Chapter 64: Matthew's Origin

Chapter 64: Matthew's Origin
I spun around and drove my fist straight into James's face.

He went down hard. The impact sent him sprawling across my floor.

"You crazy bastard! Coming into my house and attacking people! I'm done letting you get away with this!"

I pinned him down, my knee digging into his chest. The memory flashed through my mind. James and Ashley on the beach. Their lips pressed together. That kiss that had burned itself into my brain.

I wanted to kill him. This hypocrite who'd been circling Ashley like a vulture, waiting for his chance. He'd been sabotaging us from the start.

"Julio, stop! Or I'll shoot!" Something cold pressed against the back of my head. Morrison's voice. That annoying, self-righteous cop.

I glared back at him. "Morrison, put your gun away, or you're not leaving my house."

On the boat, I'd let him point that gun at me so Ashley could get dressed. That didn't mean he could keep threatening me whenever he felt like it.

"Stop! Everyone calm down!" Ashley's angry voice cut through the tension.

For Ashley, I could do that.

I let James up. He got to his feet, staring at me like he wanted to rip my throat out, but he didn't make a move. Morrison lowered his gun.

"Julio, I know you're furious that I worked with Morrison to shut down your casino. But this has nothing to do with Matthew. Give him back to me!" Tears streamed down Ashley's face.

Seeing her cry made my chest tighten.

"What happened to Matthew? He's not here." I had to tell her the truth, even though I knew she wouldn't want to hear it.

I'd been stuck in this house for two days. I hadn't even stepped outside. There was no way I'd seen that annoying little kid.

"Julio, I need you to be honest. Matthew is only two years old. Kidnapping him will only make things worse for you." Morrison launched into his lecture mode again.

This cop was so rigid. The type who probably measured his water intake down to the milliliter. I hated people like him. They were boring as hell, always talking about rules and logic. If you didn't play by their rulebook, you were automatically wrong.

"I'm telling you the truth! Morrison, you know better than anyone. Your department restricted my movement. I've been stuck in this house. I couldn't have seen Matthew even if I wanted to."

"You didn't do it yourself. You had someone else do it!" James was determined to pin this on me.

James and Morrison were both insufferable. They'd already decided I was guilty.

"What would I want with a kid? Both of you, get out of my house!" I'd had enough of them.

They were just getting in the way of me and Ashley.

"I'm not leaving! I'm staying with Ashley!"

"Mr. Julio, I'm here because Ashley reported Matthew missing. I'm accompanying her to investigate suspects. It's my job. As a citizen of Los Angeles, you have an obligation to cooperate with legitimate police work."

"Kerr! Throw them out!"

It didn't matter what they said. I didn't care about any of it.

But Kerr didn't follow my order. He said James and Morrison had a point.

That old man. Ever since my father put him in charge of watching me, he'd stopped listening to me.

Ashley grabbed my arm. Her grip was tight, desperate, like I was her last lifeline.

"Julio, give Matthew back to me! You can do whatever you want to me! He's so small. He'll be scared if he doesn't see me for too long."

"Ashley, I didn't take Matthew. Why won't you believe me!" Ashley's distrust made me irritable.

"You took Matthew before. You threatened me with him before! Julio, it has to be you. There's no one else! I know you're angry. Just give Matthew back to me first. Then you can do whatever you want."

"If I took Matthew, why wouldn't I call and threaten you with him? He's useless to me."

Ashley seemed to process this. She calmed down slightly. But then she looked even more panicked, like realizing it wasn't me made everything worse.

"If it's not you, then who? Who took my Matthew?" Tears spilled down her cheeks.

I stepped forward to pull her into my arms, to comfort her. But James beat me to it.

"Ashley, don't listen to Julio's excuses. He hates Matthew. He could've taken him to kill him. He's already killed so many people. Killing Matthew would be nothing to him."

That lying rat! Always making things up!

"James, shut your mouth!"

But Ashley believed him. She stared at me with red, swollen eyes.

"Julio, you won't even spare a child! How can you be so cruel? Give Matthew back now!"

Ashley kicked and hit me. I had no choice but to hold her still, wrapping my arms around her to stop her.

"Ashley, calm down. James is lying."

"Julio, you can't do this to Matthew. You can't. He's your son." Ashley went limp in my arms, barely able to stand.

"What?" I couldn't believe what I'd just heard.

Matthew was my son? Mine and Ashley's?

He wasn't Ashley and James's kid?

"I found out I was pregnant on Memorial Day. I was going to tell you the good news. But then you killed my parents."

The world tilted. Everything felt surreal. Ashley had been hiding this from me all this time.

"Julio, tell me where he is. As his father, you can't do this."

I felt lost. But all I could do was tell Ashley the truth.

"I didn't kidnap Matthew."

"Why? Who? Who is it? Matthew! Where is Matthew?" Ashley collapsed against me, sobbing.

"Mr. Julio, I need to check your call records."

Morrison, that inflexible cop, still thought I was the kidnapper even now.

I shoved my phone at him, annoyed. He scrolled through it and found that I hadn't contacted anyone in two days. He even checked Kerr's phone to be sure.

"It appears Julio is telling the truth."

"Where did Matthew disappear from? How did it happen?" I asked Morrison.

"From the supermarket parking lot near Ashley's house. He was taken from the car. The parking lot cameras didn't catch their faces. The kidnappers haven't called Ashley. So right now we have no leads."

"They must've driven away. The parking lot cameras might've missed their faces, but the traffic cameras would've caught them. You can track their car that way."

"I'll head to the station and check right now!" Morrison finally caught on and turned to leave.

Ashley couldn't handle things on her own right now. She was completely broken down. I helped her to her feet.

"Ashley, we need to go to the station."

We got to the door, and Kerr blocked my way again.

"Master Julio, the police department won't let you leave this house."

Two of my father's guards stood at the door. There was no way out. I could only watch as James led Ashley away.