All Chapters of Two Worlds, Two Lives : Chapter 51
- Chapter 60
64 chapters
CHAPTER 51
Chapter 51 The door shut with a muted thud. Old Walterson adjusted his coat as he lowered himself into the backseat of the sleek black SUV. The scent of leather and polished wood filled the space, familiar, controlled—just the way he liked it. Up front, Hunter glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “Where to, sir?” Old Walterson leaned back, eyes half-lidded. “Let’s go pay an old friend a visit,” he said calmly. “To the prosecutor’s office.” The ride was smooth. Silent. Calculated. Minutes later, he stepped into the office and took his seat without waiting to be announced. His sharp eyes scanned the room. Minimalist. Clean. Disciplined. Then his gaze settled on the name carved into a polished plate on the desk: Edward Whitmore. A ghost from the past. A door creaked open. A man in his late fifties walked in, a chuckle already forming on his lips. “Walterson…” Edward. Older, yes—but the same eyes. Observant. Curious. Old Walterson studied him quietly, catch
CHAPTER 52
Max pushed through the bar doors into the cool night air, the noise fading behind him. Marie followed close, arms wrapped tightly around herself as if holding in everything she refused to let spill. "You’re sure about this?" Max asked, glancing back at her. Marie nodded, though her eyes betrayed the storm within. "You promised." He didn’t argue again. The police station was quieter than expected—low voices, the hum of fluorescent lights, the occasional shuffle of paperwork. Max spoke briefly with the officer at the front desk, and after a moment, they were granted access. Marie’s steps slowed as they approached the visitation room. Inside, a thick pane of glass divided the space in two. She stopped just short of the chair. Then the door on the opposite side opened.Jones stepped in. He froze. For a second, neither of them moved. It was as if the world had narrowed to the space between them. "Jones…" Marie’s voice broke on his name. Tears streamed down her flushed cheeks a
CHAPTER 53
Chapter 53Footsteps echoed through the hallway, soft but deliberate, each step measured with quiet precision. Logan reached his office and pushed the door open without breaking stride. Darkness greeted him. He stepped inside, letting the silence settle around him for half a second before flicking on the lights. The room came alive instantly. And there it was. A black file, resting at the center of his desk like it had been waiting. Johnny’s work. Logan closed the door behind him and walked over, loosening his cuff just slightly as he sat. He didn’t rush—he never did—but something about tonight carried weight. Not urgency. Personal. He pulled the file closer and opened it. The first page was predictable. Lewis Carter. Background. Education. Personality. Family. Logan skimmed it, eyes moving quickly, absorbing without lingering. Adopted.Only son of the Holland family. Old money. Aristocratic roots. Influence that stretched further than it needed to. Inherited everything.
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 54 The conference room doors swung open one after the other, and the executives poured out like survivors of a quiet battlefield. Low voices. Tight expressions. Avoided eye contact. No one lingered. No one dared. Because whatever had just happened inside that room— Wasn’t business.It was war. Melissa stepped out. Fast. Her heels struck the marble floor with a rhythm that betrayed her composure, each step echoing louder than necessary. Her jaw was tight, her fingers curled into fists at her side, nails digging into her palms as though pain could steady the storm inside her. Embarrassment and humiliated in public. In front of the board. Her chest rose sharply as she walked, forcing herself not to turn back, not to give anyone the satisfaction of seeing just how badly that meeting had shaken her. Marie. Her name alone burned. Melissa swallowed hard, but it did nothing to ease the bitterness clawing up her throat. Every slide she had prepared, every number she had
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 55 The metal door slammed shut with a hollow clang that echoed longer than it should have. Jones didn’t flinch, but his jaw tightened. The air inside the holding corridor was thick—stale, metallic, laced with the faint smell of sweat and something older… that clung to the walls. “Move.” A guard’s voice. Flat. Impatient. Cold cuffs clicked tighter around his wrists as they pulled him forward. The steel bit into his skin, not enough to injure—but enough to remind him he wasn’t in control. Not here. Not anymore. His boots scraped lightly against the concrete floor as he walked, escorted on both sides. The fluorescent lights above flickered once, twice, casting brief shadows that stretched and snapped back into place like ghosts trying to keep up. Further questioning. That’s what they called it. Jones exhaled slowly through his nose, keeping his breathing steady. He wasn’t afraid. But he wasn’t careless either. Because something about this didn’t feel right. They
