to Ryan, his face unreadable, while Rafael remained standing, his eyes narrowing as he watched both men.Detective
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 31
Rafael sat in an office; the only silence in the room was tangible as he stared into the screen in front of him. By his side stood Gabriel, his arms folded across his chest, his face unreadable. The audio that had just played in his ears replayed itself in Rafael's head: Ryan and Ethan's secretary Claire discussing their plan for hacking and how they could frame Ethan should things go awry.This isn't what I expected," Rafael cut through the heavy silence.Gabriel nodded, eyes fixed into the screen. "Definitely not, it just made things a bit more complicated. If that recording is indeed genuine, it lets Ethan clear his name-at least to an extent. Still, something doesn't quite feel right here.Rafael leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. "I know; it's almost too neat, too convenient. They were so quick to pin the blame on Ethan, and now suddenly this evidence cleared him? My mind tells me there's more to this, that something's not quite right in what's being said.Meanwhile,
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 32
Ethan's heart was racing against his chest as he made his way to the isolated address given in the ambiguous message. The late afternoon sun was low on the horizon and cast long shadows over the winded road. Since he got the text, he had tried running through each possibility in his head: who might have sent it and what they could know.Was it Ryan, wanting a bit more from him? Had Claire's cold feet turned on him? Or was it someone else, someone of whom he'd never thought?With every step down to the meeting place, his apprehension mounted: a secluded clearing off of some old seldom-used road. He pulled over, turned off the car, and stepped outside into the predawn chill. It was a very quiet place, save the leaves rustling in the soft breeze, and the intermittent chirping of a bird.Ethan looked at his wrist watch; the seconds ticked away, like some kind of time bomb in his brain, as he waited. Whoever had sent that message would be there in a moment. He needed to remain composed who
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 33
Sitting in his car, Ethan had his hands clutched onto the wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The meeting with Gabriel had unsettled him more than he cared to admit. He could feel the walls closing in, each alternative narrowing down to one desperate last course of action. If he didn't do something now, everything that he had worked for, every carefully laid plan would come crashing down.It wasn't that he needed to convince Gabriel or manipulate him. Gabriel was suspicious and wanted to believe he was right, and there was a door at which Ethan could find an entrance.Ethan's sharp intake of breath as the ideas began racing in his head in all directions. He was down to his last card, a risky one, where he would have to bluff a breakdown to appear at the end of his rope, finally confessing. But it would be a finely scripted lie, one that would clear him of guilt while casting blame upon those below him.It was a risk, but it was his only shot.Ethan dialed Gabriel's numb
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His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 108
Bernice grasped the wheel as if to hold it for dear life, the minute she pulled into Rafael's office parking lot. Today was supposed to be routine-quick, business-focused, in and out. Yet, for some reason, that old tension that always hung in the air where Rafael was concerned seemed to ratchet a notch higher today. She steeled herself and exhaled in an attempt to keep her cool through whatever new turn this meeting might take.She entered the office, heel to toe, clicking softly on shining marble floors, and prepared herself by silent rehearsals for yet another strained-for-civility professional encounter. But as she went into Rafael's office, what greeted her was not the now-familiar figure behind the large desk but the large, empty room: the leather chairs there, the mahogany desk stood as it ought. But without Rafael's presence, the room sounded silently unread, unfinished.Frowning around. Where was he? So engrossed in steeled words and curbed emotions, she was quite caught of
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 107
"Why are you being so hard, it doesn't have to be this way," Rafael was saying in a low tone as he relaxed back into his chair, the intensity pulling at her stomach. "We've shared… a lot more than just business, haven't we?"She met his gaze steadily, hiding the frustration bubbling just below the surface. "Rafael, please," she said calmly. "Why don't you get it and just stop making this harder than it already is."He huffed, his head tilting as if he was studying her. "You make it sound so cold. I'd hoped…” He let the silence hang a little too long."I'd hoped we might find a way back, somehow. Clear the air. If not now, then perhaps… over dinner?""I don't think that's such a good idea. I'd rather keep things professional," Bernice shot back.“Professional,” he repeated, a bite to his words as he leant forward almost scoffing. "Is that really the way you want to play this?"Bernice's fingers closed over the edge of the table. "It's how it needs to be, Rafael. You made your choices.
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 106
Alexander's head had whipped toward the hall the instant Ethan's cell phone had buzzed on the coffee table."Ah, I need to take this," Ethan muttered, snatching up his phone and moving toward the door. He turned back to Alexander, his brow furrowing briefly with suspicion. "Be right back."Take your time, Alexander said with a wave of his hand, even as he settled back into the couch in that same nod of the head, waited for the door to click shut behind Ethan before springing up himself in one swift second, his expression going from one of relaxation to one of focus in that same swift second.Here it was.Alexander padded down the narrow hall, his eyes flashing to either side into the rooms on both sides. Light of foot and keen-eyed, scanning for any sign that might hint at where the burner phone was. It would not be out in the open; Ethan was too careful for that. But a man could get sloppy when he thought he was safe, and Alexander had no intention of leaving without a closer look.
