Chapter 66

JACOB POV

“Dad, why do you look so tense?” Daniel asked, sitting beside me in the car. His voice was calm, but his eyes held concern.

Actually I had gone to the mansion of the Morales not just me but with my son, the letter i had seen in the email box when I had gone to collect my emails from my box that was placed in front of my house.

I couldn't stop thinking about who had written the letter by telling me that it was one of the Morales families that had placed the exact necklace we had at the spot where my son had stayed on the rooftop.

I leaned back in the driver’s seat, staring at the dusty windshield. “Tense? No, Daniel, I’m thinking. There’s a difference,” I replied, my tone sharp. I didn’t mean to snap, but my mind was swirling with too many questions, too many possibilities.

He didn’t respond immediately. I glanced at him and saw his jaw tighten, his fists clenched. I sighed, softening my voice.

“Daniel, tell me something. Did you see anyone near the spot where you left your guns?”

He shook his head. “No, I was careful. No one saw me. I made sure of that.”

“Then how the hell,” I growled, “did one of our family’s necklaces end up there? How, Daniel?!” My voice rose, frustration boiling over.

Daniel blinked, taken aback. “Dad, I…I don’t know. I didn’t put it there! I swear! Didn't you see my necklace still round my neck when you asked for my necklace or are you still not seeing the necklace on my neck?”

I believed him. Daniel wasn’t stupid. He wouldn’t jeopardize the plan, especially not one as critical as killing Mr. Johnson even though he missed the chance of firing the right place for Johnson not to survive.

But someone had known. Someone had been one step ahead. Someone had impersonated me, my family, and planted that damn necklace.

No I shouldn't say impersonate because it was truly my son who was the sniper, let me say someone wants to expose me.

I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white. “The Morales family,” I muttered under my breath.

“What about them?” Daniel asked.

“They knew, no one of them knew.” I said, my voice low but firm. “They knew what we were planning. They knew about you trying to kill Johnson, your uncle.

And somehow, they managed to get an exact replica of our family necklace. Do you understand what that means, Daniel?”

His eyes widened. “You think they’re trying to expose us?”

“Of course, they are!” I spat. “Why else would they leave that necklace there? They wanted someone to find it, to link us to the sniper, to ruin everything.”

Daniel leaned forward, his face pale. “But how did they know about the plan, Dad? Who told them?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it?” I said bitterly. “Who in the Morales family knew about our plan to take out Johnson?

And how the hell did they act so quickly? They didn’t just know…they had time to prepare, to create a replica of our heirloom, and plant it there.”

Daniel was silent for a moment, then said, “Do you think… do you think someone in our family might have leaked the information?”

I froze, the possibility sending a chill down my spine. “No,” I said firmly, though doubt crept into my voice. “No one in our family would betray us. This has to be the Morales family’s doing.”

And another question is…how did the person who wrote the letter knew that I had tried killing my step brother and how did that same person know that it was one who is in the Morales family that had planted the necklace there.

But the thought lingered. Could someone close to us have turned? Could someone have fed them the information? I shook my head, trying to focus. I needed answers, not more questions.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the letter I’d received that sunny afternoon. The memory of it still burned in my mind.

It had been a bright, warm day, the kind that made you want to forget the world’s ugliness. But the letter had shattered any peace I might have felt.

It had been delivered by hand, no name, no return address. Inside, the message was clear,

“One of the Morales family planted your necklace. Figure it out.”

I had read it over and over, trying to make sense of it. The handwriting was unfamiliar. Who had sent it? Why were they helping me? Or were they?

Daniel noticed the letter in my hand. “Is that the letter you told me about?”

I nodded, handing it to him. He read it, his brow furrowing. “This doesn’t make sense,” he said.

“Why would someone in the Morales family plant the necklace and then tell you about it? What’s their plan?”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out,” I said. “If it really was someone in their family, then the person who sent this letter must have known. But how? And why would they warn me? None of it adds up.”

Daniel stared at the letter, then at me. “What if it’s a trap? What if they want you to think it’s one of the Morales family, but it’s really someone else?”

I considered that. It was possible. But then again, why go through all the trouble? Why plant the necklace at all? Why not just let our plan succeed or fail on its own?

I shook my head. “No, there’s more to this. Someone’s playing a game, and I’m not about to lose.”

Daniel hesitated, then asked, “Do you have any idea who might have written it? Or who planted the necklace?”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “No. But I will find out. I have to.”

Just then, my phone rang, breaking the tense silence. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen. It was an unknown number.

“Who is it?” Daniel asked.