Married To My Ex's Brother, Reborn Miraculously

Chapter 347: Let me do this alone

Augustine’s expression shifted. He gradually started to understand how the vipers had regained their power. They had stayed low all this time to gather their forces, find allies, and wait for the right moment.

Now that Augustine had been facing a family crisis, they had chosen the time to attack him and kidnap his pregnant wife, knowing she was his weakness and that he would do anything to save her.

Augustine’s jaw locked. Fury seared through him. They wanted to break him, force him to betray his friend. Over his dead body.

"We should reach out to the boss," Gustave suggested. "We have no idea how deep their reach is."

"I can’t do that," Augustine said dejectedly, running a hand through his hair. "They are watching me. Maybe even tracking my phone. One wrong step, and I’ll lose Anne forever."

"But how are you going to do this impossible job?" Gustave asked. "You know how tight the security is around him. One mistake will cost you your life."

Augustine had that fear. But he had made up his mind already.

"Let me contact him," Gustave pressed. "We don’t have to fulfil their demands. I’m sure the boss will find a way out of this mess. The vipers are his enemy. He had crushed them in the past. He can do it again. Please listen to me."

But Augustine didn’t answer. He couldn’t. The kidnapper’s words, ’I’m watching you,’ haunted him.

At this point, he couldn’t trust anyone. There might be moles around him and even among Lucien’s people. He had to act carefully.

"I have a plan," Augustine said. "Trust me. Stay here and keep an eye on the construction site. Denis may try to act. Don’t let him take any risks. His safety is on you."

"I’m not going to leave you alone," Gustave protested. "I’m coming with you."

"Gustave, let me do this alone," Augustine said in a warning tone. He knew the risk involved in this job. He couldn’t risk dragging anyone else into the crossfire.

"Stay here and protect Denis," he urged. "I lost my parents. I can’t lose my brother. And don’t mention anything about Anne’s kidnapping. Do you understand? Don’t tell a soul about what happened until I am back."

Gustave hesitated. It was the first time he was unwilling to follow his words. But he knew Augustine wouldn’t listen. "Fine," he relented reluctantly. "I’ll go arrange the jet."

With that, he left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Denis arrived at the office. Haris had been waiting for him impatiently in front of the conference hall. The moment he noticed Denis, he hurried over.

"The directors are in a frenzy," Haris said. "According to the Sphere Group contract, if anything happens to the project, we shoulder the entire loss. The company will collapse if we can’t resolve it soon."

Denis knew how pressing the matter was. His mother’s death and Gabriel’s betrayal had already shaken the company. It had yet to recover. And now this crisis was pushing it further to the edge. The board’s panic was inevitable. But Denis believed Augustine would help him.

"I have a plan. First, let’s go meet the directors." He strode into the conference hall.

Heads turned to them as they entered.

"There he is – the new chairman," one of them barked, anger written all over his face. "Are you aware of the chaos we are in? The company is on the brink of collapsing. Losses are piling up. We thought Mr. Augustine would steer us out of this mess. But he left us to fend for ourselves. How are we going to deal with this? Do you have any solution?"

He slammed a file on the table. "This is the contract you signed with the Sphere Group. It clearly states, we solely bear the losses if the project fails. Above all, we’ll have to return every penny they invested. Such an unfair deal – how could you even agree to those terms? How are we going to pay them back?"

Denis was already at the edge. The man’s sharp voice and accusatory words wore his patience thin. You are questioning me now," he snarled. "No one objected at the time I signed the contract. Everyone, including you, was happy that we finally got a chance to work with the Sphere Group. At the time, no one raised a concern..."

Everyone lowered their heads. They looked frustrated, but the truth of his words silenced them.

Denis swept his gaze over the table, looking at each face. "I know it’s a tough situation. But it’s not the time to yell at each other. This is an unfortunate and tragic incident. I believe the Sphere Group will understand and work alongside us to save this project. Give me some time. I’ll find a way through this."

The directors looked at each other, murmurs filling the air.

"Alright, we believe in you," the elder one of them said. "We’ll give you time. But resolve it quickly."

"You have my word. I’ll talk to Augustine and resolve the issue together," Denis promised.

