Chapter 19 Chapter 19
"Then we've already lost our advantage," Helga finished, shaking off his touch. "I won't let the Lawsons get the upper hand in this. Not when we could use this situation to secure the shipping contract."
At the Lawson estate, Richard received the call from his eldest son with a trembling hand. After twenty years of searching, of false leads and dashed hopes, could this truly be the moment they'd been waiting for?
"Father, we've found her," Theodore said, his voice tight with emotion. "She's agreed to meet us at the university library in one hour."
Richard Lawson gripped the phone so hard his knuckles turned white. Twenty years of searching, of sleepless nights and false leads, had culminated in this moment. "Is she..." He couldn't finish the question, fear of disappointment too deeply ingrained.
"I don't know," Theodore admitted. "But the timing fits. The circumstances fit. And she's willing to meet us."
"I'm on my way," Richard said, already signalling to his driver. "Tell her..." He paused, overwhelmed. "No, don't tell her anything yet. Just keep her safe until I arrive."
In Tony's loft, Iris gathered her portfolio and phone, mentally preparing for what lay ahead. Her practical mind catalogued everything she knew, seeking patterns and connections that might explain how she had suddenly become the centre of a two-decade-old mystery.
"We should leave separately," she said, her voice steadier than she felt. "Your parents are tracking your car. I'll take public transportation."
Tony shook his head firmly. "No way. I'm not letting you face this alone."
"I won't be alone," Iris replied. "I'll be in a public library with security cameras and witnesses. And the Lawsons will be focused on me, not you. This gives you time to deal with your parents."
Tony knew she was right, but the thought of her walking into that meeting without him felt like a physical pain. "My parents are dangerous when they want something, Iris. And they clearly want you."
"For leverage against the Lawsons," Iris said, her analytical mind having already worked through the implications. "But once the Lawsons and I have met, that leverage disappears."
Tony marvelled at her clarity even in crisis. Where most people would be overwhelmed by emotion, Iris saw strategies and solutions. It was one of the many reasons he had fallen for her.
"At least let me get you to the campus," he conceded. "We'll abandon my car a few blocks away and approach separately."
Iris nodded, recognising the logic in his plan. As they prepared to leave, she paused, her hand resting on her portfolio case. "Tony? Thank you. For caring enough to warn me."
The simple acknowledgment meant more to him than she could know.
Across town, Helga Kennedy's security team had triangulated the location of Tony's loft based on the GPS tracker. Four men in nondescript clothing converged on the building, their movements casual enough not to draw attention but purposeful enough to cover all exits.
"Remember, we need the girl unharmed and cooperative," the team leader instructed through their earpieces. "Mrs Kennedy was explicit about that."
Inside the Kennedy penthouse, Julius watched the security feed with growing unease. His wife's determination to control this situation was veering into very dangerous territory, so he changed tack, “What if Antony were to court her after that kiss he seems to have developed feelings for her? I know you hoped that your son and your best friend’s daughter would marry. Even if this Miss Maxwell turns out not to be the heiress, her talent alone will make her a multimillionaire, and a lot of other rich men’s sons will be doing anything to get her to take notice.”
Helga Kennedy turned to her husband, a calculating glint in her eye as she considered his suggestion. For twenty years, the Kennedys and Lawsons had maintained a careful business relationship built on mutual benefit and subtle competition. This situation could indeed be leveraged in multiple ways.
"Antony courting the girl..." she mused, tapping one perfectly manicured finger against her chin. "If she truly is Roxanne Lawson, such a match would bind our families together permanently."
"And secure the shipping contract without the messy business of trying to 'acquire' the girl against her will," Julius added, relieved to see his wife considering a less aggressive approach.
"But Eleanor..."
"Has never been interested in our son," Julius finished firmly. "You know that as well as I do. This girl, however, Antony clearly cares for her. That kiss wasn't staged for our investigator's benefit."
In the SUV approaching the university, the Lawson brothers sat in tense silence, each lost in his own thoughts. Theodore gripped the steering wheel tightly, his mind racing with protocols and contingencies. As the eldest, he had shouldered the heaviest burden of his sister's absence, watching his parents' grief transform their family, feeling responsible for maintaining stability when everything threatened to crumble.
Victor stared out the window, his military training evident in his rigid posture. He had been only eight when Roxanne disappeared, old enough to understand the loss but too young to help. That helplessness had shaped his entire life, driving him to develop skills to ensure he would never feel so powerless again.
In the back seat, Bryce fidgeted with his tablet, pulling up every piece of information he could find on Iris Maxwell. As the youngest, born two years after the kidnapping, he had never known a family untouched by grief. His entire existence had been defined by the search for a sister he had never met.
"Her designs are incredible," he murmured, scrolling through photos of Iris's award-winning jewellery. "Look at the technical precision, the innovation in these clasps. If she is Roxanne..."
"Then she inherited Mother's artistic talent," Theodore finished, a lump forming in his throat. Their mother, Dianne, had been an accomplished sculptor before grief had stolen her creative spark.
On the other side of campus, Tony parked his car in a crowded shopping centre garage, knowing his parents' security team would be tracking it there. He and Iris walked briskly toward the bus stop, maintaining a careful distance between them to avoid looking like a couple.
"Are you sure about this?" Tony asked as they waited for the bus that would take them to the university library. "We could still leave town, give you time to process everything before facing them."