Just Before My Wedding: Trapped By My Ruthless Boss novel Chapter 121

Chapter 121

KISAREL.

Your wedding and birthday falling on the same day feels symbolic, doesn’t it?

But there was nothing symbolic about it for me. I felt pushed. I felt like I didn’t have a life of my own.

Even after I argued until my throat hurt, Uncle Fred had only agreed to push the date back by one week.

“Three weeks from now, we celebrate two blessings at once your marriage and your twenty–fifth birthday.”

Uncle Fred’s words had followed me into sleep and were still waiting when I opened my eyes.

He had sounded like he was doing me a huge favor.

The only positive thing here I was looking forward to was turning twenty–five because I’d finally get my hands on my father’s will.

Jace left the house very early today.

He kissed my forehead before leaving, told me not to worry about anything, and said he had a few errands to run.

He made sure to avoid any real conversation after we got home last night. Every time I tried to ask about the wedding date, or about Uncle Fred, and about why everyone had known except me, he suddenly had something to check, someone to call, or a reason to tell me I was tired.

I stepped out of the bedroom after washing my face and changing into loose pants and a soft top.

Downstairs, Tisha was cleaning the living room.

She looked up when I entered, her hand pausing over the coffee table.

“Good morning, Tisha.”

“Morning, ma’am.”

I almost winced at the ma’am.

Her tone no longer had that sharp, disrespectful tone she used to talk to me with. It had softened just a little bit.

“How was your leave?” I asked, heading toward the kitchen.

“Fine.” She didn’t elaborate,

I left her to her dusting and went to the kitchen.

I poured coffee into a mug and stood by the counter, watching steam curl into the air.

My phone rang on the counter.

Nessa.

I picked it up immediately. “Hey,” I said.

“Arel?” Her voice was lower than usual. “Are you alone?”

My hand tightened around the mug. “Mostly, Jace is out. Why?”

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Chapter 121

“The boy from Luna Park called me.”

I straightened. “The one with the footage?”

“Yes. He says there’s another clip.”

My pulse changed.

“What kind of clip?”

“He wouldn’t send it. Said he wanted to show it in person.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.” There was a small pause. “He sounded scared.”

I looked toward the kitchen doorway, as if someone might be standing there listening. No one was

“Where is he?”

“A small diner near East Row. He says he’ll wait twenty minutes.

I heaved a sigh. “Nessa… Jace actually asked me not to go anywhere he is not.”

“I know.” Her voice softened. “You don’t have to come. I can go alone.”

I closed my eyes briefly; guilt prickled my heart.

She was doing this for me. She had been doing everything for me–finding footage, tracking leads, putting herself at risk. And I was going to let her walk into a meeting alone because my fiancé had given me a rule?

“No,” I said. “I’ll come. Send me the address.”

“It’s fine if you can’t. Really. I’m already closer than you are, anyway.” She insisted.

“That’s not the point.” I pushed.

“Kisarel, if the boy is scared enough to refuse sending the clip, I’d rather not make him wait and change his mind.” Her voice stayed gentle. “And I understand if you’re not comfortable coming. I’ll tell you everything afterward.”

That didn’t make me feel better. If anything, it made me feel worse.

Because I knew I would do nothing but sit in this house, staring at my phone, waiting for her to tell me what someone else had seen about the person who hurt me.

I was tired of waiting.

“I’m coming,” I said.

Nessa exhaled softly. “Are you sure?”

“No.” I set the coffee down untouched. “But send me the address.”

こ

I ended the call before I could talk myself out of it.

Tisha was still in the living room when I passed. She looked up again, this time with a small frown.

“I’m stepping out for a bit, I said.

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Chapter 121

“Should I tell Mr. Jace?”

For one second, I almost said yes.

“No,” I said. “I’ll be back soon.”

Tisha didn’t answer.

But her eyes followed me to the door.

***

The diner was small, tucked between a closed pharmacy and a laundromat with half the lights out.

It wasn’t the kind of place people noticed easily.

Nessa was already there when I arrived, sitting in a booth near the back with her hands wrapped around a paper cup. She looked up the moment I entered and waved me over.

