Chapter 34
Abigail
+25 BONUS
I pulled away from Conrad’s embrace, the lingering heat of his body feeling like a brand to me. “This is… a lot to take in,” I said, making sure my voice felt fragile,
He nodded, looking at me with concern. “I’m glad you insisted on seeing it for yourself, Abby. Now you understand why I’ve been doing all this. It’s all for you. To protect you.”
I offered him what I hoped looked like a grateful smile. “I’m exhausted,” I murmured. “I think I’ll go to my room.”
“Of course,” he replied, his smile much brighter than mine “Rest as long as you need. I’ll tell the cook to make your favorite for dinner.”
“That would be wonderful,” I said, turning away. The moment the study door clicked shut behind me, my polite, appreciative smile evaporated like smoke in the wind. My face fell into a grim mask, and I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I had been holding. Yet I didn’t dare let my guard slip entirely until I reached my room and turned the lock with a quiet snick.
1 leaned against the door for a moment, staring at the familiar decor. They were elegant but the room still felt empty. From my window, I could see the bodyguards Conrad had stationed around the property. They moved in pairs in their black uniforms, their weapons slung across their shoulders like constant, silent threats.
Conrad’s voice echoed in my mind. “They’re yours.”
But they weren’t mine. Not really.
They were his. And so was this house.
Conrad thought he was protecting me, but in reality, he was trapping me.
Unease coiled in my stomach, like a sharp sudden pain. I turned my eyes away from the window and paced to the bed, where a maid had left my things in the plastic bag I’d packed from the hideaway. My phone sat on top of the clothes I had carefully folded, its screen lighting up faintly as I picked it up.
The name that had stood out to me while reading the financial documents flashed in my mind–Phenix Investments. The shell company Conrad claimed Alexander had used to pay my kidnappers.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I opened my phone and typed the name into the search bar, followed by Alexander’s full name. My fingers hesitated for a moment before hitting search. Both dread and curiosity burned in my mind.
The results were almost immediate. There it was: Phoenix Investments, Alexander’s company, glaring brightly on my screen. But something was off.
I frowned, the difference glaring back at me like a flashing red light. The spelling didn’t match. The company in the documents wasn’t Phoenix Investments but Phenix Investments. It was one small letter that might look like an insignificant change at first glance, but it was significant enough to plant a seed of suspicion in my mind. Could it have been a typo? A clerical error in the documents? I wanted to believe that, but something told me to dig deeper. I erased Alexander’s name from the search bar and typed only Phenix Investments.
This time, the results shifted. A single, unknown company appeared, one I had never heard of before. I clicked on the link to their website, scanning the page for any familiar ties to Alexander. There were none. No mention of him or any affiliation with his businesses. Instead, the company’s listed owner was someone named JC. Callumn. It didn’t ring any bells.
Chapter 34
+25 BONUS
I scrolled further, scanning for anything that might give me a lead. The company’s creation date caught my eye, and a chill ran down my spine.
It had been registered only two weeks ago. Two weeks.
A sinking feeling began to grow in my chest. How convenient was it that a company with a name so strangely similar to Alexander’s, enough to fool anyone at a glance, lind just recently been established?
And yet, according to the documents Conrad had shown me this same company had been able to send staggering amounts of money to the kidnappers who had nearly ruined my life. I sat back, the phone slipping from my fingers onto the bed. My mind was connecting dots I didn’t want to connect. If Phenix Investments was so new, how could they possibly have the kind of funds listed in those documents? Shell companies were often used for money laundering or fraudulent purposes, but even so, the timing was far too convenient.
Where had they gotten their money?
The financial records Conrad had shown me suddenly felt like an elaborate show, carefully constructed to lead me to one conclusion: that Alexander was guilty of orchestrating my kidnapping. But now, with this new information, I wasn’t so sure.
I picked up my phone again, determined to find more about J.C. Callum, but my search led me to a dead end. The name was listed on the website, but there were no social media profiles, no business records, no photos. Nothing. It was as if the person didn’t exist beyond that single page.
I clenched my jaw, frustration bubbling under my skin. If this was a game, then someone had gone to great Tengths to ensure all the pieces fell exactly where they wanted them to. Conrad’s proof flashed in my mind. The grainy photos, the poor audio quality, the use of the name “Mr. Alex“… None of it sat right with me. It was as if someone had thrown together just enough to make it all look damning
I stood suddenly, pacing the room as my thoughts swirled. If Conrad wasn’t behind this directly, then someone was feeding him information–information they knew would lead him to blame Alexander. And for what?
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to take deep, steady breaths. These inconsistencies in everything were glaring to me, but not to Conrad, who believed in them with all his heart. As I sat back on the bed again, it occurred to me why he believed it without question: Susanna.
She had been the one to come to him first, telling tales about Alexander. I didn’t know if what she had told Conrad was true or not, but I knew Susanna was no angel. Still, Conrad was always quick to take her word as gospel, and now he was ready to believe his brother was a criminal mastermind.
Alexander had not admitted to anything. I wasn’t even sure Conrad had even confronted him. I had been right all along nothing had changed. Susanna wasn’t even here right now, and I could still see her effects on the man who called himself my husband.
I only knew three things for sure.
Conrad fully believed Alexander had been the one to plan my kidnap, even if his proof was a load of nonsense. Somehow, Alexander had been there that day in the warehouse. I remembered him holding me safe. I remembered him covering me with his jacket. How or why he was there, had no idea, but my gut was telling me he there.
I couldn’t trust anyone. Not Alexander, and now, not even Conrad.
heen
I sighed and pressed a band to my head. This was a mess. I couldn’t not allow myself to be dragged into it. Not only for my sake, but for my child’s sake as well. Soon, I would be gone. For good.
