Chapter 234: Trouble in the Morning
Georgia’s POV
[Where did you get these?] Nick’s voice was steady, but the sharp hint of concern in his voice made my throat tighten.
"It was mailed to my house yesterday. Wendy handed it to me earlier." My fingers trembled as I held the papers. "Nick, I—I don’t understand what’s going on anymore."
The documents spread out on my lap like a cruel puzzle. My company’s name, clear as day, was tied to payments made to a ghost account—transactions that started right after my brother’s death.
Then, abruptly terminated the same week I broke off my engagement with Raymond. Around that same time, both my operations and finance managers vanished with company money.
And tucked in with the papers... a handwritten note. ’Please help Irene and Frank, they are innocent. Irene is pregnant!’
I swallowed the lump in my throat as I showed it all to Nick. My voice wavered. "Why does this feel like someone is setting me up?"
Nick sighed. [I’ll forward this to Oliver. But for now, rest. It’s already late, and worrying all night won’t change anything. Tomorrow, we’ll figure this out together, okay?] His tone was calm, but the worry hiding beneath it only made my chest ache more.
I nodded slowly, as if he could see me. "Alright. But you need to rest too. I know you—you’ll investigate instead of sleeping."
To my surprise, he chuckled. [You already know me too well. But not tonight, love. I promise I’ll sleep after sending this to Oliver. That way, I can pick you and Katie up in the morning. I changed my mind—I’ll have breakfast there. My penthouse feels too damn lonely without you.]
His words melted me like butter under the sun. My lips curved into a soft smile, the heaviness in my chest easing just a little. "Aw... that’s sweet. You almost made me forget about this whole mess." I leaned closer to the phone, whispering like he was right beside me. "Goodnight, baby. See you tomorrow."
I hung up quickly before I gave in to the urge of asking him to drive over—because knowing Nick, he just might.
********
The next day...
I heard the front door open. My hair was a mess, my pajamas wrinkled, and I was still barefoot, but Nick walked in like he stepped straight out of a magazine shoot—suit sharp, hair perfectly combed, and that damned cologne of his curling around me like temptation.
"Good morning, love," he said, before leaning down to kiss me. His lips lingered a little longer than a simple greeting.
"Good morning, you’re earlier than expected! I haven’t even showered yet," I murmured against his mouth, pushing at his chest with the spatula in my hand. "Sit down, breakfast will be ready soon."
But instead of obeying, Nick glanced around the house. "That’s fine, I have seen you worse than that on the island, and yet, you are still beautiful. Where’s Katie?"
Just like that. He gave a comment that made my heart jump, and then immediately changed the subject.
"She’s with Wendy upstairs, getting ready. Don’t worry, she’ll be down in a bit."
He nodded, though I saw his focus already shifting. "And the documents?"
"In my room," I said, pointing upstairs. "You can grab them if you want to forward everything to Oliver now."
Nick brushed his lips against my temple before heading up. I plated the eggs, trying to ignore the anxious flutter in my stomach. A few minutes later, his voice echoed faintly from my bedroom—calm at first, then tense.
I froze, spatula hovering midair.
When he came down, phone still in hand, his expression told me everything before he even spoke. "That was Oliver. He just got the message this morning..." His eyes locked on mine, hard and grim. "Irene and Frank are missing."
The room suddenly felt too small, too quiet, like all the air had been sucked out. My heart dropped.
My throat tightened. "How is that even possible? The extradition case was already under process—how can they suddenly just... disappear?"
Nick’s jaw flexed, his phone still in his hand. "Oliver will look into it. He’s already moving people to trace where they went last. We’ll know more soon." His tone was calm, but I could see the storm flickering in his eyes.
I opened my mouth to press further, but the sound of little feet padding against the stairs stopped me. Katie’s giggles floated in before she came bouncing into the kitchen, her hair tied neatly with a ribbon. Wendy trailed behind her, smiling as if she had carried no weight of the world on her shoulders.
"There you are," Katie squealed, running straight into Nick’s arms. He scooped her up effortlessly, his expression softening instantly as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Good morning, princess," he said, kissing her cheek, and just like that, the heaviness in the room lifted for a second.
Wendy gave me a look before sliding the spatula out of my hand. "I’ll take over the cooking, Georgia. You three sit down and eat together. Nick’s already dressed up, and you should get ready too."
I hesitated. "But—"
"No buts," she cut me off, waving the spatula like a commander. "Go on. You deserve to sit down with your love ones for breakfast before the day takes you away again."
I glanced at Nick, who was now listening intently to Katie’s chatter about the movie we watched last night, and my heart melted just a little. Wendy was right.
I tried to match Katie and Nick’s light mood at the table, but my mind kept circling back to Irene and Frank. I ended up eating faster than usual, barely tasting the food.
"Slow down, love," Nick murmured, but I just gave him a small smile before standing. "I should get ready," I said, brushing Katie’s hair back as she chattered away.
Leaving them at the table, I slipped upstairs, my heart heavy despite the warmth of the morning. Today was only beginning, and already, it felt like trouble was waiting at every turn.
*******
Thank you for the Golden Tickets!
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