Chapter 213: Chapter 87

KELLAN P.O.V

It was Dean's laughter that broke the long, stunned silence.

I eyed the young man before me, his hardened jaw, clenched fists, and unapologetic eyes. “I killed Pete." He repeated, his words carrying an edge to them.

I rubbed my jaw again, processing what he had just revealed. “Why?"

I didn't care much about Pete, even though he was Ashley's father. The man had always been a fleeting presence in her life, leaving the duty of child raising to Genevieve who wasn't any better.

God knows I'll lay down everything to be present for Ashley and our daughter.

Dominic shifted in his seat, his body going rigid. “I had no choice," he said, glancing at his mother whose mouth was open in pure shock.“They made me do it"

Mrs Beau's face drained of colour, and her hand trembled by her side. “They made you do what?" She asked in that voice that was barely a whisper.

Behind them, I tilted my head to Martin's to make sure he was recording this—not that it would be viable in court since this confession was gotten under duress, but still, no one knew when it could come in handy.

Martin dipped his chin once, silently telling me that he was recording everything.

“They made me kill him,” he muttered, his eyes zoning out. “It was Genevieve who did, she was the one who gave me the medicine to inject into him that stopped his heart within seconds, she told me that I didn't do it, I'd... I'd.... I'd."

He burst into tears, torrents falling free from his eyes. His mother joined him too. “You didn't tell me" she cried, her voice shaky “You never told me they made you do such things"

“Explain," July asked, shifting on her feet. Her eyes were hard, and her mind was processing. Martin immediately pulled out a plastic seat from one corner and handed it over to her. “How and where did you kill Pete? And why you? Why did they make sure you were the one who personally took his life?"

He slowly turned to July, looking a bit remorseful for the word he said to her earlier. “My dad was...angry when Ashley left Dallas back to Austin. He was anticipating having her in our household. He...he..” Dominic lowered his voice. “He wanted her”

Red spots tainted my vision, a territorial beast inside me reared his head, baring claws and fangs, thrashing to be set free, to rip Leonard apart, shred by bloody shred, destroy him slowly for thinking that MY Ashley could be his.

If I ever get my hands on Leonard Beau....

“And Genevieve," he continued, “Genevieve just likes seeing people miserable."

Mrs Beau made a sound that was agreement and anger together in one.

I tapped my fingers on my thigh, stole a glance at the time displayed on the monitor, then back at Dominic. “Why didn't you leave instead?" I asked the very important question, the answer was a piece to completing this whole puzzle.

“If Leonard abused your mother physically, subjected you to Genevieve's game by killing her husband with your hands, why did you do it? Why did you both stay?"

Dominic swallowed hard but his mother answered for him. “It's because we can't leave”

I arched a brow at her, waiting for a detailed explanation. For the first time since we abducted them, Mrs Beau's face hardened into a look of hatred. “I have a kidney disease. It's very critical and.. expensive"

Something inside me twisted in hurt for her. How could Leonard still abuse an ill woman?

Mrs Beau tried to hide her shaky hands by clutching her pearls. “I can’t leave him, even if I want to,” she whispered, and the words were slow and pained.

“If I leave Leonard, he will cut off my insurance. And my dialysis, my medications, I can't afford that. So if I leave him, I'll die"

“You could die anyway, just by being in that marriage."July chastised.

Mrs Beau shook her head, tears in her eyes, and her son's too. “You can't understand.”

One of the monitors blinked with a new feed, and Martins left Julys' side go to see what it was about. Dean leaned against a corner, looking sleepy and bored to death.

Dominic slid one hand into his mother's, squeezing reassuringly. I now understand why he danced along to Leonard's and Genevieve's tune, it was because of his mother, so his father wouldn't cut her treatments off

“You see why I had no choice?" He asked, voice choked with emotion. “If I make the mistake of turning against my father or his lover— Genevieve, my mother dies and I would have killed him so I could inherit everything, but the bastard was too smart" he spat out

Martin's head whipped from the monitor. “What do you mean too smart?"

Dominic muttered something and drew in a deep breath to calm his nerves. “My father knows that I hate him and will kill him just so I can inherit everything and save my mom, so he made a condition that if he dies before the next fifteen years, Genevieve will inherit everything and decide how to will it "

Mrs Beau's shoulders shook with a cry at the heartlessness of the man she calls her husband. “And if that witch inherits everything, rest assured I'll be dead in no time."

I leaned back into my chair as July kept cussing the man and mother and son cried together

“What if I put you on my health insurance plan?”

They both paused, even the tears in her eyes paused. “My dialysis is very expensive.”

Under different circumstances, I would have laughed, but instead, I turned to Dominic. “How much is your father's Net worth?"

His brows furrowed in confusion, he looked at his mother, then back at me. “Twenty million dollars. Why are you asking?”

“I will have that exact amount in your account before nightfall if you cooperate with me"

Their jaws fell to the floor.

“You would...you would give us... Twenty million?" Dominic stuttered. His mouth was opening and closing like a fish out of water.

“And I would also put your mother on my limitless health plan. You need medication, done. You want to fly out of the state to see a specialist, done.”

They both gaped at each other, too stunned to speak. I pushed my chair forward, I didn't have time to waste, I was supposed to be at the hospital right now, making sure Ashley eats lunch and drinks enough water

“All I need,” I said quietly, to Dominic and his mother, “Is for you to cooperate with me. Leonard and Genevieve have no digital copies of their crimes, and by crimes I don't just mean coercing you into killing Pete, you and I know they're into other criminal thing's"

Dominic nodded once. “Money laundering for my father, Tax evasion for Genevieve."

Good. We were getting close

I turned to Mrs Beau. “Once I have your health care covered, and I promise you I will, would you testify in court against your husband and Genevieve?"

Her chin wobbled, but she managed to nod firmly.

Good.

I turned back to her son. “What I want from you, Dominic Beau, is to find the safe your father keeps all the transactions of these crimes, create digital copies of all of them, and send them to me. If you can do that, be assured I will protect you and take care of your mother's health ”

Tears filled his eyes. Tears of gratitude and relief like a heavy weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He let out a watery laugh. “What kind of millionaire are you?" Dominic asked

“He's not a millionaire," It was Martin who hollered. “He's a Billionaire."

July let out an amused laugh, and even Dean did too.

I was about to ask Martin's to give Dominic one of our special drives when the sharp ringing of my phone made my heart jump right out of my body.

I felt my soul fly away when my dad's name appeared on the screen.

I knew before I answered

I knew..I knew...I knew

July shot up on her feet at the same time I did. “Dad"

His breathless voice had my blood racing in my veins. “Quick Kellan." He panted “Ashley's in labour"

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