When Love Finds Its Way Back (Cassienne and Dreston) novel Chapter 357

The room was quiet as Joseph Tremont sat motionless on the sofa, his eyes fixed on the small storage drive resting on the table between him and Emily. For years, he had believed the past was buried. Not forgotten, just buried. Now it sat in front of him, waiting.

Emily reached for the drive and turned it over in her fingers. The object looked ordinary. Small. Simple. Yet both of them knew it carried enough weight to change lives. Perhaps even destroy them.

“Ethan never trusted technology he didn’t create himself,” Emily said softly.

Joseph looked at her. A faint smile appeared on her face. The first genuine smile since they began discussing the past. “He always believed someone could manipulate evidence.”

Joseph nodded slowly, he thought that sounded exactly like Ethan Rhodes, brilliant, careful, always thinking several steps ahead.

Emily stood and walked toward a nearby cabinet. A few moments later, she returned carrying a laptop. The device was older than most modern systems, but it had been carefully preserved. Just like everything else Ethan had left behind.

Emily sat down again. Then inserted the drive. For several seconds, nothing happened. A loading screen appeared. Then folders. Hundreds of them.

Joseph stared. His eyes widened slightly. “Ethan kept all of this?”

Emily nodded. “He documented everything.”

The realization struck Joseph harder than expected. All these years… While he had been trying to save Auralink… Ethan had been trying to save himself. The thought hurt a lot.

Emily clicked one of the folders. A date appeared. Several years ago, before the explosion, before Ethan’s death and before everything fell apart.

The video began. At first, the footage looked ordinary. The image moved slightly—The quality wasn’t perfect. Then Joseph realized why. It was because the camera wasn’t stationary, it was moving with someone.

Emily noticed his confusion. “Ethan installed a tiny recording device inside James’ glasses.”

Joseph looked at her. “You weren’t joking.”

“No.” The sadness in her voice remained. “He never trusted James after a certain point.”

The video continued. The recording showed the inside of a restaurant, a private section that was almost empty. A younger Ethan sat across from James Freshman. Joseph immediately felt strange, seeing the two men alive again, smiling, talking, and working together. It felt like looking into another lifetime.

The conversation started normally. Work. Schedules. Deadlines. Project updates. Nothing unusual. Then James lowered his voice, while Joseph instinctively leaned forward. The younger James glanced around before speaking. “Ethan.”

“What?”

“I’ve been thinking.”

Ethan looked up from a file. “That is usually dangerous.”

James laughed. The two men appeared comfortable together. Like old friends. Which somehow made what came next even worse. James leaned closer. “What if we sold it?”

Ethan frowned. “Sold what?”

“The project.”

The smile immediately disappeared from Ethan’s face. Joseph watched carefully, even through the recording, the change was obvious. James continued. “Think about it. We’ve spent years building this thing. Auralink isn’t even half as powerful as some of the companies out there. Ethan, we’re sitting on a fortune.”

The younger Ethan stared at him. Completely silent. James kept talking. “There are companies willing to pay huge amounts. We could retire. We could take care of our families. We could—”

“Stop.”

The word cut through the conversation immediately. James fell silent. Joseph swallowed. Even now, Ethan’s voice carried authority. The younger Ethan slowly closed the file in front of him. Then he looked directly at James. “I want you to listen carefully.”

The seriousness in his tone immediately changed the atmosphere. “What you’re suggesting is theft.”

James opened his mouth. Ethan didn’t allow him to speak. “Not only theft. Betrayal.”

James frowned. The younger man looked uncomfortable immediately. “What are you talking about?”

Mike leaned forward. His voice dropped lower, almost a whisper. Yet the microphone inside the glasses picked up every word. “We take away his options.”

James stared. Mike continued. “He has a wife. He has a daughter.”

The room inside the recording suddenly felt colder. Even Emily’s hands tightened beside Joseph. Neither spoke. Neither looked away. Mike continued. “We put pressure on him. Enough pressure…” His smile returned. “…and he’ll hand over the project himself.”

James looked uneasy. “You mean kidnapping.”

Mike didn’t answer. Which means it was answer enough. James immediately shook his head. “No.” The refusal came fast. Almost frightened. “No. This is getting out of hand.”

Mike remained calm. Far too calm. Then he said something that made Joseph’s blood run cold. “The kidnappers won’t be a problem.”

James frowned. “What does that mean?”

Mike reached for his drink. Took a sip. Then answered casually. “As soon as they do their job…” He shrugged. “…they won’t live long enough to talk.”

The room inside Emily’s house became completely silent. Joseph slowly looked toward her. Emily looked just as horrified as the first time she watched it. Because no matter how many years passed… Some truths never became easier to hear.

On the screen, James stared at Mike. His face had gone pale. The younger man finally understood something. This had gone far beyond stealing a project. Far beyond money. Far beyond business. And for the first time… Fear appeared on James Freshman’s face.

The recording froze, and Emily paused the video. Neither she nor Joseph spoke for a very long time.

Finally Joseph whispered, “My God…”

His voice cracked. The weight of it all was beginning to settle on him. And they had only watched the beginning. The worst part was still waiting.