My Cold-Hearted Husband Wants Me Back
Chapter 184: A Lead

Chapter 184: A Lead

"We’ve arrived, sir."

Callum glanced into the rearview mirror, his voice calm.

"Thanks, Callum."

Lunara gave him a small smile. "And... I’m sorry for calling you instead of the driver."

"No, it’s okay."

Callum turned slightly in his seat, waving it off with a casual flick of his hand. "I was closer anyway."

They stepped out of the car, the breeze brushing against Lunara’s hair as she adjusted her coat. Eryx walked slowly beside her, careful with each movement of his injured hand.

Callum circled around to get to them, giving them a nod, he then passed the key to Lunara. "I’ll go home, Sir, Madam." He turned, walking to the gate.

"Callum."

Eryx’s voice stopped him mid-step.

Callum turned, brows lifting slightly in surprise.

"Take the car," Eryx said. "It’s late. No need to wait around for a cab."

There was a brief pause. Callum blinked, almost not believing what he heard. "You’re sure?"

Eryx gave a small nod. "Just bring it back tomorrow. Or the day after. No rush."

Callum blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Sorry, sir?"

Eryx’s expression stayed calm as he clarified, "I mean return it tomorrow... or whenever you’re ready to come back to work."

For a moment, Callum didn’t speak. His mouth parted slightly, eyes flicking between Eryx and Lunara, unsure if he heard correctly. But when the meaning sank in, the tension in his shoulders softened.

"I... Thank you, sir," he said, his voice low, grateful.

"No need," Eryx replied simply, already turning toward the house. "Just don’t make me regret it."

Callum gave a quiet laugh, more breath than sound but his eyes were damp. "You won’t."

With that, Eryx and Lunara made their way up the front steps.

Callum had just placed his hand on the gear shift when something clicked in his mind, something he meant to tell Eryx earlier but had been too overwhelmed to bring up.

He quickly rolled down the window and called out, "Sir! Wait!"

Eryx turned, eyebrows drawing together. "What is it?"

Callum stepped out of the car, voice low but urgent as he walked toward them. "I just remembered..." he paused as his eyes slightly glanced at Lunara, "This is about your business contract the other day, sir." He lied and Eryx could read the line.

Eryx turned to Lunara and said, "Go in first, I need to discuss business matters with Callum and it might take a while."

Lunara’s brows furrowed, picking up on the tension between them, but she nodded slowly. "Alright," she murmured, brushing her hand briefly against Eryx’s uninjured arm before turning toward the front door.

Once she stepped inside and the door closed behind her, Eryx faced Callum again, his voice low. "Talk."

Callum looked around, ensuring they were alone, then stepped forward. "I just got a new lead on Miss Mila’s case," he said carefully. "The woman who kidnapped her... she used to live in the same apartment block as Amara."

Eryx’s brows furrowed. "Amara?" He frowned deeper. "Lucas’s girlfriend’s sister Amara?"

Callum gave a slow nod. "Yes, sir. They were neighbors for a time. Very close, actually. I didn’t see it before because Amara kept a clean public record and stayed off-grid. But an old housing registry just surfaced from a low-income complex on the east side... Amara and the woman, Marisse, lived there at the same time. Two doors apart."

Eryx scoffed then looked up in frustration, "And you missed that freaking important info, Callum? Are you sure you still want to work with me?"

Callum’s face tensed, guilt flashing across his features. He lowered his gaze for a moment before replying.

"I deserve that," he admitted. "I should’ve caught it earlier. I don’t have an excuse."

Eryx exhaled through his nose, the muscle in his jaw twitching as he tried to steady his breathing. "We’re talking about Mila. My niece. And this woman... Marisse wasn’t just some random desperate stranger. She had a link."

Callum remained quiet for a few moments before apologizing, "I know, sir. I’m sorry. I should’ve caught this important information earlier."

Eryx shook his head, still too frustrated to respond right away. He looked off into the distance, his voice low when he finally spoke. "Any other information?"

Callum hesitated, then stepped a little closer, lowering his voice further. "Just one more thing. Marisse’s daughter... the one she was trying to save with the ransom money... She didn’t survive. She passed away a week ago."

Eryx’s expression darkened.

"And Amara was listed as the emergency contact at the hospital." Callum continued.

"Did she appear?" Eryx frowned, his stance started to shift as he got anxious.

Callum shook his head slowly. "No. According to the nurse I tracked down, she never showed up. They tried calling the number listed, but no one answered. A few days later, the number was disconnected."

Eryx nodded, "She was making sure her trace remained clean," he smirked, but it was cold, bitter. "No one lists themselves as an emergency contact without expecting to be called. Unless they never planned to show up in the first place."

Callum’s expression tightened. "Exactly, sir. She got lucky with Marisse’s death and thinking they could continue hiding it."

Eryx’s eyes narrowed, the cold smirk fading into a hard line. "Callum, I want everything you can find on Amara and her family. Every detail, every connection even the ones that seem insignificant. I want to know who they really are and what they’re hiding."

Callum nodded without hesitation. "Understood, sir. I’ll dig into their backgrounds, associates or anything that might link them to Miss Mila’s kidnapping incident."

Eryx took a deep breath, his jaw tightening. "If Amara’s family is involved in this, I’ll make sure they pay for what they’ve done. I don’t care how deep they think they’ve buried the truth. I will find it."

He paused, voice low but fierce. "I want them to confess. No more hiding in shadows or pretending they had nothing to do with it. This ends with the truth...one way or another."

Callum met his gaze, a silent promise in his eyes. "I’ll start immediately, sir. We won’t leave any stone unturned."

Eryx nodded again, the weight of his vow settling on his shoulders. "Good. Bring me everything. Because I’m not letting Mila’s story end like this... not while I’m still breathing."