Second Marriage, The Billionaire's Planned Love novel Chapter 189

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Ivy’s POV

Around late afternoon, Lila knocked on my door to announce that the investigators had arrived to see me. The plural form caught my attention, making me wonder who else Caleb had called in to handle this mess. I told her to show them into the main office just as Caleb appeared in the doorway behind the two men approaching.

“Adler, Martinez, I appreciate you both coming here to take my wife’s statement personally,” Caleb said, his tone carrying the authority of a man who commanded respect even from law enforcement. His voice held that familiar warmth he reserved for family allies.

“Our honor, Thorne. And thank you again for including us in the wedding celebration. It was truly a magnificent ceremony,” Detective Adler responded with the practiced deference of someone who understood the delicate balance between official duty and family loyalty.

“Having you and your people there meant everything to us. You helped me get back the woman I love, so your presence at our blood oath was essential,” Caleb replied, pulling me close against his side with possessive tenderness. “Let’s handle this in the secure room, tesoro.”

We settled into Caleb’s reinforced office, where Detective Martinez opened his encrypted laptop and began documenting my personal information. After recording all the essential details, they launched into their questioning. The initial inquiries focused on standard background verification about how long I had known the brothers and Rossi, what my connection was with each of them, and similar foundational intelligence. Then they shifted focus to the kidnapping operation itself. I walked them through how I was taken and described everything I had witnessed during my captivity in the warehouse.

“Is there anything else you remember that might help us track down this Rossi bastard?” Detective Adler pressed, leaning forward with the intensity of

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a man hunting dangerous prey.

“Unfortunately, no, Detective,” I responded carefully. “Though I do recall hearing Caleb mention to his brother that he couldn’t reach Cloud. But I have absolutely no idea who that contact might be,” I added, thinking back to the conversation I had overheard between the two brothers before Caleb’s men

stormed their operation.

“Cloud? Now who the hell could that be? Maybe Monica had another alias? That’s entirely possible,” Adler mused aloud, his cop instincts working through the possibilities. “Did they say anything else that might give us a lead on their network?”

“Fisher told Caleb he needed to destroy the burner phone, and then

mentioned that he had only used that specific number to contact me directly. They had smashed and disposed of my phone, from what I could tell. He kept insisting there was no way to trace the number back to their operation. I also heard Fisher say that taking Max was just bait to draw me out,” I answered, recalling the brothers‘ conversation with crystal clarity.

“What exactly do you mean by that?” Adler asked, his eyebrows drawing together.

“They had no clue that Max is Caleb’s son because we only discovered that truth ourselves just days before the kidnapping went down.” I quickly explained how I became pregnant and how Caleb eventually learned the truth about our son’s parentage and our shared past.

“I was the private investigator Caleb hired to dig into Ivy’s background,” Detective Martinez interjected, his voice carrying the weight of someone who had seen the family’s darkest secrets. “I’m familiar with the entire situation. Adler, did our people recover any communication devices from the brothers during their arrest?”

“No, we found no electronics whatsoever,” Adler confirmed grimly.

“Maybe we should return to the warehouse location where Ivy was held and search for those phones. I confiscated two cell phones during the Greenleaf

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raids, one belonging to Rossi and another to that piece of shit Brodie, but we never located Monica’s device anywhere. Nothing on the phones we did recover led us to Rossi’s current location,” Martinez recalled thoughtfully.

“Good thinking. Let’s revisit Ivy’s prison site. Do you think the Greenleaf crew would conduct another sweep of the farm where they held Max?” Adler proposed.

“Absolutely. I’ll coordinate with them about organizing that operation,”

Martinez assured him.

“Ivy’s cell phone was recovered intact, wasn’t it?” Adler wanted confirmation.

“Yes, one of my tech specialists has it secured,” Caleb informed them. “I’ll have Felix bring it over immediately.”

Within minutes, Felix Hayes entered the room carrying my destroyed phone sealed in a evidence bag. He explained that while he couldn’t recover much data due to the damage, he had managed to extract the call logs. On the day of my abduction, I had received only one call from an unknown number. When they attempted to call it back, the line was dead. However, they had successfully tracked my last known location by identifying the cell tower where my phone had last transmitted.

“Yes, I only received Caleb’s call that morning,” I confirmed.

Felix handed the phone and a card containing the number to Detective Adler, who accepted it with professional gratitude.

“This is extremely valuable intelligence. How did I overlook this connection?” Adler berated himself. “Ivy, I need to ask you something crucial.”

“Yes, Detective?”

“Brodie, who was involved in your son’s kidnapping. You two had a relationship, correct?” Adler needed verification.

