Novels by Sweetbite

ARIA'S POV“How does eighteen million dollars disappear from a family without anyone reporting it?” I asked. Natalia stayed quiet on the phone for a moment. James sat across the room, listening without interrupting.“I don't know everything,” Natalia said. “Dad controlled the finances. Marcus got most of the records after he died. I only know what Marcus found recently.”“And what did he find?” I asked. “Dad transferred a large amount of money into an account managed by Valère shortly before the theft investigation. The money was split across different companies.”I rubbed my forehead. “Does it add up to eighteen million?” Natalia sighed. “Close enough. Marcus believes it's the same money.”“Then why didn't he go to the police?” I asked. Natalia became quiet again. “Some of those companies were never properly declared. If Marcus reports the money, people will start asking questions about taxes and where the investment came from.”Everything slowly made sense. Marcus may have spent yea

ARIA'S POV“This is not a coincidence anymore.” I stood beside the couch, staring at James. “Daniel used a Valère card inside Marcus's family hotel. Tell me the investigators are contacting Marcus.”James rubbed his jaw. “The transaction only proves Daniel was at the hotel. It doesn't prove Marcus met him or even knew he was there.” I glared at him. “Why do you always talk like a lawyer when things get serious?”“Because assumptions are how I was blamed five years ago.” His answer stopped me. I looked away and forced myself to calm down. He was right, even if I hated it.“Marcus makes it hard for me to think clearly,” I admitted. “Every problem connected to him always became worse than I expected.” James watched me. “Do you want to stop looking into this and let the investigators handle it?”“No,” I answered immediately. “Julian knew about Lily. Someone took pictures outside my apartment. Daniel's name is in documents from my marriage. This stopped being your family scandal the moment

JAMES'S POV“Show me the agreement again.” I sat forward on the couch, staring at Aria. Daniel Mercer was a name I had spent five years trying to forget. Now it was sitting inside one of her old files from Marcus.Aria returned to the bedroom and came back with a thick folder. “I kept some documents after the divorce.” She placed several papers in front of me. “Marcus made me sign so many things that I stopped remembering most of them.”I found the agreement quickly. Daniel's name appeared at the bottom as an independent financial witness. The document was dated eighteen months after he supposedly disappeared from Valère.“Did you ever meet him?” I asked. Aria shook her head. “I don't know. Marcus handled everything financial. Sometimes he'd bring me into his office, put papers in front of me and tell me where to sign.”My jaw tightened. “He didn't let you read them?” Aria gave me a look. “Getting angry with Marcus won't answer our questions, James.” I forced myself to look back at th

ARIA'S POV“Mr Cross, please remain in the office.” The investigator's words came seconds after James told me he loved me. I hadn't even had time to understand what I felt before everything changed again.“Of course,” James replied. His face became unreadable. The warmth I'd seen minutes earlier disappeared, and his voice became calm and careful. He suddenly looked like a man I had never met.The lead investigator opened a file. “A dormant investment account connected to the original missing funds became active three years after you left Valère. Money was transferred from that account to Evelyn Cross.”“I wasn't aware the account had any connection to the missing money,” James said. “It remained part of a larger investment portfolio managed by my advisers.” The investigator frowned. “You expect us to believe you didn't know?”“I expect you to check the records,” James replied. “I won't guess about something I can't prove.” I watched him closely. This was the James who had survived Val

JAMES'S POV“This address isn't a coincidence.” I stared at Aria's laptop. The building number matched Marcus's old office, and the consultant Evelyn named had worked there. There were too many connections now.“Do you think Marcus knew Julian?” Aria asked. I leaned back. “Not necessarily. Wealthy families use the same attorneys, investigators, and consultants all the time. They don't always meet each other.”Aria's eyes narrowed. “You're trying to make it sound less serious because Marcus makes you uncomfortable.” I looked at her. “He does make me uncomfortable. Every time he comes back into our lives, you get scared before you get angry.”“Don't use concern to decide where this investigation goes.” Her voice was calm, but I understood the warning. I nodded. “You're right. What do you want to do?”“I want to know why Julian bought my dress, investigated my family, and knew enough about Luminère to accuse me of laundering money.” I closed the laptop. “Then we give the consultant's nam

ARIA'S POV“Check the address again, Tayo.” I paced around the living room with my phone pressed to my ear. “Maybe you read the wrong invoice.” Papers moved on his end before he sighed. “Aria, I've checked it three times.”I stopped walking. “And?” Tayo was quiet for a second. “The dress was ordered eighteen months ago through our private client service. The payment came from a consulting company, but the delivery address belongs to Valère.”“Julian's residence?” I asked. “Yes. According to these records, he was the only person who regularly used it.” I rubbed my forehead. “Why did nobody question someone paying ten times the normal price for one dress?”Tayo laughed without humour. “Have you forgotten what Luminère looked like eighteen months ago? We were struggling with production costs and accepting almost every international commission we could get.”I sat on the couch. He was right. Back then, every large payment felt like a miracle. We celebrated first and asked questions later.