When She Ended It With Divorce (Chiara and Titus) novel Chapter 208

Chapter 208 Twenty Four Years Ago

Chapter 208 Twenty-Four Years Ago

Chiara was worried sick about Heather. She waited up all night at home, but Heather never came home.

As soon as dawn broke, Chiara couldn’t stay put any longer. She got ready and was about to head to the office to look for

Heather.

The moment she stepped out of the yard, she ran into Titus.

“Going to the office?” Titus asked.

Chiara nodded. “Heather didn’t come home last night. I’m worried about her, so I’m going to the office to check on her.”

She was carrying a set of clothes and shoes. She hadn’t forgotten that Heather had left in her pajamas last night.

Titus nodded, opened the car door, and tilted his head toward her. “Hop in, I’ll come with you.”

Chiara simply nodded and climbed into his car.

When they arrived at the office, they overheard some staff members saying that Heather had spent the entire night in the finance department and wouldn’t let anyone else in.

Word was, she still hadn’t come out yet.

Chiara felt her anxiety spike, and she hurried her steps.

Titus caught her by the arm and murmured, “Take it easy.”

The Lynch Group staff were buzzing with talk, but when they saw Chiara and Titus walk in together, they were left speechless for a moment.

Everyone knew Chiara was Titus’s ex-wife.

Seeing the two of them show up together at the office had everyone whispering and speculating.

“What’s Mr. Goodman doing here with Ms. Lynch?” someone whispered.

“They were married, remember? Even if they’re divorced, they’ve got a kid together) It’s not that weird for them to show up together, right?” another chimed in.

“So, they’re divorced but still pretty friendly, huh?” someone else snickered.

“Yeah, seems like it. I heard Lynch Group was out of cash, and Goodman Group covered their tax bill. If that doesn’t mean they’re close, I don’t know what does…” another added.

“Oh, I get it now. I was actually thinking about looking for a new job, kinda worried about my future here,” someone said. “What are you stressing about? Lynch Group’s been solid for years. You really think one tax scandal’s gonna take them down? Don’t be so gullible…” another scoffed.

“But Mr. Goodman and Ms. Lynch coming in together today pretty much says everything we need to know. Goodman Group’ s backing Lynch Group, so we don’t need to worry about all that, just do our own work,” someone else chimed in.

“Yeah, makes sense. If the company’s good, we’re all good…” another agreed.

“Alright, let’s get back to work and quit the gossip. I’m sure our company’s gonna be fine…” someone said.

“Seriously, this is nothing compared to when the Lynch Group’s chairman and his wife both passed away. The company made it through way worse back then. So let’s all stay calm, alright?”

Chiara went straight to the finance department. Heather’s two secretaries, a guy and a woman, were waiting outside the

office.

The new deputy director of finance was there too, having just joined the company.

Seeing Chiara and Titus show up, they all looked a bit relieved, though none of them knew what Heather was looking for in there.

They’d tried to help, but Heather wouldn’t let them.

“Mr. Goodman, Ms. Lynch, you’re here…” the female secretary greeted, sounding a bit relieved.

Chiara nodded, her eyes darting to the tightly shut office door. “Heather’s still inside? She hasn’t come out even once?”

The female secretary shook her head. “No.”

Chiara nervously bit her lip, walked up and knocked by the rifice tode

“Heather?” she called out.

Successfully unlocked!

There was no response from inside. Chiara knocked a few times, harder. “Heather?”

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Chapter 208 Twenty-Four Years Ago

There was still nothing.

Titus turned to the deputy director of finance. “Do you have a spare key?”

The deputy director nodded. “Yeah, but it’s with Robyn Irving. But Robyn’s not here…”

Titus said calmly, “Go check her office.”

Only then did the deputy director nod and head off to Robyn Irving’s office to look for the key.

Chiara kept trying to reach Heather inside.

