Chapter 28The atmosphere in the house hung heavy as Christian ended the phone call. Olivia’s heart raced as she watched him, her mind swirling with questions. She tried to focus on cleaning up the shards of the broken vase with Eunice, but her hands trembled. Christian’s sudden call, the coldness in his voice—it all added to the gnawing fear in her chest.Christian slipped his phone into his pocket, his eyes hard and distant. He didn’t say a word as he turned back toward the stairs, but Olivia knew something was wrong. She could feel it in the tightness of his posture, the way his jaw clenched as if bracing for something bad.“Christian”, Olivia called out softly, desperate to close the growing chasm between them. “What was that about? Is everything okay?”He stopped halfway up the stairs, his back still to her. There was a long pause before he finally spoke, his voice low. “The security team found something… They’re coming to discuss it”.The weight of his words sank deep into Olivi
Chapter 29By the time it was afternoon, Olivia could no longer contain the chaos that was raging in her head. She needed someone to unload her worries on. She picked up her phone to call Ruth. “Hey, babes. Are you at home right now?" she asked.“Right now?" Yes, I am. You coming over?" Ruth asked over the phone.“Yes. I’ll be there in a while”, Olivia replied, before hanging up her phone. She quickly picked up a modest outfit and put it on, grabbed her car keys and drove off to Ruth’s house.As Olivia drove to Ruth’s house, her mind spiraled. The weight of Christian’s distrust clung to her like a heavy cloak, suffocating her every thought. How could he think she’d ever harm Eunice? The very idea was absurd, and yet… here she was, driving away from the mansion because she couldn’t take the tension anymore.When she pulled into Ruth’s driveway, her stomach churned with unease. Ruth greeted her at the door with a bright smile, but it quickly faded as she noticed a strain in Olivia’s exp
Chapter 30Olivia stared blankly at Christian, trying to comprehend his question. “Olivia, I’m asking you a question here. Who is Marcus Hart? The security company says that you know him, he’s someone from your past”.Olivia looked into the space as if she was reminiscing about something. All of a sudden, she let out a gasp. “Marcus? He was my co-worker. More specifically, he used to be my supervisor when I was working at Rock Asset Management company. What is it about him?”Christian sighed and rubbed his hands together. “They found out that he’s most likely the one who hired a private investigator on you and planned the kidnapping of Eunice to blackmail you. Is there anything you have that he could blackmail you with?”Olivia’s heart thumped as she looked around looking for a possible answer. Then she remembered. Her voice trembled as she spoke. “There was a time when Marcus asked me out… several times, actually. I wasn’t interested, so I turned him down. After that, he became hosti
Chapter 31Christian stood by the window of his office, watching Olivia. She sat quietly in the garden staring into space while Eunice ran around chasing some butterflies. The tension between them had been palpable since the incident of Eunice’s attempted kidnapping, and he knew he had been harsh. Too harsh. He wasn’t used to feeling this… uncertain.Eunice’s birthday was approaching, and Christian realized that if they didn’t make an effort to appear united, Eunice would sense the discord. For all the turmoil in his personal and professional life, Eunice remained his anchor. And Olivia, whether he liked to admit it or not, was now an essential part of that equation.A while later, he went into the garden to meet them. “Uncle Christian”, Eunice’s voice pierced the air and brought Olivia’s attention back.“What are you doing here?" Are you here to play with Olivia and I?" she asked, her curiosity peaking.“Yes. I’m here to play with you and Olivia”, he said with a small smile on his fa
Chapter 32Olivia’s eyes widened in horror as Christian ripped off the disguise, revealing Marcus' twisted face. The same man who had haunted her past now stands in her present, fueling her worst nightmares.“How did he get in?” Olivia demanded, her voice shaking.Christian’s expression was grim. “I don’t know. But he’s not going anywhere.”The security guards tightened their grip on Marcus, who sneered at Olivia. “You think you’re safe with him? You think he can protect you?”Olivia felt a chill run down her spine. “What do you want, Marcus?”Marcus' eyes blazed with resentment. “You! You owe me! And now you’re married to him? You’re just a tease, Olivia. Always have been. If you wanted to sleep your way to prominence, you should have just started with me. You gave what was mine to another man."Christian stepped forward, his fists clenched. “That’s enough.”Marcus' laughter sent shivers down Olivia’s spine. “You don’t know what she’s capable of, Christian. You don’t know what she di
Chapter 33The laughter and shouts of children began to fade as the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting a warm orange hue over the remains of the birthday party. Most of the guests had left, with only a few lingering at the tables, chatting quietly as the day drew to a close. Christian stood near the edge of the makeshift beach, his hands in his pockets, watching Olivia from a distance.She was kneeling by the sandcastle they had built with Eunice, smoothing out the walls with her fingers, her face soft and focused. Christian’s gaze lingered on her longer than he intended. She looked different to him now—more than just Eunice’s nanny, more than the woman he’d married out of necessity. There was something about her, something that pulled him despite the tension between them.Marcus’s words echoed in his mind, biting and venomous: “She’s a tease. You don’t know what she did."Christian clenched his jaw, pushing the thought aside. Marcus was a liar, a manipulator, and yet his presence t