“Yes, Detective, unfortunately. For several years. We ended things some time ago, shortly before the charity gala where I met Caleb without knowing his

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true identity,” I explained.

“That was quite an extended relationship,” Adler analyzed before asking his next question. “What was his occupation while you were together?”

“Detective, when we started dating, Brodie was young and I was very young. He had ambition but zero work ethic. He failed his college entrance exams and started working at the municipal airfield. He did general maintenance and helped with aircraft servicing. He hated the job, but since Zoe’s father had arranged the position for him, I constantly encouraged him not to disappoint Mr. Miller,” I said, remembering that distant period of my life. “But why are you asking, Detective?”

“Because Brodie claims he’s known Rossi for quite some time, but refuses to provide details. Do you know anything about this or remember him meeting someone during that time? Or do you recall him ever mentioning Rossi’s name before?”

I considered this carefully, but couldn’t remember hearing Rossi’s name before I started working in Caleb’s organization. “Detective, I honestly don’t know,” I replied.

“You mentioned Brodie worked at the airfield?” Martinez asked, and I nodded

confirmation. “The city only has one civilian airfield, besides the commercial airport.”

“Yes, why?” I asked.

“Because helicopters cannot land at the commercial airport, only at the private airfield,” Caleb said quietly, as if a deadly realization was forming in his mind.

“I don’t understand,” I said, feeling confused.

“My parents‘ helicopter, Ivy,” Caleb spoke, his eyes filling with the cold fury I recognized. The rage of a son seeking vengeance.

“Oh my God,” I pressed my hand to my lips. “You think that… I couldn’t even finish the sentence.

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“It’s definitely a strong possibility,” Martinez said, then explained to Adler about the Thorne parents‘ assassination. They suspected Brodie might have been involved in sabotaging the aircraft. “Ivy, think very carefully, do you remember anything else about that time?”

“But the night of the gala was also Brodie’s wedding night to my cousin. It would have been impossible for him to be at the airfield that evening, I remembered, trying not to accept the possibility that Brodie could have sabotaged Caleb’s parents‘ helicopter.

“Actually, it’s not impossible at all,” Martinez stated grimly. “Do you remember anything else from that period?”

“Martinez, some time before the gala, I was still with Brodie. One day he came home extremely excited because he had received funding for an aircraft maintenance certification program, which could help him earn a promotion and better salary,” I remembered. “He started the program enthusiastically, but I don’t know if he completed it because we broke up before the gala.”

“You said Mr. Miller helped him get the job. Why would he do that?” Adler

asked.

“Zoe and I have been close friends for years, and her parents think very highly of me. I was frustrated because Brodie couldn’t find steady work and wasn’t pursuing education. Zoe spoke with her father, who had connections at the airfield, and that’s how Brodie got the position,” I replied.

“Interesting” Adler responded. “It would be beneficial if we could interview someone who attended the wedding.”

“My parents were there,” I said.

“Your parents attended the wedding of the ex who betrayed you?” Adler looked confused.

“He cheated on me and married my cousin. Her mother is my mother’s sister,” I explained.

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“Girl, that’s really something,” Adler made an expression mixing surprise, shock, and disgust.

“You want to know the worst part? I caught them having sex in my bed, in my house, on my mother’s birthday,” I said, watching Adler’s expressions with

dark amusement.

“Honestly, the guy is completely stupid. I met your cousin, an unpleasant woman, and she doesn’t even compare to you,” Martinez commented. “With all due respect, Caleb.”

“That’s perfectly fine, my wife is indeed exceptional,” Caleb said, smiling at me with fierce pride.

“But as you told me, Martinez, sometimes life helps you eliminate the wrong people from your path,” I commented with a smile.

“That’s absolutely true, and this Brodie has rotten character, Ivy,” Adler agreed. “Would you mind telling me how you started dating him?”

“I was too young and naive. A boyfriend of that same cousin introduced us. I wasn’t particularly interested, but at my cousin’s birthday party, she pushed so persistently that I ended up kissing him. After that, he began pursuing me relentlessly. He was charming, persistent, and seemed genuine. I thought he truly cared for me, so we started dating,” I explained. “Later, even though I wasn’t satisfied with certain things, I convinced myself I loved him. That’s how it lasted as long as it did.”

“I understand. Good thing it ended and you found someone worthy of you,” Adler commented.

“Absolutely true,” I confirmed, smiling at my husband.

“Ivy, would you mind providing us with your parents‘ and Mr. Miller’s contact information?” Adler asked. “We need to speak with them.”

“Of course, I’ll write it down for you.” I took paper and pen from Caleb’s desk, wrote down the contacts, and handed them to Adler.

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