The meeting ended with a cautious note of hope. As the directors left one by one, Denis rose to his seat. "Let’s go talk to Augustine."

"Now..." Haris hesitated, checking his watch. "It’s late already. Why not wait until tomorrow?"

Denis wouldn’t want to wait. After knowing the truth, he couldn’t wait to see Augustine. "Tomorrow will be too late," he said. "I’m going to see him right away."

He strode out of the office. When he arrived at Augustine’s house, he found Nathan arguing with Gustave. He frowned as he stepped out of the car and approached them.

"What is going on?" His gaze flicked between them. "Why are you shouting at each other?"

"What are you doing here?" Nathan snapped; his already frayed nerves fired up even more when he saw Denis. "You are not welcome here. Go away."

Denis ignored Nathan and turned to Gustave. "I want to see Augustine."

"Sir is not home," Gustave said. "He and Madam just left the country."

"Huh?" Denis was surprised to hear it. "They left!"

"They went abroad for a friend’s wedding," Gustave explained.

"Bullshit," Nathan exclaimed before Denis could reply. "I talked to Anne. The wedding is next week. Their ticket was for a few days later. Why would they leave in a hurry? You are hiding something. Tell me – where is my sister?"

Denis scowled, doubts seeping into his heart. "Is everything alright?" he asked worriedly, fearing those mobsters might have troubled Augustine. "Where are they?"

Gustave was anxious and nervous. He had promised his boss to keep quiet, but their persistent questioning made it difficult for him to stay silent.

"I am sure something is not right," Nathan speculated. "I can’t get Anne on the phone. The car she was in was wrecked, her bodyguard was killed, and the guards who had been following them were all severely injured, battling for their lives in the hospital. And this man..."

He pointed at Gustave with accusations in his eyes. "This man is saying Augustine and Anne have gone abroad urgently. Do you take me for a fool? Anyone could tell something has happened to my sister, and you are not telling me..."

Denis felt ice crawl down his back. "What? An accident?" He whipped his head toward Gustave. "Tell me the truth," he demanded. "Is Anne okay? Where is my brother?"

"Brother?" Nathan frowned, then his lips curled to a mocking sneer. "You finally realized he is your cousin. You have treated him as your enemy all those years. And now you are calling him brother. It’s too late. Now get out of here. We don’t need you here."

"Shut up," Denis roared. "One more word, and I’ll break your face."

"You can’t shut me up," Nathan shot back. "I know you so well. The whole Beaumont family is heartless, full of scandals, rotten to the core. Your father is the worst of them all. And you..."

Denis lost his temper and raised a fist to beat him. Gustave stepped up and caught his arm, pulling him back.

"Please calm down. Don’t fight."

Denis kept his glare on Nathan. "Tell him to leave," he demanded fiercely.

But Nathan was adamant. "I won’t go anywhere until I know where my sister is."

"That’s enough," Gustave grunted, finally losing his patience. "I told you..." He glared at them, one by one. "Madam is not here. She left with her husband to attend a friend’s wedding."

"Don’t lie," Nathan cried out, still not believing it. He couldn’t forget how panicked Augustine sounded in the afternoon. He was sure something had happened to Anne. Coupled with the accident and the death of her bodyguard, it only confirmed his fear.

"Her bodyguard died, and you want me to believe she went to attend her friend’s wedding. She is not that insensitive."

Gustave’s restlessness only grew. His instinct told him to relent and confide in them. But he couldn’t break his promise. If he revealed too much, both of them would rush to rescue Anne. However, he knew who those people were and how dangerous they were. Knowing all this, he couldn’t push them into danger.

He swallowed the urge and made a stern look. "Yes, there was an accident. But she wasn’t injured. Her bodyguard sacrificed himself to save her. This incident shook her. So, the boss took her away from here, somewhere to a safer place. Please, don’t make trouble here. They are fine. They will reach out to you soon."

Nathan still hesitated to believe it, but Gustave didn’t let him speak. "Please, Mr. Granet." He gestured toward the car for him, signaling him to leave. "I’ll tell my boss about your concern. He’ll call you. Right now, don’t disturb them."

Although Nathan’s doubts lingered, he hoped that Anne was fine. "Alright. I’m leaving." He got into the car and drove away.