Chapter 34After his call, Christian looked somewhat distraught. He looked over at Olivia, then Ruth and Josh with panic in his eyes. Olivia quickly understood him, so she turned to Eunice.“Sweetheart, why don’t you go and play in your toy room while I discuss something with your Uncle?”“Is there something you still have to discuss? I thought you had kissed and made up”, Eunice asked with sheer disappointment in her face.“We did already. We just want to discuss some adult things. We’ll be done very soon. After our discussion, your uncle and I will read you bedtime stories together”, Olivia promised the pouting girl.Eunice nodded and ran upstairs towards her toy room. “Be fast with your discussions”.As soon as they heard the door click upstairs, the tension in the room thickened. Christian’s jaw was tight, and the small calm he’d worn earlier had vanished. Olivia, Ruth, and Josh immediately turned to him, concern mirrored in their eyes.“What’s happening?” Olivia asked, her voice
Olivia saw the headline and read the first few lines before her mind started spiraling. This is really bad for her and Christian, especially for his company. She wanted to cry at that moment, but she looked towards Eunice and didn’t want to confuse her, so she held up her emotions.She picked up her phone again, and went through the call logs, looking to call Christian and explain herself when Ruth’s call came through. She picked it up immediately.“Liv, have you seen the news and what they’ve been saying about you? I just opened my phone to read some entertainment news when I saw that. What are you going to do now? Has Christian seen it?" She rambled on without giving Olivia the opportunity to answer any of her questions.“I don’t know why this is happening again suddenly. I think this is Marcus' doing, and I’m not about to take it easy on him. I’ll call Christian and see what opinion he has about this. I’m just really hoping his company doesn’t get affected”, Olivia answered, soundi
Chapter 105 The morning sunlight filtered through the heavy curtains of Christian’s office, but the warmth it brought was lost on him. He sat at his desk, his laptop open to a spreadsheet riddled with connections and names. His phone buzzed, jolting him from his thoughts. Pitcher’s name flashed across the screen.“Pitcher,” Christian answered briskly, leaning back in his chair.“Mr. Mason, I have an update,” Pitcher said, his voice steady but tinged with urgency. “We’ve uncovered connections between Josh, Matthew, and Rock Assets Management. It seems that Josh was funnelling information about Mason Enterprises through a series of intermediaries. The link to Rock Assets is indirect, but it’s there.”Christian’s grip tightened on the phone. “Go on.”“One of the shell companies we flagged last year for attempting to sabotage your supply chain received funding from a private account tied to Josh. That same account made regular payments to someone on Matthew’s team about four months befor
Chapter 104 The room was silent except for the faint sound of Olivia pacing, her arms folded tightly across her chest. Christian stood near the window, his gaze distant, his mind replaying Detective Fisher’s words like a haunting refrain.“It’s possible their accident wasn’t just an accident.”Olivia stopped abruptly, turning to face him. “Christian, we need to talk about this,” she said softly, her voice steady despite the turmoil in her eyes.Christian exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. “I know,” he said, his voice low. “But I don’t even know where to start. If Josh was involved in this—”“You don’t know that yet,” Olivia interjected, stepping closer to him. “But Fisher’s right. If there’s even a chance that Matthew and Rosemary’s accident wasn’t what it seemed, we can’t ignore it.”Christian turned to her, his jaw tightening. “I trusted Josh. I’ve known him for years. If he’s capable of being part of something like this...” His voice trailed off, the weight of betr
Chapter 103 Christian froze for only a fraction of a second before his instincts kicked in. He gently lowered Eunice into Olivia’s arms, his eyes never leaving Josh, who stood at the edge of the room with a mixture of defiance and regret etched across his face.Christian surged forward, his movements quick and precise. He grabbed Josh by the collar, slamming him against the nearest wall. “What the hell is this, Josh?” Christian’s voice was low, trembling with barely contained rage. “You kidnapped my niece?”Josh didn’t resist. He met Christian’s burning gaze, his jaw clenched, and his hands raised in a half- hearted gesture of surrender. “Christian, stop. This isn’t what you think.”“You have no idea what I think!” Christian roared, his grip tightening. “You were my best friend, Josh. I trusted you! I left her safety in your hands, and all this time, it was you?”Olivia, holding Eunice protectively, edged closer. “Christian, calm down!” she urged, her voice shaky. “We need answers, n
