Chapter 269: ~ 268
Chapter 268
~Franklin~
Another day, another Flynn presence. At this point I don’t even know anymore but my gut feeling is never wrong.
The guy was acting far too nice. His goofy, overly helpful with Octavia and the baby was nauseating. It seems like a plan and I wasn’t having it.
The only reason I actually stepped into my car and drove away for a couple of hours was Clinton. He had insisted we meet at a quiet, lounge downtown, claiming it was urgent. If it were anyone else, I would have ignored the call.
The lounge was discreet, tucked away from the bustling city streets. It was the kind of place where people come to enjoy themselves for a few hours.
I sat across from Clinton in a secluded corner booth, I was served whiskey. I took a slow sip, letting the liquor burn a path down my throat, but it did nothing to ease the tight knot of paranoia twisting in my gut. My eyes kept darting down to my phone, monitoring whatever was happening at home.
"Man, you need to put the phone down for at least five minutes, Franklin," Clinton said, a bright, |booming laugh cutting through my dark thoughts.
I looked up at him, he was practically vibrating with excitement. He hadn’t touched his own drink yet, his hands moving rapidly as he leaned across the table. His face was flushed, and a massive, unstoppable grin was stretched across his lips.
"I have a good reason to be on high alert, Clinton," I rumbled, my voice dropping to its usual protective baritone. "But forget about me for a second. You look like you’re about to burst out of your suit. What is going on?"
Clinton took a deep breath, his chest swelling with pride. He leaned in even closer, his eyes sparkling with a mix of nervousness and pure, raw joy. "Franklin... I closed the massive international contract. My company just completely skyrocketed. I am officially setting my feet with the top 10 now."
"I know," I said, a rare, genuine smile breaking across my face as I lifted my glass toward him. "Julian sent me the brief. I’m incredibly proud of you. Well done man. You built that entirely on your own."
"Thanks, man. But that’s not even the big news," Clinton said, his voice dropping into a eager, breathless whisper. He gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles turning slightly white. "I drove over to Trudy’s new apartment right after. Franklin... I got her blessing. I am going to ask Annie to marry me."
I froze, my hand stopping mid-air. Oh wow finally. It was their turn to be hooked.
"You’re proposing?" I asked, my voice softening with genuine emotion.
"Yes!" Clinton beamed, letting out a ecstatic laugh. "I’m doing it, Franklin. She is the one. But I want everything to be absolutely flawless. I need your help to set up the entire thing, the venue,, the ring, the celebration dinner, all of it. I want to give her the world."
I didn’t hesitate for a single second. I reached across the table, putting my glass gently against his in a resounding cheer. "You have it. Anything you need, anytime you are ready, I am right here. You tell me the word. Welcome to the married man club. I am super happy for you, Clinton. Truly."
"Thanks, Franklin. That means everything to me," Clinton said, finally taking a long sip of his whiskey, looking completely relieved.
The brief moment of peace felt incredibly sweet, but the heavy reality waiting for me back at the estate quickly pulled me under again. My smile faded, and I let out a long, dark sigh, my fingers tracing the rim of my glass.
Clinton noticed the sudden shift in my mood instantly. "Alright, spill it. What’s eating at you? Is everything okay with Octavia and baby Lael?"
"They are fine." I replied, my jaw clenching as the anger roared back to life. "It’s Flynn. My cousin."
Clinton blinked, his entire expression turning blank with utter confusion. He looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. "Wait... cousin? What cousin? Who is Flynn?"
"Exactly," I growled, a dangerous edge returning to my voice. "I know, right? My mother and his mother, Maria, were identical twins. They had a massive, toxic fallout decades ago before we were even old enough to understand. Maria raised Flynn in total isolation overseas, drilling pure, unadulterated hatred into his head, making him believe there was some grand competition between him and me. My mother never told me the details because she didn’t want me to hold hatred in my heart."
Clinton’s jaw practically dropped. He stared at me in absolute shock, his mind clearly struggling to process the sudden explosion of family secrets. "Why is he just showing up now? Out of nowhere?"
"I find it incredibly weird and suspicious myself," I muttered darkly, leaning back into the leather booth, my eyes narrowing. "He just arrived at the estate, acting like a clumsy, goofy, harmless relative who wants to buy big toys for the baby. But Octavia overheard him on a phone call, telling his mother to stay out of it and let him deal with me himself. Why this time? Why right after my daughter is born? It doesn’t make a single bit of sense. He is on a mission, and he is hiding behind a fake mask to get into my blind spot."
Clinton frowned, his shock transitioning into a serious, protective anger that matched my own. He reached out, tapping his fingers firmly against the wood. "Listen to me, Franklin. Don’t think too much of it right now. Don’t let him ruin this moment or drive you into a panic. We will get to the bottom of whatever it is he’s planning. If he steps out of line even an inch, we will crush him together. You’re not fighting this alone."
Hearing his support settled a fraction of the chaos in my mind. I nodded, lifting my glass to take another sip, preparing to discuss the blueprint for his marriage proposal.
But before the glass could touch my lips, my phone rang out.
The phone buzzed. It was Julian. My assistant.
I grabbed the phone, pressing it tightly against my ear, my voice cutting through the air like a lethal blade. "Hello?"
Over the line, the usual calm, and professional composure of Julian was completely shattered. He was coughing violently, his breath coming out in ragged, terrified gasps. In the background, a chaotic, deafening roar of sirens, blasting alarms, and screaming voices filled the audio feed.
"Sir..." Julian choked out, his voice trembling with sheer panic. "You need to, cough, you need to get to the headquarters right now. A localized explosion just broke out!"
My blood turned to absolute ice. The world around me seemed to stop moving.
"Okay. I will be there now," I snapped, my voice deathly calm despite the storm exploding in my chest.
I slammed the phone down and stood up in a violent rush, the chair scraping loudly against the floor, nearly flipping over. The sheer force of my movement caused a few people in the lounge to look over in fear.
Clinton jumped up immediately, his face turning pale as he saw the terrifying, murderous expression painted across my face. He grabbed my arm, his voice full of sudden dread. "Franklin! What happened? What’s wrong?"
"A fire just broke out," I rumbled, my fists clenching so hard my bones popped.
This is Flynn’s handiwork. It definitely had to be. And he is not going to get off with this.