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Chapter 38
“What happened?” Silas asked as he stepped into his brother’s office.
There were two unfamiliar men sitting there with Thomas and Wade.
“Mason bloody Hunter happened,” Thomas replied, a frown etched on his face.
“We don’t know that yet,” Wade interjected.
Silas took the empty chair next to Wade. “I’m so confused about what’s going on.”
The two unknown men stood up and nodded politely at Silas. One of them turned to Thomas. “Shall we discuss those lists later, sir?”
“Yes,” Thomas said, dismissing them with a wave.
Once both men left, Silas scooted his chair closer. “What happened?”
“Well,” Wade began, “your brother has been sued by Sonia Raj.”
How is that even possible?” Silas asked, stunned. Sonia was one of Thomas’s most trusted clients. How had their relationship gone so wrong?
Thomas leaned forward, his eyes blazing with anger. “Sonia called me this morning, screaming. She wanted to know why I’d released her financial statements to investors. Apparently, she’s been bombarded with emails from them about investments.”
Silas leaned back in his chair, his mind racing. “But how does she know it was you? It could’ve been anyone.”
“I’m the only external party with access to her financial information,” Thomas said flatly.
“Ah,” Silas murmured.
“I can’t think straight,” Thomas said abruptly, standing up. “I need a drink.” Without another word, he stormed out of the office.
Silas smacked his lips, still processing the situation. He turned to Wade, who had a grim expression. “Don’t you think it’s high time we sued Mason?”
“We can’t draw conclusions like that,” Wade said, a frown on his face. “We don’t know anything going on.”
“But it’s obvious Mason leaked the information,” Silas argued.
“Alright,” Wade said calmly. “What’s your proof? Do you have any evidence Mason was involved?”
Silas wracked his brain, trying to recall anything tangible Thomas must have said. When nothing came to mind, he shrugged. “It’s just a feeling.”
“Well, news flash: feelings don’t hold up in court,” Wade said, his tone slightly harsh.
Silas dismissed Wade’s tone, trying to process the whole Sonia situation. If Sonia successfully sued Thomas, it would only make matters worse. Thomas would lose credibility with his other clients, nobody would want to do business with him, and even his marriage to Ivy wouldn’t be enough to distract the media.
Right now, he could already imagine the headlines.
Thomas returned to the room with a large bottle of alcohol and a small glass. He poured into the glass and downed it before sitting down.
“If Sonia suing me goes public, I’m done,” Thomas muttered, to nobody in particular,
Silas’s chest tightened at the defeated look on his brother’s face. It hurt to see Thomas like this. “Do you have any evidence linking Mason to the crime?” he asked gently.
“No.” Thomas shook his head. “But I know he’s involved. Who else would want to bring me down this badly?”
“Still, we can’t be sure,” Wade said cautiously.
Thomas shot him a glare. “Do you have evidence it’s someone else?”
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Chapter 38
Wade looked away, and Thomas poured himself another glass, gulping it down at once.
“Easy now, bro,” Silas said softly, concerned that Thomas was getting drunk..
Thomas’s phone dinged. He picked it up, glancing at the screen. “It’s Uncle Mike,” he said before answering. “Hey, Uncle.”
Mike’s voice sounded over the loudspeaker. “Hey, my boy! How are you holding up?” Mike always referred to both Thomas and Silas as “my boys.”
“Terrible,” Thomas admitted. “Did you see my message about Sonia?”
“I did,” Mike said, sounding distressed. “How did that even happen?”
“I have no idea. I really don’t, but I’ve my guesses,” Thomas said, reaching for the bottle.
Silas took the bottle away, placing it far away from Thomas’s reach. “That’s enough.”
Thomas didn’t argue. “Uncle Mike, I need your help. You’re close to Sonia. Tell her it’s a misunderstanding, and that I’m working on it.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her,” Mike assured him. “She’ll stop the lawsuit. Just make sure you resolve this quickly.”
will,” Thomas sighed.
“Alright. I’ll check in later. Bye.”
“Bye, Uncle,” Thomas said before ending the call. He then turned to Silas with a glare, “Give me the fucking bottle.”
“No,” Silas said, shaking his head. “We need to focus on finding solutions and you getting drunk won’t help.”
“Agreed,” Wade said softly.
Thomas groaned. “I just want to drown in my misery.”
Ignoring him, Silas turned to Wade. “How do we tackle this?”
Wade adjusted in his chair. “First, we need to identify what information was leaked, that is if Ms Raj is willing to cooperate with us. We will then use this information to rule out internal data breach. From there, we assess the threat-”
“What if you can’t rule out an internal breach?” Silas interrupted.
“What?” Wade asked, frowning.
Thomas looked at Silas sharply. “What are you implying?”
“I’m saying it’s possible someone on the inside leaked the information,” Silas said cautiously. He knew he was treading on thin ice but he had to voice his suspicion.
Thomas’s face darkened. “Are you accusing my staff?”
“I’m just considering the possibilities,” Silas replied. “With information as sensitive as that, it would take an inside person leaking–or Mason working with the person.”
The room went awkwardly silent before Thomas spoke. “That’s impossible.” He shook his head. “I have loyal staff.”
“But Silas has a point,” Wade added hesitantly. “It could’ve been someone internally or Mason hacking your systems.”
“I said it’s impossible!” Thomas snapped. “Don’t accuse my people. Do you see me accusing your wife even when it’s glaring?”
Silas stiffened, stunned that Ivy had been dragged into the conversation. “What does Ivy have to do with this?”
“I don’t know! You tell me!” Thomas yelled. “She was the one talking to Mason, making secret plans. For all I know, they could be working together!”
“That’s enough!” Silas shot back, his temper flaring. “I won’t let you talk about her like that. After all, I married her for you!”
“And how’s that working out?” Thomas sneered. “Nothing’s changed! I’m still in this fucking mess!”
“Guys, let’s calm down,” Wade interjected, trying to case the tension.
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Chapter 38
“I didn’t ask you to have problems,” Silas hissed, “I’m doing everything I can to clear your name. You wanted a distraction–I gave you one,”
“No, nope!” Thomas flared up, his voice rising. “I asked for a distraction, and you brought more problems! I didn’t tell you to marry my rival’s ex–wife. For all I know, she could be using this to gather information to harm me.”
Silas’s jaw tightened as Thomas spoke about Ivy that way. He knew he shouldn’t defend her, but he couldn’t stand hearing his brother talk ill about her.
“Well, she’s not,” Silas said, standing up. “She’s even working hard to take the heat off you.”
“Of course,” Thomas scoffed, “That’s why she hit her ex–mother–in–law? It’s all part of the distraction! Open your eyes, Silas–she’s keeping us busy while Mason gets away with his schemes.”
That was it. That was the last straw. Without looking at his brother, he said, “Goodbye,” and walked out.
As he left Thomas’s office, a heavy thought settled in his chest: He had just argued with his brother for the first time in years–and it was all because of Ivy,
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