Chapter 77


    The recording


    We decided to be cautious and check what was on that sh drive once everyone left thepany. It


    was a little after 10 PM, and since we weren’t certain if the drive was password protected, Aren and Neil


    met us in our full of equipmentputer office. We locked the doors after making sure that all the other


    employees were gone from that floor, and ceremoniously plugged the USB into myputer. I checked


    if the sh drive wasn’t infected before I opened its content, holding my breath. There was a single audio


    file on it. Aren, Norton, n, and Neil sat around me as I opened it. The recording started with some


    cracks and distorted sounds, whichsted about a minute. It felt discouraging. I skipped the record on


    fast-forward until finally, we heard two male voices. “The police want to reopen the case. Someone must


    have tipped them off,” the first man said in a low-pitched hoarse voice.


    “What do you mean, someone?! It was your fucking job to make sure that no one ever digs in Liling’s


    case!” the second man roared.


    I recognized that second voice, and so did Aren-the voice belonged to his father, James Winton. I


    stopped the recording and looked at my husband. His jaw was tense, his cold eyes locked firmly on the


    computer screen disying the graphic wave of the recording. I ced my hand on top of his fisted


    palm. “Are you sure you don’t want to hear it alone first?” I asked him.


    He took a deep breath.”No, let’s y it here and now.”


    I looked at n, Norton, and Neil. They all sat still, as if the tension in the room restricted them from any


    movement. I turned the recorded file back on.


    “I took care of the pathologist, so he will stay quiet. But there’s a rumor that someone ordered a second,


    independent report along with your dead wife’s toxicology,” the first man exined.


    “How the hell did it happen, Richardson?! You assured me that none of your men would touch the case


    again, and now this?! What did I pay you for?!” James Winton thundered. “Watch it, Winton,” Richardson


    hissed. “I was paid for turning a blind eye to the fact that you murdered your wife, who wanted to leave


    you and take her money with her. And I don’t recall receiving the money from you. As I recall, it was a


    Chinese guy who carried the money, and I don’t assume that was a member of your family,” he said


    coldly.


    A sound of frustration escaped James Winton’s throat. “I will pay you more…” he groaned angrily. “Just


    take care of that other pathology report.”


    Richardson chuckled. “Consider it done.”


    The recorded file ended soon after his words. As the yer turned off, we stayed in silence for about a


    minute, processing what we had heard.


    “Wow… now that’s some serious shit…” n was the first one toment.


    Neil sighed heavily, smirking at him. “Tell me about it.”


    Norton nced at me before silently going back to his desk to type something on hisputer. Aren hid


    his face in his hands.


    “Handsome, are you all right?” I asked softly, gently sliding my hand down his back


    When he turned his eyes my way, a faint smile curved his lips. “I knew that this cold fucker murdered my


    mother, but I guess it’s different to hear him talk about it… I’ve been waiting many years for this


    moment.” Looking deep into his beautiful ck irises, I knew that he was hurting. Before meeting the


    Winton fanily, I could never imagine how anyone could be so cruel, greedy, and calcted, but every


    single one of them was like this. I guess that Vanessa fit into this sick family perfectly, while Liling fell in


    love with the very wrong type of guy and paid the most severe price for her love.


    I leaned closer to Aren and kissed his temple. “You know that I am here for you, right?”I whispered.


    He smiled at me and stroked my cheek, but I could see how badly this recording had messed him up.


    “George Richardson, the former Chef of the Greenwich Police Department, retired in 2020,” Norton


    suddenly announced, reading from his screen.


    “What?” n snorted. “You found him already? That’s not fair! I wanted to have some fun


    too!”


    Of course, the rest of us ignored n’s grunting, shifting our eyes to Norton’sputer, There was a


    picture of a half-bald guy with grey hair and narrow, wide-set grey eyes. His whole expression emanated


    hostility and deviousness.


    “So this is the guy who helped cover up my mother’s murder…” Aren clenched his fist, staring at the


    screen.


    I touched his arm, trying to soothe his anger. “We will make them pay,” I muttered.


    “Of course, we will!” n backed up my statement. “And if, for some reason, using legal means is


    impossible, Cora, Norton, and I will make their lives a living hell.” He grinned wickedly.


    Aren smirked and high-fived Norton and n. “Thanks, guys. I think I’m not paying you enough.”


