Chapter 149: The Confession

When Cole dropped Geoffrey off at home, he stopped at a pizza shop and bought two boxes of pizza before going to Green’s house. He called Ivy to update her about Geo, but she didn’t answer.

When Cole reached Green’s house, he parked in the secret garage and made his way to Green’s basement. Even as a rich young man, Green still found a way to live like an old bum.

When the door opened, Cole entered. “Hey man, thanks for earlier,” he said, setting the pizza boxes on the small table by the window.

“How is Geo?” Green asked. He was seated behind his multiple computer screens and didn’t look up.

“He’s good. I brought pizza,” Cole said, still on his feet. There was no place to sit in Green’s home, and when asked, he always said his home wasn’t built for visitors.

And Cole couldn’t blame him; Green had always found comfort in his personal space and computers, which was why he had tons of them.

“Pizza! Nice!” Green exclaimed, finally looking at Cole. He stood up, walked over to the pizza box, and took a slice.

When Green returned to the computers, Cole asked, “Found anything on Mason Hunter?”

Green paused before he answered. “It doesn’t look good, Cole.”

Green’s tone turned Cole’s stomach with both excitement and fear. “What are we looking at?”

Green pulled out a brown file and tossed it to Cole. “There.”

With eagerness, he opened the file and his eyes widened. It was as crazy as he had expected. Mason had it all coming: fraud, blackmail, extortion.

This was it! He had everything to finish Mason Hunter.

Green turned to him, concern written all over his face. “What will you do now?”

Cole shuffled from one foot to the other. “I am going to threaten him. I need him to confess to the whole world!”

Green jumped out of his chair, placing his unfinished slice of pizza on the table. “That sounds dangerous—but fun.”

There was no mistaking the excitement in Green’s voice, and Cole rode on it. He leaned forward, his own excitement rising. “I have to do this. For my family. For Ivy.”

He should have done this a long time ago. He should have confronted Mason the first time he heard about the affair with Cheryl. Now, he couldn’t help but feel like a failure of a brother.

“I messed up, Green. I didn’t help my sister, but I have the opportunity to fix that now, and I want to.”

Green licked his lip before nodding. “I understand.” Then, quickly he ran to the other side of the room, searching through the scattered mess of his junk. “If you’re going to do this, then you need to do it right.”

Cole raised his brow. “What do you mean?”

Green didn’t answer immediately. He just kept digging through his items until finally, he pulled out a pen and handed it over to Cole. “Here.”

Cole frowned as he took the pen. “What’s this for?”

“It is an electro-”

“English please,” Cole interrupted, knowing Green was about to use his confusing jargon.

Green chuckled. “It’s a spy camera. When you wear it and get Mason’s confession, I’ll capture everything.”

Cole’s eyes widened as he inspected the pen. “Are you serious?”

Green shrugged. “You want to help your sister, and getting a verbal confession from Mason will do it, right?”

“Oh man,” Cole said, giving Green a hug.

“It doesn’t change the fact that you still need to be very careful, he seems like a dangerous man,” Green warned. “Don’t worry, I know how to handle myself.”

“Alright then. I have other copies of the evidence, in case… anything… happens to…”

Cole chuckled at Green’s tone. “I will be fine. Just get everything.”

Before Green could respond, Cole had already tucked the pen into his shirt pocket and picked up the file.

“Be safe. I will be hearing everything,” Green said softly.

“Definitely man. Thanks,” Cole replied and left Green’s house.

When he got to his car, he read through the file, memorizing all the important details he was going to use. When he was satisfied, he started his car and ended up at Mason’s office.

Cole knew how Machiavellian Mason Ward could be, so he wasn’t surprised when Mason’s secretary asked him to sit while she called her boss. He didn’t complain; he was excited and grateful that Mason was around.

But when the secretary ended the call, her tiny voice turned apologetic. “I’m sorry Mr. Hunter is busy at the moment. Would you mind coming back another time? I could set up a meeting appointment.”

Cole stood up, a smile on his face. Of course, Mason wasn’t going to see him. But instead of arguing with the secretary, he just entered Mason’s office amidst her protests.

