Chapter 140 Mrs York

AFTER 6 months of investigation, countless interviews, and dead-end evidence, LAPD Officers H. Gilberts and J. Peralta exhausted everything they had. “I got nothing,” Officer H. Gilberts says. “Same here. Sad to say we have another cold case in our hands,” Officer J. Peralta says as he puts the case files inside the box. - Meanwhile, at Caldwell Inc., it was Lucius's first day as the VP of Operations, and he went to the office 2 hours early to familiarize himself with his daily tasks and new team. He was lucky that his previous secretary, Chloe, remained loyal to him, and when he called her she instantly resigned from her secretarial position in one of the Ripley International subsidiaries. - Concurrently, Victor was sitting in the back passenger seat with Latton and his face conveyed annoyance and envy. He has been sulking for a while but Latton seems to ignore him. He can’t take it anymore. He coughs vigorously, then says, “I’m beginning to be jealous here. You’ve been back for a week in Los Angeles, but not even once did you visit me at work. Now that it's Lucius’ first day, you are merrily traveling,” he muttered in an aggrieved tone. She laughs, “You’re seriously getting envious of this? Lucius is my cousin. He is family.” He scoffed, “And I’m not?” She patted his back, “Of course you are. You are my husband, my partner, and the father of….” She stopped mid-sentence. He smirked. “And everyone should know that.” He declared while rummaging into his pocket and took out a small box. “Open it and wear it.” He added while handing the box to her. Her brows furrowed, then she opened it and saw it was a ring, “Oh wow!” She mumbled as her eyes widened. “You like it?” He asks. She gasped, “I don’t know what to say. This is a huge diamond ring.” “It’s an heirloom. 12.5-carat pink diamond.” He says. “Wear it and show it to everyone.” “I think I don’t need to show it to people. This ring will present itself to everyone. It’s beautiful, Victor. Are you sure I should wear it on a normal day?” He nods. “Of course. I want everyone to know you are Mrs. York.” He says. She laughs. “What a show-off,” she mumbled as she stared at the ring on her finger. “I’ll wear it as if it's a part of my body.” She says playfully. "Good," he mumbles with a grin on his face. "I want to rub it in Lucian's face, what he lost. All it cost me was removing the letter on the flower he sent. Who even writes letters today? How stupid?" He thought to himself. - Meanwhile, in Caldwell Incorporated, Shirley entered Lucian's office without knocking and comfortably sat on the couch. Her movements irritated Lucian and disturbed his tranquil state. He glanced at her for a moment, then shook his head in disappointment. Soon he heard her say, "I don't like your office. It gives a depressive and anxious vibe. What's with that painting on your wall? It doesn't help balance the ambiance." She kept on mumbling while walking around his office. She scoffed, "Seriously, a red figurine. You need to hire an interior designer for your office." She resumed mumbling. "And your tie is red." She yelled at him. Lucian continued ignoring her. "She never changed." He thought to himself while pinching the bridge of his nose. It came as a huge surprise to him that Prima Star, the new investor that replaced Ripley International, was owned by Shirley's family. From that day, she barged into his office only to complain and try to control things around him. At first, she kept on changing the thermostat to 21 because it was her lucky number. Then she starts throwing all the red paper clips into the trashcan. "Lucian, are you listening to me?" She asks while crossing her arms. He heaves deeply. "No, please leave my office now." He demanded. She scoffed, "You should be elated, ecstatic that I'm here gracing you with my presence. I know you've been looking for me for years after we broke up. You are lucky that I'm now divorced, and I still think you are a suitable partner for me, and we can continue where we left off." She declares proudly. "I don't want to continue anything with you. Leave me alone." He replied, his voice expressing exasperation. "Of course you do. That's why you have Malena as your girlfriend. She's basically my substitute. She's my doppelganger. You even clash with the Ripley family just to save her. Even after more than a decade, you still can't forget about me." She remarks while crossing her arms and smirking. "I don't want to do anything with you. If I knew that Prima Star had ties with you, I wouldn't accept the collaboration with your company." He replied with gritted teeth. His gaze turns darker by the minute. She frowned, "You won't do that." She replied dominantly. "Have you forgotten who I am?" "I don't. But knowing you mean nothing." He said as he stood up, "Get out of my office now," he screamed in annoyance. "Oh, look how cute you are. Trying to act mad at me." She said his words completely went over her head. She soon walked toward him and said in a sultry voice, "As if you could get mad at me." He frowns. She was on his last nerve. "You are 38 years old. Can you act your age?" He remarks, trying his hardest not to snap at her. Hearing the mention of her age, she lowered her head, and it seemed it hit a nerve. She stood up, angrily walked out, and slammed the door hard, creating a huge thud that startled Jenny, who was reading her emails. "You'll regret this, Lucian." She yelled internally. Shortly after, Lucian heard Jenny's voice through the intercom. "Sir, Mr. Lucius Vaughn, and Mr. Victor York were in conference room 3 waiting for you." He frowns. His face conveys sorrow and exhaustion. He sighed profoundly and marched to conference room 3. Head lowered, face expressed boredom. When he lifted his gaze, he saw Latton standing in the corridor. "Latton," he mumbled to himself. His gaze brightens but soon turns to sorrow when he remembers that she is not here for him. He smiled bitterly and continued walking towards her. She soon felt his presence and smiled faintly at him. "Good morning, Mr. Caldwell." She greeted. Startled. His eyes widened to hear her formally address him. He felt a huge lump in his throat but fought hard to keep it together, "Likewise, Miss Rip..." "Mrs..." She intervenes. He gasped in confusion. "It's Mrs. York," she continued. Her words felt like ice-cold water pouring on his head, almost leaving him speechless. "See you around, Mr. Caldwell," she added while slowly turning to leave. "Of course," he grins awkwardly while glancing at the ring on her finger. "If I gave her a bigger ring would she consider leaving him?" He thought to himself. He smiles mockingly, "Of course not, but what would it take to break them apart?" He asks himself while smiling eerily.