"...A new witness... someone who knows about the missing money"
Martin's words played on repeat in my mind as I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. It might just be rumors, and I could be working myself up for nothing, but it's better to be safe than sorry. If there was even a shred of truth to it, this witness could be the key to unraveling the entire case.
I glanced at the clock on my phone—8:32 a.m. Way too early for a Saturday. I threw an arm over my face and groaned as I tried and failed to get up from my bed. I had a habit of sleeping in on Saturdays but I had broken my own record by waking up at seven. No sane person wakes up at seven on a weekend. But then again, nothing about my whole life was sane.
Since I was already awake, I decided to be useful for once and get some work done.
I sighed and sat up, raking a hand through my messy hair. There was no point in lying around anymore. Since I was awake, I might as well make use of the time.
Padding over to my desk, I grabbed the stack of financial records I had been poring over the night before. The numbers swam before my eyes, mocking me with their silence. I'd already combed through every line, looking for discrepancies, but Martin's words lingered in the back of my mind like an itch I couldn't scratch.
A new witness could change everything. But what if it wasn't true? What if I was chasing a shadow?
I leaned back in my chair, letting my gaze drift to the window. The city outside was bathed in the soft golden glow of morning light, a deceptive calm that hid the storm brewing beneath. The Patterson case wasn't just another legal battle; it was a labyrinth of lies, money, and power.
And now, apparently, secrets.
I grabbed my phone, my finger hovering over Martin's contact. Should I call him? Press him for details? No. If this lead was real, it would surface eventually. If it wasn't, I couldn't afford to waste time chasing rumors.
But what if someone else got to the witness first?
The thought sent a chill down my spine. The stakes were higher than ever, and hesitation wasn't an option. Maybe all I can do is hope it isn't just rumors but...
Fuck it
I tapped martins name and waited for him to respond. After a few rings his voice finally came through
"Hey Chloe, weird I'd get a call from you. You are the last person I'd expected to call me. How are- "
"I need you to confirm if the rumors about the witness are true and if so, I need full details." I said cutting him of. I didn't have time for pleasantries I needed to get to the bottom this case as soon as possible and wasting time is not an option.
"Oh uh... yeah of course," he said sounding a bit hurt. But I didn't care he should have known by know that my life revolved strictly around work. And if he didn't, too bad. I had no time dwelling on people's feelings.
"...I did some digging myself," he said feeling proud of himself, "And after quite a while of questioning and this and that, I found out that our witness is in fact real..." he rambled on and on detailing his sleepless nights and painstaking effort it took to verify the information but I didn't care.
The witness is real and all I have to do is get in contact with him and I'll be one step closer to winning this.
"Good, give me their name and contact information." I said cutting him off from whatever he was rambling on about. "Let's also meet at that new café that just opened, I think it's called Rouge..." Sounds like the name for a night club instead of a café "...Lets meet there today. Its better to discuss in person"
"Ah, I'm sorry Chloe but I can't. My sister is due for labor in a few days and I promised I'd be with her today." "Ok then how about tomorrow?"
"Yeah, sure Chloe. It's a date" he said almost too eager
"No, it's not a date, it's a meeting between two colleagues discussing a work problem."
"Yeah, sorry. Wrong choice of words. See you at ten then"
"Yes," then I hung up.
Tossing my phone aside, I reached for my laptop and carried on with my work. I opened the Patterson file, scrolling through names and connections. Now that the witness has been confirmed true, all I had to do was meet up with them and secure their cooperation.
Nothing possibly could go wrong, right?
As I was diving deeper into the case, my phone suddenly started buzzing. I was about to end the call thinking it was my best friend Poppy calling to annoy me as usual. Probably her latest boy toy, but one look at the caller ID and my annoyance twisted into something colder.
Oh great, just what I needed on a nice Saturday: more stress.
I answered the phone, put it on speaker and placed it on my desk.
"Chloe, I heard you have a new job. Quite surprising. Honestly when you said you wanted to be a lawyer, I thought you were kidding."
"Hello to you too dad." I said my tone flat.
Typical James fashion. He rarely called and when he did, it was either to 'convince' me to marry some sleezy millionaire or to berate me for trying to tarnish the family name.
But honestly, I didn't give a fuck about either. I really need to stop cursing so much
"Don't be like that," he replied, the familiar mixture of disapproval and forced warmth lacing his words. "I'm just surprised, that's all. With everything handed to you, why bother with all this... work?"
I clenched my jaw. He always managed to frame it as if I'd willingly walked away from a golden throne. Maybe I had, but only because I couldn't stand living in his shadow.