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 105
"Alexander, I have an update," Detective Marcus said, the sound of his voice crackling through the phone, the seriusness of his tone a prologue to the weight of the news he was about to deliver. "We figured out the phone used to contact the kidnappers."Alexander's hand tightened on the phone as he traversed the expanse of his study. "And?""It was a burner phone. Disposable. Untraceable beyond the initial purchase, but enough to confirm someone's trying hard to cover their tracks."Alexander exhaled low and narrowed his eyes. "So Ethan and Olivia think they can outsmart us. It only makes me sure they're hiding something."For a couple of seconds, Marcus didn't say another word, his voice low. "Be careful, Alexander. If they are in this, they are playing with fire already."Alexander's jaw clenched. "I know that, and that's just what makes me have to keep pushing. Thanks for the update, Marcus."As Alexander tucked the phone back into his pocket, he hung up the call. New determinatio
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 104
"Ethan," Alexander said, his tone silky, deliberate, as he sat down opposite him, easing his body into the leather chair with a casualness that didn't quite fit the discussion about to take place. "We don't get to sit down like this often. Thought it'd be nice to… change that."Ethan's eyes fluttered, shoulders guarded. "I didn't realize you were interested in spending time… outside of business."Alexander hunched his head forward and loosed a low husky laugh; the sound broke up in a relaxed clap of hands. "Business, business," he muttered wryly, flashing Ethan a sly smile. "Seems that's all I ever talk about these days. I figured you'd understand-the need to unwind a little."Ethan nodded shortly, eyes narrowed at Alexander guardedly. "I don't have many people I. trust, to put it mildly.”Alexander lifted an eyebrow; his face slackened just enough to show empathy. "Oh, I get that. I've heard enough about Rafael's dynamic relationships to understand loyalty is hard to come by around h
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 103
"Business, Rafael," Bernice's voice cut, keen as a knife, as she looked up from the table, her eyes like steel. "That's what we are here to discuss-the partnership. Nothing else."Rafael leaned back in his chair, one corner of his mouth tugging upwards in a smirk as his eyes lingered on her. "Oh, but Bernice," he said innocently, "you make it sound so. impersonal. We have history. Surely that entitles us to a bit of friendly conversation?"She didn't bat an eyelid. "This is a business meeting, not a reunion.”Rafael's head leaned in, but that smirk never faltered. "You always did know how to cut straight to the point." A soft clearing of a chuckle emitted from him at the rhythmic tap of his fingers against the table. "Can't deny that's something I missed about you."She bit back, choking down her urge to roll her eyes as her gaze fell onto the stack of documents in front of her. She was ready for this, knew all of Rafael's games. It didn't make a difference to being incensed over it.
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 102
"Tell me, Bernice," Rafael's tone was indolent, but his eyes flashed with something darker as he leaned back in his chair, never once looking away from her. "Are you really ready to work with me?"Bernice met his gaze, her eyes unflinching. "That depends. Are you?"A smirk played on his lips, his eyes masking their true expression. "You were always… amusing. I've missed that about you."She cocked her head to one side, undisturbed by his words. "I don't miss anything about you, Rafael."He chuckled low in his throat. "We'll see about that."Alexander stood across the room, his jaw clenched, while this all transpired. Every time Rafael so much as looked in Bernice's direction, his entire being bristled. He hadn't wanted her to agree to this, and every second she spent in Rafael's presence felt to him a willful and calculated attack on his own resolve.Bernice sailed through the conference in detached grace, her voice flat and professional, her face a mask of resolve. When Rafael ventur
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 101
"Rafael has agreed to the deal," Gabriel began, his voice cool, even, as he spoke to Alexander and then Bernice in the silence of the posh restaurant's private room. The next words to leave his lips, though, were laced with the weight of a complication neither could easily disregard. "On one condition—he wants to work directly with you, Bernice."Alexander's eyes narrowed and his hand tightened around the edge of the table. "Of course he does," he muttered, speaking low enough that his frustration did not escape.She sat silent, composed, her face unreadable. She had expected this move from Rafael; it was just the kind of strategic play she had anticipated. Rafael didn't want a simple business arrangement; he wanted an opportunity to draw her back into his orbit, to see if he could unsettle her."Is that all right with you, Ms. Bernice?" Gabriel asked as if he hadn't seen the clenching of Alexander's jaw or the way Bernice's fingers rested tautly upon her thighs.Alexander turned a s
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 100
Bernice shut the door of her hotel room, feeling this weird mix of triumph and something unsettling, like a ghost she thought she'd long since buried was whispering just behind her. She took a deep breath, leaning her head back against the door, replaying the events of the day in her mind-the meeting, Rafael's silent, searching gaze, and the way she had remained poised and unwavering. She'd hardly let herself look at him, hardly allow him to register as more than another face across the table.But of course, it wasn't that simple.She muttered to herself, as though the silence could be broken by firm resolve. "It doesn't matter anymore. None of it matters."But she knew it wasn't quite true. She could still remember the incredulous look that had crossed his face that night, the fire of his anger blazing in his eyes. And how he had cut her out of his life without a single question, without letting her explain what had happened. She didn't know today how that stranger had been in her
