Chapter 124
Logan's men came up empty.
The paint-peeling wooden door on the third floor of Happiness Alley had been easily picked open, but inside was nothing.
Every trace that someone had been living there in squalor—gone.
The guy in charge walked around the room once, then pulled out his phone and called Logan.
"Mr. Sharp, they're gone."
Silence stretched on the other end for so long he thought the call had dropped. Finally, Logan's voice came through, tightly controlled. "Got it."
The men filed out of the building looking frustrated. Just as they reached the mouth of the alley, a black Bentley glided silently past.
They instinctively ducked their heads.
From the back seat, Lucas's gaze lingered on one of the faces for half a second.
Estate security—one of the guys Logan had taken from his mother.
Lucas's brow furrowed deeply. He didn't say anything, just watched as the men hurried into an unmarked van and disappeared down the alley.
Why would they be at David's place?
He got out and walked into David's apartment. The air still carried a faint smell of disinfectant.
Gone.
Gone so quickly, so cleanly.
Lucas pulled out his phone and called his assistant.
"Check Logan's movements this afternoon. Focus on before this time."
He was almost certain David's sudden disappearance had something to do with Logan.
……
Juliana was sitting on the couch reading a medical journal when the doorbell rang.
A servant brought back an unmarked manila envelope and handed it to Juliana.
"Mrs. Sharp, a delivery for you."
Juliana was confused. She hadn't ordered anything recently.
She tore open the seal and poured out a thick stack of papers.
The edges were slightly yellowed, like they'd been stored for years. The pages were covered in dense numbers and tables—company ledgers.
Juliana's heart skipped a beat.
She recognized them. These were photocopies of her parents' company accounts.
She flipped through page by page, her fingertips ice-cold. Back then, her parents' company had been destroyed by a "fraudulent tax evasion" ledger. But this ledger in front of her showed every transaction clear as day, clean as a whistle—not a single irregularity.
On the last page was a small note with printed words:
[Your parents were innocent.]
Juliana's breathing stopped.
All the color drained from her face, a ringing filling her ears. She gripped the papers so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Innocent.
Those three words were like a poisoned blade driving straight into her heart.
She'd always thought her parents' deaths were an accident, an unfortunate casualty of business warfare. She'd been angry, bitter, but ultimately had to accept reality.
Now someone was telling her it hadn't been an accident.
It had been a complete miscarriage of justice. A carefully orchestrated murder.
Who?
Who had driven her parents to their deaths? And who, seven years later, had sent this evidence to her?
Overwhelming grief and rage crashed over her like waves. She could barely breathe, her vision going dark around the edges.
She grabbed her phone and shakily dialed Lucas's number.
He picked up quickly, his steady voice coming through. "What's wrong?"
Juliana opened her mouth but no sound came out. She was afraid if she spoke, she'd lose control and break down crying. She dug her nails into her palm, forcing herself to stay calm.
"Lucas," her voice was soft, with an imperceptible tremor, "can you pick up the kids?"
"Sure." Lucas agreed immediately without asking more. But he'd caught something off in her voice.
"I'm not feeling well. Want to rest early," Juliana added, as if explaining.
"Okay, I'll be right there."
After hanging up, Juliana couldn't hold it together anymore. She buried her face in her knees, her shoulders shaking silently.
……
In Lucas's car, the mood was light.
The two boys sat in the back seat, each holding a tablet, playing a game together.
Lucas glanced at them in the rearview mirror and spoke up.
"When we get home, Mommy might not be in a great mood."
Damian immediately looked up, forgetting all about his game. "What's wrong with Mommy? Is she sick?"
"She's not sick," Lucas said. "Just a bit unhappy. So your mission is to make her smile."
Hearing that, Damian immediately puffed out his chest like a little man. "Leave it to me! I just learned a new magic trick from TV. I'll definitely make Mommy laugh!"
Matthew put down his tablet too and said slowly, "I'll tell her jokes. Even bad puns. One of them's gotta work."
Lucas looked at his sons' serious little faces in the rearview mirror, warmth spreading through his chest.
The car drove steadily toward home, carrying a heavy sense of protection and two small battle plans.
……
Lucas pushed open the door.
Usually Juliana would be reading or playing with them—the house always had this warm, lively energy.
Today, it was too quiet.
Damian and Matthew exchanged glances, both seeing the worry in each other's eyes.
Lucas scanned the living room. No one there. He headed straight for the second-floor study.
He gently pushed the door open.
Juliana sat at the desk, her spine rigid, like a lifeless statue.
Papers were spread out in front of her. The desk lamp's light fell on her face—pale, bloodless.
Damian peeked his head out from behind his dad's legs. Seeing his mommy like that, his heart hurt.
He hid his magic props behind his back, cleared his throat, and called out in his most cheerful voice, "Mommy! We're home!"
Juliana's shoulders moved almost imperceptibly, but she didn't turn around.
Damian felt a bit defeated, but remembering his dad's mission, he mustered up courage and ran to the desk. Like presenting treasure, he pulled out a coin from behind his back. "Mommy, look! Now you'll witness a miracle!"
His little hands clumsily went through the motions, trying to make the coin disappear. Instead—clatter—it dropped to the floor and rolled to Juliana's feet.
The little guy's face instantly turned red.