Chapter 102Christian’s hand hovered over his phone, his jaw tightening as the cryptic text replayed in his mind:“Stop digging. This isn’t a warning—it’s a promise.”He dialled Lois’s number again, his pulse quickening with each ring. Still no answer. “She’s not picking up,” he said to Olivia, his tone grim.Olivia, seated across from him at Lois’s desk, sifted through the papers Lois had left behind. “Do you think the text is connected to her disappearance?”Christian leaned against the desk, running a hand through his hair. “It has to be. Someone knows she was close to uncovering something.”“She’s smart, Christian,” Olivia said, her voice steady but laced with concern. “If she sensed danger, she might’ve gone off the grid to protect herself.”“Or someone made sure she couldn’t,” Christian countered, his frustration evident.Olivia paused, holding up a document. “I think I found something. This file—it’s a map of the Springfield Apartments. Lois highlighted specific units, but look
Chapter 101Christian’s mind raced as Lois’s words hung in the air. Annette Fournier wasn’t just a name tied to his family’s history—it was tied to Josh’s as well. The pieces of the puzzle were shifting again, and the picture they were forming was even more complex than he’d anticipated.“Christian?” Lois’s voice broke through his thoughts. “Are you still there?”“I’m here,” Christian said, gripping the edge of his desk. “You’re saying the Sprungfield apartments—all of them—are on land owned by Annette Fournier?”“Exactly,” Lois confirmed. “And the property hasn’t left the Fournier name. The shell companies tied to the buildings are, in one way or another, still connected to her descendants. Josh’s family.”Christian pinched the bridge of his nose, his thoughts tumbling over one another. Josh had no idea about Lois or the investigation, and Christian wasn’t sure how to approach the subject without breaking the fragile trust between them.“I need you to dig further,” Christian said fin
Chapter 100 Christian was on his second cup of coffee when his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen: Lois Parker. He swiped to answer immediately, his tone sharp.“Lois,” he greeted, his tone brisk. “What do you have?”“I pulled everything I could on the Springfield property,” Lois began, her voice steady. “The ownership history is clean—no red flags. But the tenant records are... unusual. There are no actual tenants. Instead, the building’s leases are tied to several shell companies, just like the others. The common thread is one name: Annette Fournier.”Christian leaned forward, his jaw tightening. “She’s involved again.”“Yes,” Lois confirmed. “And it gets stranger. I cross-referenced her name with historical property transactions, and I found something odd. ‘Annette Fournier’ first appeared decades ago. Either we’re dealing with someone using an inherited identity, or this name is part of a deeper family connection.”Christian frowned. “Deeper how?”“Well,” Lois continued, “I t
Chapter 99The morning sun barely filtered through the blinds of Christian’s office when his phone buzzed. Lois Parker’s name flashed on the screen. Christian snatched it up, his tone clipped.“What did you find?”Lois’s voice was calm but carried an undercurrent of urgency. “Christian, I’ve been digging into those offshore accounts. It’s bigger than I initially thought.”Christian leaned forward, gripping the edge of his desk. “How big?”“Matthew wasn’t just funnelling money. He was purchasing property under an alias—several apartment buildings across the city, all under the name ‘Marie Claremont’.”“Marie Claremont?” Christian repeated, his jaw tightening. “Why would Matthew need an alias to buy property? Mason Enterprises could acquire anything without a second glance.”“That’s not all,” Lois added. “The purchases were made in partnership with someone named Annette Fournier. Her name shows up on all the documents, but so far, I haven’t been able to track her down. No official recor
Chapter 98Inside his car, Christian stared out the window, the city lights blurring as the vehicle sped through the streets. Patricia’s words swirled in his mind, intertwining with fragmented memories of Matthew.The older brother, who had always seemed so confident and composed, now felt like a stranger cloaked in mysteries Christian hadn’t dared to explore. He just drove home, consumed by anger.Christian leaned back in his chair, staring out the wide glass window of his office. The city skyline stretched before him, glittering against the darkening evening sky. Normally, the view grounded him, a symbol of the empire his family had built, but today, it offered no solace. Patricia Oxnard’s words from earlier echoed in his mind, gnawing at the foundations of everything he believed about his brother.“Matthew wasn’t the saint you believed him to be... He had secrets.”Christian clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. The accusation felt like a betrayal—not just against Matthew’s memor
Chapter 97Christian stood outside the holding cell, the fluorescent lights above casting harsh shadows on the stark walls. Detective Fisher’s voice echoed in his mind, reminding him to tread carefully. But Christian had no intention of being careful.Inside the cell, Mrs. Patricia Oxnard sat stiffly on the metal bench, her hands folded in her lap. Despite her disheveled appearance, she carried herself with a dignity that belied her situation. When she noticed Christian, her face flickered with hope, though her eyes remained wary.“Christian,” she began, standing slowly. “Thank God you’re here. I knew you’d realise this was all a mistake.”Christian forced a small, tight smile, stepping closer to the bars. “Mrs. Oxnard, I want to believe it’s a mistake,” he said, his tone measured, almost warm. “You’ve been a trusted figure in my life for so long. I couldn’t just stand by while you were dragged into this mess.”Her eyes softened, and for a moment, she looked like the woman who had onc