Chapter 166 The Phantom Chain
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It would’ve been fine if Paige hadn’t mentioned Giselle. But the moment she did, Leo felt it again–that familiar choke tightening around his throat, a phantom chain he could never quite shake. It closed in fast, like he might suffocate if he didn’t get away.
Paige had adored Giselle ever since Leo was a boy. She used to joke–half–kidding, half–dead serious–that Giselle was the perfect choice for Leo’s wife.
And every time, Leo pushed back, firm and unwavering. He only saw Giselle as a childhood friend. There was no spark, no tension, no romance. Never had been.
Eventually, Paige stopped bringing it up. Or so he thought.
Because even as she paraded around pretending to respect his decisions, she was quietly pulling strings behind the scenes, trying to nudge him and Giselle together.
And that was everything Leo hated. It grated against every part of him that craved freedom, that needed space to breathe without someone else’s blueprint for his life.
His expression iced over. “I’ve got hands and feet of my own, don’t I? If I want to go somewhere, I can damn well go on my own. Why should she be the one tagging along?”
Paige noticed the shift in his tone and didn’t bother hiding her
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irritation. “You two grew up together. You’re close in age, you get along, and you’ve always made a good pair-”
Leo cut her off, sharp and clean, “Mom, I don’t like her. As for those rumors in the media, I’ll hold a press conference soon to clear things up.”
Then he turned and walked off, not even sparing her a second glance. He headed straight into the bathroom, pulled out his phone, and dialed, only to freeze halfway through.
He didn’t even have Caroline’s number.
If he wanted to reach her, he’d have to go through Julian.
This has to change. I’m not doing this through someone else every damn time.
*****
Meanwhile, Caroline and Alistair had just arrived at the office.
As soon as they stepped out of the car, Julian turned around and mouthed, “It’s Leo,” holding up his phone.
No question what this was about. It had to be Miley.
Caroline took the phone without flinching. “I’ll send you the address.”
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Alistair gave her a subtle nod. It was the right move.
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If she tried to explain over the phone that Miley was gone, Leo wouldn’t believe her. Worse, he’d lash out and accuse her of God
knew what.
Better to send him the address and let him see it with his own
eyes.
Leo had spent years trying to find Miley.
With his resources, it should’ve been easy. But he hadn’t found so much as a trace.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out why. Paige had probably been sabotaging the search all along, covering every lead before Leo could get close.
As Caroline recited the address, Alistair could already imagine the way Leo must’ve lit up on the other end of the call, wild with hope.
He was probably picturing some long–awaited reunion, maybe even feeling a little nervous. After all these years, who knew if Miley had moved on and married someone else?
Alistair glanced at Caroline as she handed Julian back the
phone, her face unreadable. He couldn’t help himself. “Honestly, if I could, I’d rather he never found out the truth.”
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Caroline didn’t hesitate. “Sweetheart, you’re too soft. That’s not a good thing.”
Alistair knew her cold exterior wasn’t the whole picture. People said she was distant, hard to approach, maybe even cold–blooded, but he knew better. “You don’t think he’s pitiful?” he asked.
Caroline didn’t dodge it. “I do. He’s pretty damn pitiful.”
“Exactly,” Alistair said. “He really is.”
Caroline’s tone didn’t shift. “Too bad that’s his life. He was unlucky enough to get stuck with a mother like that.”
Julian, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up, “If no one had gotten in their way, maybe things would’ve played out differently. Sure, their upbringings and values were miles apart, and yeah, maybe they wouldn’t have lasted.
“But sometimes it’s not about what works. It’s about what you can’t have. That’s always the thing people chase hardest. When Leo finds out the truth, who knows? He might start resenting his mother.”
Caroline’s voice stayed flat. “She deserves it.”
She meant Paige.
Julian had just taken back his phone when it rang again.
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He glanced at the screen, and his whole face shifted–brows tight, posture stiff, every trace of ease gone.
It was the kind of look that came from a cocktail of nerves and pressure–surprise laced with panic. He stared at the phone like it had teeth.
Whoever was calling, it wasn’t someone he ignored.
He looked helplessly at Caroline. “Caroline… it’s him.”
It was Gordon.
Caroline didn’t even break stride as she leaned into Alistair’s arm. “Answer it.”
Julian hit the button immediately.
There was no way in hell he’d keep Gordon waiting.
“Sir…” he said, voice tight. Whatever Gordon said on the other end, Julian instinctively turned his head toward Caroline. “Yes, sir. I’ll relay the message to her right away. Understood, absolutely.”
When the call ended, Julian exhaled like he’d just resurfaced from deep water. Then he jogged after them and delivered the message like his life depended on it. “Caroline. Mr. Ashbourne asked that you return immediately.”
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He stressed the words “immediately” and “return” like they were glowing in neon.
Then he glanced over at Alistair, as if bracing for the fallout.
Alistair didn’t beat around the bush. “He didn’t ask for me?”
Julian looked awkward. “Uh… not that I heard. Maybe I missed
it?”
Alistair smiled easily.
Caroline wasn’t the type to cling to sentiment. She didn’t keep people around out of loyalty, only capability. If Julian was still here, it was because he earned it.
Maybe it was to ease Alistair’s nerves. Maybe he thought Alistair was just putting on a brave face.
Either way, Julian gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and whispered, “Don’t worry. Her dad never wins when it comes to Caroline.”
Alistair laughed under his breath.
Julian meant well. There was no need to correct him. The truth was, Alistair wasn’t nervous in the slightest.
Caroline spoke up, “So what? He snaps his fingers and I go
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running? Who the hell does he think he is, God? Tell him I’ve got work.”
Julian looked like he might actually cry. “Caroline, I’m begging you. He’s not God, no. But he is your father.”
Caroline’s eyes narrowed. “And you’re my employee, aren’t you? Last I checked, I’m the one signing your paycheck. Or are you pulling double–duty like Leo’s assistant, getting paid from both ends?”
Leo’s assistant took one salary from Leo and another from Paige. Paid by both sides, loyal to neither.
Julian threw up a hand like he was swearing an oath. “My loyalty to you is written in the stars, I swear. That really hurts, Caroline.”
She nodded coolly. “Glad it hurts.”
Julian looked like he might break. “If you’re not going, you tell him yourself.”
Sure, Gordon wouldn’t hold it against him that Caroline didn’t show. But still, Gordon had that kind of presence. The kind that made him flinch before he even spoke.
Julian had been scared of him since he was a kid.
Caroline didn’t respond.
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Julian turned to Alistair with desperate eyes.
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Alistair couldn’t stand it anymore. The poor guy looked like he was about to beg on his knees. “Babe,” Alistair said gently, “maybe just this once…”
Caroline sighed, loud and theatrical, and then shot Julian the dirtiest look she could manage before snatching the phone out of his hand.
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