Chapter 19: Between The Red-Blue Sea

Caroline's POV

This is the same Mr. Alex Mrs. Jones had described as the loyal brother-in-law who’d returned to help her steady the company after her husband’s death.

My stomach twisted as I stared at him. He’d just offered me a fortune to ditch Anderson, and the shock of it rooted me to my chair, speechless.

“Do not misunderstand me, Caroline,” he said, his voice smooth, almost gentle. “I have no hard feelings for Anderson. I just don’t think he’s qualified to lead the family forward.”

I blinked, my mind scrambling to catch up. “So you’re willing to sacrifice a billion dollars just because of a hunch?” My voice came out sharper than I intended, filled with disbelief.

He smiled faintly, leaning back in his chair. “Life is about politics, my child. You must be willing to do what it takes to get what you want. We all have selfish interests, including you. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.”

His words stung, and a cold sensation crept up my spine.

Had coming here been a mistake? Was this some sort of trap?

I shifted in my seat, second-guessing every choice that had led me to this moment.

“So who do you want as heir?” I asked as a waiter approached, setting a bottle of wine and two glasses on the table.

“My first son,” Mr. Alex replied, “His name is Lucas. He’s the one I want as heir.”

Lucas? I racked my brain, but the name meant nothing to me.

I’d never heard Anderson or Mrs. Jones mention him.

Why was he telling me this? I hadn’t even accepted his money.

My hands clenched into fists under the table. “You’re evil,” I snapped, the words bursting out before I could stop them. “You want to rob Anderson of what’s his. I won’t be part of this.”

Mr. Alex chuckled, pouring wine into his glass with a steady hand. “Being heir was not Anderson’s right from the beginning.”

I shook my head, “Anderson is Mrs. Jones’s first child. He’s the first in line to the inheritance.”

He fixed his eyes on me, as though he found me amusing. “The way you passionately defend Anderson, it’s touching. Feels almost as if you love him.”

The air caught in my lungs. “Maybe,” I admitted, “Or maybe I just hate evil so much. And that’s exactly what you are, evil.”

He sipped his wine, unfazed. “I’m not the evil one, Caroline. Mrs. Jones is the actual definition of evil.”

I let out a dry, disbelieving laugh. “That’s impossible. Mrs. Jones is a righteous woman.”

I wanted to storm out, to leave his nonsense behind, but something about his confidence, his unshakable composure, kept me glued to my seat.

He leaned forward slightly, raising his glass. “Do you really think my late brother is actually the father of Anderson or Liam?”

His voice dropped, “I’m the biological father of the man you’re about to marry.”

My eyes widened, a harsh, barking laugh escaping me. “Bullshit.” I shoved my chair back and stood, my legs trembling as I marched toward the door.

He didn’t call after me, didn’t try to stop me, but his words played in my head: “I’m the biological father of Anderson.”

Halfway to the exit, I stopped by. “Shit,” I muttered under my breath.

Part of me wanted to keep walking, to bury this insanity and never look back. But another part wanted to hear the full story.

I turned, walked back to him, and sank back into my chair without a word.

Mr. Alex smiled, “I’m beginning to see why Mrs. Jones approved of you,” he said. “You’re smart.”

“I’m only offering you the money because I don’t want you caught up in the Jones family’s messed-up affair,” he continued. “But if you refuse my offer, just know I’ll find another way to make sure my son Lucas wins.”

I ignored his words, and asked him a question instead. “Tell me how Anderson is your son.”

“Not just Anderson,” he said, his gaze steady. “Even Liam.”

He paused, then leaned back. “Four years after my brother married Spencer, the woman we now call Mrs. Jones, she discovered he was infertile.”

I narrowed my eyes, my attention sharpening despite the unease rolling in my gut.

“She tricked me,” he went on, his voice tightening. “Drugged me. We had sex, and she got pregnant.”

He nodded, as if the memory still haunted him. “I couldn’t tell my brother, it would’ve broken him. He was a fragile man, Caroline.”

I folded my arms, listening, my breath shallow.

“It didn’t stop there,” he said. “We started an affair behind his back. She got pregnant again, with Liam. But by then, I couldn’t take it anymore. I told her I had to tell my brother everything. She didn’t want him to know. As a military woman at the time, she tried using her connections to kill me, but I was ahead of her. I told him anyway.”

I swallowed hard, tears pricking my eyes as the weight of his words settled in.

“My brother decided to confront her,” he said, his voice cracking faintly. “But he was killed before he could get to her.”

The tears came then, hot and unstoppable, running down my cheeks.

 I didn’t even realize I was crying until they hit my hand.

Mrs. Jones, commanding Mrs. Jones, had killed her Between The Red-Blue Seaown husband?

The woman I’d admired, feared, respected… she’d been the evil one all along, and no one had suspected a thing.

I couldn’t speak, couldn’t think.

The sound of my phone ringing jolted me back, Anderson’s name lighting up the screen.

I stared at it, still confused, until Mr. Alex’s voice cut in, “Oh, come on, pick it up,” he urged, almost casual. “Tell him where you are.”

I sniffed, swiping at my tears, and answered.

 “Where are you?” Anderson’s voice came in.

“I’m at the Chinese restaurant not far from our house,” I said.

“Stay there,” he replied, “I’ll come get you.” Then he hung up.

Mr. Alex wiped his hands with a napkin and stood up.

“Remember, Caroline,” he said, his tone serious, “whatever you do next will affect the entire Jones family. My offer to walk away still stands.”

His eyes hardened. “Do not interfere with my plans, because if you do, you’ll be fighting a losing battle. Anderson cannot be the heir.”

He turned and left, and I sat down there, frozen, confused on what to do.

Walk away, take the money and run from this twisted mess? Or stay and interfere with the Jones family’s secrets and fight for Anderson, even if it meant facing his uncle, or his mother?