Chapter 657
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Liliana folded her arms and stepped closer, her tone sharp with mockery. “Maybe you don’t know yet, Carson, but your goddess Odessa is already married–with kids. She’s no glamorous single heiress. Don’t let her play you.”
“No way.”
Carson turned to Caitlin, disbelief written across his face. The idea that someone so young and stunning was already a wife and mother seemed impossible.
“She’s American,” Liliana continued, her voice dripping with disdain. “Her real name is Caitlin. Her husband’s name is Sebastian. If you don’t believe me, look it up on your phone.”
She shot Caitlin a cold, dismissive glance, then pivoted and walked back inside.
The moment hung heavy, awkward. Caitlin’s cover had been ripped away in front of Carson, killing any chance of using him as an inside connection.
“Yes, I’m married,” Caitlin admitted calmly. “But thank you for your kindness. I’ll be going now.”
“Wait, Odessa-” Carson called after her.
But Caitlin didn’t look back.
On the drive back, Tyler handled the wheel while Zinnia sat with Caitlin. Zinnia fumed, “That Liliana is insufferable. It wasn’t enough to block you from competing–she had to throw a wrench into things just to humiliate you.”
“She definitely wasn’t friendly,” Caitlin said quietly, frustration knotting in her chest. Two paths closed in a single day, and no way forward.
What gnawed at her most was the question, “How did she know who I really am? And in such detail?”
“You said you two met at a competition in Paris,” Zinnia reminded her. “Maybe she dug into your background afterward.”
“I was competing as Odessa,” Caitlin countered. “Even if she investigated, why would knowing my real identity make her attitude flip so drastically?”
From the driver’s seat, Tyler glanced at her in the rearview mirror, voice speculative. “What if Liliana’s… into women?”
Caitlin blinked. “Into women?”
“You know–lesbian. Maybe she fell for you back then. And when she later found out you were married with kids, she felt deceived. Hurt feelings turned to resentment.”
Caitlin let out a startled laugh. “That’s impossible.”
Zinnia, however, tilted her head thoughtfully. “I don’t think it’s that far–fetched. Plenty of women like women. Love denied can easily twist into hate.”
Caitlin gave her a sly look. “So if it were you… could you fall for me?”
Zinnia’s cheeks went pink. “Maybe. But for the record, I like men.”
The tension eased, and Caitlin chuckled. “Alright, enough of that. Tyler, dig into Liliana’s personal life. If she’s dated women, we’ll know if your theory holds water.”
“Got it,” Tyler agreed.
“Meanwhile, we’ll need a third approach,” Caitlin said. Her spirits had lifted, no longer as heavy as before.
By the time they returned to the hotel, Sebastian and his team had made it back as well. Over lunch, Caitlin filled him in on everything that had happened.
“So Liliana’s path is closed,” Sebastian concluded. “Then let’s go straight to the source. We can pay the Jonathans a visit directly. Distant relatives are still relatives–they’ll have to receive us.”
“Agreed.”
Caitlin nodded, ready to drop the detours and face things head–on.
“Did you uncover anything?” she asked.
Sebastian’s expression sharpened. “Yes. We found one of the Jonathan family’s holdings here in Regalis—a casino called The Seventh Door. Their empire didn’t grow clean. They built their fortune through the underground.”
He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “And we uncovered something big. Remember the underground bank in Departure City, V Country?”
“Yes.”
“When we investigated Dustin and The Silent Order, we found ties to offshore accounts but lost the trail. Today, when we hacked The Seventh Door’s system, we found links to multiple foreign operations. One account tied directly back to that underground bank in Departure City. And Dustin’s name appeared in the records.”
Caitlin’s eyes widened. “You mean The Silent Order and the Jonathans are connected?”
“Exactly. Either partners–or the Jonathans are pulling their strings.”
Caitlin thought further. “And Carlos–Forrest–the man running the Departure City bank. If he’s in their network, then he’s Jonathan’s man. Hector’s man.”
The realization hit like a storm. Threads that once seemed unrelated suddenly wove together into a single
net.
“He’s been embedded with the Yuncey family all this time,” Caitlin whispered. “That means the Jonathans, the
Yunceys, and The Silent Order are all bound together. Forrest’s true master could only be Hector,”
Her whole body tensed as the memory of Timothy’s dying words came back. “That’s it. Timothy’s last message–he was trying to tell me about Forrest’s connection to Hector.”
Sebastian sucked in a sharp breath. “If that’s true, then your grandfather’s massacre might finally have an answer.”
Caitlin stood, pacing the room, piecing it together. “The impostor who claimed to be my mother told me once that my grandfather had a brother named Hector. He immigrated abroad with his mother and severed ties with the family. But the estate was all handled by Carlos. If Carlos was Hector’s man, then Hector must have orchestrated the bloodbath.”
Her voice hardened. “If we find out why Hector left–and why he came back for revenge–we’ll know the truth. And if Forrest is here in Regalis, hidden in Hector’s shadow, we need to drag him out. He’s the key to everything.”
“You’re right,” Sebastian agreed. “We’ll set the investigation in motion.”
The pieces were aligning. The more Caitlin thought, the clearer it became. The past, the betrayals, the deaths -they all pointed to Hector.
And if Hector had truly slaughtered her grandfather’s family, she would not rest until the debt was paid in blood.
That afternoon, Caitlin and Sebastian drove to the Jonathan estate.
The property sprawled over acres, its gates imposing, guarded by uniformed men. As Caitlin approached with Sebastian at her side, they were stopped at the entrance.
“Who are you?” one of the guards demanded.