“You okay?” she asked as I slid into the seat across from her.

“I don’t know yet.”

“That’s fair.”

She looked tired and less bright than usual. Her hair was pulled back, and she wore no lipstick. It made her look younger somehow.

A few minutes later, the vendor came in.

He was younger than I expected. Maybe nineteen or twenty. Skinny, nervous, with a hoodie pulled over his head even though the diner was warm. His eyes moved around the room before he approached us.

“Sit,” Nessa said to him, but he didn’t sit immediately.

He looked at me. “Who’s she?”

“The woman you called about,” Nessa said.

His face changed a little; then he slid into the booth beside her, keeping his body angled toward the door.

“I shouldn’t be here,” he muttered.

“Then show us what you found,” Nessa said. “And you can leave.”

He pulled out his phone with fingers that would not stay still.

The screen was cracked at one corner. He tapped twice, then turned it toward us.

The footage was too blurry to make out faces properly.

It showed the side of a vendor lane at Luna Park, people moving in and out of frame. Then a man in a dark jacket appeared with his back partly turned to the camera. His cap was low. His face was useless from that angle.

But his hand was visible.

Only for a second.

He reached for something from someone outside the frame, and the camera caught his fingers.

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He had a matte–black signet ring with a thin silver line running across the

My breath slowed as I leaned closer.

“Pause it,” I said.

The vendor paused.

top.

The image froze badly, pixelated around the edges, but the ring stayed clear enough to bother me.

I had seen something like that before, but it was detmitely not at Luna Park.

It was at work…

Reeves.

He had stopped at my desk the other day with some songs

Oceans. He had said something dry enough to make me laugh.

I remembered noticing the ring on his hand when he placed his hand on my table.

It was the same ring.

I was certain.

My stomach tightened.

No.

That was ridiculous.

Reeves worked for Oceans. He was security. He investigated things. Men like him probably wore rings like that all the time. The footage wasn’t clear. It could have been anyone.

Still, my eyes refused to leave the screen.

Nessa looked at me. “Do you recognize it?”

I forced my gaze away. “No. Not really.”

The vendor pocketed the phone quickly. “That’s all I got.”

“Can you send it to me?” Nessa asked.

He shook his head. “No. I showed

you.

That’s it.”

“You already took my money.”

“And someone else already came asking about this same footage.”

We both went still.

Nessa’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Who?”

“I don’t know.”

“What did he look like?” I asked.

The boy rubbed his palms over his jeans. “Rich. Or worked for rich people. Black car outside. Not your regular black car, though.”

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My throat went dry.

“He came alone?” Nessa asked.

“No.” The boy looked toward the door again. “There was another man with

My mind went to Reeves again before I could stop it.

The ring.

The suit.

Oceans‘ world.

Security type. Didn’t talk much?

No.

I pressed my fingers together under the table.

Nessa asked after a small pause. “Did they threaten you?”

more

The boy laughed. “They didn’t have to. Paid re than you did and told me to forget which folder the clip was in.“

“When was this?” I asked.

“Yesterday.” He stood suddenly. “I’m done.”

“Wait,” Nessa said.

“No. Don’t call me again.”

He left before either of us could stop

The bell above the diner door gave a weak little sound as he stepped outside.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Nessa looked at me carefully. “Arel.”

“I don’t know what I saw.”

She sighed. “I know. But you looked like

I was quiet.

you recognized that ring.” She held my gaze. “You’re sure you don’t recognize it?”

She wrapped her hands around her cup again, but she didn’t drink from it.

“I think whoever did this is closer to you than you want to believe.”

I looked down at my hands under the table. My fingers had curled into each other so tightly the ring on my finger pressed into my skin.

“I don’t want to think that,” I whispered.

“I know.”

“No, Nessa.” I lifted my eyes to hers. “I really don’t.”

For once, she didn’t rush to comfort nic.

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Chapter 121

She only watched me with that quiet look that made me feel like she was seeing more than I had said.

Then she reached into her bag and pulled out her phone.

“Arel.” she called in a calm voice, “there’s something else

you need.

to see

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