Second Chance: Marrying into Wealth Chapter 301

"That's not true. After the incident, Marlowe did come to me with a deal, but I turned her down flat," Christopher said, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

For some reason, I just believed him.

Even if it wasn't the whole truth, coming from him, I knew he had a plan.

The police officer listened to Christopher and then pulled a document from a folder, handing it to him.

"Is this document signed by you personally?"

Standing right next to Christopher, I watched intently as he flipped through the pages. When he reached the last page, I saw the familiar handwriting.

My heart, which had calmed down, started racing again.

I stared at Christopher, trying to gauge his true thoughts.

After reading, Christopher handed the document back calmly, "Yeah, I signed it."

My heart sank!

The officer frowned, "If that's the case, why did you deny signing it?"

Christopher remained composed, "This isn't the agreement you're referring to. It's a supplementary document for future cooperation. As for the agreement you mentioned, I have no idea about it."

If he didn't know about it, there was no way he could have signed it.

To convince the officer, Christopher added, "This supplementary document was finalized before the kidnapping. I can provide evidence. You can also have experts verify its contents."

The officer asked one last question, "Did Marlowe mention any evidence about the kidnapping to you?"

Christopher nodded, "Yeah."

"Where is it?"

Christopher replied, "I haven't seen it. Since Marlowe mentioned it, you should ask the suspect, not me."

With that, the officer closed his notebook and stood up, "Thank you, Mr. Collins. If we need anything further, we'll contact you."

Christopher nodded.

After seeing the officer out, I hurried back to Christopher.

Seeing my anxious expression, he smirked, "Scared?"

I nodded, then shook my head.

I was scared, but seeing him so calm made me feel less afraid.

Unable to explain my complex emotions, I asked urgently, "Mr. Collins, what's going on? Was everything you said today true?"

If he was lying, it might work for now, but eventually, the truth would come out.

Christopher patiently explained what had happened.

"The day Marlowe disappeared, she secretly went home to get cash and contacted the kidnappers using a different phone. By the time we found her, she had already arranged the cash drop-off location. After the deal was done, the kidnappers were to pick up the money from the designated spot. When we found her, she had already completed the transaction with the kidnappers."

At the time, everyone was worried about her, so no one suspected anything. She even had an alibi.

To avoid being recognized by the kidnappers, she altered her voice during the calls.

Even if the calls were recorded, it would be hard to trace them back to her.

Jason reacted the way he did when the location was mentioned was because, on the way to the hospital, Marlowe had gotten out of the car and placed the cash at the designated spot.

Jason, having handled numerous criminal cases, was sharper than most. When he got the cash pick-up address from the police, he knew it was connected to Marlowe.

I said, "So, she had planned and executed everything from the start."

I had wondered why the kidnappers had taken Paula and me, why we woke up unharmed, and how we managed to escape safely.

Now it made sense. Marlowe's real target was Christopher. Since she planned to turn herself in, she couldn't let Paula and me get seriously hurt.

Thankfully, Marlowe had specifically instructed the kidnappers not to harm us, not out of conscience, but to leave herself an out.

Hearing me mutter about Marlowe's revenge, Christopher looked at me apologetically, "I did drag you into this."

"It's not your fault. The real culprit is Marlowe," I said, waving it off, not blaming Christopher.

Christopher's gaze softened.

I had another question, "Mr. Collins, how did you figure out the kidnappers were connected to Marlowe? Given Jason's protectiveness, if he suspected Marlowe's involvement, he would have kept it quiet."

Christopher appreciated my growing ability to think independently.

"Because I know Jason. When he heard the address, he, usually so composed, showed a reaction. That indicated a connection to Marlowe, so I suspected her involvement."

Once he suspected Jason, Christopher didn't hesitate. After parting ways with Jason, he secretly followed him.

Sure enough, he saw Jason return to the kidnappers' location and stand there for a long time.

At that moment, Christopher was certain Marlowe was behind it.

"From the kidnappers' account, I learned they had discarded the cash packaging somewhere. I found it before the police and took fingerprints and biological samples, which matched Marlowe."

"So, you had evidence. Why didn't you tell the police?"

Christopher explained, "The police wanted the evidence Marlowe mentioned. Jason had protected it before Marlowe could dispose of it."

He sighed, "It was a stroke of luck. Marlowe lost the phone she used to contact the kidnappers and panicked. She thought I had taken it when I visited her hospital room, but Jason had it. She didn't know."

He added, "She thought she could trap me by making me 'find' the phone. But I got an important call and left the room without noticing the phone. Jason found it later."

Jason really cared for Marlowe.

With the evidence, he knew the police would soon trace it back to her.

To protect Marlowe, he told Christopher about the evidence.

"How could such a smart lawyer lose his mind over Marlowe?" I couldn't help but comment.

Christopher sighed, "If he keeps getting entangled with Marlowe, he'll have no way out."

He was narrowing his own path.

"I can't understand what debt Jason feels he owes Marlowe to go this far. Marlowe is so calculating. Did she really suffer back then, or did she learn from it?" I mused.

Christopher looked at me thoughtfully, "You might be right. I'll have someone investigate the past. I'll let you know what I find."