Chapter 199
Baldrick listened as Cyrus spoke, his tone laced with a hint of sarcasm. “Asking about the surveillance footage now? Don’t you think that’s a bit too late?”
Cyrus‘ brow furrowed tightly, his grip on the phone intensifying. “What are you implying with that?”
“It’s been almost a month. Those videos got auto–deleted ages ago,” Baldrick taunted.
Cyrus wasn’t buying it for a second. “Do you really think I just met you yesterday? Anyone might delete footage, but not you, Baldrick.”
With Baldrick’s cunning nature, if there was a way to get his hands on a video from a month ago–or even three years ago–he’d find it.
There was a brief silence on the line before Baldrick chuckled. “But this time, I actually did. After all, someone doesn’t want you to see it.”
“Baldrick, who doesn’t want me to see it?” Cyrus felt a strange, unexplainable panic rising within him.
“You guess,” Baldrick sneered, “I’ve got other matters to attend to, so I’ll leave you to ponder that.”
And with that, Baldrick hung up, not giving Cyrus a chance to retort.
Hearing the dial tone, Cyrus could no longer contain his frustration and swore under his breath.
Baldrick’s words echoed in his mind: After all, someone doesn’t want you to see it.
Who was this someone? Nancy?
Why wouldn’t Nancy want him to see it? Had she already given up on him by then? Stricken with panic, Cyrus quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Caleb.
“Find a way to hack into the Robertson family’s system. I need to know what really happened at the party!”
If he had truly misunderstood Nancy, not only would she never forgive him, but he couldn’t forgive himself
either.
Meanwhile, in a swiftly moving black car, Baldrick stared at his phone’s blank screen, a mocking smile on his
otherwise composed face.
Though he wasn’t physically in Ardenweald, he was well aware of today’s events.
Cyrus had apparently gotten into a full–blown fight with Judson at the dinner party, even going so far as to kick Judson down the stairs.
Thinking of this, amusement and a cold detachment filled Baldrick’s eyes.
Judson was cunning, sure, but Baldrick doubted Cyrus was capable of such a bold move.
The more those two fought, the happier it made him. Less competition meant he could sit back and benefit
from the chaos.
But before Baldrick could fully relish the thought, the car screeched to a sudden halt.
He was thrown forward, barely managing to grasp the handle in time to avoid being tossed around.
The driver, clearly startled, spoke up, “Mr. Robertson, someone just jumped in front of the car.”
Following the driver’s words, Baldrick’s gaze shifted to the front.
There, standing at the car’s hood, was a man looking utterly exhausted, his face unshaven, dark circles under his eyes–an image of disarray.
I
A flicker of surprise crossed Baldrick’s eyes. “Norton?”
The Norton he remembered was a vibrant, carefree playboy, now reduced to this state.
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15:44
Chapter 19
Norton also noticed Baldrick’s attention and hurried to the car door.
Before he could even speak, tears were already streaming down his face. “Baldrick, you have to help me! Cyrus has taken down the Patel family. We’re bankrupt, and the old man is shipping me off overseas, planning to bring back the bastard son from the countryside to groom him.”
The window rolled down slightly.
Baldrick remained unfazed. “Telling me all this won’t help. I’d like to assist, but I’ve got my own problems to sort out.”
Norton was frantic, refusing to believe Baldrick’s words. “There’s no way Farley could be a match for you! Baldrick, we’ve known each other since we were kids, and you were the one who introduced Hayley to me…”
“Are you not afraid I’ll spill the beans to Nancy?”
Baldrick let out a soft, chilling laugh at the threat. “I might have introduced you to Hayley, but I never introduced you to Nancy’s double.”
Norton was speechless.
“Norton, with the Patel family going under, you’re not entirely blameless this time.”
