Jace snorted. ‘You already know what happened next. Cathy left Skyline. Ca to live with us.’
I was dumbstruck.
The pieces locked into place, finally.
I’d never understood why Catherine left so abruptly when she and Rhys were practically joined at the hip.
He’d been utterly besotted, and she—well, she wasn’t indifferent.
That nonsense excuse about stepping aside so I could have Rhys?
Franklin and Caroline might’ve bought it, but I never did.
Catherine was many things, but self-sacrificing wasn’t one of them.
She didn’t leave for ; she left for her birth mother.
But that only answered one question and raised a hundred more.
‘Do Franklin and Caroline know?’ I asked.
Jace shrugged. ‘Beats . But from what I figured, no. They don’t know Cathy’s not theirs. And after she found out, she sure as hell didn’t tell them.’
‘Why not?’
His lips twisted into a smirk. ‘You really don’t give your sister enough credit. She’s a lot sharper than you think. You know why she decided to stay in Stonewick?’
‘Why?’
‘Perhaps I should ntion my mother’s na. Eleanor Montague. Ring any bells?’
I frowned. ‘Should it?’
‘It should. The Montagues are old money. Ancient, actually. Fingers in every pie, family tree thicker than a hedge maze. They made a bloody fortune, and Mum inherited the lot. She didn’t have a head for business, never worked a day in her life, so it shrank a bit... but it’s still a substantial pile.’
I stared.
He spread his arms. ‘Which ans Cathy, as her daughter, stands to inherit half of it. Instant multimillionairess the day Mum kicks the bucket.’
I muttered, ‘So she stayed for the money.’
‘Of course she did. Wouldn’t you?’
A knock sounded at the door.
Ashton glanced at .
‘I’ll be fine,’ I said.
He gave Jace a hard look, then stepped out, leaving the door slightly ajar.
I turned back to Jace. ‘Then why’d she co back to Skyline?’
He laughed bitterly. ‘Stayed for money, left for the sa reason.’
‘What happened?’
‘Turns out, Mum was even worse with money than I thought. Her fund managers had been bleeding her dry for years, and she had no idea. By the ti the will was read, the “fortune” wouldn’t have lasted a month in Vegas. So Cathy packed up and ca crawling back to Skyline. And you know what that proved? She was bloody smart to keep the truth from the Vances. Always good to have a backup plan.’
I thought hard. ‘You said earlier that it doesn’t matter now if the truth cos out because Catherine’s Mrs Granger. Why?’
He gave a look like I’d asked the stupidest question in the world. ‘You still don’t get it? Money, of course. The Grangers are loaded, right? Filthy rich. Cathy marries one, and boom, she’s back on top.’
‘But what if the Grangers find out? They could demand a divorce.’
Knowing Clive Granger, who treated pedigree like a religion, he was probably already frothing at the mouth at the thought of an annulnt.
Jace didn’t look concerned. ‘Doesn’t matter if they do. Cathy and that Rhys guy didn’t sign a prenup. You know what that ans, right?’
‘It ans if they divorce, Catherine gets half of everything Rhys owns.’
‘Exactly.’ He grinned. ‘So either she stays married and she’s rich, or she gets divorced and she’s slightly less rich, but still rolling in it. And with the baby, she’ll get even more. Alimony, child support... it all adds up. Either way, win-win.’
‘That still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.’
‘What else? Money.’
‘You’re a gambler?’
I rembered the Vegas comnt.
He didn’t even try to deny it.
‘Yeah. Love the roulette. After Mum passed, Cathy ditched and my dad and ran back to Skyline. Can’t bla her. My dad wasn’t her real father. Her birth father died ages ago. We’re only half-siblings, anyway. But then Dad got sick, and we both needed cash. I’d already blown the pathetic sum Mum left , so I figured, why not pay dear sis a visit?’
I frowned. ‘Why are you working at Nyx Collective? Don’t tell that’s a coincidence.’
He shook his head, smug. ‘Of course not. Cathy got the job. Told to keep tabs on you, let her know if you’re working late or going away for a trip, that sort of thing. Gave her the perfect window to sneak around with Rhys.’
‘So, Rhys has been cheating on longer than I thought. You’ve been here at least six months.’
Jace shrugged. ‘Don’t shoot the ssenger. I’m just the tool, rember? Besides, Cathy and Rhys were a couple first. This is just... setting things right again.’
I was so overloaded with information that I didn’t even have the energy to be offended at his brazenness.
Jace kept talking.
I just chanically filed away the words without really registering their aning.
Ashton had co back a while ago and was waiting quietly, his eyes on .
I rose slowly.
‘Done?’ he asked.
I nodded.
Jace perked up. ‘Wait. I’ve told you everything. So... you’re gonna let go, right?’
Ashton rested a hand on my shoulder and steered towards the exit.
Two uniford officers appeared in the hallway. They nodded at Ashton and stepped inside.
‘Hey—wait, what the hell—’ Jace’s voice rose behind us.
Then the door shut, cutting him off mid-shout.
Ashton glanced at . ‘You okay?’
‘I don’t know. That was... a lot.’
‘Tell on the way ho?’
‘We’re going ho? It’s the middle of the day.’
‘You need rest.’
‘But you need to work.’
‘I’m on leave today.’
‘Since when?’
‘I’m the boss. I can take ti off whenever I want.’
I didn’t argue.
Back at the house, Carn greeted us with a mug of hot chocolate so overloaded with marshmallows and sugar it could’ve revived the dead.
I thanked her. It revived my brain, which was only half dead.
We sat down, and I walked Ashton through everything Jace had said, trying to make sense of it myself as I spoke.
He took it better than I had. Unsurprising, since it wasn’t his family imploding.
‘It explains a lot,’ I said.
‘What do you an?’
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