CHAPTER 74: CHAPTER 73: POKER FACES

Capital City – District 5, Rooftop Bar

Eric Lancaster was on his third glass of whiskey—and his fourth failed call.

The line went dead again.

"Fucking useless," he muttered, slamming his phone on the table.

Across from him, Vanessa Lancaster raised an eyebrow as she slipped into the seat, her heels clicking softly on the tiles.

"You’re not still thinking about your father, are you?" she asked, crossing her legs. "The police are already involved. He’ll turn up."

Eric didn’t look at her. "No. That’s not it."

A waiter arrived. Vanessa didn’t glance up. "Dry red."

The waiter nodded and left.

"So?" she pressed.

"My PI," Eric said, jaw tight. "The guy I sent after Kael. He’s not picking up."

Vanessa blinked once. "You hired a PI?"

Eric finally looked at her, his eyes bloodshot and restless. "Of course I did. You think I’d let that lowborn bastard disappear without a tail?"

She smirked, stirring her drink with the straw she hadn’t asked for. "You paid someone to follow Kael. Sounds desperate."

"Not just someone," Eric snapped. "A former FBI investigator. The kind that doesn’t miss details—or calls. I paid him fifty grand upfront. Cash."

Vanessa raised an eyebrow. A flicker of real interest passed across her face.

Eric leaned forward. "The guy had connections. Access. I figured if anyone could dig up something Kael didn’t want found, it’d be him. And he was digging. Last update I got—he said Kael owns five thousand hectares of land in Blackwater Hollow."

Vanessa’s expression didn’t change much, but her posture did—slightly straighter.

"I checked the records myself," Eric continued. "Transfer filed a month before the will was read. No mention of it in the estate documents. You think that’s normal?"

Vanessa’s wine arrived. She took a delicate sip, lips barely touching the glass.

"So," she said calmly. "Grandfather did leave him something."

"Something? That land is worth more than my father’s entire portfolio. In farmland alone, it’s worth millions. You think he just gave it to him—under the table—for nothing?"

Vanessa shrugged slightly. "Kael was the one who took care of him at the end. Not you. Not your father. Not anyone else. Maybe he earned it."

Eric scoffed, venom in his voice. "He played him. Got him while he was weak. Sick. That’s not earning. That’s leeching."

Vanessa leaned back, eyes glinting. "Sounds like you’re describing yourself."

Eric shot her a glare.

She smirked again. "Come on, cousin. You really think that PI just... vanished? Maybe Kael paid him more than you."

"He doesn’t have that kind of money. He’s broke. Grandpa practically fed him like a pet dog."

Vanessa swirled her wine. "Yet now he owns land the size of a small city. Curious, isn’t it?"

Eric slammed his empty glass on the table, making a nearby couple flinch.

"That bastard doesn’t deserve any of it," he spat. "He’s not a Lancaster. He’s a fucking side stain. His mother was a maid. His dad? A walking disgrace who got himself cut off. He’s a cockroach, not blood."

Vanessa didn’t flinch. She took another sip and gave him a mock-thoughtful look. "A cockroach who made Grandpa smile in his last days. You remember? Grandpa didn’t even let us into his study anymore. But Kael was there almost every day. Sometimes I think he liked Kael more than his own children."

Eric’s face twitched. "Shut up."

"Oh, right," she said lightly. "You don’t like being reminded. Especially after what happened that night."

He narrowed his eyes. "What night?"

She smiled. "You know. The night you got brave after a few drinks, opened your big mouth, and said something about Kael’s mother. Next thing anyone knew, you were flat on the floor with a bloody mouth and two cracked ribs."

"That was a year ago," Eric snapped. "I wasn’t ready. He caught me off guard."

"Mm. Sure," Vanessa said lazily, eyes on the skyline. "Caught you off guard for ten seconds straight, didn’t he?"

Eric’s hands clenched under the table. "He’s nothing. He’s just pretending to be more than he is. One day, I’ll show him exactly where he belongs."

Vanessa leaned in slightly, her voice quiet but sharp. "Be careful, Eric. Last time you underestimated him, you were on the floor. This time... he has land, money—and you don’t even know what he’s doing."

Eric glared at her, but she didn’t stop.

"And now your PI’s gone. You sure you didn’t just lose control of your own plan?"

He said nothing.

She settled back.

"So... what are you going to do now?" she asked. "After Grandpa’s death, and now with your father missing, our company’s share price is tanking. I’ve already heard rumors of investors pulling out."

Eric cursed under his breath.

"I know. The market’s panicking. The board’s in chaos."

"Are you planning to sell your shares?"

He nodded grimly. "If Dad doesn’t show up in the next few days, I’m out. Sell everything. Cash out. Start over. Maybe move to Europe."

Vanessa arched a brow. "Giving up so easily?"

He scowled. "It’s not giving up. It’s cutting losses. Our name is poison right now. The board’s in disarray."

She tilted her head. "So you really didn’t do anything to your father?"

Eric turned to her slowly. "What are you implying? That I hurt my own father?"

"You’re awfully calm for someone whose father vanished without a trace."

Eric scoffed, leaned back in the booth. "What do you want me to do, Vanessa? Break down sobbing? Cry like a five-year-old because my fifty-year-old father vanished without a note?"

He took another slow sip of his drink, the ice clinking softly.

"Look, I’m his son. I didn’t kill him. I’ve got nothing to hide. If I did, I wouldn’t be sitting here in plain sight, drinking whiskey like it’s just another night."

Vanessa nodded. "Then maybe it was Daniel Saito. Maybe he had something to do with it."

Eric’s eyes darkened. "I’ve been thinking that too."

"Or," she said slowly, "maybe your father staged it himself. You said it—he was obsessed with winning. Maybe faking his own disappearance was his last desperate play. Shift the board. Get sympathy. Pressure Saito."

Eric ran a hand through his hair. "I don’t know. He was cracking. Losing to that smug piece of shit in court drove him mad. But still... this is extreme. Even for him."