Except for the steady humming of the engine and the sound of his own breath, silence enveloped the small confines of his car as they left the mansion.

Even his friend, who sat in the passenger’s side, hardly made a noise, probably sensing that he didn’t want to be disturbed.

Once he entered the private parking lot of his establishment, he finally spoke. "What is so important, Jacob, that you had to drag me away from my family?"

Usually, he didn’t mind this late-night rendezvous since it was a welcome distraction. Being busy helped him forget the ghost of his past even for a brief moment. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

But tonight, he felt different. In truth, he was suddenly annoyed by the interruption. But he could not do anything about it.

As they said, heavy was the head that wears the crown.

"It’s about Sophia." Jacob unfastened his seatbelt, pulled his phone from his breast pocket, and opened a file.

The mention of his wife’s name made his mind instantly alert. For a split second, he glanced at his friend as he maneuvered the car on the spiral ramp toward the top floor.

"Our investigator discovered that she had her dead son’s body exhumed," Jacob casually informed him.

Without warning, the screeching of tires filled the empty, quiet parking lot as he abruptly stopped the car, stepping on the brakes with excessive force.

"Whoa!" Jacob pushed his hands on the dashboard to prevent throwing himself against the windshield.

"Are you trying to kill me, Oliver?" His friend complained as he sat up straight in his seat, suddenly holding on to the seatbelt that he had unfastened too soon.

"Stop the theatrics, Jacob. If it comes to worst, the most you’ll get is just a bump on the head." He shook his head, unbothered by his friend’s pathetic reaction.

Parking his car at his usual spot, he turned off the engine. Not waiting for his friend, he left his car and quickly moved toward his private elevator.

"Now, what were you saying?" He asked as soon as he stepped inside the square metallic box.

Immediately, the doors closed once Jacob stepped inside, and the speedy lift ascended to the top floor.

"According to this, Sophia had her son dug up." Jacob pushed his phone to him. A report showed the approved request.

Sophia’s past was no secret anymore. He had known from his previous investigation that she had a child who died during childbirth six years ago.

Regardless, his wife never discussed her son with him, nor did he try to ask about him. He thought she would tell him about her son once she was ready to trust him.

"Why?" Now, he wondered what other secrets his wife was hiding from him. Why did his wife need to dig up the past?

As soon as the elevator doors opened, he marched through the hallway toward the CEO’s office.

"Our people are still looking into it. But so far, we are hitting a hard wall. Someone powerful is blocking our investigation." Jacob told him with concern in his voice.

Then, three men in black uniforms, sitting in the waiting area, caught his eye. Slumped in between the three burly men was another man, who already had bruises on his face.

As if he hadn’t noticed them, he went straight to his office with Jacob following closely behind. "Are you saying someone is helping her?" Who would dare go against him?

Most importantly, why did she ask someone else for help instead of coming to him?

His teeth gritted and brows knitted in slow-brewing anger at the thought that his wife was doing something behind his back.

"Yes, Oliver. I have my growing suspicion." Jacob took his phone out again and opened another file. This time, it was an image in his photo gallery.

As soon as his eyes landed on the two figures who had their hands entwined, his eyes turned into a slit, his fist curled into a tight ball, and his heart squeezed tightly as if it was going to burst.

Him again!

"I think Aaron is behind this." Jacob voiced out the name of the man who dared to challenge him. "He is the one who was secretly helping her."

All of a sudden, he remembered the scene in the break room. He caught them chatting while having coffee. Of course, he noticed how the air had suddenly changed when he showed up. He had seen his wife’s guilty face before she managed to form a smile.

His wife said they were just discussing some financial issue in the company. Although he was a bit suspicious, he hastily rejected it, wanting to give his wife the benefit of the doubt.

But now, he debated whether he should believe his wife or not.

But the main question remained. Why would Sophia trust Aaron more than him?

Her husband?

Why was Aaron helping her? What was their real relationship?

"I want eyes on Aaron and Sophia at all times." He wanted answers, but he didn’t want to alert the two that he was onto them.

If they were doing something behind his back. If they decided to betray him. He wanted to catch them in the act.

Jacob nodded in agreement. "By the way, we found the man who exhumed the body of the boy. He was playing in our casino tonight."

"If you want more answers, maybe you would like to ask him yourself." Jacob took the liberty of pressing the intercom on his desk, asking his secretary to send his men inside.

Jacob finally pointed to the man who was kneeling in front of the three of the casino’s security guards.

The man was nothing special. Just another ordinary worker who had a bad gambling habit.

"What happened to him?" He asked, noticing the bruises and dried blood on his face.

"He had created a loud scene on the floor when our security team politely asked him to accompany them into the security office. So, they had lightly subdued him." Jacob narrated the succeeding events.

"Mr. Morton, I did nothing wrong. I was just playing quietly in the slot machine when your men forced me to go with them." The unknown man reasoned with him, his voice clearly terrified and panicky.

"Don’t be afraid. I’m not here to harm you. If my men had been too rough, let me be the one to apologize for them." He said in his most diplomatic voice.

If he wanted this man to cooperate, he had to earn his trust. In an instant, the man’s frown turned into a wide grin, suddenly relaxing his stance as he slowly stood up.

"I only have a few questions. I hope you’ll give me a satisfactory answer. Then, you’re free to go." He assured him, hoping that would loosen his tongue. "I might even reward you if I like your answer." An incentive was usually a great motivator.

Not five minutes later, the man sang everything he knew. But unfortunately, it was not much. But it was a lead that they could work on.

"What test could he be talking about?" Jacob asked when the man was escorted back onto the casino floor by their men with a contented smile and little pocket change.

"It could be any number of tests." He thought, but one examination stood out in his mind.

DNA test.

Again, why?

After dealing with a few more issues, he had finally called it a day.

In truth, there was no more need to hurry since the party must have already ended. Checking the time, it was really late.

Still, he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

With no traffic and almost beating every red light, he had arrived at the mansion in record time. All around the mansion, he saw the staff still cleaning the place, but he never paid them any mind.

Taking the stairs two to three steps at a time, he reached the top landing in just a few strides. A few more seconds, and he stood outside his bedroom.

Inside, it was dim. The only light that cast a shadow in the room was the one coming from outside the windows.

"Sophia." He called to her, but the silhouette in the bed hadn’t moved at all. Once he stepped closer to the bed, he noticed her closed eyes and steady breathing. She was already past asleep.

For days, the tension between them had been palpable. All because he was jealous of his cousin. But earlier today, she had managed to forgive him. Tonight, he even promised to make it up to her.

Now, watching his wife’s sleeping form, he wondered if he had every right to be jealous, remembering the photo of his wife with his cousin. Was there something going on between them behind his back?

Slowly, he stripped his clothes until he was down to his underwear. Then, he slipped into the covers and moved closer to her sleeping form.

"Sophia. I think I really had fallen in love with you." He whispered near her ear. It was the only possible reason he was acting this way.

This jealous.

This possessive.

This insanity.

His heart wanted to believe that she was innocent. That he was misinterpreting the entire situation. But his logical mind kept insisting that he should keep investigating.

Nonetheless, tonight he just wanted one thing. To fulfill a promise.

With gentle fingers, he stroked her hair, pushing it aside to reveal her entire face. Then, he placed a tender kiss on her lips before he wrapped his arms around her, tightly pressing his body against her back.

She moaned, but instead of pushing him away, she appeared to savor his touch.

In just minutes, his eyes closed, his body relaxed, and he fell into a peaceful and dreamless sleep.