"Not everyone measures success by sitting back and collecting dividends," I said evenly, keeping my voice calm despite the irritation simmering beneath the surface.
"You wouldn't need to work so hard if you just accepted your place, Chloe," he said, exasperation seeping into his voice. "Do you know how many young women would kill for what you have? The money, the connections—everything I've built to make your life easier?"
"And do you know how many people assume that everything I achieve is because of you?" I shot back. "That nothing I do matters because I'm just 'Daddy's girl'? I've heard it my whole life, Dad. Maybe you think it's a blessing, but to me, it's a cage."
The line was silent for a moment. I could picture him sitting in his study, probably nursing a glass of whiskey at this hour, carefully choosing his next words.
"And this job of yours?" he said finally. "Working for someone like Leonardo Moretti? A man with no morals, no loyalties. You're better than this, Chloe."
I froze, my grip tightening on the edge of my desk. How the hell did he know about Leonardo?
"I did some digging when I found out about your job. I have connections. Connections that'll help you achieve so much more without lifting a finger" he said as if hearing my thoughts
"I don't give a flying fuck about your connections. Whatever you think you know about my job, stay out of it," I said sharply. "It's none of your business."
"Don't curse Chloe, its unbecoming of a Dumas and everything about you is my business," he replied, his voice hardening. "You may want to cut ties with me, Chloe, but don't forget who you are. You'll always be a Dumas. That name means something, whether you like it or not."
"It means nothing to me," I snapped, the words coming out harsher than I intended.
There was a pause, and for a second, I thought he might hang up.
"You're making a mistake, Chloe," he said, quieter this time. "One you'll regret when you realize that all I ever did for you was for your benefit. But it's your life, and your mess to clean up."
With that, he hung up, leaving me staring at my phone, anger swirling in my chest.
I took a deep breath, trying to push his words out of my mind, but they stuck, like a splinter beneath my skin.
It wasn't the first time he'd called to "convince" me, and it wouldn't be the last. But the thing was, Leonardo wasn't the one who spent years trying to control every aspect of my life. That honor belonged to my father.
I needed air.
Grabbing my coat, I headed out, letting the crisp morning breeze cut through the tension coiling in my chest. The city was waking up, the streets slowly filling with people, their lives oblivious to the chaos consuming mine.
I walked aimlessly, my thoughts drifting back to the witness. They were real. That was the good news. But I couldn't ignore the growing sense of unease. If someone knew about the witness, what would they do to keep them quiet?
The thought gnawed at me, but I forced myself to keep moving. Focus. Tomorrow, I'd meet Martin. The witness would have answers. And this case would finally start to unravel.
But for now, all I could do was wait.
~ ~ ~ ~
I arrived at Rogue 20 minutes early and ordered myself a milk tea boba my favorite while I waited for my annoying colleague to arrive.
"You're late" I glared at Martin. It was already 10:05. We had already lost five minutes of quality work time yet the fool was smiling, "Yea sorry I got caught up with something important. My sister was throwing one of her pregnancy tantrums. But relax Chloe, I wouldn't call it late. It's just five minutes"
I would've found it cute that he was looking after his sister, if I actually cared.
"Anyways," I said with a more serious tone, "Back to work shall we." "Oh right," he said as he pulled out his laptop, "The witnesses name, as we both know, assuming you went through the information I sent you, is Jane Cunningham. She was a close friend to the Patterson family. She and her family lived next door to the Patterson's I didn't get much more info other than that. Were you able to call her yesterday?" "Yes, I also set up an appointment with her on Monday. Hopefully we will get answers from her."
Martin and I kept discussing about the case for a good three hours until he said that he had to go home for a family emergency. We said our goodbyes and I was on my way home. Things were looking pretty good for me. Hopefully nothing bad happens tomorrow.
~ ~ ~ ~
As if the universe loved fucking with me, the minute I walked into the office building, I immediately sensed something was terribly wrong. I went to my office and settled down. Not long after Martin came running into my office. "Chloe, Chloe did you hear!" he said, alarm in his tone, "Hear what?" "It's about the witness" my blood ran cold, "What happened to the witness" I asked, my voice betraying the whirlwind of emotions inside me,
. . .
"WHATT-!?"
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|AUTHOR'S NOTE|
Ok, first of all, I am soooo very sorry for the long wait.
Second, I made this chapter longer than expected so sorry for that. Like its 2000+ words ☹
I didn't have time to proof-read it so bear with the mistakes.
This chapter took A LOT out of me and I feel kinda happy with it.
What do you think happens next? 😉
My next publishing date will be announced later today.
Don't forget to vote and comment. I like reading comments.
Bye :3