Mason was busy on his computer, and he frowned when he saw Cole. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Before Cole could answer, the secretary ran inside. “I’m sorry Mr. Hunter, he forced his way in,” she cried, dragging Cole’s arm.

“Tell her to let me go,” Cole warned, nudging the secretary.

“You Scotts and your audacity! Get out of my office!” Mason snapped, pointing to the door.

“I want to give you a chance to explain the Crystal Residences embezzlement,” Cole delivered smoothly.

Mason turned pale; his eyes widened. “Leave us.”

The secretary, with confusion all over her face, nodded and left the room. Once they were alone, Cole stepped forward.

“Care to explain?” he asked firmly.

“What do you want?” Mason asked, his voice cracking.

“How about a fucking confession?” Cole demanded, moving closer so the pen could capture the conversation. "I mean, where do I start? Erbing a government official? Defaming an innocent man? Extorting my sister? You name it, Mason.”

Mason released a shaky breath. “Come on, Cole. There’s a mistake somewhere.” He forced a smirk, his eyes darting uncomfortably around the room. But when he saw that Cole was unmoved, his smirk faded. “Fine. Just name your price.” His voice cracked with worry.

“Tell me why you did it, and that would be all,” Cole said in a low voice, hoping that was enough to convince Mason.

Mason clenched his jaw. “Damn it, Cole, you don’t need this,” he said, his voice dropping. Trying again, but when Cole didn’t budge, he sighed, “What part?”

“Let’s start with Ivy. What the hell did she do to you?” Cole demanded, his chest tightening with pain. “Why did you use her?”

“I was pushed. I didn’t mean to steal her inheritance,” Mason said, his face damp with sweat.

Cole shook his head. “Stop the fucking lies, Mason! I could walk over to the police right now with all the evidence here.”

Mason’s eyes landed on the file in Cole’s hand, and for a split second, Cole could see the mischief in Mason’s eyes, the calculation, the overthinking.

“Don’t try anything funny,” Cole cautioned, keeping his voice steady despite the sudden fear in his chest. He didn’t trust Mason not to attack him, and knowing that Mason was in his own space made Cole even more wary. “I have made copies everywhere. You either tell me the truth, or I release them.”

“Why are you doing this? It doesn’t affect you at all. Just let it go,” Mason said, the mischief in his eyes turning back to worry.

Cole moved forward, his fear now dissolved into determination. “You hurt my sister! I just want to know why! I don’t care about anything! I just want to know!”

Mason swallowed hard, unbuttoning his shirt before he began to pace behind his table. He looked at Cole, his eyes gleaming with hesitation.

“Just tell me why, Mason. Ivy deserves the truth. I’m not turning this into a fight. I just need to fix my family.”

Mason’s hesitation lingered, and Cole became worried his lies wouldn’t work. Mason turned to him, his voice sharp. “How do I know you won’t turn against me after I tell you everything?”

“It’s your words against mine. When you tell me, I will drop this file and burn the ones at home.”

That seemed to do it, because Cole watched as Mason’s shoulders relaxed as he leaned on his chair’s arm. “I wanted to become the top real estate company, and Ivy… wouldn’t help me.”

Cole’s jaw tightened. “So you stole from her?”

“Yes,” Mason admitted. “But I was convinced it was good for me,” he added quickly.

Cole’s brow arched. “By who?”

Mason sighed as he returned to his seat. Cole could see and hear the defeat on his face and in his eyes. “Someone came to me for help. She wanted revenge, and she knew I had the connections to make it happen. So we made a deal."

"It was just business. Just an irresistible opportunity, and Ivy’s inheritance could help a lot, so I did it.”

Cole’s forehead creased with confusion. “I don’t understand you.”

“She wanted to take down Thomas Stone, and it was the perfect opportunity for me. I take out my biggest competitor and become number one in the business, she gets her wish. It was a win–win.”

“I’m still confused,” Cole said, moving forward. “Who needed your help taking down Thomas Stone?”

Mason sighed, leaning into his chair. “Rosie Stone. But we are already deviating from the point.”