Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Five

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Five

LACHLAN

"Murders, isn't it?" Justin inquires as he approaches from the bars. "A mother and her son."
This draws the attention of the others in the cell. They glance at me and then look at Justin, their curiosity piqued.
"Your mother tried to cover up your crime," Justin continues, "but the truth will always surface, no matter how hard you try to hide it."
"Shut your mouth," I growl.
"Or what? You’ll kill me too?"
Snickers escape the other men. I feel their mocking gazes on me.
Justin lowers himself to my height, reducing his words to a whisper. "Let me burst your bubble. Do you know why I framed you as my financier? Do you want to know who the actual financier is?"
I lift an eyebrow, looking at him against my will. I scowl as I meet his gaze.
"It was all Jolene’s idea," Justin whispers, leaning closer so that the others aren't privy to our conversation.
"Who the fuck is Jolene?" I demand. I suspect who it might be, but I wait for Justin to confirm it.
"Your lady friend," Justin confirms. "Ellie Banks."
My mouth twists further. I knew Ellie had set me up, but the plot unravels in my head as Justin lets me in on the entire plan to take me down from the outset.
"You’ve been targeted from the beginning," he says. "That was the primary reason she approached you. We deliberately framed you as the one who funded this operation so that, upon the police's investigation, you would be tagged as the prime suspect. Why? Because you were incensed to find your stepbrother and his wife on a date with your dad when it should have been you sitting at that table with him."
I blink, realizing that the date hadn't been a coincidence. Aiden and Ellie had planned it all along.
"Then things took an interesting turn," Justin continues. "Something to spark the police's interest even more. Annabelle Wilson wanted to tattle. Killing her was never part of the plan, but it had to be done. I didn't hesitate, and that birthed a better approach to detaining you as a suspect. Funding the operation to poison your brother's wife out of malice and jealousy, collaborating with his ex-girlfriend who wanted revenge against him—it was all framed to look like your idea to tarnish his reputation just minutes before his inauguration.
When the plan went south, she tried to bail, but you were no longer eager to help. Just as I calculated, she threatened to expose all of us. The detective was right there listening to the argument, and the moment I killed her, I fell right into his custody.
And that's where Jolene comes in—bringing in evidence to 'prove' your innocence, earning your trust, and—" He deliberately trails off, a wicked glint in his eyes, urging me to complete the rest.
The final blow. The damned invitation I should have ignored. My instincts had warned me, yet I had ignored the signs and walked right into her simulation trap, spilling everything like an open tap.
"Jolene?" I say finally, once the anger Justin raised by explaining the plan has settled into a cold realization. "Is that her real name?"
Justin smirks. "Boss doesn't exist. Boss is a phantom. All you will ever know is the identity she chooses to don."
"You realize I could tattle to the warden about everything you've just said?"
Justin’s smile widens. "You may go ahead. You want revenge against her, but that will only happen if anyone can find her. She’s far away on another continent, starting a new life."
"Aren't you her minion?" I ask. "Yet she left you in prison to rot?"
Justin lifts one corner of his mouth in a wry smile. "Killing Wilson was purely my decision—an improvisation of the plan Boss drafted—so I'm paying the price for it," he says. There is a double entendre in his voice, as if he isn't merely serving a sentence by being in prison, but is here for another target entirely.
"Has someone else caught your attention within these walls?" I ask.
Justin rises to his feet. "Don't be a smartass, rich boy. It won't save you in here. How good are you at fighting?"
I watch him, offering no response.
"I hope you haven't been coddled your entire life," he says, heading toward his bunk. "Otherwise, I’d bet my money that you won't last two weeks."
From the reverent way the other men watch him, it’s clear he has already carved out a reputation for himself. I look away, glaring at the bars.
Aiden. Ellie. Jolene.
"Fuckers," I growl.
However, another thought surfaces. "Your boss is a phantom; she never reveals her true identity," I murmur to myself, scoffing.
She is Ellie to me and Jolene to him. What makes him so confident that she hasn't simply discarded him? I glance in Justin's direction, a complacent smile forming on my lips. The fucker hasn't realized he's been used and dumped.
The anticipation of the moment reality finally dawns on him causes a wicked smile to stretch across my face.
"What?" Justin demands, glaring at me from where he lies.
My smile only widens, my chest tightening with dark amusement.
\----------------------
HERMIONE

