Chapter 158 Investigation
Arthur walked out of the assistant's office, paused to think, then headed over to William's workspace. The cold edge hadn't left him yet, and his gaze on the documents was heavy and sharp.
"The west side project — pull together everything: all the paperwork, recent progress, and the contact person. Have it on my desk in half an hour."
William felt a jolt in his chest and responded immediately, fingers flying through his current work. He'd noticed something off about the west side project lately but hadn't dared dig into it. Now that Arthur was bringing it up himself, it was clear he'd already caught wind of something.
Arthur settled back into his office chair, fingers tapping lightly on the desk, his mind turning over the moment he'd mentioned Sophie in front of Rachel.
He picked up the intercom phone and dialed a number. His voice was cold and flat. "Look into all of Sophie's recent financial transactions and who she's been in contact with — especially anything tied to the west side project. If anything moves, report back immediately."
He had never been the type to let people pull his strings. He'd allowed Sophie to quietly meddle in certain company matters lately because he felt he owed her something.
But if Sophie was going to drag Aria into this, he'd be the first one to shut it down.
He'd made that mistake five years ago. He wasn't about to make it again.
Especially since Rachel had seemed a little nervous back there...
That had to be connected to her showing up at Aria's place. Otherwise, the studio had only been open a short while — how would Rachel have just happened to go there to buy flowers?
Some coincidences are coincidences. But too many stacked together? That's not coincidence anymore.
Half an hour later, William set the west side project files on Arthur's desk — a thick stack of documents. Arthur flipped through them fast, and his finger stopped when his eyes landed on a supplier change authorization.
The signature was a convincing imitation, but it was missing his personal approval stamp. And in the handler column, there it was — the name of a distant relative Sophie had placed there.
The coldness in his eyes deepened. He dropped the file on the desk and said quietly, "Suspend all work with that supplier and do a full audit of the project's cash flow."
William took his leave, and Arthur was left alone in the office. He stared out at the busy street below, but what came to mind was Aria in the flower studio, calmly sorting through her materials. Something ached in his chest, mixed with irritation.
He wanted to protect her, yet somehow kept pulling her into trouble without meaning to.
They'd only just found each other again, and already she was dealing with this because of him. He really was something.
He had to clean this up fast. Otherwise, what right did he have to talk about winning her back?
Meanwhile, at Serenity Blooms Studio, the evening sun came through the glass door and fell across the scattered flowers, washing everything in a soft orange glow.
It was closing time. Aria set the last wrapped bouquet on the counter, and Lance helped her put away the tools and straighten the flower stands.
"Don't let today get to you. That woman's little games aren't going anywhere." Lance wiped down the table, his voice easy and reassuring. "I already talked to the property management here. If they spot any unfamiliar faces hanging around the studio, they'll let us know."
The studio fell under the same property management as Aria's apartment complex, so it was easy for Lance to arrange.
Aria smiled and took the cloth from his hand. "Thanks. I'm fine — she's nobody worth worrying about."
She washed her hands, walked over to the corner, and scooped up Jasper, who was sitting there absorbed in a picture book. He immediately wrapped his arms around her neck and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Mommy, can we have mac and cheese tonight?"
Jasper looked up at her, eyes bright.
"Sure, whatever Jasper wants."
Aria pinched his little cheek, said goodbye to Lance, and walked out of the studio hand in hand with Jasper.
The evening breeze was gentle, carrying the scent of gardenias from somewhere along the street. Jasper held his mom's hand and bounced ahead, little legs moving happily, humming a song he'd learned at kindergarten.
Aria walked behind him, watching his small figure, and the quiet coolness in her eyes gave way to something warm. Life back home had its headaches, but as long as Jasper was doing well, it all felt worth it.
They passed the convenience store at the entrance to the complex, and Jasper tugged at Aria's sleeve, pointing at the yogurt in the cooler. "Mommy, I want the strawberry one."
"Just one, okay?"
Aria ruffled his hair, pushed open the door, grabbed the yogurt, and picked up some ingredients for the mac and cheese. As she turned to leave, she caught a glimpse of a black car parked just outside the store.
The window was half down. She only saw a familiar profile — but by the time she looked again, the car was already pulling away into traffic.
She frowned slightly, told herself she must have imagined it, and walked home with Jasper.
In the kitchen, Aria tied on her apron and got the mac and cheese going. Jasper dragged his little stool over and sat beside her, hands propped on the edge of the stove, chattering away about his day at kindergarten.
"Mommy, my teacher said my drawing was really good! I drew you and me and the little daisies at the studio."
"Really? That's amazing, Jasper."
Aria looked down and lifted the pot, pouring the creamy mac and cheese into a bowl. The pasta was perfectly tender, coated in a thick, golden sauce. She added a small pat of butter on top and watched it melt slowly into the warmth, steam curling up and filling the kitchen with a soft, rich smell.
She didn't see it — but outside the complex, in the black car, Arthur sat watching that window with its warm, glowing light. His fingers gripped his phone, the screen showing a message he'd started writing to her, edited and deleted, over and over, and never sent.
He knew that reaching out right now would only add to her troubles. All he could do was stay at a distance and make sure she had the peace she was looking for.
His phone buzzed. A message from William — short, but every word landed.
The west side project funds had been tampered with. In the section handled by Sophie's relative, thirty percent of the materials budget had been quietly skimmed. The supplier was a shell company Sophie had arranged on her own.
Arthur typed a single word on the screen: Investigate. Every trace of warmth left his eyes.
Sophie was bolder than he'd given her credit for. Even now, she'd let her relative pull something like this — did she really think he wouldn't find out? Or was this her way of keeping him buried in problems so she could move on something else?
Either way, he wasn't letting it go.
If Sophie had kept her head down and left things alone, the fact that she'd once saved his life would have been enough to protect her. But now, he was done extending that grace.
He'd already done more than enough.
He put his phone away and looked at the window for a moment longer before telling the driver to go.
"Let's head back. The villa."
He was going to have to have a talk with Sophie. If she kept this up, she was going to bring real trouble down on herself.