The Day Silence Spoke novel Chapter 169

“Aren’t you going to lock the door, Clifford?” Santino asked casually.

Clifford just watched him for a long, silent moment. “You should be more concerned about yourself right now.”

With that, he turned and walked to a car waiting outside.

The smile on Santino’s face faded slightly as he followed, getting into his own car.

Hiding behind the door, Latisha waited until she heard the cars drive away before cautiously stepping out. Santino’s visit had left her with a deep-seated fear; just the sight of his face was enough to trigger a wave of panic.

...

Meanwhile, Clifford arrived back at the Lambert estate.

Renata and Polly were waiting anxiously in the living room. As soon as she saw them, Polly rushed to Clifford’s side, “Clifford.”

He gave a slight nod in greeting. “Where’s Dad?”

“In his study,” Polly said, her voice low. “Go easy on him. He’s furious.”

Clifford just grunted in acknowledgement and headed for the study as if nothing were wrong. He knocked and entered.

Wallace stood with his back to him, looking out the floor-to-ceiling window. At over sixty, his hair was gray, but his posture was ramrod straight, his body still strong.

Clifford came up behind him. “Dad.”

Now, his suspicions seemed justified. The investments had been spread across several companies, and in a remarkably short time, every single one had either gone bankrupt, vanished, or been shut down for legal issues. The string of “coincidences” was too neat to be ignored.

“I apologize, Dad. It was my oversight,” Clifford said, lowering his eyes in a show of contrition. “He has been a competent employee for two years, so I didn’t feel the need to micromanage him. I trusted him too much.”

Wallace paced back and forth, rubbing his temples in frustration. “What do we do now? Can we recover the money?”

“That,” Clifford said, “will depend on Santino.”

Wallace snorted. “Santino! That bastard! I’m telling you, Clifford, I suspect he used this project to embezzle company funds. You need to get that money back from him, one way or another!”

“If you don’t, the company’s capital chain will break. The entire Lambert Group will face a crisis. Do you understand?”