Filed to story: The CEO’s Wife Is a Secret Boss Novel (Allison & Jeremy) Free Online
In the office, Tatiana and Cyrus sat facing each other. She interlocked her fingers and rubbed them together until her knuckles turned red.
Cyrus studied her carefully. He asked in a concerned voice, “You showed up unannounced. Did something happen, Taty?”
Tatiana was tender-hearted and timid. She had always been overshadowed by Alyssa ever since she was a child.
Despite being half-siblings, Cyrus was never biased. He always treated her the same as Alyssa. Each time he went on a work trip and came back with presents, he would give the same to both Alyssa and
Tatiana.
As they grew older, they didn’t get together as often. Plus, Tatiana was shyer and more introverted.
Unlike Alyssa, she wouldn’t initiate contact with her brothers. Thus, it might appear that they weren’t close.
Even so, both Alyssa and Tatiana were his sisters. He paid equal attention to both of them.
After being silent for a moment, Tatiana looked up slowly. She looked into Cyrus’ eyes and said,
“Cyrus, as a victim myself, I want to come forward and testify that David assaulted me.”
Cyrus widened his eyes. “What did you say, Taty?”
“I want to file charges against David for sexual assault.” Tatiana’s heart wrenched as she spoke.
Cyrus pursed his lips. He was a skillful criminal investigator.
He was a strong-minded professional investigator who was able to handle psychological stress. But when his family member became the victim of a crime, he couldn’t be more cautious. That said, he did wish that he could get rid of the monster, David!
“Taty, did you tell Lyla that you were coming here? How about Lyse? Does she know?”
Tatiana shook her head. In a soft voice, she replied, “If I told them, do you think I would be able to come here, Cyrus? Truth be told, I went to see Lyse and Jeremy last night. I shared my thoughts with them, and they were strongly against it.”
Cyrus blinked. He said in a low voice, “They didn’t allow you to do this because they were afraid that you’d be hurt. You are also my sister. I treat you exactly the same as the way they do. Do you think that
I would agree to this?”
“I know that you will.”
Tatiana’s eyes glowed. Her eyes were full of determination and faith in him. She continued, “That’s because you are a cop. You will be impartial, and you will not take sides.
“I know that you will do whatever you need to in order to arrest criminals. You will seek justice for the victims!”
Cyrus’s heart raced, and his body temperature rose.
Though, quickly enough, his calm rationality took over. He let out a sigh of frustration. “From the bottom of my heart, I feel proud of you for being brave enough to stand up against evil.
“But it has been some time since the incident happened to you. The chain of custody may already have been broken. On top of that, what David did to you was only an assault attempt. He did not actually violate you physically. It is quite unlikely for him to be sentenced.”
Tatiana knitted her brows tightly together. She held her breath.
“I have worked on a few sexual assault cases in the past. It is indeed quite difficult to gather evidence when the victim and suspect have a complicated relationship.”
Cyrus was filled with hatred. Through clenched teeth, he continued, “Furthermore, the Schmidts pressured the victims. The other victims are not willing to tell the truth. This way, we have no choice but to be reactive!
“I’m not trying to discourage you, Taty. But, even if you were to step forward, it would not make much impact on this case. If mishandled, you might even bring trouble upon yourself.
“I’m guessing that Lyse and Jeremy had the same concerns, which was why they tried to stop you. So, you shouldn’t blame them. They were just trying to protect you the best they can.”
There was a deafening silence in the office.
Then, Tatiana questioned with an anxious look in her eyes. “If so, what do we have to do in order to strike David with a heavy blow? Don’t tell me that there’s nothing that we can do!”
“I will send some officers to go and have a chat with the victims and their families tomorrow. I will tell them that the police force will do all we can to ensure their safety. We will not publicize the entire investigation process. But first, let me take your statement.”
Just as Cyrus was about to rise to his feet, Tatiana grabbed him by the arm. “Then… Then what would be our chances of success?
