Chapter 118 Loose ends.
CHAPTER 118
Loose ends.
ROMAN – POINT OF VIEW
I don’t go home, not when the council were looking directly into my fiancé. I know that Scarlett is hiding something. If I cannot find it, I might as well bury it deeper, keep it from their reach.
I make my way to one of my condos, where Bastain is already waiting for me.
He’s the top intelligence officer at Sterling AI and also my guy for things like this.
I pull off my shirt and go straight to it, “The council are looking into my wife presently. She’s hiding something. She’s hiding it from me, too. We are not here to find out her secrets but to hide them deeper, create a clean slate for her to hide under and fool the Council. Her secrets have to stay hidden, but within our reach after this storm is over, but very hidden. She has to be the perfect American woman.”
He nods, and we get to work.
For the next four hours, we do our best to create a deeply encrypted past for Scarlett, one that hides all the questions and suspicions. We create a perfect persona for the Council to find. We built her a past. We take her pictures, edit them, make her look younger, make Eve look younger, just so there can be traces of their childhood and supposed sisterhood. We create educational backgrounds, and we run websites deeper than anything possible.
It’s invasive. It is wrong. She will never forgive me when she finds out. When, not if, because she will find out, and hate me. We’ll be back to the beginning, but I don’t care about that right now.
When my parents were in the hospital, and I couldn’t get money from Amara and Dante, I put the land up for sale. The house was gone, burned to ashes, and I thought I could get a down payment which would buy me the time I needed, but it didn’t work. Instead, I lost the land to the city. When mom got out of the hospital months later, she taught me that I would have rebuilt something, not knowing everything was lost. She never forgave me. The land, the home, was the last connection she believed she had to my father. Ironic, considering I am a replica of him, but I have worked hard for the past decade to get that land back.
They refuse to let me have it.
My reputation as a greedy billionaire grew, and they thought I wanted to build more condos, a bank or a mall, not knowing I just wanted to preserve my father’s legacy. No amount of money could get me what I want, but this deal will open doors. I will have more power, more influence, and will get back my land.
My mother won’t forgive me even then, and that’s fine. I’m done begging for her forgiveness.
“It’s done, Boss,” Bastian tells me, and I exhale softly.
Now, no article can be written about her again because she is no longer a ghost. She has a past, one we fabricated, but it will hold long enough to get me what I need.
“Now, let’s find out who she actually is,” I whisper and ignore the guilt gnawing at my chest.
“I traced that number, Boss, and it took a while, which is why I hadn’t reached back. It went through a lot of countries but ended in Mexico. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact location there, but I am certain it is Mexico.” He informs me sharply.
I nod, chew my lip, and say, “Here’s what I know – she has dark hair under her dyed one, she speaks Spanish and has an accent, her parents are dead. This is not much to go on, but it’s something. Can you dig deep for any information that may come up?”
“Alright,” he nods, and gets to work.
I lean back and watch him work. I should join him, but I am overwhelmed. I have spun a web of lies and secrets. Soon, all these will blow over. Scarlett’s secrets will be out, and so will be mine. None of us is innocent in this. We are just making the best with what has been given to us. That does not excuse my actions, though, nothing does.
“Check on Emiliano Calderon's connection,” I say sharply.
“To Ms Scarlett?” He asks.
I frown, “What?”
“Do you want to check the possible connection between Emiliano Calderon and Ms Scarlett?” He clarifies.
“There isn’t a connection, there. Emiliano attacked us in Italy. Scarlett was just collateral damage. There is no possible connection …” I trail off, the wheels in my head turning, “Check Emiliano’s influence on Sterling Aviation.”
He nods.
I exhale slowly, my chest constricting.
I step out onto the balcony and call Luca.
He picks moments later.
“Do you think Scarlett or any version of her past is connected to Emiliano?” I hit the nail on the head.
“What? That’s … that’s impossible. Emiliano is the Cartel. Scarlett is not.” He sounds as confused as I do.
“The attack was to get to Adeline, not Scarlett. She was collateral damage, right?” I demand, confused. If she was collateral damage, why wasn’t she killed or kept elsewhere? Because he knew who I was, and wants me? Does everything come back to me, or her? Or is there a world where our lives have been intertwined since the beginning?
“I don’t know,” Luca admits.
My phone beeps. It’s Scarlett calling.
“I have to go,” I say and end the call. I pick up Scarlett’s call and try to calm my pounding heart.
“Where are you? You’re late, Roman.” She whispers, voice thick with sleep.
“Just tying up some loose ends. I’ll be on my way soon.” I assure her.
“Okay,” she yawns, “Can you get some groceries on your way?”
“Of course.” I nod, and she ends the call.
I lean against the railing, my head aching.
The phone beeps again. It’s the Council – the deal is yours, Sterling.