Chapter 123
Logan's car sped through the night.
The disaster at the auction and the bad news from the stock market wrapped around him like a net, tightening with each passing moment.
He yanked at his tie irritably, the frustration in his chest with nowhere to go.
He made a call.
"David, you got a location?"
The voice on the other end was respectful. "Found him, Mr. Sharp. He's in the old district on the west side, a place called Happiness Alley."
"Send me the address."
Logan hung up.
Happiness Alley—the name sounded cheerful enough, but the place was a dump.
Narrow lanes filled with the smell of mold mixed with cooking grease from various kitchens.
Logan got out of the car with a grimace, following the address his people had sent. The stairwell was dimly lit, walls plastered with ads for locksmiths and plumbers.
He climbed to the third floor and knocked on the paint-peeling wooden door at the far end.
After a moment, the door cracked open.
David's face appeared in the gap.
His hair was a mess, his whole presence radiating defeat.
Seeing Logan at the door, his expression didn't change. He just leaned lazily against the doorframe.
"What do you want?"
Logan looked him up and down, then peered past him into the cramped, dingy apartment. He snorted. "Mr. White, how'd you end up in a dump like this? Even the Sharp family's dogs don't live this rough."
David didn't even look up, just turned and walked back inside, leaving the door open—his way of letting Logan in.
The place was sparse. A bed, a table, and the only appliance was an old TV.
Logan looked around with disgust.
"My brother kick you out?" Logan asked, his tone dripping with schadenfreude. "Makes sense. You did all that dirty work for my dear mother. Now that you're useless, getting tossed aside is only natural."
David poured himself a glass of water and ignored him.
Logan kept talking. "You know how great my brother's doing these days? Juliana came back—brought him a son, too. Now they're one big happy family. Oh, and the other day he dropped five million at auction for some piece of junk, all for Juliana. Didn't even blink."
He deliberately emphasized "Juliana," watching for David's reaction.
David's hand paused mid-drink.
Logan caught that detail, his smirk deepening. "What, bitter about it? Bianca's MIA now, you're a stray dog. Meanwhile Juliana's the lady of the Sharp household. Pretty ironic, don't you think?"
David finally reacted. He set down his glass and looked up. Those eyes that used to carry a hint of mischief were now completely flat.
"You done?"
"Not quite." Logan stepped closer, lowering his voice with a manipulative edge. "David, are you really content rotting in this shithole while Lucas and Juliana live the good life? After everything you gave the Sharp family, what did you get?"
David looked at him and suddenly laughed.
"Logan, save your bullshit. If you're trying to drag me into something, you're not qualified."
Logan's expression darkened.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean." David stood and walked to the door, pulling it open. "Get out."
Logan stared at him for a few seconds, realizing this trip was a waste. He snorted coldly, straightened his suit jacket, and headed out.
No point in more words. If David wouldn't play ball, he had other methods.
In the stairwell, Logan's footsteps gradually faded.
Chloe came back from taking out the trash. She glanced toward the stairwell, then back at David.
She didn't ask anything.
Just quietly walked past him into her room.
A moment later, she came back out holding a small ceramic plate with freshly cut apple slices. She handed it to David.
David looked down at the plate, then up at her.
Logan's visit was like a rock thrown into the calm he'd tried to create here. This "Happiness Alley" wasn't so happy anymore.
"Let's move," David said, his voice rough.
Chloe looked at him and nodded. Then she turned and went back to her room, efficiently packing up her few belongings without a word.
David leaned against the doorframe, watching her. A warmth suddenly spread through his chest.
A "foster son" raised as the Sharp family's pawn. An "orphan" who'd lost her parents.
Only they could truly understand each other.
……
At the top floor of Sharp Group headquarters, in the CEO's office.
Lucas sat behind his desk, fingers skimming over documents, but his mind wouldn't settle.
His assistant knocked and entered, placing a freshly printed file on the desk.
"Mr. Sharp, we found some leads about Dr. Wells's situation seven years ago."
Lucas froze.
The assistant's voice was steady. "Seven years ago, before Dr. Wells's parents' company went under, Logan visited them multiple times in a private capacity."
The office was so quiet you could hear the AC humming.
Lucas's gaze fell on the file, his pupils contracting slightly.
Logan.
Logan again.
Lucas had always assumed the Wells family's downfall was just business as usual—survival of the fittest, an accident. But now it seemed there'd been an unseen hand behind that "accident" all along.
Thinking of Juliana's struggles overseas, raising a child alone, waking up freezing on cold winter nights—Lucas's heart clenched painfully.
If none of it had been an accident, if it had all been deliberate...
Seeing his expression, the assistant didn't dare say more. He handed over another file.
"Also, we located David."
Lucas looked up.
"He's in the old west district, a place called Happiness Alley."
Happiness Alley.
That name made Lucas's frown deepen.
Lucas stood, grabbing his suit jacket from the back of his chair.
"Get the car ready."
"Mr. Sharp, you're going yourself?" The assistant sounded surprised.
Lucas didn't answer, just buttoned his jacket.
Some things he needed to ask about personally.
Some people he needed to keep close himself.