Chapter 375 Let's End This
"Mr. Montgomery, I messed up. Please, I'm begging you, forgive me!" The shareholder was on his knees, practically groveling.
The gun was right there, within arm's reach. He could easily grab it and shoot Xavier.
But he didn't. After everything, he just couldn't do it.
Xavier didn't say a word and walked out of the police station.
The cops came over and picked up the gun.
Mason was waiting outside. He knew if that shareholder had pulled the trigger, Xavier wouldn't have lifted a finger to stop him.
Xavier was carrying a world of pain, a mountain of guilt. He was probably looking for any escape, any way to numb the ache in his soul.
But he also knew the guy wouldn't shoot, which meant he had to face everything head-on. No running away.
"Mr. Montgomery, here are the documents." Mason stepped up and handed over some papers.
Mason's team and the police were both digging into this. So far, all signs pointed to the shareholder acting alone.
"Keep digging." Xavier wanted to get to the bottom of it.
And this shareholder, suspected of murder, was likely never getting out of prison.
Mason had already gotten Xavier a new phone, complete with a SIM card.
Standing at the police station entrance, Xavier asked, "Got a smoke?"
Mason handed him one. White smoke curled from his mouth, blurring his face.
Holding the phone, Xavier instinctively dialed a number.
He missed Grace, but he didn't know how to face her right now.
It was Grace's number, one Xavier knew by heart, but his fingers hesitated over the call button.
Mason said, "Mr. Montgomery, Ms. Lewis must be worried sick. You should call her, let her know you're alright."
Xavier smoked five cigarettes but still didn't make the call.
He lit one after another, as if only nicotine could calm his nerves.
By now, it was daylight. The winter in Oakworth was freezing. Xavier's fingers finally pressed the call button, and the number dialed.
Grace was already up. Hearing the phone ring, she saw an unfamiliar number.
Grace still answered, "It's Grace."
Hearing her voice, Xavier's breath caught.
Grace listened quietly. There was no sound on the other end. "Hello? Is anyone there? Am I breaking up?" Grace glanced at her phone. The call was from Oakworth.
"Xavier?" she called out.
For some reason, her gut told her it was Xavier.
The name made Xavier's hand tremble, and he didn't notice the cigarette burning his fingers.
His body shuddered. He hadn't expected Grace to recognize him.
Xavier said, "It's me."
Hearing his familiar voice, Grace felt a wave of relief, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
She hadn't slept well last night, and after waking up in a panic, she couldn't fall back asleep. Grace had gotten up to do some work and was now about to make herself a cup of coffee to wake up.
"Did you change your number?" Grace asked, her voice tinged with joy and excitement.
"My phone broke last night," Xavier's voice was rough.
Grace asked with concern, "Did you stay up all night again without resting?"
She could hear the exhaustion in his voice.
Grace's worried tone made Xavier feel even worse.
He didn't know when his feelings for Grace had grown so deep. Just the thought of her leaving him made him feel like he was falling into an ice pit.
He had once warned himself not to fall for her, but he had still dragged Grace into his world.
They had been tangled up time and again, their relationship getting more and more complicated.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Grace could only hear Xavier breathing on the other end. "If you're tired, go rest. You don't have to call me."
"Grace," he said, his voice heavy.
The words were stuck in his throat; he couldn't get them out.
Xavier's voice was rough. "I have something to tell you."
"Funny you should say that," Grace said, a nervous flutter in her chest. "I have something to tell you, too. Do you want to go first, or should I?"
She wanted to tell Xavier she was pregnant, hoping he'd be happy about it.
Grace thought if Xavier liked her, he'd like the baby too.
There was a long silence on Xavier's end.
Grace didn't know what was going on. She figured she should go first.
Xavier would find out she was pregnant sooner or later.
"I..." She had just started to speak when Xavier's voice cut through, "Let's end this."
"What?" Grace's words got stuck in her throat. Her excitement and joy felt like they had been doused with a bucket of ice water, leaving her stunned.
"Let's end this," Xavier repeated.
His mind was numb, but his heart felt like it was being cut by a knife, over and over.
The sudden blow left Grace at a loss. "Are you serious?"
"Yes." Xavier responded, a storm of pain coursing through his mind.
"I don't believe it! This is some kind of sick joke, right? Is someone messing with me?" She couldn't imagine Xavier saying those words, not unless he was being forced." With that, Grace hung up the phone.
She was furious!
But for some reason, tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes, and her heart was filled with panic and fear.
She picked up her phone and dialed Xavier's number. It was still off.
Both his public and private numbers were off.
Why had Xavier's phone been off for so long? Had something happened, or was his phone really broken? Did the scammer know Xavier's phone was broken and call her to scam her?
That scammer had stuttered and spoken awkwardly, clearly inexperienced.
Her relationship with Xavier wasn't a secret. It was possible for scammers to call her.
But just to tell her their relationship was over? What was the scammer's motive?
Grace figured it out. She thought it must be an attempt to sow discord!
Maybe it was Stephanie again. Stephanie had many tricks up her sleeve and would do anything for Xavier.
Mason had said last night that Xavier was fine, so he must be fine.
Grace called Mason. Mason's phone rang, and he looked at Xavier. "Mr. Montgomery, it's Ms. Lewis."
Xavier said nothing, and Mason didn't dare answer. The call eventually ended.
Xavier suddenly remembered that Grace had said she had something to tell him.
Grace didn't understand why Mason didn't answer. She quickly typed a message to Xavier: [Good morning, Xavier. Do you know what just happened? I got a scam call. Someone used an unfamiliar number to mimic your voice and told me our relationship was over. Do they think I'm stupid enough to believe that?]
Grace: [I've learned from the best, you know. I can spot a fake a mile away. But it's still creepy that they managed to mimic your voice so well. I should probably download a better anti-scam app.]
Grace: [If you see this, please call me back. I'm very worried about you.]
Even after sending the message, Grace still felt uneasy. She couldn't fathom why Xavier's phone was turned off and Mason wasn't answering his calls.
Grace immediately booked the earliest flight to Oakworth. She had to see Xavier!
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