“Yesterday, Lyse and Jeremy have already gone to try and meet with two of them. However, they didn’t have much success. Even miracle workers like Lyse and Jeremy weren’t able to convince them. Would you and your people really be able to?”
Cyrus knew that Tatiana wasn’t coming from a place where she doubted the police’s capabilities. She was simply rambling as she was burning with anxiousness.
He wasn’t someone who would speak empty words just to appease others. Thus, he could only answer her frankly, “To be honest, I’m not very confident. But I know that we won’t have a chance of success if we don’t try at all.
“Also, there’s another problem. Even though this news is about to die down, the Schmidts are still manipulating the comments and posts online. So, it hasn’t gotten the attention of the media and the public.
“This would also discourage the victims from stepping forward. If we can stir up public opinion, it would also give the victims some encouragement. At the same time, we could put a massive pressure on the
Schmidts.”
“Stir up public opinion?” Tatiana widened her eyes in astonishment.
“There are many things that aren’t as simple as they seem, Taty.”
Cyrus gave her a pat on her shoulder. He looked at her with a gaze filled with heartache. “Despite you being Winston’s daughter, those weasels in the Schmidt family still tried to harm you. Other women are just at the mercy of these powerful plutocrats.
“Go home after I take your statement. I’ll keep you posted.”
It was still early in the night.
Alyssa and Jeremy met up with Sean. After that, the three of them made their way back to Solana City as quickly as they could.
Along the way, Sean made endless attempts to call Tatiana. In the end, her phone was simply just shut off.
“Taty… Why aren’t you picking up? Taty!” Sean mumbled to himself incoherently. He was a bundle of nerves.
“Everything will be alright, Sean.”
Through the rearview mirror, Jeremy could see that Sean’s eyes had turned red. He continued in a warm voice, “I have already asked Xavier to go to Taty’s school to look for her. Solana City is also just half an hour away. We’ll head straight to Solana Film Academy.”
In her uneasiness, Alyssa clenched her clothes tightly. Cold sweat had formed on her forehead. She stuttered, “Jeremy, I really regret it now. I shouldn’t have blown up at Taty.”
“Don’t say that, Lyse.”
Jeremy pulled her in for a loving embrace. “Taty isn’t such a wilful person. Moreover, the both of you grew up together. How wouldn’t she know how much you care for her? I’m sure she knows that you were just concerned for her.”
“But Jeremy. I’m still afraid.”
“Don’t be. I’m here. We’ll look for her together,” said Jeremy as he gave her pats of comfort. Deep down, he was actually feeling an array of emotions.
On one hand, he was very worried about losing touch with Tatiana all of a sudden. On the other hand, he was overwhelmed by the feeling of being needed and relied on by Alyssa.
Alyssa was usually invincible. She was way more capable than a few competent men combined. Even so, he still looked forward to the times when he could occasionally be the one she relied on.
He didn’t mind hiding his identity and just being Alyssa’s man behind the scenes.
He couldn’t care less about how others mocked him. All he hoped for was to be helpful to her. He just wanted to do his best to be a man worthy of her.
In order to avoid drawing attention, they stopped their car at the back gate of Solana Film Academy.
Soon enough, Xavier ran out to them. He was dripping with sweat.
“Mr. Walsh! Madam! We’ve combed through the entire school. We’ve also asked the manager of the female dorm to go to Ms. Tatiana’s dorm to look for her personally. But we weren’t able to find her!”
Their hearts dropped.
“Also… I’ve checked the surveillance footage near the school. There was no sign of Ms. Tatiana at all!”
In other words, Tatiana had lied. She didn’t come back to school at all. The seriousness of the matter escalated instantly!
Sean couldn’t hold back anymore. “Call the cops, Ms. Alyssa!” he cried out in a shaky voice.
“But we can only make a report 48 hours after losing contact!” Xavier was also on pins and needles.
Alyssa frowned. She made a phone call to Cyrus immediately.
“What happened, Lyse?”
“Cyrus! We’ve lost touch with Taty. She has always answered our calls. She has never cut contact with us before. Are you able to track her down?”