Chapter 135
I was waiting for my investigators to confirm my suspicions about you,” Thalassa said icily. “But you trying to kill my best friend? That’s the last straw.”
Clark’s mind raced as he processed the sight of Thalassa holding a gun on him. This was the last thing he’d expected coming here. He needed to do something to salvage the situation.
“Thalassa, what are you talking about? I didn’t try to kill anyone.” His voice wavered, though he attempted to keep it steady.
Thalassa scoffed, her eyes narrowing. “Luisa called to tell me what happened to her on the road. You sent those men after her, and they would’ve killed her had it not been for Alden, Zeke, and Kris.”
Clark saw an opportunity to turn things around. ““Kris? Of course! I’m not surprised that it involves that man. Lassa, he’s clearly trying to manipulate you again. Can’t you see? He obviously planned for those men to chase Luisa so that he would rescue her and act like a savior.”
A humorless smile curled on Thalassa’s lips. “Funny how you know Luisa was chased… because I didn’t even tell you that.”
Clark blanched, scrambling for what to say next. “I assumed she was chased since you said it happened to her on the road.”
He stepped forward as he raised his hands, trying to calm her down. “Thalassa-”
“Don’t come any closer, Clark,” she warned, her grip tightening on the gun.
Clark halted, frustration boiling just beneath the surface of the calmness he was starting to portray. “Lassa, you’re making a mistake. Luisa has been nothing but nice and supportive of me. Why would I even hurt her?”
“Because you heard her trying to convince me that you’re dangerous,” Thalassa replied coldly. “You heard it from the recording you took with your phone.”
Clark’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second before narrowing again, causing her to let out a chuckle, one that had no mirth in it. “You really thought I wouldn’t figure out why you left your phone at the table when you excused yourself to go to the washroom?”
Clark realized that there was no way to manipulate her anymore, his gaze hardening as he questioned, “How long have you been investigating me?”
“Since the day you told me the story about all the losses you experienced in the last five years,” she responded, tilting her head slightly.
“Did you really think that you would tell me one sob story and I would completely trust you despite all the inconsistencies? When I asked you why you didn’t tell me about the inheritances you received, you tried too hard to convince me that the money didn’t even matter to you. You even offered to show me paperwork that you put most of the money into charity. That was the first thing that put me off.”
She let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Even with that, I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. But do
you
know when I actually began to suspect you? The following day, when I went to the police station.”
Clark’s brow furrowed. “What for?”
“I went to follow up on the report you claimed you filed after we were ‘attacked‘ outside the restaurant,” Thalassa said, her voice steely. “Because it had been days already, and by protocol, all key witnesses at a crime scene are called to give statements. So why hadn’t I been contacted? Imagine my surprise when I asked only to be told that no such report had been filed?”
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Chapter 135
She raised an eyebrow as Clark’s face darkened. “What? Did you really take me for that much of an idiot? Or did you think that I trusted you so much that I wouldn’t look into it myself? I began wondering why you would lie about filing the report and it soon became clear: because you were the one behind the attack.”
She paused, her brows furrowing. “That day, in the hospital after we were attacked, when you claimed you didn’t know anything about why Kris and I divorced…it was a lie, wasn’t it? You already knew everything about my history with Linda Miller, and so you knew that she was the first person I would blame for the attack while you got to look like a hero even though it was you behind the attack. Just like you manipulated things to make me believe that it was Kris behind the sabotage.”
Clark’s silence confirmed her suspicions, and she let out a bitter sigh, thinking back to how she’d believed him, even if only for a short time.
“Those articles about us being in a relationship?” she continued. “Yes, that news was published by several websites and magazines but I tracked down the first website that published the news. I wasn’t very surprised though when I found out it was you who paid them to do it.
Clark’s nostrils flared as he stared at the barrel of the gun which was still pointed at him. “If you’ve known all this for so long, then why did you never say anything or confront me?”
Thalassa’s expression turned cold. “Because I needed time. I wanted to know your true intentions. Kris isn’t the only one investigating you. I’ve got my own people looking into the ‘suicides‘ of your so–called ‘loved ones.“”
