CHAPTER 209: I DIDN’T ORDER ANYTHING

He flipped open the folder and began signing, his handwriting slightly uneven. As he scribbled across the dotted lines, Evans launched into the necessary business talk—materials, the shipment delays from Italy, the updated timeline projections.

Winn nodded at all the right parts, answering in low distracted hums.

*****

Raphael heard the knock on the door that evening while he stood in his kitchen, pouring hot water into a mug. He glanced at the security monitor mounted near the door. A FedEx delivery guy stood there, holding a mid-sized package.

"Hmm," Raphael muttered, adjusting his glasses. "I didn’t order anything."

But packages from work arrived randomly all the time. So Raphael shrugged, set the mug down, and unlocked the door.

The moment the latch clicked, the so-called delivery guy shoved forward, aiming a gun directly at Raphael’s face.

"What the fuck is this?" Raphael snapped, stumbling back in shock. Before he could react, the gun whipped forward and smashed into his cheekbone. Pain shot through him in a white explosion as he staggered against the doorframe.

"Sit down!" the man barked. "We’re going to have a conversation."

Raphael clutched his face, swearing under his breath. He moved quickly.

He walked over to the sofa and sat down.

"What do you want?" he asked.

The delivery cap came off. Underneath it was Mike.

Mike dropped heavily into the chair opposite Raphael, the gun never wavering. "You work with Maurice Heathcliffe."

"Yes. I am his personal aide," Raphael said.

"Good," Mike replied. "About two years ago, you broke into the Orchard family vault. Why? And if you lie—just one tiny little lie—this conversation is going to end badly."

"I did no such thing!"

Mike cocked the gun with a soft, deadly click.

"Yes! Yes, I did!" Raphael squeaked immediately, his hands flying up in surrender, eyes bulging with terror. "I did it, okay?! I did!"

Mike nodded. "I know you did. You pulled out the security tapes, copied them, erased the footage of yourself, and replaced it. Clever. Except you were so stupid you left the copied tape here in your house—where anyone could access it. What were you saving it for? Leverage? Retirement plan? Insurance?"

"What do you want?"

"I want to know everything about Sharona Priestley. Now Sharona Kane."

"Did Winn send you?" Raphael asked before he could stop himself.

"Start talking. If even one piece of information is missing—just one—the tape goes to your boss. Imagine how many years you’ll spend in jail."

Raphael paled so quickly he looked powdered.

"I don’t know much!" he said quickly. "She is—uhm—People call her Point and Kill."

Mike raised a brow. "Why?"

Raphael licked his dry lips. "Because... she helps with messy divorces. Not the regular kind. The kind where the wife wants out but the prenup is tighter than a steel coffin. She... arranges things. Frames the spouse. Law firms sometimes use her. Private investigators. Rich wives. Desperate women. That’s all I know!"

Mike stared at him.

"So she sleeps with a target, takes pictures, and this is what gets pulled out during divorce proceedings?" Mike asked.

"Yes!" Raphael blurted. His hands were wringing themselves into a moist, trembling knot on his lap. "Yes—she... she seduces them."

"Mm. Efficient. How did she meet Winn Kane?" Mike asked casually.

"I don’t know!" Raphael lied instantly. Of course he knew. But Raphael knew Tom Kane enough to understand that stupidity was fatal. "I have... I have worked with her in the past, that’s all."

"Your boss uses her services?"

"No! No—God, no. Maurice Heathcliffe would never hire her. The stuff with Sharona was uh... a side business. Something I did for extra money. Tiny side gig."

"You," Mike said slowly, "are going to give me a complete list of every divorce she’s handled. Names, details, timeline... and the pictures."

"Pictures?"

"Oh yes." Mike gave him an unsettling smile. "All of them. You’re going to compile it neatly. Professionally. Like a good little administrative rodent."

Raphael nodded so fast his vision blurred. "Of course. Of course. I’ll—I’ll gather everything. You’ll have it."

"Good." Mike stood slowly.

Raphael licked his lips. "And... and the tape? Will you... give it back then?"

"No."

"No?"

"No," Mike repeated pleasantly. "I’ll keep it in my possession. I’m sure it will make you even more compliant than a gun. I’ll send you an email in the morning. I want every single file, picture, and detail before 10 a.m. If it’s late by even one second...Your boss is going to get a gift."

"Sure. Sure! I will do as you say. Everything. You’ll have everything."

Mike slipped his cap back on. "Smart man."

The door closed behind him.

Raphael didn’t breathe again for almost forty seconds. When he finally did, it was loud, ragged, and humiliating. His hands shook as he wiped sweat off his forehead.

*****

Jasper had refused to leave Ivy when she was leaving the Orchard estate that morning.

He hadn’t seen her in a while and the moment he caught sight of her, the retriever bounded toward her. Ivy knelt on instinct, and he practically head-butted her into a hug. The guilt that hit her was instant and sharp. She had forgotten him.

So with Winn’s and her grandad’s permission, she took the golden retriever for the day.

She took the day off work and spent it entirely with the dog. Ivy still didn’t understand Jasper’s attachment to her. Ever since they first met at her engagement party.

The city park near Everest Estate was stunning that day. Ivy walked Jasper along the winding path, throwing sticks he refused to fetch.

Back at the estate, she took him to the garden. She sat cross-legged on the soft grass, Jasper sprawled across her lap.

"Okay," she whispered, stroking his ears. "Explain to me why your human has this... weird attachment to me." Jasper blinked up, entirely unhelpful.

She sighed. "Fine. Don’t tell me."

That evening, just as she was going back in the house, Eugene came to visit.

(this additional Chapter is for getting 100 power stones. Can we make it to 200 for another Chapter?)