Chapter 14 Investigation
The lady was none other than Vivian Chen.
The private investigator Derek had hired sat in Adrian's meeting room, clearly uneasy. She had sharp features, watchful eyes, and sat in a way that made her look ready to bolt at any second.
Vivian tapped her thumbnail against her pen cap, a nervous habit that always showed up when she felt trapped, no matter how hard she tried to stop.
She took in every exit, her eyes landing on the narrow emergency door behind Adrian's chair.
Adrian watched her on the security feed for a moment, then stood up from his desk.
It was time to talk.
He slipped into the conference room and closed the door quietly. Vivian sat up straighter, watching his every move.
"Mr. Cavanaugh." Her voice was steady, shoulders tight. "I wasn't expecting this."
"I imagine not." Adrian sat across from her, his expression unreadable. "Do you know why you're here, Ms. Chen?"
Vivian hesitated. "I have my suspicions."
"Enlighten me."
"Derek Lawson hired me to investigate his wife." Vivian's jaw tightened. "And I'm guessing you have a problem with that."
"Not exactly a problem." Adrian leaned back in his chair and pressed his fingertips together. "It's more of a business offer."
Vivian's eyes narrowed. "What kind of proposition?"
"The kind where you work for me instead," Adrian spoke casually, but his eyes were sharp. "I'll pay you three times what Lawson offered. In return, you'll give me everything you've found so far and make sure nothing you discovered ever gets to him."
He leaned in just a little, his mouth tight, showing he was in a hurry even though he looked calm. "I need your information quickly, Ms. Chen. Time isn't on my side."
Vivian was silent for a long moment as she thought it over.
"That's significant," she said finally.
"I'm a significant man."
"But Lawson won't be happy. If he finds out I double-crossed him..."
"He won't." Adrian's voice hardened. "By the time I'm done with him, Derek Lawson will have much bigger problems than a private investigator who switched sides."
Vivian looked at him, thinking hard about the risks and rewards.
"Why?" she asked. "What's your stake in this?"
Adrian's jaw tightened just a bit.
"That's not your concern."
"It is if I'm going to work for you." Vivian leaned in. "I don't take jobs blind, Mr. Cavanaugh. I need to know what I'm getting into."
Adrian was quiet for a moment.
He spoke slowly, choosing his words.
"Eva Fransis is important to me. Let's just say our paths crossed years before she married Lawson—long before either of you ever met. Some bonds don't fade, no matter how much time passes."
"Important how?"
"That's all you need to know." His tone made it clear there was no room for argument. "Do we have a deal, Ms. Chen?"
Vivian looked at him, doubt showing on her face as she took quick breaths and thought about her choices.
Then she nodded.
"We have a deal."
"Good." Adrian slid a folder across the table. "Inside is your new job. I want everything you can find on Derek Lawson—his money, the people he knows, his secrets. Everything he's hiding."
Vivian opened the folder and scanned its contents.
"This could take time."
"You have one week."
Her eyebrows rose. "That's not much time."
"Then I suggest you start right away." Adrian stood, showing that the meeting was over. "My assistant will give you some money up front. Don't let me down, Ms. Chen."
Vivian rose as well, tucking the folder under her arm.
"I never disappoint, Mr. Cavanaugh." She gave a small, knowing smile. "This Eva Fransis must be quite something for you to go to such lengths."
Adrian didn't respond.
As she turned to leave, Vivian's thoughts raced. Whoever Eva was, she had a hold on Adrian strong enough to make him lose his usual control.
Vivian became more curious, but also more careful. Was Eva someone who needed help, or someone much more dangerous?
Either way, Vivian knew she was only seeing the beginning of something bigger, and she wondered if she was about to walk right into the middle of it.
As Vivian left the room, Adrian's expression softened for just a moment.
Quite something indeed.
Derek was panicking.
He stood in his private office at Fransis Corp, clutching the photograph from that morning crumpled in his fist. He had called Vivian Chen a dozen times, but she didn't answer. Her assistant said she had been "called away on urgent business."
Urgent business.
Right.
Someone had gotten to her. His investigation had been intercepted before it even started.
"Do you think your secret can be hidden till the end? – C."
Who was C?
Derek paced his office, mind racing through possibilities.
Could it be someone working for Richard Fransis? The old man had plenty of resources and connections, but this didn't seem like his style. Richard was direct, almost brutally so. If he wanted to threaten Derek, he'd do it face-to-face.
No, this was someone else.
His phone buzzed.
Hoping for good news, Derek grabbed the phone. He wanted it to be Vivian.
But it wasn't.
An unknown number was displayed on the screen.
His number was private, so he hardly received any unknown calls.
His body froze, sudden unease prickling his skin.
His heart pounded, and sweat ran down his face. For a moment, his thumb hovered over the answer button, and he hesitated as he wiped his hand on his sleeve.
He answered anyway.
"Who is this?"
"Good morning, Mr. Lawson." The voice on the other end was male, smooth, and completely unfamiliar. "I trust you received my gift."
Derek's stomach turned, and his hand shook. He felt a chill run down his back, and sweat made his palm slippery.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Someone who knows exactly what you've been doing." The voice remained calm, almost pleasant. "I have evidence of you stealing money from Francis Corporation. Secret corporate transactions you conducted in the dark. Your affair with Ms. Reena Park. I know everything."
"Who are you?"
"It doesn't matter who I am. What you should worry about is your secrets that are in my hands."
A cold wave of fear hit Derek. Each secret revealed felt like a punch, and his mind raced through wild memories—fake reports, late-night meetings, too many lies stacked up.
His stomach tightened with a guilt he usually kept hidden. How had everything fallen apart so fast? For the first time, he realized just how exposed he was and how little control he had left.
Derek gripped the phone so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"If you think you can blackmail me—"
"Blackmail?" The man laughed softly. "No, Mr. Lawson. I'm not interested in your money. I'm interested in something far more valuable."