Chapter 182 CHAPTER 182

Chapter 182 CHAPTER 182
Rosaleen’s POV

Philly’s arrest played on every screen. Her face was plastered across TV channels. There was a picture of her in iron cuffs glinting under flashing cameras. There were many speculations already, each one more dangerous than the previous.

Mayor’s Wife Arrested.
Poisoned Councilman. Suspect Mayor’s wife
Evidence of Poison Found in Private Garden.

I muted the television, but the silence didn’t quiet my thoughts.This was not how it was supposed to unfold.Philly being taken in? That was useful. Alpha Raymond under scrutiny? Even better.

But the silence about Philly was my leverage. Now that the whole world.knew that she was alive, i had no leverage again. I had just lost my leverage over Michael. That realization settled in like ice.

With nothing to hold the Greywoods at ransom, they would kick me out. If they found out i was talking with Calderon, they would make sure i spent some years in prison.

I reached for my phone and dialed Calderon. He had to help me.

One ring. Two.Three. Voicemail.

I hung up and called again. Nothing. My pulse began to climb. He always answered. At least, a secretary or a PA. I tried once more. Still nothing. The silence on the other end of the line felt intentional.

Had he cut me loose? I remembered the words from the secretary who had spoken to me the last time on the phone. Was he really cutting me off after every risk i took for him?

I set the phone down slowly, staring at the dark screen. If Calderon was distancing himself, it meant the storm was bigger than I had anticipated. I stood abruptly and walked toward my closet. There was only one option left. I had to run away. To disappear before the investigations dug too deep. Before names are revealed and witnesses begin to show up.

I pulled a suitcase from the closet and began packing with mechanical precision. Clothes first. Jewelry next. Documents. I crossed to the desk and retrieved my secondary phone. Checked my offshore accounts. Liquid funds were still accessible.

Good. But cash would be faster. Untraceable.

I knew there was some cash in Alpha Raymond’s study. The thought formed quickly and solidified just as fast. He kept emergency reserves there. For political contingencies. For “unexpected shifts.” This qualified as one if he didn’t mind.

I zipped the suitcase halfway and moved toward the hallway. And nearly collided with Anna Moon. She seemed to be moving like a ghost in the mansion, oblivious of the chaos that was happening since the day began.

She stood there, eyes sharp despite the exhaustion lining her face.

“Going somewhere?” she asked with suspicion in her voice.

I smiled without hesitation.

“Yes. I have a trip.” I answered.

“Now?” Her gaze dropped briefly to the suitcase. “In the middle of this?”

“Especially in the middle of this,” I replied lightly. “I already planned for it long before today.”

Her expression didn’t change.

“You seem prepared.” She said with suspicion in her voice.

“Yes. Is anything wrong?” I asked.

She stepped slightly aside but didn’t move away entirely.

“Strange timing,” she said. “Just very strange.” She added.

“Strange circumstances,” I countered.

Her eyes lingered on mine a second too long.

Then she nodded and looked away.

“Safe travels.”

“Thank you.” I replied.

I walked past her without looking back.

The study was quiet and dark. I found the light switch and flicked it on. Light flooded the room. I closed the door behind me and locked it.

Alpha Raymond’s desk was immaculate as always. Documents were arranged orderly on the desk. His ashtray had no ash in it. I stared at the drawers.There was stationery. Files. Sealed envelopes.

Then I found a small brass key tucked into the back corner of the bottom drawer. I held it up, examining it. Too small for the main filing cabinets. Too deliberate to be random. It looked like something that would open a safe.

My gaze scanned the room.The painting behind the desk. I moved it aside carefully, revealing the recessed safe embedded in the wall. My heart paced and I prayed no one would knock on the door. I inserted the key and turned it. The lock clicked open.

Inside there were stacks of cash, more than I expected. I exhaled slowly, relief flooding through me in a rush so strong it almost made me dizzy. I began transferring the money into my bag quickly but methodically.

As i began closing the safe, something else caught my eye in a smaller compartment. There was a small velvet box. And beneath it, there were letters, arranged in neat stacks. I imagined they were his will. Revised over the years. But i was curious as to why a velvet box was there.

Curiosity took the better part of me. I would need any information i could lay my hands on.
I opened the box first. There was a ring in it. Simple and elegant.

I picked up one of the letters. The handwriting was unmistakably Alpha Raymond’s.

My dearest…

I stopped reading.

My chest tightened. It wasn’t his will. Alpha Raymond had a love interest and he was keeping it hidden. I placed the items back exactly as I’d found them. I closed the safe, returned the key to its drawer, and straightened the painting.

When I stepped back into the hallway, my pulse was steadier. The suitcase waited in my room. The money was secured. I walked back toward my room, rehearsing departure plans in my mind. I had to go to someplace where no one knew me. If possible, I would change my name and maybe I could start over again. I had survived the scandal in Milan after all.