156 Denis’s Arrival.
Lucian
Denis and Keisha finally arrived, and Mara greeted them with a warm smile. They came bearing bottles-both alcoholic
and non-alcoholic wine. Mara took the drinks and set them on the kitchen counter, chatting lightly with Keisha as she
arranged them.
“There was traffic on the main road,” Denis said as he stepped into the dining area. “A truck overturned near the repair site. Caused quite a bit of damage.”
I shook my head. “Reckless.”
We settled at the dining table and tucked into the food. I was honestly surprised at how well everything had come together-flavourful, comforting, and deeply satisfying. For a bunch of amateurs, we’d pulled off a proper feast.
When we were done, the women retreated to Tiffany’s room to play with baby Emma.
“They definitely had s*x,” Mara linked me the moment she walked in, her tone deadpan.
I glanced at Darian, who brought beers over like nothing had happened. He was grinning slightly, completely unfazed.
We clinked bottles and leaned back in our seats, bracing ourselves for the real reason Denis was here.
“So,” Denis began, rubbing his hands together. “Where do I start?”
“Chase,” I said without hesitation.
Denis let out a short breath, his eyes lighting with the excitement of finally cracking a lead.
“We’ve confirmed that Chase Nighthorn sits on the board of Winston’s Corp. He doesn’t have majority control, but his shareholding is significant enough to influence decisions.”
He paused, glancing at Darian-no doubt aware of the family tie.
“Don’t worry,” Darian said casually, catching his look. “Tiffany can’t stand her father.”
Denis nodded, then leaned in slightly. “We’ve also uncovered that Winston’s Corp has been siphoning off resources and funds from Steel Corp-quietly, but consistently. Rowan suspects this is part of Chase’s strategy.”
I leaned forward. “A strategy to bring down the Nighthorns.”
“Exactly,” Denis confirmed. “Undermine the heirs, break down the businesses, and tarnish the legacy. If he bankrupts Steel Corp, he doesn’t need to kill anyone. The family will fall into ruin either way.”
He was right. It was slow, silent sabotage-the kind of rot that eats away at the foundation until everything collapses.
“We should arrest Daniel Northwood,” Denis said. “At the very least, we might rattle Chase.”
I shook my head. “No. That’s exactly what we shouldn’t do. It’ll spook Chase, and he’ll go underground. Right now, we have the advantage-he doesn’t know what we’ve learned.”
Denis frowned slightly, and I continued.
“Linking Chase to Winston’s Corp is gold. What we need now is intel. Someone on the inside. Preferably high up. A mole who can feed us accurate information without alerting Chase.”
Darian frowned. “Lucian, you can’t just plant someone in a top-level position. That takes years of climbing and proving loyalty.”
156 Denis’s Amival
“I know,” I said calmly. “Which is why we won’t plant anyone. We’ll buy someone.”
Both men looked at me.
“We study them-Winston’s Corp’s upper management. We learn who’s ambitious, who’s dissatisfied, who’s drowning in debt or nursing grudges. Then we make our move. Offer them something they can’t say no to.”
Denis nodded slowly. “And once we have our mole-”
“-We move in on Daniel,” I said. “If not for direct evidence, then for aiding and abetting a known enemy of the Nighthorn
pack.”
Denis smiled, clearly pleased. “I like where this is going.”
So did I. For the first time in a long while, we weren’t just reacting-we were taking control.
It was indeed a good break. Until now, we had nothing solid to link Chase to any enterprise we could move on. Connecting him to Winston’s Corp? That was the crack we’d been waiting for. Now it was only a matter of time.
Denis shifted in his seat and took a long swig of his beer. It didn’t affect him-like me, he had a strong tolerance-but the
gesture told me he was bracing for something heavier.
“Alaric Moongrove,” he said, and both Darian and I sat forward, alert.
“Alaric Moongrove is dead,” Denis continued. “His tombstone is located in Darkwood Lane Cemetery in Goldenpeak. But he had a son-Tom R.L. Moongrove. About Luna Martha’s age. According to records, Tom fell on hard times and moved out of Goldenpeak decades ago.”
He paused, letting it sink in.
“The investigators found fragments of his life-details that do match Martha’s timeline… except for one critical difference.
Tom was said to be gentle. Deeply in love with his mate. She died carrying their child, and the loss broke him. He disappeared after that. That was over twenty-four years ago.”
I frowned. That didn’t align with Martha’s version at all.
“You’re sure there’s no other Alaric Moongrove in Goldenpeak?” Darian asked, disbelief colouring his voice. “Mum said he was cruel… abusive.”
Denis shook his head firmly. “Only one. And everyone who knew him-neighbours, friends, even the local historian- remember him as a quiet, soft-spoken man. Nothing like what Martha described.”
He turned to Darian, sympathy written all over his face. “I hate to say this, but your mother lied.”
Darian’s jaw clenched. He wasn’t angry at Denis-he was angry at the betrayal. We both knew what this meant: she hadn’t just twisted the truth… she’d manufactured a villain.
“We still need to go to Goldenpeak,” Darian said, steel in his voice. “I want to hear it from my grandparents. If she lied to us, what else has she lied about?”
“Who will look after Tiffany and Emma while you’re gone?” I asked, not to dissuade him, but because it was a fair concern. He looked at Mara and smiled. “Mara will be here. I trust her.”
I shook my head. “You’ve forgotten Mara needs pampering too, Darian.”
He sighed. “Nothing will go wrong within a day or two.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure, I muttered, mostly to myself.
“It’s a good idea, Denis chimed in. “Your presence will disarm them. They’ll see you as a grandson first, not as an
156 Denis’s Arrival
interrogator. That’ll get us the truth.”
“We’ll leave in two days,” I said decisively.
13 Points
“I would’ve said tomorrow,” Darian muttered, impatience leaking through, and I chuckled quietly. He was clearly ready to rip the truth out, regardless of what it cost.
It would be devastating if this whole Moongrove story was a fabrication. Martha had grown up in Goldenpeak. She knew the families, the bloodlines. Names like Moongrove weren’t easily confused. That meant she was deliberately misleading
“But why?” I asked aloud. “What does she gain from lying?”
“We need to dig into Lambshed,” I said. “I want to know what she’s hiding and why this Moongrove lie was necessary.”
“Maybe she was trying to milk more money out of you,” Darian offered, a bitter edge in his voice.
“That was definitely a motive,” I agreed. “But… she never spent any of the money she stole.”
I turned to Denis, eyes narrowing.
“Where did the money go?”
Denis exhaled slowly, rubbing his jaw.
“That’s the part that still doesn’t make sense.”
And that, I realised, was where our next trail lay.