“Come on out, Heather. Whatever it is, just tell me. We’ll figure it out together. Can you hear me?” Chiara called out, her voice full of worry.

“Heather? Are you listening to me?” Chiara called out again.

Titus stepped forward and grabbed her wrist before she could knock again.

Chiara turned to look at him, and he shook his head.

Chiara bit her lip, lowered her hand, and just stood there, staring at the office door.

The deputy director returned quickly, and he really did find the key in Robyn Irving’s office.

“Mr. Goodman, Ms. Lynch, I found the key. Here it is,” he said, holding it out.

Chiara took the key and unlocked the office door.

As soon as the door swung open, everyone froze.

It looked like a tornado had hit the place. Company records and paperwork were scattered all over the floor.

Chiara stood there for a few seconds, stunned, before she started scanning the room for any sign of Heather.

Chiara wrinkled her brow as she looked at the mess covering the floor. There was nowhere to even put her foot down.

“Heather?” Chiara called out again.

Seeing the mess, the others quickly dropped down and started picking up the scattered files and papers, clearing a spot so Chiara could finally step inside without tripping over everything.

Chiara called out, “Heather, are you there?”

Just then, she spotted Heather sitting in the corner by the cabinet, totally focused on the paperwork in her hands.

Chiara frowned, calling out, “Heather?”

Heather finally lifted her head, her eyes red and bloodshot after a sleepless night buried in paperwork.

Her face was ghostly pale, eyes rimmed with exhaustion and dark circles. She looked like she’d been through hell.

“Heather!” Chiara called out.

Seeing Heather in that state, Chiara didn’t care about the mess on the floor. She just stepped over everything, crouched down right in front of her.

“Heather, what are you looking for? If you tell me what you’re trying to find, we can all help you, Chiara said.

Heather just looked at her quietly, then shook her head. “I didn’t find it…”

Chiara furrowed her brow, still having no idea what Heather was trying to find.

“Just tell me what you’re looking for, okay? Let me help you. How long are you going to keep searching alone?” Chiara urged, her tone worried but firm.

Chiara glanced at the shelves, almost stripped bare. Heather must’ve checked every single thing through the night. Chiara couldn’t help but gasp at the thought.

Heather just kept shaking her head, her voice hoarse and full of frustration. “I didn’t find it… How is it possible I didn’t find it? Where could it possibly be?”

Chiara couldn’t make sense of what Heather was saying, so she looked over at Titus, hoping he’d understand.

Titus took a quick look around the finance department, then turned his attention to the sisters.

Titus helped Chiara up, then fixed his gaze on Heather, who looked completely lost and broken, and asked in a low, steady

voice.

Titus frowned and asked, “Which year’s files are missing?”

Heather’s eyes flickered, and she let her arms fall weakly, looking completely drained. Her lips were so pale and cracked, she looked like she hadn’t had a drop of water all night.

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Chapter 208 Twenty-Four Years Ago

“The files from twenty-four years ago are gone… But even the ones from thirty years back are still here. Why is it just that year missing?” Heather muttered.

Chiara thought for a moment and caught on. “So you’re looking for the records from 2000?”

Heather nodded, frustration in her voice. “But they’re not here. Why aren’t they here? Where else could they be?”

It finally clicked for Chiara. Heather suspected that Jasper and Robyn Irving’s betrayal was somehow tied to the missing records from 2000.

Chiara couldn’t explain it, but the feeling just wouldn’t leave her.

Titus crouched down in front of Heather, his gaze deep and shadowed.

“If those records from that year have been tampered with, even if you find next year’s files, you won’t find what you’re looking for here. Come on, get up,” Titus said.

Heather looked up at him, her voice rough and barely holding together after staying up all night.

“Yeah… 2000,” she muttered, sounding totally drained.

Titus pressed his lips together, his voice calm but firm. “Come on, get up. Don’t make your sister worry about you. I’ll get someone to dig into everything that happened with Lynch Group back in 2000.”