CHAPTER 56
Chapter 56 The car stopped. But Jones didn’t move. The engine idled low, a steady hum beneath the silence that filled the vehicle. The blindfold had been removed minutes ago, but it didn’t help. Wherever they had brought him—it wasn’t familiar. Tall iron gates. Endless stretch of gravel. A mansion that didn’t just stand… it watched. He stared at it through the window. Still. Unmoving. The door beside him clicked open. Cold night air slipped in. “Out,” one of the men said. Jones didn’t. His jaw tightened, shoulders stiffening as he remained seated. “I’m not stepping into somewhere I don’t know,” he muttered. Silence. Then— A voice. Calm. Firm. Final. “You want answers?” Jones turned slightly. Logan stood a few feet away, hands in his coat pockets, his expression unreadable under the dim light. “Walk.” That was all he said. No threats. No persuasion. Just truth. Jones held his gaze for a second longer, searching for something—anything—but found nothing to hold o
CHAPTER 57
Chapter 57 Marie My eyes stayed glued to the television screen as the reporter repeated the same headline over and over again. “Lewis Carter officially named prime suspect in the Barry Coleman murder case.” The footage shifted to Lewis being dragged out of a building by officers, camera flashes exploding around him like gunshots. His expression remained hidden behind the swarm of reporters, but the arrogance that usually clung to him was gone. For a moment, I didn’t know what to feel. Should I be happy? Should I pity him? Or should I hate him for what he did to Jones? My fingers tightened around the edge of the couch. Barry was dead. Jones was framed. And Lewis still walked around pretending to be innocent while another man suffered in his place. A bitter scoff almost escaped me. I never liked Lewis. Not truly. Even when Father kept pushing his name toward me like he was some perfect man sent from heaven. Something about him always felt wrong. Too polished. Too rehearse
CHAPTER 58
The night air pressed heavily against my skin as I stood alone on the balcony. The mansion behind me glowed with warm golden lights, but none of it reached me. Below, the city stretched endlessly, silent and distant, its lights flickering like dying stars. I rested both hands against the cold railing and lowered my head. Too much had happened in less than twenty–four hours. Prison. Lewis. The Waltersons. My real name. My real blood. Everything felt unreal, like I had stepped into someone else’s life and got trapped there by mistake. The balcony door slid open quietly behind me. I didn’t turn immediately. Somehow, I already knew who it was. Logan. His footsteps were calm. Measured. Controlled. He stopped beside me, his broad frame leaning slightly against the railing. For a while, neither of us spoke. The wind moved between us carrying the faint scent of cigar smoke from inside the mansion. “You should be asleep,” he finally said. I let out a dry chuckle. “
CHAPTER 59
The small bell above the restaurant door jingled softly the moment Jones stepped inside. Warm air wrapped around him instantly carrying the rich scent of coffee, pastries, butter and grilled meat. The familiar atmosphere hit him harder than expected. It felt normal. Peaceful. Like stepping back into a life that almost slipped away from him forever. Behind the counter, Max looked up absentmindedly while arranging a tray of pastries. The moment his eyes landed on Jones— He froze. “Holy shit—” The tray nearly slipped from his hands. “JONES?!” Lucas spun around so fast from the coffee machine he almost bumped into a customer. “Yo—” Both men rushed toward him at the same time. Max grabbed him first, pulling him into a rough hug before Lucas joined in loudly. “You idiot!” Lucas exclaimed. “You’re out!” Jones laughed softly for what felt like the first genuine time in weeks. “Yeah,” he muttered. “I’m out.” Max pulled away, scanning his face carefully as if confir
CHAPTER 60
The next morning, Jones quietly pushed open the mansion doors and stepped inside. The massive living room remained calm and silent except for the faint ticking of the grandfather clock hanging across the wall. Morning light streamed through the tall windows, spilling across the polished marble floors. He had barely taken three steps— “Where have you been?” Jones froze instantly. Logan stood near the staircase with his arms folded tightly across his chest, dressed sharply in a dark suit already prepared for the day. His expression alone screamed disapproval. Jones sighed internally. Too early for this. “I stayed over at my girlfriend's place,” he answered honestly while loosening the sleeves of his shirt. Logan’s jaw tightened immediately. “And the car?” Jones blinked once. “What about it?” “I specifically assigned a driver to you and you returned them without your presence.” Jones scoffed lightly. “I took the bus.” “The bus?” Logan repeated slowly like t