Maxine sucked in a sharp breath. The study fell into an uneasy silence.
After a long pause, she murmured, “Could Nathan have been-” She didn’t finish.
Cleo leaned in. “Have been what?”
“Forget it. It’s probably just me overthinking. Just a coincidence,” Maxine said.
Her eyes were distant for a moment before she looked directly at Cleo. “Is there more? You know, kidney donations don’t usually end in death. If Joe really needed one to survive, he didn’t have to kill the donor. That’d just bring unnecessary trouble, right?”
Cleo’s tone turned cold. “That’s exactly the issue. I don’t know the details. This happened late last year, right when Jenson Construction Group was prepping for its IPO. Unless Joe completely lost his mind, there’s no way he’d risk a death scandal at that moment.”
At that time, Jenson Construction Group was on the rise, with only the already–public Mason Group as competition in Gludon City. It made no sense for Joe to create a mess at such a critical point. That left only one possibility.
Maxine shut her eyes and took a deep breath. “No matter what their reasons were, if this medical record’s real, it means Nathan was killed by the Jenson family. And maybe that’s why Ivanna got close to Gabriel.”
Cleo nodded, her voice rough. “That part’s pretty clear. I’m guessing she either wanted answers about Nathan’s death or was out for revenge.”
Maxine’s jaw tightened. “Probably both. The Jenson family definitely covered their tracks after something like this. Ivanna wouldn’t have found out easily. But she’s not dumb. She must’ve suspected something but didn’t have proof. So…”
She didn’t finish. The more they uncovered, the deeper it ran–and Maxine had never expected it to be this tangled.
Cleo sank onto the sofa, staring blankly at the wall. After a while, she said quietly, “It’s a lot. When I first figured it out, I was completely shaken. I even wondered if I should tell you.”
Maxine bit her lip. “Why?”
Cleo closed her eyes, looking drained. “People like us—we think the rich, no matter how bad, still have lines they won’t cross.
“But when I see how far they’ll really go, it’s terrifying. I thought about trying to stop you and keeping it to myself. You know, if you push too far, Maxine, you might end up like Nathan.”
Maxine clenched her fists and sat beside Cleo. “Cleo, I get it. Everything you’ve told me, well, I’ll keep it to myself. If any of this ever comes to light, I’ll make sure it looks like I figured it out on my own. I won’t drag you into it.”
Cleo opened her eyes and looked at her. “Maxine, we’ve known each other forever. You know me–I’m not brave. I don’t have big dreams. But there’s one thing I’ve always been sure of. I really can’t stand the rich.”
Maxine met her eyes. After a long pause, she suddenly laughed.
Cleo took a deep breath and declared loudly, “So, I’ll investigate it thoroughly with you.”
1/1
