The Captain I Married by Chance novel Chapter 429

"Lawrence Gunn..."

Hearing the name was like flipping a switch. Toby lost all composure, his voice cracking with rage. "Don't ever mention that bastard to me!"

"That piece of trash stole all my money and skipped town! If it weren't for him, do you think I'd still be stuck chauffeuring people around?"

That was a massive piece of the puzzle.

Before Nathan could press for details, Toby remembered his looming deadline. He scrambled toward the door. "Mr. Peyton, I seriously have to go. Quinn is going to—"

"Relax," Nathan interrupted, blocking his path. "They'll be joining us here shortly anyway."

Toby swallowed his words.

He stared at Nathan, realizing the detective was dead serious. Awkwardly, he shifted his weight.

"Then I guess..."

Nathan pointed back to the chair. "Have a seat. Take your time."

"If she gives you any grief, I'll deal with her myself."

Perhaps it was the undeniable authority radiating from Nathan, but the promise worked. Toby obediently trudged back to his seat.

"What do you want to know, officer?"

Nathan sat down across from him again. "Start with what happened between you and Lawrence."

"Lawrence..."

Toby let out a heavy sigh. "Lawrence is a total fraud!"

...

Toby and Lawrence had grown up in the same small town.

They were around the same age and used to be tight back in the day.

After Toby's parents died in an accident, he moved in with his grandmother, putting some distance between him and the kids in Hawthorne County.

But since the towns were close, he'd still visit Lawrence whenever he had free time.

As the years dragged on, they both entered the workforce and got busy trying to survive.

He had tried to talk Lawrence out of it.

"Old folks always say that industry is a snake pit. What makes you think you can handle it? And how are you supposed to make money anyway? Are you going to be an actor?"

Lawrence had playfully shoved him, almost starting a fight.

"You idiot. Look at me. Do I look like I belong in front of a camera?"

"You're forgetting what the industry runs on: hot guys and stunning girls!"

"All we have to do is sign a bunch of attractive people, get them acting gigs, and we sit back and collect the checks. Do you know how much we could make in a day? More than you make driving in a whole year!"

Toby thought Lawrence had lost his mind.

There were massive, established agencies out there. Why would any aspiring star sign with a nobody like him?

But Lawrence had done his homework. He even whipped out official corporate seals and paperwork.

"He said he had already registered the company and just needed the startup capital."

Toby's face twisted with raw resentment. "I never should have believed him! He swore it was a guaranteed goldmine. He said he already had the talent lined up, and if I loaned him the cash, I'd get a hundred times my investment back. If he hadn't sold me that lie, I never would have handed over my nest egg."