"Director Pierce."
I acknowledge the greetings from doctors and staff as I clock out and head toward the exit. My heels click sharply against the polished marble floors.
I catch sight of Professor Patel on my way out. He offers a polite nod, knowing better than to kiss my ass the way he does with other superiors. I manage a small smile in response, and we both continue on our way.
My distaste for him has thinned, but not enough to make him a friend. As promised, he has been assisting the Senator with regaining his vigor. Although the Senator hasn't shown signs of improvement yet, Professor Patel remains confident he can treat him. I leave him to it, having washed my hands of the case completely.
Noah is waiting for me outside, opening the car door as I approach.
"Welcome, ma'am. How was your day?"
"It went well," I answer, slipping into the back seat. "Thank you."
He closes the door and slides behind the wheel. "Will you be visiting Aiden's burial site today?" Noah asks.
Since I stepped back into the public eye a month ago, it has become a habit to stop by Aiden’s grave before heading home. Our plan had been to fill every room of our house with children—a tease, perhaps—but now that I am in that house alone, I feel nothing but discomfort. I once craved solitude like water to a parched soul, but ever since Aiden wormed his way into my heart, he has changed everything about my preferences.
I consider Noah's question and shake my head. "I don't think so. I’ll go another time. Let’s just go home for now."
"Of course," he nods, pulling into traffic.
We fall into a comfortable silence as the car glides along the highway. I am busy working on my phone until I happen to glance out the window. My brows furrow.
"Noah."
"Yes, ma'am?"
"This isn't the way to my house."
"I'm aware," he says.
My brows knit together in confusion. Eventually, the car pulls to a halt on familiar ground.
"I told you I wasn’t coming here," I say firmly.
Noah turns off the engine and steps out of the car. He walks around to open my door, peering down at me with a strange intensity. "You don't remember, do you?"
I am more baffled than ever. What am I forgetting? And what does it have to do with Noah bringing me to Aiden’s burial site against my express wishes?
Noah fixes me with a knowing look, waiting for the pieces to click into place.
Suddenly, I slam my hand over my mouth, my eyes widening in shock. "Today is Aiden's birthday."
Noah steps back from the door—a silent gesture for me to step out.
How could I have let that slip my mind? This was to be the first time we celebrated his birthday since our marriage. We were practically enemies during his last one, so the date had never stuck in my memory.
I climb out of the car, still stunned. As Noah leads me toward the site, I realize we aren't the only ones there. Kash, Jordan, and Chairman Mendes are already present. They offer small, somber smiles.
"Father-in-law," I greet the Chairman, acknowledging the others as well.
"Hermione," Chairman Mendes replies. "You should speak with him. Wish him a private happy birthday."
I furrow my brows as I watch the men begin to turn away. "Aren't you here to wish him a happy birthday as well?"
"We did that before you arrived," Kash says, glancing at Noah. "He missed the actual rendezvous time."
"Hermione didn't clock off work early," Noah says in his own defense.
I watch the men walk away until they are out of sight. A sense of unease lingers. I had assumed they gathered here to honor the dead, though the secrecy of their timing doesn't quite make sense to me. I turn back toward Aiden’s tombstone.
"I had no plan to visit today; otherwise, I wouldn't have come empty-handed," I mutter.
A wave of guilt washes over me for forgetting my husband's birthday. If he were alive, is this how I would have treated him? Would I have forgotten and hurt him?
I sigh, pressing a hand to my forehead in silent self-reproach. I move closer to the tombstone and sink to my knees, brushing my fingers over the bed of flowers growing on his grave.
"I wish you were here to receive a proper birthday wish," I whisper.
No sooner have the words left my lips than my body tenses. I feel a presence nearby—a shift in the air that puts me on high alert. I raise my gaze, looking ahead, and my jaw drops. My breath hitches in my throat, my mind reeling.
"How... how...?"