Chapter 346

The black sedan had barely pulled away from the Maple Street Diner when
George’s phone started buzzing, the ringtone sharp and persistent in the quiet car. An unknown number flashed on the screen. He shot a quick look at Reese in the passenger seat, then answered.
“Mr. Meyer, this is Alex.” The voice was quick and anxious. “I need to talk to you, in person. It’s urgent.”
Reese’s fingers brushed absently over the leather bag in her lap. Her brow creased. Alex? She hadn’t found any trace of his daughter yet. Why was he reaching out now? Had something gone wrong?
“Where are you?” Reese took the phone from George, her voice calm and steady.
“I’m at Green Cafe, in the old west alley. I’ll wait here. I’m alone.” Alex sounded breathless. “It’s about my daughter. Please, you have to come.”
Reese felt her heart jump, but she didn’t press for details. “Alright. Twenty minutes.”
She hung up, and George pressed the gas. The car glided forward, picking up speed.
“You just brought up your mother’s accident to Hank, and now Alex calls. You think it could be a trap?” George’s eyes flicked to Reese in the rearview mirror.
Reese stared out at the city rushing by, her eyes dark and thoughtful. “No. I have the recording. He already admitted to what he did to my mother. Even Grace can’t talk her way out of that now. Alex has no reason to set me up.”
What really bothered her was how Alex, who was supposed to be locked away and watched by Grace’s people, suddenly had news about Nicole.
Green Cafe hid at the end of a quiet alley, its old wooden door worn and faded. It creaked as they stepped inside.
Alex sat in the farthest private room, hunched over a cup of untouched, cold coffee. As soon as he saw Reese and George, he jumped up. His face was tight with worry. “Mr. Meyer, thank you for coming.”
His voice shook. As he stood, his knee hit the table with a dull thud.
Reese took the seat across from him, giving a small wave to calm him down. “Alright, what happened?”
Alex sucked in a breath, like he was trying to Steady himself. He looked up at Reese. “Mr. Meyer, did you catch the news tonight? The case about the Ratch Global chairman… I saw Nicole’s photo in the report.”
It felt like a switch flipped in Reese’s mind. For a second, everything went silent.
Of course she’d seen the news. The only faces in those photos were Sebastian’s and Leslie’s.
Leslie… was Nicole?
She remembered that composite image she’d made using Alex’s old photos. The woman in the picture had always seemed oddly familiar, but she could never put her finger on it.
It was Leslie. The world felt way too small.
“Are you sure?” Reese sat stiff, her voice barely above a whisper. “She’s been overseas for years. She only just got back After what happened to Alex, how could Leslie have managed to study abroad? Newest update provıded by (.)net
Alex nodded hard, his eyes rimmed with red. “I know it’s her. She looks
just like her mother, same eyes,
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same little dimples she’s had sincè she was a kid He scrubbed a hand dawn his face, his words raw When Saw her name in that news story, I thought I was going to pass out.”
“She’s not that kind of person, Mr. Meyer. Please, help me figure out what happened. Did someone set her up, or did she just make a mistake?”
Reese glanced at George. They both knew the truth. Leslie’s arrest was exactly what Reese had planned for. She knew every detail.
But seeing the hope and desperation on Alex’s face, she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Not yet. Not before she got the proof she needed, not before Alex pointed the finger at Grace for hiring him.
“I’ll look into it,” Reese said, eyes on the cold tea in front of her. “Calm down, alright? We don’t know the whole story yet. Give me a little time.”
Alex’s shoulders sagged, relief softening his face. “Thank you, Mr. Meyer. Seriously, I’ll do anything. As long as we can find out what really happened.”
He hesitated, then added, “I’m not going back to the old apartment. Grace’s people are probably already looking for me.”