The Ex and Her Riches

“My men found two batches of gold bars under the floor tiles in the room. Where did they come from?”

Megan stiffened, never expecting her well-hidden belongings to be discovered so easily. She had only been away for an afternoon, and yet Cedrick managed to uncover them.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and opted to stay silent.

Cedrick added, “Megan, don’t even think about trying to fool me. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has thoroughly inspected every inch of your property. I’ll find what I’m looking for even if I have to dig to the depths of the earth.”

Upon hearing that, Megan grew even more terrified.

“T-These are all assets earned by my husband and children throughout the years, and they asked me to hold onto it. It’s all legitimate earnings, so I don’t think I broke any law. Is that against the law?” she stammered in her defense.

Cedrick shook his head in response.

Just as Megan was about to let out a sigh of relief, he added, “Well, whether you broke any law or not is still to be determined. If the money was earned through legitimate means, then it’s not illegal. However, if you acquired such a large sum through illicit means, that would be a different story. Given the significant amount involved, imprisonment is almost certain.”

Megan waved her hands frantically. “I haven’t done anything wrong, so please don’t arrest me. I’m just an ordinary woman from a rural village. Please spare me, Mr. Jenson.”

Cedrick sighed in frustration, his patience worn thin by her elusive responses.

Getting to his feet, he walked over to the table and poured himself a cup of hot water. After drinking about half of it, he set the cup down before uttering in an indifferent tone, “Your son has been dead for a long time. He never had the chance to grow up, let alone go to the city for work. Moreover, you and your husband had a strained relationship, and he’s been absent from your life for years. You’ve done nothing but lied to us these past few days. Your usual earnings from selling vegetables and eggs could barely sustain your livelihood, so it’s hard for us not to suspect you when you suddenly have such a significant amount of gold bars.”

As he spoke, he picked up the cup, refilled it, and politely handed it back to Megan.

The latter couldn’t bring herself to take the cup as she was overwhelmed by fear.

Cedrick didn’t push her any further, and when he saw that she was unwilling to take the cup, he simply placed it back on the table.

“I don’t mind taking my time to get the truth out of you. When you’re ready to be honest, you can leave. I just hope that the chickens in your backyard won’t starve during your one-month absence.” He chuckled softly, straightened the cuffs of his coat, and turned to leave.

to him, “Mr. Jenson, please don’t do this… I-I can’t tell you the truth because if I do, they’ll kill me. They are ruthless and

couldn’t hold back her sobs. “I have an unhappy marriage, and my son never had the chance to grow up. Although my life is dull and dreary, I still don’t

to the city’s bank to exchange them for cash and then buy a small two-story villa in the countryside. All I want is to live the rest of my life in seclusion with the remaining money. I never wanted to get involved in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s case. Can’t you just let me go? Please, stop pressuring

room. It was obvious that the immense psychological pressure

the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The fugitive who gave you the gold bars undoubtedly knows this. Do you honestly believe that by remaining silent, you’ll be

awaits her. After all, she’s a vulnerable woman living alone in the desolate mountains. If she were to be killed in her home and buried,

at the realization, and her sobs grew even more heart-wrenching

I really

tone, saying, “Please tell me the truth. I’m the only one who can ensure your safety and well-being. You saved

slowly raised her

deepened, Cedrick made his way

a few hours since he left, he was aware of how lively his two little ones were. He reckoned that they would likely be too excited to sleep that night

playing around the laboratory’s ward as long as they don’t

his pace as he walked along the

corner and enter the ward, he suddenly caught a shadow

incredibly fast,

“Who’s there?” Cedrick asked.

frail-looking doctors on duty in the laboratory at this time. Besides, even if it were the law enforcement personnel, I doubt they

only response he received was the

after the figure until he reached the end of the corridor. There, underneath the windowsill, a banana tree cast its shadows

one around, not

checked the windowsill

inspections both inside and outside, checking every corner of the premises. Even if a butterfly were to fly in, the surveillance cameras would capture it clearly, so I doubt a suspicious person would be able to bypass

on

that thought in mind, Cedrick decided to stop dwelling on the matter and turned around to head back

another direction. It wasn’t until the man had completely left that the red light on the surveillance camera started blinking again,