chapter234

The weight of the situation left me feeling helpless, a familiar coldness settling in my chest. I knew I had to face this alone. It had always been this way—in the end, I was the only one who could save myself.

The lobby was teeming with people, but not a single face was familiar. The crowd only magnified my sense of isolation.

Back in the office, Carol quietly brewed a fresh cup of coffee and set it on my desk. She watched me with a concerned silence, but I maintained an air of practiced nonchalance. I kept my head down and stayed busy; thankfully, I had already resolved the two previous crises and set the necessary wheels in motion.

During lunch, I ran into Johnson. He looked genuinely startled to see me, as it had been quite a while since our paths last crossed. He beckoned me over, and I joined him at a corner table.

"Chloe! Long time no see," Johnson said, a wide, friendly smile on his face. "I heard things are finally looking up on your end."

"It’s going alright, I suppose. How are Myra and the little one? Is he still giving you a run for your money?"

"They’re doing great! No trouble at all." Johnson ordered a few extra dishes and leaned in closer. "Mr. Matthew just closed a massive deal with a firm in the neighboring city. It’s a major contract, but he’s playing his cards very close to his chest this time. He seems unusually thrilled."

Then, Johnson’s expression shifted. "Actually, the whole thing is quite strange."

"What’s so strange about it?" I asked, keeping my tone casual.

"He was attacked some time ago, but we still have no idea who did it. He spent a significant amount of time in the hospital, and even Melanie has stayed quiet—no tantrums, no drama," Johnson noted. "There has to be a reason they aren't talking. Usually, they’d be screaming for blood and making a huge scene."

I knew exactly why Matthew was staying silent about that night, but I feigned ignorance. "When did this happen?"

My question seemed to make Johnson a bit nervous, but he quickly recovered with a smile. "Ah, so you didn't know either. it happened the night of the Echelon Group’s anniversary celebration."

"I did see him boasting that night," I replied. I had no intention of letting the truth slip; that was a chapter I wanted to remain closed.

"Well, he went, and whatever happened must have been linked to that party. He must have offended the wrong person, because they beat him into the ground. We didn't find out until the next day when I rushed to the hospital. His head was swollen like a pig’s, and Melanie just sat there beside him, stone-faced.

"Something felt off. After twenty days in the ward, he went on a quick business trip and came back announcing he’d won the contract."

Johnson was clearly excited by the drama, likely because he didn't think it involved me.

"Was the deal in Rivendell?"

"No, it was in Muborough!" Johnson stated confidently.

Rivendell was the site of the Echelon Group’s new development, but Muborough was in the opposite direction—a market even larger than Rivendell.

I struggled to understand how Matthew had suddenly gained a foothold there. He had spent all his time obsessing over Rivendell; he had never even mentioned contacts in Muborough. How could he walk out of a hospital bed and straight into a major deal in a city where he had no presence?

The news sent a ripple of suspicion through me.

"Has he ever had dealings in Muborough before? As far as I can remember, he didn't have a single contact there," I pressed.

"No, Muborough was never our focus. If he’d had those connections all along, he wouldn't have been groveling at the feet of the Echelon Group," Johnson confirmed.

"But Atticus Cole gave him a hell of a hard time. Matthew followed Atticus around like a lapdog but didn't get a single favor. It almost bankrupted him—you know he borrowed seven million dollars for that play. He would have been in deep trouble if this contract hadn't appeared out of thin air," Johnson said. "It was a pure stroke of luck."

"Did he negotiate with Echelon directly? I don't think Atticus is the type of man who can be swayed by seven million," I recalled. Atticus Cole was a man of principles that money couldn't touch.

"He spent more time dealing with Atticus’s nephew," Johnson added, seemingly full of inside information. "Back then, that guy—Keegan Thompson—still had a bit of influence."

I felt a wave of relief and let out a small, dark chuckle. Matthew had taken the wrong approach from the very beginning, and it seemed Atticus’s cold shoulder had been entirely justified. However, the mystery remained: who had actually stepped in to hand Matthew this lifeline?