♣ CHAPTER 36 ♣
Tina sat quietly on the bench outside the office building, sipping her coffee. Liam walked up slowly, his hands in his pocket, then sat beside her.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I'm trying to be," she answered.
Liam turned slightly to face her. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," she said.
"This Raymond," Liam said, voice calm. "I know he's your boyfriend… but I've never seen him. Not even once."
Tina looked away, then back. "You're right. You haven't."
"So who is he really?" Liam pressed.
"I'll tell you," she said, "just not now. I need to figure out something first."
"Tina," Liam said slowly, "if there's something I should know—"
"I said I'll tell you, Liam," she cut in, not harsh but firm. "Just trust me."
Liam nodded. "Alright. I trust you. But please… don't keep me in the dark for too long."
"I won't," she said softly.
---
Later that day, in the private lounge upstairs in William's company, Kate leaned over a file on the desk. William was beside her, arms folded.
"You found this?" she asked.
"I did," he said. "Carlos's signature is on that contract."
Kate squinted. "This proves he bought off the investigator after my parents' death."
William nodded slowly. "Yes. And there's more."
He pulled another folder and handed it to her.
Kate opened it. "What's this?"
"Bank transactions. Dummy accounts. All connected to Carlos."
Kate's hands trembled slightly. "This means…"
"He was either involved in your parents' death… or he covered it up," William said.
Kate looked up at him. "We can't go to the police yet."
"I know," William said. "We have to build this properly. Quietly."
Kate leaned back. "You still want revenge, don't you?"
William didn't answer.
Kate gave a faint smile. "You know… working with you like this… it's strange."
"Strange how?"
"I don't hate it," she said.
He chuckled. "Neither do I."
They didn't speak for a moment.
Then Kate said, "We get him, William. We bring Carlos down."
William looked at her, eyes serious. "Together."
---
Liam was in his car later that afternoon. He was headed to The Dray Corp to check some files for William.
The road was a bit tight near downtown, so he slowed down as he approached the corner restaurant.
That was when he saw them.
Carlos. And a tall man in a grey suit.
They were shaking hands outside the restaurant. Laughing.
Liam narrowed his eyes.
The tall man looked… familiar.
He moved his car slightly forward to get a clearer view.
The man turned slightly, still smiling.
Liam's breath caught.
"No…" he whispered.
His grip tightened on the steering wheel.
He knew that face. That man.
That was Clark.
The man William had been hunting for years.
The man who almost destroyed everything.
---
Minutes later, Liam stormed into William's office.
William was at his desk, typing.
"William," Liam said, shutting the door behind him.
William looked up. "What's going on?"
"I just saw Carlos downtown."
"So?"
"He wasn't alone."
William frowned. "Who was with him?"
"Clark," Liam said.
William's body stiffened. "Clark?"
Liam nodded hard. "He's back in Greensville. I saw him myself."
"Are you sure?"
"I'll never forget that face," Liam said. "He was laughing with Carlos like they've been best friends for years."
William stood up slowly. "He's here."
Liam said nothing.
William's eyes darkened. "That bastard is here. After all this time."
"I don't know what they're planning," Liam said. "But it can't be good."
William turned to the window. "He tried to destroy me. My name. My family."
"And now he's working with Carlos," Liam added.
William turned back, his face hard. "Then this is war."
Liam stepped closer. "What do we do now?"
William clenched his jaw. "We finish what he started. But this time, we won't lose."
William turned away from the window, fists clenched.
"We trusted Carlos. He was family. And Clark… I thought that man disappeared for good."
Liam stepped forward. "You want me to follow them?"
"No," William said sharply. "Not yet. If Clark is back and already meeting Carlos, then they have a plan. I need to know what they're after."
"They might be after Kate," Liam said carefully.
William's head snapped up. "They touch her, I'll kill them."
"I know," Liam said. "But we need to be careful. If we strike too fast, we might lose everything."
William walked slowly to his desk, ran a hand through his hair. "Clark ruined my father's company. Stole everything. He was supposed to be rotting in jail."
"But he vanished," Liam said. "And now he's back, smiling with Carlos like they've been planning this for years."
William's voice dropped. "That means Carlos was never working alone."
Liam nodded. "It's deeper than we thought."
William looked up, eyes burning. "I want every move they make tracked. I want to know what they eat, where they sleep, who they talk to. And Liam—if Clark steps near Kate…"
"I'll stop him," Liam said, without hesitation.
---
Later that night, Kate stood in William's private study, pacing slowly. William came in, looking worn but focused.
"You're back," Kate said.
William nodded. "Liam saw Clark."
Kate stopped. "Clark? The man who almost destroyed your family?"
William nodded again. "He's back. And he's working with Carlos."
Kate gasped softly. "Then… all this… the sabotage… the accident. It's them?"
William stepped closer. "Looks like it."
Kate shook her head. "Why now? Why come back after all these years?"
"They want something," William said. "And it's not just about me. They're after the company. And maybe you."
Kate swallowed. "Then we don't wait anymore. We fight."
William looked at her, eyes narrowing. "You're not scared?"
"I am," Kate said, stepping closer. "But I won't run. Not this time."
"You're not alone," William said softly.
Kate met his eyes. "Neither are you."
---
The next morning, Tina stood outside a small café waiting for Raymond. He was late again. Her arms folded, brows pulled.
Finally, he arrived.
"Tina," Raymond said, rushing up. "Sorry I'm late. I got stuck in something."
"You always get stuck in something," she said, crossing her arms. "You didn't call. You didn't text."
"I was busy," Raymond said. "Work stuff."
"For days?" she asked. "Not even one message?"
"I could ask you the same," he shot back. "You didn't call either."
Tina stepped back. "Don't turn this on me."
"Are you seeing someone else?" he asked suddenly.
"What?" Tina blinked. "No. Are you?"
"No!" Raymond shouted. "You think I would cheat?"
"I don't know what to think anymore!" she said. "You're always disappearing."
Raymond sighed. "I've been handling business. Deals I can't talk about."
"You're always hiding things from me," Tina said, voice lower. "Is that all I am to you?"
"I'm doing this for us," Raymond said. "You just don't understand."
Tina looked away. "Maybe I don't."
Raymond's phone rang. He glanced at it, then ignored it.
Then it rang again.
Tina frowned. "Who keeps calling you?"
"It's nothing," he said.
"Then answer it."
"I said it's nothing," he snapped.
Tina stepped back, hurt. "I can't do this."
"I have to go," Raymond said suddenly, stepping away.
"You're leaving?" she asked. "Now?"
He didn't answer. Just walked away, answering the call as he disappeared down the street.
---
Minutes later, Liam was passing by the café and spotted Tina, sitting alone at a table, looking lost.
He stopped, walked toward her.
"Tina?" he asked.
She looked up. "Liam?"
"You okay?" he asked.
Tina looked down. "No. Not really."
Liam pulled a chair and sat. "Want to talk?"
She sighed. "Raymond. He left me here. Again. Took some call and ran off."
Liam frowned. "What kind of call?"
"I don't know," Tina said. "But it was his third call in ten minutes. He wouldn't even explain."
"Sounds shady," Liam said.
"I'm starting to think he's hiding something from me," she admitted. "And I hate how that feels."
Liam touched her hand lightly. "Hey. You don't deserve that."
Tina looked at him. "He said he's doing everything for us. But I don't feel like I'm part of anything."
"Then maybe it's time you start looking at what's real," Liam said.
Tina looked at him, her eyes soft. "You're always there."
Liam smiled faintly. "I'm not going anywhere."