Chapter 998
He had disappeared from my life for so long that I’d stopped expecting him to resurface. I’d spent all this time trying to discover where he’d gone, never imagining he’d be the one calling me now.
His voice carried an almost casual playfulness, though I could hear the careful probing beneath it. “Lianne, it’s been ages. How have you been?”
There was no warmth left in me for him. I answered coldly, “You actually have the audacity to call me?”
He paused before giving a low chuckle. “You’re still angry with me?”
My hand tightened around the phone. “Brian, you sold my information to Ivy. Ethan nearly died because of what you did. Do you really think I’ve forgotten? If I had the chance, I’d kill you myself.”
He immediately tried to defend himself, bitterness entering his voice. “That was a long time ago. Ivy and I have nothing to do with each other anymore. And I never intended for things to go that far. She forced my hand back then…”
“You never intended it?” I cut him off sharply. “What — you think words can erase what you did?”
The line fell quiet. For several seconds, neither of us spoke. When Brian finally responded, his voice had lost some of its earlier lightness. “I know I made a mistake. But that’s not why I’m calling.”
My heart suddenly skipped.
Melisa had disappeared without warning. Now Brian had chosen this exact moment to contact me. The timing couldn’t possibly be accidental. I went straight to the point. “Brian, were you involved in Melisa disappearing?”
Lianne’s POV:
Brian went still for a brief moment, then immediately denied everything. “Melisa disappeared? I have nothing to do with it. I don’t even know anyone by that name.”
The answer came far too quickly. It sounded less like confusion and more like something he’d prepared beforehand.
I calmly exposed the flaw in his response. “If you really had no idea who she was, you’d have asked me who Melisa is. Instead, you immediately started defending yourself. Brian, you just gave yourself away.”
Nothing came through the line for several seconds. Then a quiet, almost amused laugh escaped him. “Lianne, you’re still just as perceptive as you used to be.”
My stomach tightened. “So it really was you.”
The amusement disappeared from his voice, replaced by something dark and menacing. “And if it was? Ethan made the mistake of showing me mercy instead of getting rid of me for good. He should’ve known better than to leave me alive.”
My voice hardened. “Ethan spared you once. Don’t mistake that mercy for weakness. If you start causing trouble again, you won’t get another chance.”
Whatever restraint he had been pretending to have vanished completely. Bitterness poured from every word. “Mercy? He destroyed everything I had! My business, my position, my entire life. Lianne, do you have any idea what I’ve endured all this time?”
I remained silent.