CHAPTER 65
The next day, Kate woke up and realized William wasn't around. He had left for work very early.
The day suddenly felt like it was going to bring something unexplainable.
---
William sat in his office, working on his laptop, signing documents, and printing files. Since Liam hadn't resumed work yet, he had to do almost everything himself.
Thirty minutes later, the telephone on his desk rang. He answered.
"Is this William Dray?" a hoarse, old voice came through.
"Who am I speaking with?" William asked flatly.
"Not to beat around the bush—"
"Good. Seems you know me well," William grumbled.
"I'm an old associate of Carlos. He messed with me, and it's time I put him in the right place," the voice said.
"Then what does that have to do with me?" William questioned.
"It has a lot. I've got information that will help you," the man explained.
"What kind of information? And again, it's not something I'd normally care about."
"Don't you want to hear it?" the man insisted.
"Seems you have nothing important to say. You can just f*ck off my phone," William hissed.
"It's about your in-law—Kate's uncle," the man finally spilled.
"What do you have about him?" William asked.
"Before I share it, you have to promise me one thing."
"What's that?"
"My safety."
"You're offering me information in exchange for protection?" William asked, surprised.
"Absolutely."
"Let this stick in your brain—if I give you what you want and you mess with me, then be ready to face my wrath," William warned.
"I promise—no mistake," the man replied quickly.
"Go on."
"I stumbled upon some information about Carlos deceiving Kate's parents—he tricked them into signing their company over to someone else before they died. I don't even know who this person is."
"What? I've never heard of this. Tell me more."
---
Back at the mansion, Kate walked through the hallway after finishing some business files in her room.
She had woken up feeling like today would bring something different. Something kept pulling her toward the East Wing—as if unseen forces were drawing her there, sparking her curiosity.
She creaked the door open and used her hand to pull down the spiderweb in front of an old shelf.
She dusted the shelf and began pulling down some books. When she had removed enough, she discovered another layer—this one filled with scrolls. She pulled them down and opened a few, but they only had odd drawings.
As she continued searching, she heard a sudden noise—something falling on the other side of the shelf.
She walked over, bent down, and knelt gently in front of a box. Several old files had spilled onto the floor.
One caught her attention.
"JONES CORP. SIGNED OFF AGREEMENT"
Her eyes widened in shock.
She quickly grabbed the file, flipped through it, and saw her parents' signatures. They had signed the company over to "The Statue Executor" before they died.
She picked up another file. It stated clearly that Mr. Carlos had deceived her parents into doing it.
Clutching the files tightly, Kate returned to her room—her face calm, as though nothing had happened.
---
Later in the evening, William arrived home from work. He saw Kate arranging dishes at the dining table. She turned slightly and smiled.
"Welcome back! Go freshen up and sit in for dinner—I'm almost done," she greeted warmly.
"Hmmm," William replied, nodding. He stood there silently, staring at her.
She caught him.
"Go! You stare too much," she teased.
"Oh... yeah. I'll be right back," William said, slightly embarrassed.
"Put the pancakes in the middle," Kate instructed the maid helping her.
---
A few minutes later, after dinner, Kate sat out on the terrace, enjoying the view of Greensville City. But her mind was far away—still caught in the memory of the documents she'd found in the East Wing.
William walked in.
"Oh, you're here! I've been looking for you all around the mansion," he said, relaxing into the moment.
"Do you know anything about this?" she asked, holding up the files without turning around.
"What's that?" he asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
"It's about my parents—signing their company off to the SE," she said quietly.
"How did you find this?" William asked, surprised.
"The East Wing," she replied.
"You found this in the East Wing?" he repeated.
"Don't tell me you had no idea about it," she said, turning to face him, her tone sharp.
"I don't know anything about this. I didn't even think you'd come across something like that there," he explained, sounding guilty.
"Don't lie to me!" she snapped.
"I'm not lying. I only just heard about it today—from your uncle's old associate. I was going to tell you after dinner. That's why I was looking for you," he defended.
"This can't be true," she muttered, eyes on the file.
"Who is the SE?" William asked.
"He's the Statue Executor," she revealed.
"What?" His eyes widened. "I had no idea he was involved in something like this."
"What should we do now?" she asked.
"We have to think of the perfect way to bring him down—with no mistakes."
He stepped closer, holding her gently, his hand slipping to her waist.
"Don't worry. Everything will be normal soon," he said softly.
"I hope so," she murmured.
"There's one more thing I want to say," William added, his tone shifting.
"What's that?"
He kissed her on the forehead and pulled her into a firm hug.
"I want you—beyond this useless contract marriage."
---
The next day, Mr. Carlos called one of William's board members.
"Why schedule such an unannounced meeting?" Mr. Hemsworth asked, irritated.
"Unannounced meetings sometimes turn out to be the most important," Carlos said smoothly.
"I've got a lot of business to handle. Be quick," Hemsworth said firmly.
"William is into illegal shipping and exporting," Carlos lied.
"Is this another of your tricks?" Hemsworth asked, unconvinced.
"You think I'm lying? Then take a look at this," Carlos said, sliding a file across the table.
"This is a lie," Hemsworth said, frowning.
"You can see it for yourself. I need you to help me share it online," Carlos pressed.
"Why don't you post it yourself?" Hemsworth asked.
"You know I'm not on good terms with him. He'll think I'm just trying to bring him down—even when I'm actually offering help," Carlos said, a smirk forming on his lips.
"I'll think about it."
"Don't think too long," Carlos said, already feeling victorious.