Chapter 34
Richard whipped out his smartphone, scrolling through a barrage of tweets to show Ronald. The trending comments painted a grim picture, and Ronald’s face turned sour instantly.
“Look, I’m trying to do what’s right,” Ronald said, his voice laced with an uncomfortable mix of regret and duty.
Richard pocketed his phone, his voice thick with emotion. “Where the hell is Claire? Everyone’s talking about her, and she ghosts us? Not a call, not a text. Half the time, I’m terrified she’s dead. She’s all I’ve got left in this world p>
His usually calm demeanor shifted, a dark edge creeping in.
Head bowed, Ronald ascended the stone steps, listening to Richard’s turmoil.
“What kind of person is Claire?” Ronald ventured, breaking the silence.
Richard’s face softened at the mention of Claire’s name. “Claire was fostered at an orphanage from a young age. Her parents had these mysterious jobs but sent a hefty check monthly, ensuring all the kids got a fair shot. We all went to school because of that. Claire was brilliant, beautiful, soft-spoken, and even aced medical school. She was supposed to study abroad, but then Claude appeared. Marrying Claude was the biggest mistake of her life. If I hadn’t been so reckless, leaking that scandal about the Hart family to the press, they wouldn’t have taken her back p>
Ronald heard a different side of Claire and listened intently.
Richard added, “The story of Claire’s parents is just hearsay to me. Supposedly, Claude got kidnapped, and Claire’s parents died trying to save him. Rumor had it they were Claude’s bodyguards, but he never acknowledged that nor did he compensate Claire in any way. I found out that there was no employment link between Claire’s parents and the Hart family, so I blew the whistle to the media p>
The revelations stunned Ronald.
It turned out my death and the death of my parents remained a mystery!
“Claude once drunkenly blabbed that he didn’t even know Claire’s folks and said they got themselves killed trying to save him. I wanted to throttle him right there,” Richard fumed, Ronald taken aback by the admission.
“No wonder the records I found all narrate how Claire’s parents saved Claude, and he took Claire back to foster her. The Hart family must’ve doctored those records p>
Richard sighed, a wry smile on his
lips. “Yeah, Claude always claimed he didn’t want to be responsible for Claire. The elders of the Hart family know what they’re hiding, insisting on taking responsibility for her. thought it was the media pressure at first. Claire seemed to truly like Claude, so I figured as long as she was happy, that was enough p>
Listening to him, I couldn’t help but suspect the Hart family had a hand in my parents’ death!
And they were still hiding something! But I was dead. I couldn’t uncover the truth about my parents’ deaths or see their ashes. I’d failed as a child shouldn’t have fallen for Claude, blinded by love!
“Do you think the Hart family has something to do with the death of Claire’s parents?” Ronald zeroed in on the crux.
“I have a hunch, but I don’t have proof,” Richard admitted with a bitter laugh.
“And now I’ve lost Claire,” he added, grief-stricken, his voice breaking. “Mr. Collins, do you think Claire is dead p>
Ronald stopped, remembering the DNA report Max had procured for him. With Max’s connections, there was no room for error. Silently, he offered Richard a cigarette, a gesture of shared sorrow.
Richard shook his head. “I don’t smoke. Claire hates it p>
Ronald quietly pocketed the cigarette.
“Do you want to keep talking about Claire?” he asked.
Richard shook his head. “Let’s talk about you p>
Ronald knew the real conversation was about to begin.
“I kidnapped Kate. You were right. It also proves you were wrong to issue that nationwide APB.” Richard’s blunt confession halted everyone in their tracks.