Chapter 23

Back in Bayfort, it was deathly silent in the office on Gibson Group's top floor. The thick curtains were tightly drawn, blocking off all light coming from outside. Clive was slumped in the large office chair with empty bottles strewn around his feet. He had lost so much weight that he was beyond recognition. His eyes were sunken, and his striking silver hair added to his sense of decay and eeriness. His phone screen was lit, displaying a slightly blurred but still clear photo taken by paparazzi. At an open-air cafe in a town in Southern Fravonne, Nadia was clad in a pale yellow dress and was laughing with her head tilted back. She was feeding some ice cream to Jasper, who was seated opposite her. Jasper was gazing at Nadia with doting affection as he brushed a finger playfully over her nose. The sun was shining on them, and the scene was blindingly beautiful. Without warning, blood spurted out of Clive's mouth. The blood splattered on the phone screen and the expensive wool carp