At the office, Ciel's mind raced as he thought of many things.
He had been thinking of Derek Renwick.
The man who had taken everything from his wife, Roxanne. He confiscated her mother's fortune, which was meant to secure Roxanne's future, and that of her brother.
And now, Derek had been living in wealth, from the proceeds of the inheritance meant for Roxanne, and her brother.
Compared to his family, the inheritance isn't much. That's why they wanted to marry into his family initially, but it's still Roxanne's to begin with. She should not have been stripped off of it.
He felt anger towards Derek.
A soft knock made him conscious of his environment again.
"Come in," he answered.
His ever dependable assistant, Alex, walked in with another folder in his hands. He put it on the desk in the office.
"Our investigation is complete, sir," the assistant said.
"It is a lot worse than we thought."
Ciel turned to look at him, walking to the desk, and picked up the folder. He went through the pages quickly.
There were records of property deeds, fake companies that lead to Derek Renwick.
"He has been diverting Roxanne's inheritance through front companies." Alex said.
"The money was supposed to be paid to Roxanne and Finn, but their father used it for his own interests. Without these funds, the Renwick family would have been nothing."
Ciel took a deep breath. The folder contained information that confirmed his suspicions. Derek Renwick had robbed his own children without feeling guilty.
"How much has he taken?" Ciel asked with a cold voice.
"A little over fifty million dollars," Alex said.
"And that is the only one we can trace so far."
Ciel was enraged. That amount of money could have given his wife a better life. But she had been betrayed and sidelined.
"Do you think he has noticed anything yet?" Ciel asked.
"No, not yet. We have been very careful," Alex replied.
"But if we keep on like this, I think he will start to crack."
Ciel smiled.
"Great. Let us start with his smaller businesses. I want him to start feeling the sting slowly." Ciel said.
"Understood, sir," Alex responded, nodding.
As he walked out of the room, Ciel took a seat as his thoughts turned to Roxanne.
He wondered if she would want to know about this.
He knew she had pride. She didn't want his help, claiming she can do it on her own. But this is a different game. This is about justice and pride should not be in the way.
And her father deserved to pay for his injustice.
Later that evening, Roxanne was in a store trying to sort through the new clothes Ciel had ordered for her.
There were designer shoes and lovely jewelry. They were very luxurious for someone like her.
She smiled as she ran her fingers over a navy blue gown. Ciel always found a way to take care of her despite his cold behavior towards her sometimes.
But for a while, something felt different.
He seems more quiet and controlling than usual.
Her smile faded as she thought. Was he getting tired of her?
"Stop overthinking," she said quietly, trying to shake off the thought.
But, the feeling would not leave her.
At the mansion, Ciel was in the living room with a drink in his hand. His buttons were undone and his tie was loose. He seems relaxed.
Sitting down across from him, she said. "You came early today."
"Not a lot of things to do at work," he said nonchalantly.
Roxanne looked at him for a moment. He didn't try to tease her like he used to, and he felt cold.
Asking him directly, she said. "What is going on with you?"
He sipped the drink in his hands before replying to her. "You do not need to worry about it"
"You are lying," she said.
Smiling weakly, he said. "I thought you did not care about my business."
"I do not, but when you start acting weird, it is difficult to act like I do not notice." She said as she leaned back.
Both of them were silent. Ciel finally composed himself and spoke again.
"I am just trying to ensure you are safe," he said.
"Is that all?" Roxanne asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No," he said as he put down his glass. "But that's all you need to know for now,"
She was not satisfied with his answer but she let it slide.
Pushing him may not work. It has never. Whenever he wanted, he would tell her.
But she could feel that something big was about to unfold.
Meanwhile, at the Renwick Estate, Derek slammed his fist against his desk, the sound echoing through his study.
His face turned red as he read the recent financial reports.
"What is happening exactly?" He barked.
Reina and Evelyn looked at each other nervously across from him.
"Our investments are failing," Evelyn said carefully.
"There are rumours that some of our investors are pulling out, and some accounts have been frozen."
"Who is behind this?" Derek asked as anger shot through his body.
"To be honest, we do not know yet," Reina said with a slightly shaky voice.
"But it started after the poisoning attempt failed."
Derek clenched his jaw. "That girl should have been gone by now. She's ruining everything."
Reina was filled with jealousy. "She will come for everything if we do not stop her soon. And with Ciel Sébastien protecting her, we're running out of time."
"That is not going to happen. I have sacrificed alot for this to just go away," Derek snapped.
Evelyn's eyes gleamed coldly. "Then perhaps it's time we stop playing games. If she won't break, we'll find something, or someone, she cares about and use it against her."
"It is time to let her remember who is still in charge." Derek said as an evil smile spread over his face.
At the Sebastien mansion, Ciel was awake.
His decision was made.
Roxanne needed to know the truth.
Keeping secrets wouldn't protect her, not anymore. If he wanted to destroy Derek Renwick, he needed Roxanne by his side.
He turned around, she was asleep already, feeling peaceful. Only he knew what was coming.
And when it did, no one would stop him from giving her everything that was stolen from her.
No matter the cost.