Chapter 13

Sylvester paced back and forth in his office, his mind consumed by a single thought: **Derek**. The moment the hacking attempt on his bank accounts had been uncovered, Sylvester had known, deep down, that Derek was involved. It was the only thing that made sense. Derek had been the one loose end in his life that Sylvester hadn’t tied off completely. And now, it seemed, that loose end was unraveling everything.

The memory of their last conversation replayed in his head. Derek, standing in his office, rage burning in his eyes as he demanded to see the child. Sylvester had tried to reason with him, to remind him of their deal—that the child was his, not Derek’s. But Derek had been relentless, consumed by some newfound sense of fatherhood that Sylvester hadn’t anticipated. It had all spiraled out of control from there.

Now, with his accounts locked and his assets frozen, Sylvester was sure Derek was getting his revenge from behind bars. He had the means, the connections, and most importantly, the motive.

“Enough,” Sylvester muttered to himself. He couldn’t stand the uncertainty any longer. He had to confront Derek, force him to admit what he had done. Sylvester grabbed his coat and stormed out of his office, heading straight for the station where Derek was being held.

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At the police station, the air felt thick with tension as Sylvester strode in. He didn’t bother to greet the officers or explain why he was there. They knew him, and more importantly, they knew his money. A quick word with the chief, a few nods exchanged, and Sylvester found himself standing in front of Derek’s cell.

Derek sat on the thin cot, his head down, his fingers tapping a slow rhythm on his knee. He didn’t look up when Sylvester entered, but a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. The sight made Sylvester’s blood boil.

“Derek,” Sylvester said, his voice low and dangerous. “I know what you’ve done.”

Derek finally lifted his head, his eyes meeting Sylvester’s with a mix of disdain and amusement. “What I’ve done? You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“Don’t play games with me!” Sylvester snapped, slamming his fist against the bars. “You’ve been tampering with my accounts. You think I wouldn’t find out?”

Derek’s smile vanished, replaced by a scowl. “Tampering with your accounts? You’re insane.”

“I know it was you,” Sylvester said, his voice rising. He could feel the tension building inside him, threatening to snap. “You’ve been trying to hack into my accounts, freeze my funds, ruin everything I’ve built. You’ve been planning this ever since I locked you up.”

Derek stood up slowly, his movements deliberate, his eyes dark with fury. “You locked me up for no reason, you piece of trash. You stole my child, my own blood, and now you’re accusing me of something I didn’t even do? You’ve got a lot of nerve.”

“You agreed to the deal,” Sylvester said through gritted teeth. “The child was always supposed to be mine. You knew that.”

Derek let out a harsh, bitter laugh. “A deal? Is that what you call it now? You used me, Sylvester. You couldn’t have a child of your own, so you turned me into your personal breeding stock. And then, when I wanted to see my son—my son—you threw me in here like I was nothing.”

Sylvester’s hands gripped the bars so tightly his knuckles turned white. He couldn’t let Derek twist this around. Not now. “You’re the one who’s been trying to destroy me. I know it. Just admit it.”

Derek stepped closer to the bars, his face inches from Sylvester’s. “I haven’t touched your precious bank accounts, you coward. But after what you’ve done to me, I should have.”

The venom in Derek’s words hit Sylvester like a physical blow. He recoiled slightly, but he wasn’t ready to give up. **He has to be lying**, Sylvester thought. **He has to be the one behind this.**

“Don’t lie to me,” Sylvester growled, his desperation starting to bleed through. “If you don’t confess right now, I swear, I’ll kill myself right here. I’ll make sure everyone knows you drove me to it.”

For a brief moment, Derek’s expression faltered, his eyes widening in surprise. But then, his face twisted into a snarl. “Go ahead. Do it. That’d be the first honest thing you’ve done in years.”

Sylvester’s breath caught in his throat. He hadn’t expected Derek to be so cold, so indifferent. “You’d really let me die?”

Derek slammed his fist against the bars, the sound echoing through the empty corridor. “You think I care what happens to you? After everything you’ve taken from me? You locked me in here, Sylvester. You stole my child, and now you’re standing there, accusing me of something I didn’t do.”

Sylvester stared at Derek, his mind reeling. He had been so certain that Derek was behind the hacking, so sure that this was all part of some elaborate revenge plot. But now… now he wasn’t so sure. Derek’s rage, his bitterness—it was all real. But there was no admission, no sign that he was responsible for the attack on Sylvester’s accounts.

“Once I get out of here,” Derek continued, his voice low and seething, “I’m going to make sure you pay for what you did. You’re going to regret ever crossing me, Sylvester.”

Sylvester took a step back, his confidence shaken. “You can’t do anything to me,” he said, though the words felt hollow.

Derek sneered. “That’s what you think. But you’ve already lost, Sylvester. You just don’t know it yet.”

Sylvester turned away from the cell, his hands trembling. He had come here for answers, for some kind of resolution, but all he had found was more uncertainty. Derek hadn’t admitted to the hacking, but his rage, his thirst for vengeance—it was enough to make Sylvester believe that the worst was yet to come.

As Sylvester walked out of the station, the weight of the situation pressed down on him like never before. Derek was right. He had already lost. The only question now was how much more he would have to lose before it was all over.