Claimed By The Mafia Rogue King (Snow and Cupid) novel Chapter 290

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Chapter 290

Chapter 290

Snowflakes

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The silence in Mr. Castle’s office at the top of H.O.W.L. was suffocating, thicker than the tension in any interrogation room I’d ever stood in.

He sat behind his wide desk, elbows planted, fingers steepled against his lips, staring at nothing.

His phone buzzed again and again, relentless, ignored. Lines carved deep around his mouth; his eyes were bloodshot, troubled in at way I’d never seen before. The man who’d always looked unbreakable now looked… breakable.

We stood in our usual spots, Eshan near the window, arms crossed tight; Sera beside her desk, posture rigid; Wrinks and Zayah near the door; Quince, Mr. Gerald, Vast, and me scattered around the edges. No one spoke. We waited.

At last Mr. Castle reached for his phone, thumbed the answer button without looking at the screen.

“Alright,” he said quietly. “I will close it.”

He disconnected. Swallowed hard. Lifted his gaze to Eshan.

“You care to explain how it happens?” His voice was low, controlled, but the exhaustion bled through every word. “How a suspect dies in custody… and how the news reaches Daylight News before I even get the call?”

I went still.

Eshan had been here all night. He’d stayed. He’d fought. There was no universe in which he would betray me or the case.

But the accusation hung in the air anyway.

“The only one who benefits from Ossy J’s death is Eshan Frost, sir,” Zayah said smoothly, voice calm and measured. “With due respect, I think he is…”

“Choose your words carefully,” I cut in, voice sharp enough to slice. “That’s my brother you’re accusing of murder.”

“Not your blood brother, actually,” Wrinks added quietly.

The room tilted.

I turned to her slowly.

“What?”

“I’m sorry,” she said, not sounding sorry at all, “but everyone already knows the story of how the Frost family divided. Some chose Viviana. Only Eshan seemed to choose you. But maybe… even Eshan didn’t. Maybe he’s been lying the whole time, playing the loyal brother so he could get close enough to see the core of the case… and then destroy it before we caught up. Which seems to be exactly what he did.”

My blood turned to ice.

The thought impossible, unbearable lodged in my chest like broken glass. No. My brothers weren’t choosing sides. They were doing what they believed was right. Eshan wouldn’t betray me. He wouldn’t.

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Chapter 290

I turned fully to Mr. Castle and shook my head.

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“Father,” I said, voice steady despite the tremor underneath, “my brother wouldn’t do this. You know Eshan. He wouldn’t.”

The office fell silent.

Mr. Castle studied Eshan long, searching, waiting for his defense.

Eshan stood motionless for a long moment, as though the weight of the accusation had physically pinned him in place. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, rough, almost disbelieving.

“After the others left last night, Wrinks and I stayed to recheck the files. I got a call from Pinky and stepped out to the balcony for a few minutes to talk to her. When I came back, Wrinks was still in the same chair I left her in. Nothing seemed off. About five minutes later we heard a thump from the interrogation room. We ran in. Ossy J was already on the floor. Dead seconds after we reached him.”

Silence again.

Mr. Castle exhaled slowly through his nose.

“Can we check the time you called Pinky, please?”

Eshan didn’t hesitate. He pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it over.

Quince connected it to the wall screen. The call log appeared. Pinky pie contact saved with Love with an heart emoji, duration matching Eshan’s story exactly. A missed call from Roc followed shortly after.

“Maybe that’s when he made the report,” Wrinks said softly.

I whipped toward her.

“Will you stop?”

“I’m only looking out for you, Snow,” she replied. “You can’t trust anyone these days. Especially people who aren’t your blood.”

“Now that’s enough,” Sera snapped.

Zayah murmured, “Wrinks is only stating the obvious, Sera. Or perhaps it was you who leaked to your fiancé. Oh, wait. Ex. I recall you two broke up.”

Sera went rigid, fresh pain flashing across her face like a slap.

The room felt like it was collapsing inward. Then my phone chimed.

Cupid.

Check it out. All ready for you.

My pulse spiked. I’d gave him the memory card earlier, hoping, praying his resources could recover what we couldn’t.

I handed the phone to Quince.

“Let’s check it.”

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Chapter 290

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Everyone turned, confused, curious.

Quince connected my phone to the big screen. The tampered footage loaded then the recovered segment began to play.

Eshan stepping out to the balcony for his call. Clear.

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