Escaped My Ex, Got Snatched by His Rival - Chapter 525

Chapter 525: Whats your secret?
Regal was tapping on the keyboard with both his hands while looking at the screen. On the screen of the computer, the many deeds of the houses and the names of the owners of those houses were displayed.

“There is nothing related to the Ashfords,” he told Nicolai. With his fingers, he tapped on the names on the list that they have collected and said to Nicolai, “I have looked into these families, and none of them have any kind of trouble with the Ashford family.”

“If anything, they were rather closely knitted,” Regal added. “Many of these families rose to power after they joined their hands with the Ashford family. I don’t think that they would want revenge on them.”

Nicolai’s lips twisted in a sneer. “So one thing is clear: this exchange was not some kind of powerplay.” If it was, then it would have been too easy to find.

There was something more to it.

Nicolai knew that there was a missing piece of information, and he was certain that the information lay in the hands of Ariana, as well as the thing that made her that sick.

He wished that she could have opened up to him and told him what was wrong and what she was hiding, but Ariana was like a freaking vault. It would be a fucking miracle if she was to open up that easily.

And he had long crossed the expectations from his heart that she would confide her secrets with him. It was as close as him turning a monk.

“Can you look into the relations of Mister and Mrs. Ashford?” Nicolai suggested while leaning against the cabinet. “Try to look for something that struck you as weird and odd.”

“I will try my best.” Regal nodded as he accepted the task. “However, it will take some time because the network is too widespread. The Ashford family had remained in Clover City, but most of their neighbours had moved away. Thus it will be a bit hard to collect the information and that too, one that is so old.”

“Just keep looking for it. I have a feeling that there is something that we are missing.” His eyes flickered grimly at the information displayed on the screen.

The next morning, as usual, Ariana woke up and went on a run, but there was no Nicolai. It was not a surprise, as she was running at the park of the building, where the Ashford family’s penthouse was located.

And though the grass was lush and the air was clearer than usual, Ariana couldn’t help but feel that something was missing.

Even Timmy looked around as if he were waiting for a big mountain of a man to jump out and play with him.

“You miss him too?”

“Miss who?”

Ariana jumped as she turned to look at Mateo, who was standing behind her. Her heart rose to her throat before falling down as she straightened up.

“The park,” Ariana instinctively answered. She had a feeling that among the Ashford family members, Mateo was the one who disliked Nicolai the most and believed it was futile to tell him that she was missing Nicolai.

Not to mention if Mateo found out, he would relay it to Theodore.

None of it would be pleasant.

“Alright,” Mateo seemed to sense that she was lying, but he didn’t question it. Instead, he turned on his feet and rubbed her head before saying, “If you are done jogging, then let’s go. Mom is waiting for us to have breakfast.”

While the two of them headed inside the penthouse,

Kayden and Nicolai walked inside the lush park that belonged to the penthouse building that belonged to the Ashford family.

“Can you tell me why in the world have you brought me to this posh and exquisite place?” Kayden said to his cousin when a woman picked up her child who was playing in the park and ran out of the park as if she was being chased by the two of them.

What the fuck–

Does he look like someone who would steal a child?

“For a walk,” Nicolai said to Kayden while trying to look for Ariana. He knew that he was late by a long shot but he still hoped that he would run into her.

“Do I need to remind you that we have a park —not an entire garden at our home?” Kayden started with a frown on his face. “Why do we need to be here? If I wanted a damn walk, I would have taken it in our house, can’t I?”

“Just shut up for once, Kay,” said Nicolai as he glared at the woman who was eyeing him while holding her phone. For fuck’s sake, what did he do to deserve it? He even went to great lengths and dressed in something other than black.

“Stop glaring at them lest you want us to land into prison,” Kayden chided him.

“Then maybe they should stop looking at us like we are about to rob them,” he snarled at the woman who was about to call the police. “My shoes are more expensive than their entire shit.”

The woman blushed when she heard his words and immediately turned on her feet and ran as if someone was chasing after her.

“Jeez, Nico… Can you stop scaring others and tell me who pissed you off?”

“Nothing pissed me off.”

“Oh, you are not fooling me,” Kayden turned and smoothly looked at him up and down. “You might have fooled others, but I know that these temper tantrums are related to someone special.”

Shit.

Nicolai paused and turned to look at Kayden. He narrowed his eyes and said, “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“May, I tell you—all the nights and mornings you are missing from home were not left unnoticed. Zena had noticed something too, and I think Aunt has an inkling as well; only the poor me has no idea what is going on. Care to share where and whom you went to meet?”