The Heiress He Underestimated novel Chapter 103

Chapter 103 The Warning

Xan was sitting in his downtown office pretending to care about quarterly reports while his mind went through everything Andrew Webb had told him. The investigator’s findings sat in a locked drawer in his desk, printed out on paper instead of saved digitally because paranoia had become his new best friend.

Sarah’s story didn’t add up. The witnesses had been silenced or discredited. Kieran Nethys had profited from the tragedy. And somewhere in the middle of all that chaos was Elera, eighteen years old and leaving a party right around the time everything went to hell.

What had she seen? What did she know? And why had she kept quiet all these years?

The questions were eating him alive, but he couldn’t ask them. Not yet. Not while Sarah was still in his life, still trusting him and still believing he was completely devoted to their shared mission of destroying Elera Vex.

His phone buzzed with a message from Sarah: “Come over tonight? I want to talk about our strategy. We need to move fast before she gets too comfortable.”

Xan stared at the message for a long moment before typing back: “I’ll be there at seven.”

He had to keep playing the part. Had to keep pretending he was still the devoted boyfriend, still the vengeful knight fighting for justice. At least until he had all the pieces of the puzzle and could figure out what the hell he was supposed to do with them.

A knock on his office door interrupted his thoughts. His assistant poked her head in. “Mr. Valdris? There’s someone here to see you. Says it’s urgent. A Mr. Chen from Meridian Holdings?”

Xan’s blood went cold. Meridian Holdings. The shell company that had bought up the Lyros family assets after Sarah’s parents died. The company that traced back to Kieran Nethys.

“Send him in,” Xan said, his voice steady despite the hammering of his heart.

The man who walked in was probably in his fifties, wearing an expensive suit that didn’t quite hide the fact that he was uncomfortable. He had the look of someone who usually operated in shadows and was being forced into the light..

“Mr. Valdris,” Chen said, closing the door behind him. “Thank you for seeing me without an appointment.”

‘What can I do for you?” Xan asked, leaning back in his chair and trying to project casual confidence.

‘I understand you’ve been making inquiries. About an incident from five years ago. About the Lyros family.” Chen’s expression was carefully neutral. “I’m here to suggest you to stop.”

‘Is that a threat?”

“It’s advice. From someone who knows how these things work. The past is the past, Mr. Valdris. Digging it up helps no one and hurts everyone. Including people you care about.”

“Like Sarah Lyros?” Xan asked, his voice sharp.

“Like Miss Lyros, yes. Like yourself and like certain other parties who would prefer their involvement in

11:54 pm Pppp.

019

Chapter 103 The Warning

Finished

that situation remain private.” Chen pulled out a business card and set it on Xan’s desk. “If you’re smart, you’ll drop this investigation. Fire your detective. Forget what you’ve learned and move on with your life?

“And if I don’t?”

Chen’s smile was cold. “Then you’ll discover that the Nethys family has very long reach their very short patience. Good day, Mr. Valdris.”

He left as quickly as he’d come, leaving Xan staring at the business card. It was blank except for a phone number. It had no name or company name, just digits.

So Kieran Nethys knew someone was digging into the past. Which meant Xan’s investigation wasn’t as discreet as he’d thought. Which meant he was now on the radar of a man who’d already proven he was willing to destroy lives to protect his interests.

Xan picked up his phone and called Andrew Webb. “We have a problem. Someone knows we’re investigating.”

“I know,” Webb said, his voice tight. “I got a visit this morning too. I should back off or else.”

“What are you going to do?”

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