Chapter 265
Chapter 265
The call ended. Caspian sat in his chair, scrolled through his contacts, found a number, and dialed.
It rang for a long time before the other end picked up.
"You move fast." Caspian's voice was ice-cold. "Calling my family directly—have you no shame?"
"Caspian." Gerald's voice came through the receiver. "I don't like repeating myself."
"Who I associate with is none of your business."
"She's my wife. Your last name is Romanov. Don't covet what belongs to someone else."
The line went dead.
Caspian gripped his phone until his knuckles cracked.
---
Across town, Griffin sat behind his desk. The coffee beside him had gone cold hours ago, untouched.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. Spread across the desk was the third complaint report about Claire that day.
Griffin leaned back and closed his eyes.
She'd lost her mind.
If this continued, she'd drag the entire Douglas family's reputation down with her.
This time, she had to go.
The decision was made, but it brought no relief. A heavier emotion rose from his chest, tightening his throat.
He reached up and pulled a red cord from beneath his shirt collar.
A pendant dropped into his palm, its edges worn smooth and shining from years of touch.
He closed his fist around it.
His real sister. Where was she?
His phone buzzed on the desk.
He answered.
"Grandpa."
The voice on the other end was urgent. "Griffin! There's news! Your sister is in Shadow City! I had people look into it—they found records. Send someone immediately! She's in Shadow City. You'll find her for sure!"
Griffin's fingers tightened around the phone.
"Grandpa, slow down. What street? What name?"
The old man rattled off an address and scattered details. Griffin wrote down every word.
"Got it, Grandpa. I'll send people right away."
He hung up and stared at the scrawled lines on the paper. His heartbeat hammered hard and heavy against his ribs.
He called his driver immediately. He was going himself.
At the doorway, a shadow flickered.
Claire's fingers tightened on the doorframe. She'd come to complain to Griffin, to seek sympathy. But she hadn't even stepped inside before she heard everything.
Hatred flooded through her.
"Matilda... why won't you just die? Why do you have to come back?"
She bit down on her lip, forcing the metallic sweetness back down her throat.
---
That evening. A private room in an exclusive club in Shadow City.
Griffin leaned back into the sofa, turning a whiskey glass in his hand. Some of the exhaustion had lifted from his face.
"There's news." His voice carried a thread of barely concealed relief. "She's in Shadow City. It shouldn't be long now."
Gerald, sitting across from him, glanced up and took a sip from his glass.
"My real sister." Griffin added. "Lost for over twenty years. I'm close to finding her."
Gerald set his glass down. "And the one at home?"
He didn't say a name. They both knew who he meant.
Griffin's smile faded. "Sending her abroad. She stays there. She won't be coming back."
Gerald's eyes darkened.
"This time she has to go." His voice was cold. "Otherwise I'll handle it myself."
Griffin's eyelid twitched at his tone.
Gerald had never said much about Claire before. At most, a dismissive "deal with it yourself."
The undisguised ruthlessness now was nothing like before.
Griffin understood.
"I know." He paused, then shifted topics. "By the way—Caspian."
"He's making moves on your wife." Griffin took a sip. "Pretty obvious about it too."
He looked at Gerald, a hint of probing in his tone. "Doesn't that bother you?"
Gerald was silent for a few breaths.
"She doesn't love him. Why would it bother me?"
Griffin raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"
"The way she looks at him is different." Gerald's voice was even. "When she looks at me, there's still something she hasn't let go of. When she looks at him—there's nothing."
"Feelings can develop over time."
Griffin's lips curved with a hint of amusement. "Aren't you afraid you'll lose?"
Gerald lifted his gaze.
Something deep and steady burned in those dark eyes. His tone was indifferent. "I'll worry about losing when it happens."
Griffin snorted and didn't push further. The room fell quiet again, filled only with the soft sound of liquor swirling against glass.
---
Several days passed. One evening, Sophia came home late from work. She was about to unlock her door, the key already in the lock, when footsteps sounded in the hallway behind her.
"Sophia."
She turned. Caspian stood two steps away, holding an insulated thermos.
He walked toward her. "I made soup. You mentioned your throat was bothering you."
Sophia took the thermos. "Thanks, Caspian. You didn't have to come all this way so late."
She was about to invite him in when the light at the stairwell entrance dimmed.
Gerald stood in the shadows. His face was completely expressionless.
Sophia's hands stilled.
She pulled her key from the lock, turned, opened the security door, and only half-turned toward Caspian. "Drive safe." Then she shut the door behind her.
The hallway was silent for several seconds.
Caspian glanced sideways at Gerald. His lips moved slightly, but he said nothing. He turned and headed downstairs.
Gerald stared at the closed door. His eyes dropped. Then he turned and walked away.
Their footsteps faded one after the other down the corridor.
---
Sophia set the thermos on the entryway cabinet, changed into slippers, and pulled her phone from her bag. The screen still showed the supply agreement she hadn't finished reading earlier.
She genuinely needed Apex Materials. But she didn't want to take anything from Gerald for free.
She was lost in thought when her phone screen lit up. Incoming call: Gerald.
"Milo has a fever." Gerald's voice came through the speaker, the sound of a child's whimpering audible in the background.
Sophia's fingers tightened around the phone. "I'm on my way."
---
Thirty minutes later, Sophia pushed open the door to the children's room. Milo was curled beneath the covers, his small face flushed bright red.
"Mommy..." His eyes flickered to life when he saw her, but the fever had drained him. He stretched out a small hand to reach for her.
Sophia went to him and gathered him into her arms. "Mommy's here."
"Don't leave." Milo clutched her sleeve and wouldn't let go.
"I promise I won't leave. Even after your fever breaks, I won't leave." Sophia pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Sleep now. Mommy's right here."
Milo closed his eyes. His grip on her sleeve loosened gradually, and his breathing evened out.
Sophia eased him back onto the pillow, tucked the blanket around him, and tiptoed out, pulling the door shut behind her.
Gerald stood at the end of the hallway.
"Let's talk about the contract."
Sophia pulled the folder from her bag and held it out. "I'll sign. But I set the terms. From procurement to inspection, none of your people touch the materials. My team handles every step of the process independently."