?Chapter 136:


    “Let’s just sit back and see how this ys out,” Cole said.


    Lexi had always been a bit of a puzzle to Cole—equal parts intriguing and maddeningly distant. He’d once earnestly spoken to Matthew, admitting that he wanted to break through Lexi’s walls and build a friendship. But after that, there was only radio silence. Nothing.


    Cole often wondered whether Lexi was simply wired to keep people at arm’s length, or if he looked down on him altogether.


    Now, with their paths crossing again due to the marriage investigation, Cole saw a golden opportunity to peel back theyers and figure out what made Lexi tick.


    Myles, however, wasn’t buying Cole’sid-back approach. “Mr. Evans,st time, Lexi blew off our request to track down Milena, but he jumped at the chance to dig into you for someone else. That’s a p in the face to the Evans family. Shouldn’t we hit back at the Star Society?”


    “No need to stir the pot just yet,” Cole replied. “I’ve never met anyone with the guts to thumb their nose at me while pulling strings behind my back. Well, hats off to Lexi—he’s got my full attention. Let him keep ying his little chess game for now.”


    “Understood,” Myles responded.


    Cole shot a yful nce at Myles, Aron, and Hugh. They had been close since childhood—thick as thieves. Despite their efforts to y it cool, Cole could read them like an open book. They probably thought he had lost his marbles. He had to admit, though, thatst night had been a bit of a wild ride. Looking back, a pang of remorse mixed with embarrassment tugged at him.


    “Myles, you knocked this one out of the park,” Cole said.


    Myles blinked, caught off guard. Praise from Cole was rarer than a blue moon, especially for something as routine as this.


    Feeling a bit sheepish, Cole added, “Whoever’s pulling the strings here is a real heavy hitter. Tracing that lead to Victor in the wild,wless mess of Podgend—with every scrap of evidence wiped clean? That’s no small feat.”


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    Myles pushed up his ck-framed sses, squirming slightly under thepliment. Truth be told, he didn’t feel he deserved the credit.


    When Cole and Elliana’s marriage first hit the rocks, Myles had gone to Podgend himself ande up empty-handed. The Victor lead? That had been the follow-up team’s doing. If anyone deserved a pat on the back, it was Cole, for building the intelligencework that had made it all possible.


    Myles opened his mouth to downy his role, but before he could, Cole whipped out his checkbook. With a dramatic flourish, he scribbled a check for ten million and slid it across the table.


    “You’ve earned it. Go treat yourself,” Cole said, shing the check.


    Myles froze, dumbfounded. Ten million? For that?


    Aron and Hugh, meanwhile, looked like they’d just won the lottery. Ten million was ten years of Myles’ sry! Justst night, Cole had been pinching pennies from their pockets like a broke college kid, and now he was tossing around millions?


    Paulina, quick on the uptake, nudged Myles. “Mr. Evans is rewarding you. Take the check already!”


    Snapped out of his daze, Myles epted it with both hands. “Thank you, Mr. Evans.”


    “Ahem!” Cole cleared his throat, a touch awkward. “As the eldest, make sure you look out for your little brothers, yeah?”


    That line flipped a switch in Myles’ head. This wasn’t a reward. It was Cole’s way of making amends forst night. Too proud to say sorry, Cole had cooked up this “reward” to return the money he’d swiped from the three brothers inst night’s antics, with a little extra aspensation.


    Myles bit back a smirk. Working for a boss as stubborn and entric as Cole was like riding a runaway train—thrilling, but not for the faint of heart.


    Aron and Hugh, still clueless, exchanged giddy looks. Cole had just handed Myles ten million and told him to take care of them. Did that mean Myles was splitting the cash? Three million each would mean no more borrowing money from Paulina.


    Cole turned to Paulina. “I’m crashing somewhere else for a bit. Stick with my family and keep an eye on Elliana. Call me if anything pops up.”


    “Understood,” Paulina replied.


    Cole stood and made for the door.


    Myles started to follow, but Aron and Hugh grabbed his arms.


    “Myles, didn’t Mr. Evans say to take care of us?” Aron said.


    “Exactly!” Hugh chimed in.


    Myles, stone-faced, dug into his pocket and pulled out two coins. He pped one into each of their hands, shook them off, and strode after Cole.


    Aron and Hugh stood there, jaws on the floor. The real shark wasn’t Cole—it was their own big brother!


    While this si-worthy scene yed out, elsewhere, Elliana had just stumbled onto a secret that threw her off…


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