CHAPTER 064
OLIVIA’S POV
I got up from the chair and walked over to the shelves to grab myself a pen and some paper. Today, nothing was going to stop me from getting those names. My determination burned stronger than ever.
As I unlocked the laptop password, my fingers trembled slightly–not from fear, but from the adrenaline coursing through me. I scrolled through all the folders, searching. carefully to see if he had saved the names of the hired people. And just when I thought it might all be hidden away too well, there it was. Lucky for me, he wasn’t as careful as he thought.
There was a folder labeled “Transactions.” My heart thumped as I clicked it open. Inside, my eyes caught a subfolder titled Payment for Fake Death.
The moment I saw that, a chill ran down my spine. I clicked on it without hesitation, and my gaze landed on the sum of money that had been transferred–an amount so large it made my breath hitch.
There were five names in that folder. Some were familiar, and others were probably the people we were desperately trying to uncover.
Adrian’s accountant was listed, as well as Adrian himself. But the three names that stood out, names that could be the missing pieces of this puzzle, were Sandra Jertol, Nick Dibeny, and Emma Jackson.
“So you’re the people that gave in to that act,” I muttered under my breath, my voice. filled with bitter satisfaction as I wrote the names down on my paper. My handwriting was shaky from the mixture of shock and determination, but I managed to get them all. down clearly.
Once I was done, I grabbed my phone and quickly snapped a picture of the transaction screen, just in case. Evidence like this was too important to rely on a single source. If anything happened to the physical notes, I’d still have the proof in my phone. Now that I had this, I felt a flicker of hope. I could finally start working on my way of this mess, out of this twisted web of lies and deceit.
way out
“Now on to the next one,” I whispered to myself, trying to steady my breathing. Without wasting another second, I returned to the folder I had opened earlier. I scrolled through the endless files, each one blurring together until–there it was. The file that had haunted my thoughts all day, was the one bearing my parents‘ names. My heart pounded like a drum in,my chest as I clicked it open.
The moment my eyes read throu Successfully unlocked!reath caught in my throat.
Jesus Christ.
What I saw didn’t make any sense. Was this some kind of cruel joke? Was this another
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one of Adrian’s twisted, fabricated schemes? It had to be forged–it just had to.
My parents weren’t fraudulent. I had known them my entire life, trusted them implicitly, and believed in them without a shadow of a doubt. They had never been involved in any fraud, or so I thought. But here it was, plain as day, claiming that my parents defrauded Adrian’s mother.
No… no, this couldn’t be real.
I forced myself to keep reading, even as my stomach twisted painfully. And as I read. on, it only got worse. My eyes stung, tears threatening to spill over as I absorbed the accusations.
The file claimed that my parents were not only fraudsters, but they were also the root cause of Adrian’s mother’s death. My nails dug painfully into my palms as I tried to make sense of it all, each piece of so–called “evidence” cutting deeper than the last.
Adrian knew about this? He knew about all of this and still married me?
But why?
If he truly knew, why was he still helping my parents? Why did he continue to treat them kindly, to act as though none of this mattered? Had he forgiven them? Or was he hiding something even darker beneath
And did my parents know about this?
A lot of questions stormed through my mind, each one more frantic than the last. I needed answers, but I couldn’t just confront Adrian directly–that would be a reckless
move.
No, this was something I had to bring up with my parents first. They must know. something about this. Even if they were somehow involved, why hadn’t they ever told me? Why had they hidden such a devastating secret?
I pulled out my phone, my fingers hovering over my mother’s number. But then I hesitated. No, this wasn’t something that could be discussed over a phone call. I needed to look them in the eye when I asked them about this.
Taking a deep breath, I snapped a picture of the file for evidence and carefully shut the laptop, making sure to arrange it exactly as I had found it. I got up and went upstairs to change into something more suitable.
While going through my wardrobe, Julian’s call came in. I had been planning to call him anyway.
“Did you see what I sent you?” I asked the moment I answered.
“Yes, I’ve gotten them. Now I’ll track down where they live and get them to confess the truth,” Julian’s voice crackled through the phone, determined.
I didn’t respond immediately. I continued changing my dress, my mind too clouded to offer him the enthusiasm he probably expected. I knew he was waiting for a more
CHAPTER 064
excited reaction, but I couldn’t fake it–not after what I had just uncovered.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his tone laced with curiosity and concern.
“I’m going to see my parents,” I replied firmly.
“Is there any need for that?” he questioned.
“It’s a long story. When I get back, I’ll explain everything. For now, just focus on finding their location,” I instructed, ending the call before he could say another word.
I grabbed my purse and left the house. My parents‘ place wasn’t far from Adrian’s, so I arrived quickly, my heart pounding with anticipation and dread.
It had been a while since I’d last been here, and the memories were far from pleasant. My hand instinctively went to my stomach, as though to brace myself for whatever was about to come.
I walked toward the garden and got the spare key from its usual hiding spot beneath the sand. As I glanced around, I noticed that none of their cars were parked outside, which meant they were probably not home. Still, I decided to wait.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside. The familiar scent of the house hit me immediately, stirring old memories I tried to suppress.
Just as I was lost in thought, a woman’s voice snapped me back to reality.
“We need to take another loan from him,” my mother’s voice said, sharp and clear.
“I know we need it darling but do you think he will give us such an amount again.?” my father asked, his voice unmistakable.
“Why wouldn’t he give it to us? He’s our son–in–law, and we have every right to ask him,” my mother replied confidently.
I rolled my eyes, bitterness welling inside me. So that’s what they were plotting. Another loan from Adrian, as if they hadn’t already taken enough. But that wasn’t why I
came here.
Tmoved closer to the voices, but then my father’s next words froze me in place.
“You can’t say we have every right because Olivia isn’t even our biological daughter.”
My heart stopped. My eyes widened, and the room around me seemed to spin.
say?
What did he just say?
CHAPTER 065
CHAPTER 065
