Chapter 168

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Blake was clearly devastated. He took a deep breath and looked up at Caitlin.
“I don’t know who he is.”
It was obvious he was deliberately hiding something.
“Blake, you need to be honest with me! Your father died under mysterious circumstances. We need to find the murderer and bring them to justice!” Caitlin’s face was grave. “Before he passed, your father told me he’d been under surveillance. He couldn’t contact me directly, so he had you deliver flowers as a clue. You know who was watching him, don’t you?”
“I really don’t know. All I know is that someone was threatening my dad,” Blake began to recall something from long ago. “I remember when I was still in middle school. One day, when I came home from school, I overheard someone speaking in the house.
“I didn’t go inside. I just hid outside and heard a man threatening my dad. He said if he got involved with Kelly again, he would kill him!
“I was so scared. I hid until he left, and then I dared to go home.”
Blake’s memory of Kelly–Caitlin’s mother–was a key detail. The man had threatened Xavian to stay out of Kelly’s matters, or he would be killed.
Now, with Caitlin returning to the country, and possibly because Xavian sensed his time was running out, he had asked Blake to take the risk and contact Caitlin. But the man had actually followed through with his threats.
“What did the man look like? Do you remember?” Caitlin asked, pressing him for details.
Blake thought for a moment before answering. “He was tall, wearing a black hoodie and black pants, all in black. The hood was pulled up, so I couldn’t see his face clearly.
“I only remember seeing a reflection of him in the glass. His shirt had buttons with a Star of David pattern.”
“A Star of David?” Caitlin suddenly recalled the cufflinks Felix had found when investigating Una’s case. They were the same shape–a Star of David.
She quickly pulled out her phone and showed Blake a picture. “Look, is this what you saw?”
Blake’s eyes widened. “Yes! That’s the design!”
Caitlin’s heart raced. She had just been pulled into an even bigger mess. Everything that had happened since she returned to the country, from the investigation into her mother’s ashes to the mysterious deaths of the funeral workers, all seemed to tie back to this man.
Who could he be?
Sebastian spoke in a calm tone. “Send me that image of the cufflinks. I’ll help you look into it.”
“You?” Caitlin asked skeptically.
“Don’t doubt my ability, ” Sebastian said, hands in his pockets, his serious gaze focused on her.
“Alright. If you can find something out, I’ll definitely thank you,” Caitlin said, reluctantly agreeing.
She forwarded the image to Sebastian, who took a quick look at it before saying, “I’ve seen these cufflinks before!”
Caitlin perked up, her eyes wide. “You’ve seen them? Where?”
Sebastian didn’t answer right away, clearly enjoying the suspense. He turned to Blake. “ Let’s go, Blake. We’ll take care of your father’s a
first.”
arrangements
He led Blake away, leaving Caitlin with just half an answer. Caitlin, feeling a sense of urgency, rushed to catch up with him. “Hey, tell me! Where did you
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see them ? ”
The more she pressed, the more Sebastian seemed to enjoy keeping her on edge. He just smiled, leaving her impatient.
Meanwhile, the investigation at the hospital had reached a pause. Felix, along with his homicide team, returned to the station.
Felix immediately got the ball rolling on issuing a reward for any information about the suspect, posting it around the hospital area, hoping someone might come forward with a lead. Caitlin and the others returned to the police station, where they continued to discuss the case with Felix. The autopsy had been completed, and the body could now be taken for further arrangements.
Sebastian arranged for Xavian’s funeral services, and they planned a memorial so that old friends could pay their respects. The mourning process started the next day, and that evening, after a long day of work, Caitlin and Sebastian headed back. Sebastian left his men behind to guard Blake.
Finally, with a moment of downtime, Sebastian brought up another topic. “Caitlin, did you see the trending news? The top two spots? Is everything
settled?”
Caitlin looked surprised. “You did all that? The reporters interviewed Professor Walker too? That was you, right?”
“Yep! What do you think?” Sebastian answered proudly, his tone implying that Caitlin should compliment him.
“Didn’t expect you to have a brain after all,” Caitlin replied, her words more sarcastic than genuine praise.
Sebastian beamed inside, thinking to himself, *She didn’t deny it. That counts as a compliment!*
“Didn’t expect you to be the famous designer, Kayla! So, how many more secrets are you hiding from me, hmm?” Sebastian asked, teasing her.
Caitlin, taken aback that he knew her true identity, quickly deflected the conversation. “You still haven’t told me about the cufflinks!”
Sebastian, with a playful look in his eyes, gazed at her indulgently. “You really are quite the curious one.”
“Who told you to leave things unfinished?” Caitlin shot back, visibly annoyed by his teasing.
Sebastian’s gaze turned mischievous. “Come here.”
He walked around the back of the car, his expression growing more mysterious.
“What is it?” Caitlin asked, her curiosity piqued.
“I have a gift for you!” Sebastian declared, clearly excited after holding back all day.
“Don’t bother! I won’t accept it!” Caitlin shot back, unwilling to entertain his antics.
Sebastian’s voice became commanding, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Whether you want it or not is up to you, but you have to see my heart’s intent. I’ve prepared this especially for you. If you don’t look, I won’t tell you about the cufflinks!”
Caitlin, helpless and slightly frustrated, walked to the back of the car. She stood there, waiting for him to open the trunk.
The moment of surprise arrived when Sebastian opened the trunk, his face glowing with excitement as he turned to her. “Caitlin, look!”
He eagerly awaited her reaction, watching her carefully.
Caitlin glanced inside the trunk, her expression souring. “Sebastian, why are you so… tacky? This is just vulgar! It’s disgusting! ”
Inside the trunk was a combination of roses, fairy lights, and a beige teddy bear. To Caitlin, it was an overly sentimental, cliché display .
Her anger flared, and she spun on her heels, storming off. “Ugh, Caitlin…” Sebastian sighed, calling after her, but she was already in the car , making a sharp turn and driving away at full speed.
Watching her leave, Sebastian was perplexed. He had spent so much time carefully preparing the flowers, lights, and teddy bear , but she thought it was
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cheap and repulsive? ‘Roses are disgusting now?”
He turned back to the trunk, glancing inside one last time. And then, his expression froze in shock.
AD