“I actually thought you’d be much different-looking in person,” Xavier said to his private detective while he swirled a glass of wine in his hand. “How so? You thought I’d be taller?” Private, as he was known asked with a smirk. That was usually the first thing people said whenever they found out about his job or saw him face to face for the first time. “Definitely. And i thought you’d be more mysterious generally,” Xavier completed. “I get that a lot,” he said with a chuckle. “Why did you ask to meet me in person?” Xavier shrugged. “I realized I’d never seen the man that knows almost all my secrets and knows where to find out the rest.”“I never said you couldn’t meet me. I’m not a hitman. People knowing my identity does not directly put me in danger,” Private said. Xavier downed his eighth glass of wine that night and began to pour another. “I suppose I just enjoyed the mystery,” Xavier slurred. “Oh just forget it. I know you already know what I look like. You ran a background

“Their marriage isn’t real!” Carla whisper-yelled into the phone at the other side of the house while Charlotte slept. “What?” Jonah asked. “It’s crazy,” she chuckled. “They managed to fool everyone. He just married her to change his reputation for the better. What a sad thing to do.” Jonah pursed his lips as he absorbed what Carla was saying. “Where did you get this information from?” He asked doubtful. Carla frowned. “Do you think I just made it up? Charlotte told me herself, just an hour ago before she went to bed.” “Hmm. That makes sense,” Jonah said. “I always wondered when she got the chance to build a friendship with him not to talk of marrying him. Did you get a recording, anything we can use to back up the claim?” There was a pause. “You didn’t tell me I had to do that.” “You idiot!” Jonah cursed in his mind. “How else are we supposed to convince people it’s true?” He asked out loud. Jonah was frustrated. Nothing he did was working. Slowly, he was beginning to lose

“I have to find her,” Xavier said. “It hasn’t even been a full day,” Private said dismissively. “Just give it time. Let Carlos do his thing.” “She’s going to flare up when she sees him,” Xavier groaned, shaking his head. “Stop drinking, boss,” Private said when Xavier took yet another swig, this time of liquor. “You have to forget about this and focus on other things for a while,” Private advised. “Piss off!” Xavier cursed, standing up. “You’re not my therapist. Don’t tell me what to do. I’m going there whether you approve or not.” “Sir…” Xavier didn’t stand there to let him finish. He walked out of the living room where they had been discussing and went into the house in search of his keys. When he was dressed, he went downstairs and almost fell over twice. Grunting, he picked up his phone and dialed Carlos, completely ignoring his detective who fortunately remained silent. “Hello, boss,” he greeted. “Come to the house. I have somewhere I need you to take me,” he instructed.

“Just breathe in, Charlotte,” Xavier said, holding his wife down by her shoulders. “You can do this.” Charlotte nodded and did as he asked before following him into the crimes unit of the police station. The detective who came to meet them was really nice, or maybe he was just pretending because of what he stood to gain from Xavier. Either way, he was easy to talk to and that was what Charlotte needed. “So I’ve seen the details of the case from your file and your lawyer has contacted me,” the man said. “To push this forward, we’ll have to question the doctor who gave you those drugs. He’s already in custody and I plan to question him today. I believe we’ll get more from him. Will you like to be present while he’s being questioned? You’ll also get the chance to meet him one on one but the option is still up to you.” Charlotte glanced at Xavier for a moment and he lightly squeezed her hand. She turned to the detective and nodded. “Okay,” he said, standing up and arranging the files

Since Jonah had escaped the country, all the police could do was ask for an extradition. Charlotte blamed herself for it. If she hadn’t opened her big mouth to tell Clara the things she had told her, Jonah would have never known he was about to be arrested. Jonah’s family was kept under constant supervision which was the only better option besides arresting them for hiding him. Xavier could have made that possible. The court procession made national news for days. The doctor had made sure to pull everyone else involved with him since he was going down. Top politicians, businessmen, prominent men and even some women were dragged for being a part of his deal. Several of them pled not guilty and were able to overrule the evidence set against them because they had the money to do so, but the sting was already there. No one doubted one single name that was mentioned by the doctor. Charlotte could half be satisfied with that conclusion. She got to meet the doctor one and one and asked h