Chapter 43The next morning, Christian left home without having breakfast. He was openly avoiding Olivia at this point. However, Olivia had already trained her mind not to think about it. If there was one thing she had control over, it was her focus on Eunice.She turned to watch Eunice who was happily munching on the chocolate muffin she was having for breakfast.“Olivia, these muffins are really good. Can you make some for me tomorrow evening?" she asked excitedly, swinging her legs under the table.Olivia smiled, her heart warming at how easily the girl could lift her mood. “Of course, I can. I can even make some with white chocolate chips on top."Olivia’s gaze softened as she watched Eunice happily nod in agreement. It amazed her how much joy she got from caring for this child. Maybe because, in these small moments, Olivia could forget the storm raging in her life. Watching Eunice enjoy her meal, the idea suddenly struck her.“Eunice, how about we take Uncle Christian’s lunch to
Chapter 44Olivia looked at the dark screen of her phone and smiled. "Christian," she called. He turned to face her.“Ruth called and she said she has a big surprise for me, but the way she said it, it felt like she wasn’t referring to only me. She's coming over this evening to visit”, she informed him, searching for his reaction to the mention of Ruth’s name.Christian looked at Olivia with a wry look on his face. His interaction with Ruth from the previous afternoon flashed through his head and he groaned. “Whatever. You two can do whatever you want," he said coldly.Soon after, they heard a buzz from his phone. It was Josh."Beautiful!" Christian exclaimed. “Josh said he'd come over in the evening too. We’re leaving the office together," he continued.Later that evening, the Mason mansion was alive with quiet anticipation. The soft hum of the air conditioning and the occasional clinking of dishes in the kitchen filled the air as Olivia paced restlessly in the living room, waiting
Chapter 45Olivia looked at him as if he was a stranger who wanted to harm her. His words hung in the air between them like a dark cloud, and the tension was palpable. She didn’t know what to say—what could she say? It looked like she had fallen for the wrong person.Christian took a cautious step toward her, his face unreadable, though Olivia could see a flicker of regret in his eyes. “Olivia,” he began, his voice softer than before. “I didn’t want you to find out like this. I was going to tell you, I swear.”She turned away from him, her hands clenched tightly at her sides. “You were going to tell me?” she repeated, her voice colder than she intended. “When? After you dug through everything? After you confirmed whatever it is you’re looking for?”Christian exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “I’m not trying to hurt you, Olivia. I’m trying to protect Eunice, to protect all of us. Oh God! How do I explain this?”Olivia let out a bitter laugh, shaking her h
Chapter 46Olivia’s fingers tightened around the edge of the counter as Christian lingered in the doorway, keeping her back to him trying to feign focus on the dishes in front of her but her mind raced, trying to brace for whatever was coming next. She had no desire to talk to him, not after what transpired the night before. The hurt of his distrust still hung heavy between them, and Olivia wasn’t ready to face it—at least not now, not when Eunice was so blissfully unaware of the tension in the room.“Morning, Uncle Christian!” Eunice’s cheerful voice cut through the icy silence, her face lighting up as she waved her fork in his direction.Christian walked over to Eunice, ruffling her hair. “How’s my little princess this morning?”“Good! Olivia made some chicken risotto," she replied happily.“Lucky you,” Christian said with a strained smile. His eyes flickered toward Olivia again, but she continued to avoid him.“You want some?" Eunice asked again, pushing her plate towards Christia
Chapter 47Olivia froze at Christian’s words. She couldn’t breathe properly. Christian saw that she was likely having the reaction she had the last time, so he held her hand. “Breathe! Olivia, breathe!" he said in a panicked tone.“Look. I have put some detectives together—“, Christian continued before he was interrupted by Josh from the living room.“Why are the hosts standing by the door? Aren’t you supposed to treat your guests?" Josh said in a teasing tone from the living room.“Let’s go”, Christian said as he pulled Olivia’s hand. “Look, let's keep this to ourselves. We will inform Josh and Ruth when we have found a solution to this”, he whispered before dragging her to the living room.As Christian and Olivia entered the living room area, Josh’s sharp eyes went straight to their hands which were still holding each other. “I think we just disturbed their quality couple time together”, he teased with a grin.Josh’s teasing remark caught them off guard. Olivia quickly pulled her ha
Chapter 48Can you not give me that ass reason?" Josh interrupted Christian, slamming his hand on the table. “Is there anything wrong?" Ruth’s agitated voice echoed from the living room.“There’s nothing for you to worry about, baby. We’re just doing some manly garlic crushing here”, Josh quickly lied to prevent her from coming into the kitchen.“If you say so," she replied.“As I was saying, don't give me that silly excuse. Eunice clearly loves Olivia, and, moreover, didn’t you remember how delighted she was at your wedding?" Josh continued, reducing his voice a bit.Christian narrowed his eyes at Josh, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. “You don’t understand, Josh. It’s not just about Eunice. There’s more at stake here, and I can’t just ignore it. It’s about Olivia, too. She’s dealing with a lot right now.”Josh raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What do you mean? Is it about her feelings for you? Because from what I can see, there’s something deeper going on between you two.”Ch
Chapter 49Christian’s eyes immediately turned to Olivia’s before he excused himself to listen properly. On the other end of the phone, his secretary was reporting everything they had found out since Christian gave his order.“While the team was snooping around, we found out that Mrs. Mason’s employee records were either deleted or archived as some classified case”, Mr. Pitcher reported, sounding absolutely distressed on the phone.“We also found out that they are creating a new one all over again, in order to use her marriage to you as a trump card to flaunt their company's growth”, he continued.“Are you sure?" Christian asked in complete disbelief.“According to our informant, that is exactly what is happening. And we were able to get a copy of her previous employee record as a copy from an anonymous person, so I'll send the previous one and the newly created one, so you can do as you see fit”, Mr. Pitcher reported quietly."Send it to my email. You and the team of detectives shoul
Chapter 50All the adults froze at Eunice’s innocent question, and exchanged glances with each other and burst into laughter.“Eunice darling, Uncle Christian and Olivia are not steaming anything, okay? Ruth was just joking with them”, Josh said as he lifted her into his arms.“Oh! I thought they were going to make something again”, Eunice said in a downcast voice. Everyone sat at the dining table and they had a hearty meal together, chatting through out. Josh and Ruth did most of the talking, while Christian responded in agreement, while Eunice threw in some funny remarks occasionally.While all this was going on, Olivia couldn’t stop her mind from trailing back to Christian’s words from before. ‘Taking their relationship to the next step’, what could that mean? And he’d asked her to come meet him in his room at night. Were they going to do what she thinks they would?“Earth to Olivia!” Ruth shouted at her. “What were you thinking about so much that you forgot you had guests at your
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