Chapter 21
Frank barked out a laugh, fury crackling in his voice.
“Look at you, making promises like you actually mean them.
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“You only cut off your mistress because you got tired of her. If you hadn’t, are you planning to neglect my daughter for the rest of her life?
“And after all these years with Cathy, you should’ve known how uncompromising she is. I only remarried because I was lonely back then, and I left all my assets to Cathy. Still, look how distant she became. We haven’t spoken in years.
“And mind you, my wite has already passed. But you? How could you possibly think she still loves you? If she did, she wouldn’t have left.
“Stop making excuses, Samuel! And forget acquiring this gallery. Go back, and don’t ever try to see her again. She will never see you.”
With that, Frank brought his cup to his lips, subtly hinting for Samuel to leave. His bodyguards also entered swiftly and urged him to leave.
“This way, Mr. Lynch.”
As the gallery door shut behind him, the rain came down hard, soaking him to the bone. Cold crept over his skin, but the fire in his chest to find Catherine burned on.
Now that Frank had returned to Caelora, Samuel at least had a lead. He finally knew where to start looking.
He stared at the gallery for a long time before turning and vanishing into the rain.
Unbeknownst to him, Frank was watching him from the second–floor window. Only when Samuel disappeared from view did he turn to his butler.
“Call Logan. Tell him not to let Samuel leave the country. I won’t let him disturb Cathy.”
The butler quickly got to work. Frank returned to the couch and pulled a photo of Alice from his pocket.
Gently stroking the image, he murmured, “Don’t worry, Alice. As long as I’m around, I won’t let him mistreat our daughter. Everyone who once hurt you and Cathy …they’ll pay!”
When Alice died, Frank had been so shattered he lost the will to live.
Boris Jackman, unable to watch his son waste away, arranged for Frank to marry again. He even drugged him and sent him to a woman’s bedroom.
Though Frank had sobered up in time to stop things from going further and threw the woman out, the damage had been done. Catherine was furious. She severed all ties with him.
For five years, Frank had no idea where she was.
And when Catherine and Alice had suffered, he couldn’t make it back in time. It wasn’t until Catherine’s maid secretly informed him she was selling Alice’s gallery that he dropped everything and rushed home.
Alice might have given Catherine free rein over the gallery, but Catherine’s decision to sell it to Samuel was a last resort. She’d been in hiding and couldn’t return to
Caelora.
Frank, however, didn’t want Catherine to regret her decision afterward. So he stepped in and taught Samuel a lesson.
Watching Frank’s sullen expression from a distance, Gordon eventually decided to give Catherine a call.
Frank had been a victim, too. He’d divorced his second wife, exiled her from his life, and still Catherine held her grudge.
But Frank was getting older. Gordon thought it was time to mend what could still be saved. After all, Alice wouldn’t have wanted them to go on like this forever.
But after Gordon called Catherine and told her what happened, she fell into a long silence.
Just when he thought she had hung up, her voice came through.
“Got it.”
Then the line went dead.
“M–Ms. Jackman!”
