Contract Marriage with My Secret Partner in Crime
Chapter 112: The Cruelest Part

Chapter 112: The Cruelest Part

[134 Days Left to Live]

Cassius’s office was unusually quiet, yet the silence didn’t offer peace. It was the kind that pressed down on the chest, thick with unspoken thoughts. The scent of old books, paper, and the faint aroma of black coffee hung in the air like time itself had slowed down. Kendrick stood across the desk, arms crossed, jaw tight, staring down the man seated calmly before him.

"Come on, Cassius. Where are the files?" Kendrick’s voice cut through the stillness. It wasn’t the first time he’d asked, and judging by the way his brow was furrowed and his fingers clenched tightly around the folder he brought, it wouldn’t be the last.

Cassius didn’t even flinch. He sat with his elbows on the table, fingers steepled, his unreadable expression not offering Kendrick a single hint of compromise.

"Come on, just tell me, where are the files?" he asked again, his voice low but forceful. His tone was tired, worn down by how many times he had repeated the same question since yesterday. He had lost count.

"I told you," he said evenly. "Drop it. Stay away from Barmon."

"That’s not an answer," Kendrick shot back. He took a step forward, a trace of frustration threading his otherwise calm tone. "You’re the one who asked me to track him down. You’re the one who sent me in! And now you’re telling me to let it go?"

Cassius didn’t move. "Things have changed."

Kendrick’s voice rose, barely restrained. "Changed? Since when? Since I almost died chasing down your lead? Since we lost our only source because I was hospitalized from overwork? You think you can yank me around like this?"

"I’m not yanking you around," Cassius replied calmly. "I’m protecting the integrity of the case."

Kendrick let out a low, humorless laugh and shook his head. "That’s rich. The integrity of the case? Or the secrets you’re still not telling me?"

Cassius narrowed his eyes but remained silent.

"I’m not someone who leaves things halfway, Cassius. You know that. I always finish what I start," Kendrick continued, eyes sharp with purpose. "There’s no way I’m backing down from this."

"You already did your job," Cassius said firmly. "That’s enough."

"Enough for who? You? Because it sure as hell isn’t enough for me."

There was a long beat of silence between them. The tension in the room was nearly visible now, hanging between them like a coiled wire ready to snap. Kendrick’s breathing had grown heavy, his stance more rigid, while Cassius still seemed maddeningly composed.

"You don’t have to hide it from me," Kendrick said, softer this time but no less intense. "I know there’s something more behind Barmon’s disappearance. This is connected to what happened twelve years ago, isn’t it?"

Cassius’s eyes flickered, just for a second. But it was enough.

Kendrick caught it. "So I’m right."

Cassius leaned back in his chair, arms crossing slowly. His mouth remained in a firm line, unmoving. He didn’t confirm, but he didn’t deny it either.

"I can’t tell you everything," he finally said. "And I won’t. So let it go, Kendrick."

"You really think I can just walk away now?" Kendrick asked bitterly. "I spent years chasing shadows, and now that I’m this close, you want me to pretend it doesn’t matter?"

"I want you to think beyond this case. That’s all I’m asking," Cassius replied with a tone that bordered more on personal than professional. Still, there was something weighed behind his words. Something more than the typical concern of a superior boss.

Kendrick stared at him. "You want me to think beyond this case? Or are you just afraid of what I’ll find?"

Cassius finally stood. "This conversation is over."

Kendrick didn’t back down. "You don’t get to make that call anymore."

Cassius stepped out from behind the desk, his gaze meeting Kendrick’s directly. "I do when the risk outweighs the gain."

"You don’t get to decide what risks I’m willing to take."

"You don’t know what you’re dealing with," Cassius said sharply now, his voice finally rising, cracking the calm façade.

"Then tell me!" Kendrick barked. "Give me the damn files and let me judge it for myself. I’ve faced worse than whatever bogeyman you’re hiding behind that desk."

Cassius sighed heavily, running a hand over his face. "You think this is about being scared? About hiding some monster under the bed?" He paced slowly, steps measured.

"There’s more to this than Barmon. More than what your eyes saw twelve years ago. People like him don’t vanish. They’re erased. And if you keep digging, you won’t just find his past. You’ll find people willing to bury anyone who gets close."

Kendrick crossed his arms. "You should know me by now. I’m not afraid of being buried."

"You should be," Cassius said. Then, more quietly, "You’ve done enough, Kendrick. Let someone else carry the weight now."

The room fell quiet again. Kendrick’s jaw clenched, teeth grinding against each other. His fists tightened at his sides.

But he didn’t speak. Not right away.

Instead, he stared at Cassius like he was trying to read his mind. To get past whatever wall Cassius had carefully built around himself. It wasn’t like him to shut Kendrick out entirely. Not like this.

Finally, Kendrick’s voice came again, low and steady. "If you won’t give me the files, I’ll find them myself."

Cassius walked back to his desk and slowly sat down again. He didn’t say a word. He simply looked down at the paperwork on his table and began flipping through it, as if Kendrick wasn’t even there anymore.

Kendrick turned to leave, every step heavy. He paused at the door.

"You may think you’re protecting me," he said without turning around, "but the longer you keep me in the dark, the more dangerous this becomes for both of us."

Cassius didn’t respond.

The door clicked shut behind Kendrick.

And Cassius sat there in silence, eyes staring blankly at the paper in front of him, hands unmoving. He knew Kendrick wasn’t the type to give up. Not easily. Not without answers.

But he couldn’t bring himself to let him walk straight into the storm either.

Not again.

But deep inside, Cassius knew the truth.

Kendrick didn’t have time to finish this fight.

And that was the cruelest part of all.