Chapter 122: 122-On The Same Page
Theodore:
Family gatherings, however, were another story.
I hated dealing with the rest of our relatives, and I could tell Ragnar felt the same way.
"She’s coming over?"
That was the first thing Ragnar asked, looking genuinely distressed.
"Well, it seemed the Moon Goddess had decided to punish someone for dismissing another person’s injuries."
I hadn’t meant to taunt him. It had simply slipped out.
Ragnar’s gaze hardened.
I knew no one would think I was saying it because of Verity.
As Alpha King, it was our responsibility to look after our people.
Now that Grandma was coming, though, things were about to change.
"Hey, it’s been a long time. I think you two should patch things up," I suggested.
Ragnar stared at me in silence.
Most of the time, Ragnar was the dominant figure among us.
But whenever Grandma came around, that dominance disappeared.
She never hesitated to call him out.
"And the leeches will be coming with her too," Ragnar muttered, clearly referring to Grandma’s friend’s family.
They had lived with us for years, so Jaguar and I had always called them Uncle and Aunt.
"It’s only three people," I said, rolling my eyes dramatically at his outburst.
"We have a huge mansion. We’ll put them in a corner somewhere, and everything will be fine." Jaguar tried to calm him dwon.
"As if they’d stay in one corner," Ragnar grunted. "And by the way, no more events. Every time they come here, this place turns into a circus."
With that, he stormed off.
Jaguar and I watched him disappear before looking at each other and bursting into laughter.
My smile faded as I turned to him.
"You knew about Verity’s injuries?" I asked casually while checking my phone for Grandma’s flight details.
Grandma and her late best friend had known each other since high school.
After her friend passed away, Grandma took in her adult daughter.
Now that daughter was married with a daughter of her own, and all three of them were coming with Grandma.
They always did.
Ragnar hated it.
It had been years since I’d last seen them.
The last time they’d visited, Ragnar and Grandma had a huge argument.
After that, Grandma chose to leave. Jaguar and I still went to visit her, but Ragnar never did.
This time, she was finally coming back.
"Yeah, her injuries were bad. I don’t know why Ragnar keeps saying they weren’t," Jaguar replied casually.
"She has a boyfriend?" I asked, trying to sound casual even though the thought bothered me more than it should have.
The moment Jaguar looked at me, I realized I’d been showing far more interest in her personal life than I should have.
"Actually, I only asked because I thought she was interested in Oliver."
The excuse left my mouth almost on instinct.
Jaguar fell silent. He looked at me for a long moment before slowly shaking his head.
"What?" I asked. "Tell me."
He rubbed his lower lip before meeting my eyes again.
"Actually, I heard part of what happened after the attack," he began. "By the time I got to her house, the front door was already open."
He paused.
Honestly, I was surprised. Both my brothers had been to her house before, but she’d never even let me near the place.
"When I stepped inside, I heard them talking."
That immediately caught my attention. Anything involving Verity did.
I grabbed his arm, making him jump, and pulled him over to the couch.
He probably thought I was just eager to hear some gossip.
He didn’t need to know the real reason.
"What did you hear?" I asked, trying to sound merely curious.
"Ragnar was yelling at her, telling her not to expect any mercy."
He paused again, his gaze drifting away.
"But then Verity said something that stuck with me."
I waited impatiently.
"She asked Ragnar whether he’d treat Gigi the same way if he found out her own brother had done to Verity what Justin was accused of doing to Gigi."
The words settled heavily between us.
Jaguar had spoken each one carefully, making sure there was no mistaking what Verity had meant.
"What do you think that means?" I asked, the smile I’d been forcing finally fading.
"I don’t know. I hid behind a pillar because I didn’t want Ragnar to know I’d overheard them. Once he left, Verity kept crying while talking to the Moon Goddess– and to her brother."
Jaguar paused before continuing.
"She said she had no idea her brother had turned abusive. She kept saying no one would believe her now because everyone would automatically dismiss her. Her truth would remain buried, while Justin’s victim would be the only one people saw as a victim."
He frowned.
"I don’t know. The way she talked about Oliver didn’t match what Gigi told us."
As soon as Jaguar finished, my heart sank in my chest.
"What exactly did Ragnar tell you about Verity’s involvement?" he asked, bringing up our earlier conversation.
"Just recently, he told me Verity had been part of the abuse too," I replied absentmindedly.
"Really?" Jaguar frowned. "I don’t believe that."
Thankfully, he was the one who said it. If I’d questioned Ragnar, it would’ve looked like I was taking Verity’s side.
"I’ve been thinking the same thing," I admitted. "But there’s something else that’s bothering me."
I shifted on the couch.
"I checked the office security footage while we were gone."
Jaguar raised an eyebrow.
"Actually, I wanted to see what happened before Oliver left the office."
That wasn’t entirely true.
Ever since Gigi mentioned that Verity had a crush on Oliver and had dated him, I’d been curious enough to check their interaction myself.
"And?" Jaguar asked curiously.
"That’s the strange part. The footage of Verity entering the elevator is missing. The first thing I can see is Oliver walking out, and a few seconds later, Verity follows."
As I explained, Jaguar thoughtfully rubbed his chin.
"Did you ask what happened to the missing footage?"
I nodded.
"The security guard said Oliver came into his office and asked him to grab something. When he came back, Oliver was gone."
That was enough to make Jaguar’s jaw tighten.
"Do you think we’ve been so focused on one victim that we never stopped to consider there might be another?" Jaguar questioned in a low tone.
"Maybe," I murmured, my heartbeat quickening.
"We should keep this to ourselves for now," Jaguar said. "Let’s look into it first."
Silence settled between us as we sat facing each other on the couch.
Then the same realization struck us both.
"Gigi couldn’t have known about her brother."
We said it at the same time before exchanging small, relieved smiles.
The thought that Gigi might have knowingly protected her brother had never made sense to either of us.
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