Billionaire's Second Chance At Love

Chapter Ninety-Eight

Carmen took in a deep breath and willed herself to be prepared for the showdown.

It had to be the end, right? Her mother had managed to prevent James from disappearing and was now waiting for them so they could get the answers to all their questions. Forget about how she managed to do that in that short amount of time; the only thing that mattered was that she was able to do it. Now, they were this close to bringing this whole chaos to an end.

Carmen looked to her right and gave a gentle squeeze to Ronin's thigh. He looked so focused on driving them to the address her mother had provided that even the slight physical contact made him tense.

"You can talk to me, Ronin," she said to him, hoping he would share his thoughts instead of stewing alone. "You don't have to keep everything inside anymore."

At her words, Ronin visibly relaxed. His shoulders unwound—albeit a little—as he let out a heavy sigh. He kept his gaze fixed on the road ahead, but he allowed himself to take in her beautiful face for a second. For some reason that he had started to acknowledge, her presence made him a little less worried than he used to be when she wasn't around. Her voice had a calming effect on him, and so did the concern shining through her dark brown eyes.

"I just..." he started and shook his head. "I just hate myself for being so blind to all this. I should have known, you know? I should have noticed. At least something. But I didn't. First, Willow disappears, and no one questions a thing. Then James... he practically runs an entire illicit business in the shadow of our company, and we don't see that coming either. How could someone be so good at what they do? How could they not leave even a speck of evidence behind? It doesn't make any sense."

Carmen could understand his frustration, and the questions that seemed to be bothering him hadn't escaped her either. The only difference was, she knew how James managed to fool them without giving anyone any reason to be suspicious.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" she asked him. "James was obviously not working alone."

Ronin snapped his gaze to her, his mind working overtime. "Are you saying someone was helping him keep his tracks clean?"

"Not just clean, Ronin. It's impossible to pull something like this without any internal help. How many people can you think of with a reach like that? Someone who understands the business from the inside out?"

Ronin swallowed, not liking where his mind was taking him. "There are only four people who know everything about the company and have that kind of trust and authority. Grandpa, Dad, Eric, and me."

"Grandpa went to confront James," she added. There was no way he was the one to destroy the company and family name he built with his blood and sweat.

Ronin nodded, eyes on the road. "Dad can't be either. He values Grandpa's hard work way too much to betray him like that."

Carmen agreed. "And you have been targeted by the attacks not long after you took over the company and started investigating after the directors showed concerns regarding the spontaneous contracts."

"That leaves Eric," he concluded, scowling hard.

"Exactly." Carmen hoped he would understand her reasoning. "You said Eric hated you after Grandpa convinced me to take Jenna's place. And let's be honest, out of the two of you, James had always been too close to Eric."

Ronin's grip on the steering wheel tightened, his chest constricting. "But I refuse to believe that he would hurt Willow like that. He loved her just as much as I did. I can't—I can't imagine."

"Perhaps we can find the answer to that question once we meet James face to face."

Ronin changed the gears, driving faster. "Then, let's get over with it once and for all."