Chapter 69: Chapter 69
KAEL
I was already aware that Rachel was dating the Italian driver, who coincidentally was from the team I was looking to invest in.
However, the news about Sarah and Bianchi dating completely caught me off guard, and I felt something very akin to betrayal, along with immense anger at not being informed about this fact by the team of investigators I was paying a hefty sum to constantly monitor her.
I arrived at the office with a headache and intended to call that bunch of incompetents and get to the bottom of this story as soon as I sat at my desk. I was about to do just that when Ryan walked into my office.
"I imagine you've seen the articles about Sarah," he commented before even sitting in the chair across from me.
I lowered the phone that I had brought up to my ear and stared at him coldly, trying to intimidate him enough to spill the beans about what he knew and what absurdity I had read just a few minutes ago.
"Can you tell me why Sarah is dating the man who took her sister's virginity?" I asked rudely.
"I called my si... um..." he coughed briefly, "...my friend, and she confirmed that Sarah was indeed dating Bianchi," Ryan said, suddenly going pale.
I sensed he was about to say something other than "my friend," but I couldn't quite grasp what it might be, even now as I analyzed all the possibilities of his wording.
"This makes no sense!" I protested, feeling outraged. "How can she get involved with Bianchi of all people?"
"You're questioning it because it's Bianchi, but I'm pretty sure that regardless of who Sarah's boyfriend was, it would bother you just the same," Ryan threw in my face.
I didn't need to think much to arrive at the obvious conclusion that he was absolutely right. The issue isn't that Sarah is dating Bianchi, it's the fact that she's dating, period.
"You're mistaken," I blatantly lied. "Sarah is completely free to go on with her life and make her choices. I'm only bothered by the fact that she's getting involved with a guy like him, known to be a player who's unlikely to respect her."
“If you say so, who am I to contest, right?”
Ryan and his blatant cynicism, so much like my own behavior that I believe living with me was shaping him to be like me.
“Changing the subject, how's your private investigation going?” Ryan asked.
I stared at him once again, wondering why he was so interested. After all, if I hadn't put him in charge of that matter, it was precisely because I didn't want him involved in it specifically.
But Ryan was always asking me such questions, and I was beginning to suspect there was something behind his interest. Even though I didn't believe he could really be working against me, I felt there was something motivating him.
“No news.”
Despite not wanting to update him on the results I obtained, I was actually telling the truth because I hadn't found the connection between my mother and Rachel yet.
“I can imagine how unsatisfied you must be with that.”
“I believe that's none of your business, Ryan.” I cut him off, tired of this game.
“Alright.” he agreed too quickly. “Actually, I came here to tell you something you might not know yet.”
“What would that be?”
“I've just been informed that your mother left with the driver as soon as you turned the corner, and according to the tracker you had installed in her car, Mary is currently entering the city of Tacoma.”
“Tacoma?” I repeated. “What could she want in Tacoma?” It was a rhetorical question.
“I thought the information might be important, so I'm here to inform you,” Ryan said, already getting up from his seat and walking towards the door. “If you need me, I'll be in my office, contacting some important investors for your new project.”
“Fine,” I replied with a single word because my thoughts were somewhere else, specifically between Tacoma and London.
Ryan
I left Kael's office and, after briefly greeting Marta, his secretary and my greatest ally in handling the numerous demands of the Anglo-X CEO, I headed for the elevator. Some intuition was telling me that the information provided by the tracker installed in Mary's car wasn't true, and I wouldn't be fully satisfied until I was absolutely sure of that.
The walls were closing in around me, and I was seriously considering submitting my resignation and leaving Seattle. Although I loved my biological family, lately, the feeling of not belonging there and actually being a stranger among them was consuming me. Except for Sarah, they were all selfish and extremely petty, willing to cross boundaries to satisfy their own desires. I didn't feel comfortable condoning such behavior, even if they were blood relatives.
The memories of my adoptive mother were always present. She was always a generous and loving woman to me, prioritizing my well-being and comfort, even if it meant sacrificing her own. The truth about not being her biological son only came to light when she was on her deathbed in the hospital. It was something I could have never imagined, as I was raised as her most precious possession.
Despite living in Olympia, the capital of the state of Washington, I had never visited Seattle before discovering the secret my adoptive mother had kept. The truth about my past would have remained hidden if she hadn't revealed it before passing away. I stayed by her side until her last breath, feeling the profound pain of her loss. However, shortly after her death, I left the only city I had known until then.
Determinedly, I headed to Seattle. With cunning and a bit of luck, I managed to get close to my older brother and, through him, find my biological mother: Mary Graham. In doing so, I also found my father, Patrick Mitchell, and interacted with him, even without his knowledge that I was his child with Mary. I was still trying to connect all the dots, as all Madelyn revealed to me on her deathbed were the names of my biological mother and father, as well as that of my brother, a Seattle billionaire. That's how I managed to insert myself among them, applying for any position in his company and eventually landing the role of his personal assistant.