    Neil rushed toward Aren and stared intensely at him. “Speaking of not paying enough..”


    Aren shifted his eyes at him, his smile turning cold. “Don’t push it, Neil You are most likely the best-paid


    assistant in New York.”


    I couldn’t help butugh at Neil’s pitiful stare. “At least promise him a good vacation. He truly deserves


    it.” I said to my husband.


    Aren sighed. “Very well. Neil, I promise to send you on a good vacation … as soon as we finish all our


    recent projects.”


    “But some of them have their release date next year!” Neil protested.


    Aren red at him. “Take it or leave it.”


    Once Neil reluctantly sealed his lips, we could get back to the corrupted former chef of the Greenwich


    Police Department. Apparently, James Winton and whoever else paid him must have been very


    generous since that man owned a mansion worth millions of dors and a few luxurious cars.


    “I can trace his every bank ount and see what kind of payments he received over the years,” Norton


    said, his eyes zing in excitement.


    “Then I will try to find out who was responsible for that second pathology report and toxicology analysis,”


    n imed.


    Aren nodded in approval. “Perfect. Cora and I will talk to our friend in the FBI tomorrow, and together we


    will try toe up with a n.”


    As we were packing ourputers, ready to leave, Neil blocked our way out and frowned.” Wait a


    minute… but what am I supposed to do in the meantime?”


    Aren patted his shoulder and smirked. “You will make sure thispany doesn’t fall apart in my absence


    and prove that I am not paying too much.”


    ***


    Aren’s bright mood seemed to vanish as soon as we left thepany. He kept smiling at me, but I could


    see that he was forcing himself every time he curled up his lips. I wanted to ignore it, but the mood only


    worsened as his pretended smiles turned into an indifferent cold expression, as if he had be a


    different person. I waited until we got home, hoping it would change, but his mask was still there even


    when there were only the two of us. He didn’t say a word while we were in the elevator on our way to the


    penthouse. His mind was elsewhere, and he left me alone to face his emotionlessness


    Aren walked into the hall and shrugged off his jacket, throwing it on the sofa. “We have a lot of work


    tomorrow. It would be better if we slept separately,” he said coldly.


    It might have been a rational suggestion, but it hurt. We were supposed to be celebrating, but why did it


    feel as if I was being punished? I refused to end this day surrounded by his coldness. I stood behind him,


    my arms sliding around his waist. “Don’t do that, please…” I muttered, my voice cracking


    “Do what?” he said harshly. He stayed still as if he waspletely indifferent to my touch.


    “Don’t lock yourself away from me…” I whispered, nuzzling his back. “You pretended to be fine in front of


    n, Norton, and Neil, and now…”


    An icy chuckle left his lips. “Would you rather I be as fake in front of you as in front of them?”


    That hurt even more, but I didn’t want to give up. I hugged him even tighter. “I want you to admit that you


    are hurting. Your father… what he did… I cannot even imagine what you are going through.”


    He huffed. “Right, you cannot imagine.” He grabbed my wrists and yanked my arms off of his waist


    before turning around, looking at me with a cold smile. “When I told you that I couldn’t give you a


    romantic rtionship, this is what I meant. I don’t have the luxury of feeling how


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    you want me to feel; otherwise, we will both end up dead. And I certainly don’t want your goddamn pity.”


    “It’s not pity! I’m doing the best I can to support you! I’m fighting on your side, Aren! And all I wanted was


    to give you somefort!” I shouted, my chest squeezing harder by the second.


    “I’m not afterfort, Cora, I’m after revenge. I’m prepared to be ruthless, and I’m prepared to get my


    hands dirty in the process. I treasure you deeply because you are capable like no other woman I’ve met


    but don’t mistake it for anything else. If you don’t like it, you can be my wife only on paper, or you


    can suck it up and learn to cope with that for the next two years.”


    I stared at him numbly, swallowing shallow breaths in a rush. I felt as if something was crushing my entire


    ribcage, squeezing the life out of me. He looked at me with eyes filled with void, endless and cold. My


    lips slowly curved into a bitter smile. “All our nights together… was it just… fun?” I breathed out in pain.


    His eyes stayed locked on me for a minute while I inwardly begged him to deny it.” Goodnight, Cora,” he


    said, ending my torture with one quick stab before walking upstairs to the bedroom.