Contract Marriage starring Love and Revenge
Chapter 107. She might have something on him.

Chapter 107: 107. She might have something on him.

Seeing how I am reacting to the news, Duke gives me a moment to process it all. He pulls me into his arms, making me sit between his legs with my back resting on his chest and his arms wrapped around me. He just silently sits with me for long minutes as I’m processing the things he just told me in my head.

So, aunt Evelyn worked with Attorney Languine to change grandpa’s will and the only reason she would do that is because the will was probably not favorable to her. Or she was just not content with what she was given in the original will.

Oh, grandpa, can you ever forgive me? I’ve been such a fool.

"Are you certain that it was aunt Evelyn?" I ask.

"Certain enough. After finding out that there was something fishy about the will, we investigated where the money that was deposited into Languine’s account flowed in from. When we dug a little deeper we found that the account the money came from was opened under the name of your aunt’s lover," I instantly turn in his arms so I can look at him very well and hear what he’s saying clearly.

"A_Aunt Evelyn has a lover?!" What am I even hearing right now?

"According to my sources, yes. A very young and handsome one at that." That’s a very unexpected news. I mean who could have imagined?! I knew they had problems in their marriage but for aunt Evelyn to take a lover... I never would have imagined.

"Wow." I say.

"Wow indeed." Duke says. "Just for fun, I dug into the two of them and found out she’s been seeing him since he was just twenty. She paid his bills all through college."

" What?! Aunt Evelyn?!"

"Yep, your dear aunt Evelyn."

"Really?"

"Really. Pagne." He nods. "The guy is thirty now though."

So she started seeing him when she was around forty, right?"

"Uh-hun. He was at her birthday party too."

"What?! She invited him to her birthday party?! How could she bring her lover to the same space where her husband would be? More importantly, why didn’t you tell me this sooner?"

"I told you, I didn’t know how exactly to tell you. I didn’t want to see you devastated when you found out that what was shown to you wasn’t actually your grandpa’s will. I know you’ll be hating yourself for thinking he hated you and left you with nothing."

How does he know me so well?

"You know me better than I know myself." I chuckle.

"Of course I do." He says and presses his head on my shoulder, "You are my other half. If I don’t know you well, who will?"

I’m again reminded why I’ve never loved anyone the way I love Duke. I’m the kind of person who falls in love easily. No matter what I’ve faced before, as long as I’m shown a little bit of kindness, I start falling in love again.

But maybe because the problems I encountered just before I met Duke were greater than any other I’ve faced before, maybe because I keep facing new problems daily and he’s always there for me... Maybe that’s why I feel so much more attached to him than I’ve ever felt before towards anyone. Because he’s shown me more kindness, consideration and love than anyone else.

That’s why sometimes I have this fear.

The fear that my life will come to a complete halt if I ever lose this man because before him no one has shown me this much love and kindness, and I don’t think anyone on this earth can ever come after him.

I’ve come to a point where I dread a life without Duke in it. I hope such a day never comes.

"So she paid attorney Languine to change grandpa’s will using her lover’s account." I return back to the main topic on ground.

"Correct. However, after digging even deeper—"

"Are you trying to find an Egyptian tomb or what? Why do you keep digging deeper?" I say and he chuckles and places a kiss on my cheek.

"I’m glad you can make jokes even after hearing about your grandfather’s will. I feared you’d be too devastated for a while."

"I think it’s because you’re holding me now and not giving me a chance to break down."

His hold around me tightens, "Then I’ll keep holding you." He drags in a deep breath and says.

"That being said, after digging deeper, we found more than an Egyptian tomb in your aunt’s deep dark cupboard. We found shell companies."

"Shell companies? As in ghost companies? I know Gold group has one shell company. Grandpa used it to acquire funds when the company was in a tight spot. But legally, nothing illegal."

"Oh my love, you are just so innocent and naive and so, so sweet." He says while pinching my cheek.

"What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is," He turns me around gently in his arms till I’m sitting face to face with him, "The shell company you know of is just one out of many. Yes, your grandpa only controlled one shell company and I don’t mean to ruin his image in your eyes or anything but trust me dearest, illegal business was carried out there too."

"Really?"

"Really dearest, deep down you must have known that the things done under the name of that company was not all pure."

Maybe he’s right.

Maybe somewhere within me I was suspicious of some things. Like why grandpa always hid the documents of that company from me. Why they never spoke about it when I was with him... All I know about that company is what Attorney Languine and grandpa told me. Nothing more.

"However, our focus is not on your grandpa’s single shell company but on your aunt’s."

"Arw you saying Gold group has other shell companies?"

"No dearest, don’t get me wrong. Gold group doesn’t. Your aunt does."

"Huh?"

"Your aunt owns three shell companies under different names that she systematically set up in a way that would not link back to her, but no matter how good she is at hiding her tracks, I’m better at finding those little bits of tracks she left uncovered."

I’m getting very confused here. Aunt Evelyn has three shell companies! Three!! How can a person own three shell companies?

"What for? What—"

"What else? Illegal business of course."

"You can’t be serious, are you?" I ask but even without getting a response, I can tell this is no joke.

"Tax evasion, money laundering, you name it. Your aunt is a badass," He scoffs, "I must give it to her. She has been doing this for years without being caught. She managed the companies and her accounts brilliantly and after her lover finished his education, he joined in managing it for her. He’s been syphoning some of her funds without her knowing it."

This story just keeps getting better and better, "So she’s stealing from Good group, stealing from the government, stealing from the community and then her boyfriend is stealing from her."

"Exactly. He manages it for her well, and she makes enough not to even notice the bits he keeps for himself. Apart from the tips he gets directly from her, he’s made himself a millionaire with the money he’s embezzeled."

"Wow."

"Wow indeed my love."

"So, as it stands, we have enough evidence against your aunt to lock her up in a beautiful cell for a long time. We’re trying to meet up with attorney Languine so he can provide us with the actual will but he’s proving rather difficult."

"I’m still shocked that Attorney Languine would betray my grandfather for some money." I mean, he is a man I’ve always respected. An old man like that, what could he possibly need money for? How much could he have been offered to betray grandpa like that?

He was a man of principle and the Languine I know would not break his principles for money.

"You’d be shocked what people would do for money." Duke says.

"I know. I know that but... It still feels strange." I just can’t get this feeling out of my head. This feeling that there must be something else we don’t know about.

"Well, the truth is, I also think there is something else." Duke suddenly says as if he read my mind.

"Based on how he reacted when I met with him—"

I look at him with wide eyes, "You met with attorney Languine?"

"Yeah, about a week ago." He responds.

"You are so secretive!" I give him a light punch in his arm.

"Sorry." He won’t even give me a chance to get mad at him. How can he apologize so quickly? I can’t even pretend to be angry.

"So you met with him, what then?"

"Well, it did seem like Evelyn had something on him. I think she threatened him. If we can find out what exactly it is, we will be able to get Languine on our side."