Chapter 112 Suspicion and Estrangement

Chapter 112 Suspicion and Estrangement

After hanging up, Ruth set her phone aside and pulled back the curtain. Just in time to see Shawn hurrying out of Rosewood Estates below.

He must be going to investigate this.

A faint smile flickered in Ruth's eyes.

Vivian, let's see how you handle this now.

Shawn stayed at the office all night.

The next morning, Tim finally arrived with the investigation results.

Shawn was groggy, but the moment he heard the words "found him," he snapped wide awake.

Tim stood before Shawn and reported matter-of-factly, "Mr. Grey, we found him. The photographer's name is Kyle. He's a regular at that bar who specializes in taking these kinds of stealth photos for hire. We also checked his recent bank transactions. There's a payment that came in from an anonymous account, and the amount matches up."

Shawn flipped through several pages of the file, his expression darkening with each turn.

He snapped the folder shut and stood. "Let's go. Time to have a chat with this guy."

On his way out, Shawn ran into Caleb and brought him along.

He remembered Caleb had trained in kickboxing, having him there meant an extra pair of hands.

Kyle lived in a run-down apartment building in Brooklyn.

When Shawn knocked on the door, Kyle was sitting in the living room eating a sandwich.

Annoyed at the interruption, he tossed the sandwich onto the table and went to answer the door. The moment he saw several men in suits standing there, his irritation vanished instantly.

"Who... who are you looking for?"

Shawn walked straight in and threw the photos at him. "You took these?"

Kyle glanced down at the scattered photos on the floor. His pupils contracted slightly, but he still played dumb. "What do these photos have to do with me? I don't know anything."

Seeing the witness refuse to confess, Shawn gave Tim a sidelong glance.

Tim stepped forward knowingly, opened his tablet, and shoved it in Kyle's face.

"This account transferred money to you, and here's your purchase record at the bar that night." Tim swiped to another screen. "That's you sitting in this booth, isn't it?"

Caleb moved closer, his expression blank. "Are you going to admit it yourself? Or should we find somewhere else to talk?"

Kyle's face went white, his legs nearly giving out.

"I..."

Seeing him stammer without getting out a complete sentence, Caleb spoke again.

"I'm only counting to three. If you don't confess, we'll have to try other methods."

Just as Caleb reached "two," Kyle's head shot up. "I'll talk! I'll talk! It was a woman who paid me to take those photos. She gave me money to get intimate shots."

"What did this woman look like?" Shawn asked coldly.

Kyle thought for a moment and gave a description.

Shawn pulled out his phone, found a photo of Vivian, and held it up. "Is this her?"

The moment Kyle saw the photo on Shawn's phone, he nodded frantically.

"Yes, yes! That's her."

So it was that woman after all.

Shawn closed his eyes briefly, his fists clenched tight, though his anger still wouldn't subside.

"Take this guy with us."

Kyle panicked instantly. "Wait, I thought you'd let me go if I talked!"

Neither Caleb nor Tim responded. They dragged him out like a dead dog.

At Vivian's apartment, Shawn used his key to open the door directly.

Vivian had just woken up not long ago. Hearing the door open, she jumped in fright.

Thinking it was a burglar, she started looking around for something to defend herself with, but then the door swung open.

Shawn stood in the doorway, his face dark as thunder.

Vivian froze for a moment. Then she quickly walked toward him. "Shawn, why are you here so early in the morning?"

"I'm asking you one last time," Shawn said coldly. "Did you or did you not hire someone to take those photos?"

Vivian pressed her lips together, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Shawn, I explained everything yesterday. Why don't you believe me?"

Seeing Vivian still stubbornly lying, Shawn said without turning around, "Bring him in."

The moment he spoke, Tim and Caleb pushed Kyle inside.

Kyle stumbled before regaining his balance.

The instant Vivian saw Kyle, her mind went blank.

How did Shawn find this man?

"Recognize him?"

Vivian immediately rushed forward and grabbed Shawn's arm, trembling. "Shawn, he looks so scary! Who is he?"

Shawn let out a cold laugh.

How blind he'd been in the past, to fall for a woman like this.

He shook off Vivian's hand, his eyes full of hostility. "Still going to deny it?"

Shawn pulled out his phone and showed her the chat logs and transfer records between her and Kyle.

"The evidence and the witness are both right here. You still want to argue?"

Seeing there was no way out, Vivian bit her lip and broke down crying.

"Shawn, I just love you too much! And my pregnancy is getting further along. I just wanted a legitimate place by your side. Is that so wrong?"

She reached out to grab Shawn's sleeve again, but he yanked his arm away.

"A legitimate place?" Shawn's voice was as cold as ice. "How many times have I told you? Ruth is my wife. That position will never belong to you. And you still pulled this kind of stunt?"

Vivian stumbled from the force of his rejection, grabbing the armrest of the sofa to steady herself.

She refused to accept this!

Why did Ruth get everything while she got nothing?

But seeing how furious Shawn was, she could only force herself to keep it together.

"I'm sorry, Shawn. I know I was wrong. I won't do anything like this again."

Shawn looked at her pitiful act without a shred of sympathy.

He stepped back, his gaze cold and detached. "Vivian, I'm warning you. This is the last time. If you ever pull something like this again, I don't care whether you live or die. You're on your own."

"As for the baby in your belly, if you want to keep it, keep it. If you don't, get rid of it yourself. I'm done."

Vivian was completely stunned.

Now he didn't even want the child anymore?

Seeing Shawn turn to leave, she chased after him a few steps. "Shawn, how can you be so heartless? This is your own flesh and blood! Didn't you always want a child?"

But Shawn didn't even slow down.

The door slammed shut behind him.

Vivian collapsed weakly to the floor, tilting her head back and laughing bitterly.

What a joke she was. After all she'd done, she still couldn't measure up to a single finger of Ruth's.

Downstairs at the apartment building.

While Shawn and Tim were talking, Caleb took the opportunity to send Ruth the recording he'd just made.

On the other end.

Ruth received the audio file and put on her headphones, listening to it from start to finish.

Hearing those words, she felt immensely satisfied. She knew Shawn was only speaking out of anger, but that was enough.

Ruth sent Caleb a message: [Thanks for your hard work.]

She also transferred some money to him.

Her phone buzzed again. Ruth didn't check it.