Page 78 of The Mogul: Leonard

Oliver nods, a smug smile creeping onto his face. “If you need more, don’t hesitate to contact me,” he replies. I boil at the comment, but he has no idea he’s just condemned himself.

Harris moves quickly, signaling to the FBI agents waiting outside the door. “Now,” he murmurs into the radio connected to his men’s earpieces. His voice exudes command.

In seconds, the agents work in a smooth, practiced motion that will put an end to this torture. I hear the muffled sounds of a door opening and the gasps of surprise through the earpiece. Oliver’s indignant voice cuts through the audio, his protests filling the room as the FBI storms in, handcuffs him, seizes his laptop, and reads him his rights. I should feel relief, or at least some sense of closure, but there’s nothing. Just an empty pain where there should be…something to fill the void. Disappointment grows in my chest, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

Harris switches off the audio, turning to me with a curt nod. “It’s done. We have everything we need.”

I stare at the empty computer screen, my mind racing to find something to say. I should be grateful—we’ve caught him and gathered the evidence we need to protect the company. But all I can feel is emptiness, like someone reached into my chest and ripped my heart out, leaving a hole in its place. He was supposed to be my friend, my partner, the man I trusted more than anyone else.

The room is silent for a moment, and the tension blinds me like a heavy fog. I feel like I’m gasping alone, trying to figure out what to do next. Roxanne turns to me, her hand reaching out to touch my arm again. “Leonard, you did the right thing.”

I want to believe her, but it doesn’t make it any easier. “Did I?” I ask, my voice sounding empty even to my own ears. “Because it sure doesn’t feel like it.”

Raphael speaks up, his tone gentler than I’d expect. “You didn’t have a choice. He dug his own grave.”

“Yeah, well, it doesn’t make me feel better, especially because I don’t understand why he did it. He had everything; he had my undying friendship. He could have asked and I would have given him anything he wanted, but still he decided to stab me in the back,” I say bitterly. My mind is a storm of anger and sadness, a painful swirl of emotions that I can barely hold inside. I can feel the pressure building, the urge to lash out, to find some release.

Harris gives me a sympathetic look. “Leonard, I know this is hard, but sometimes people do things because they are just bad people. You could have given him the moon, and it wouldn’t be enough. But I can assure you, he won’t get away with it.”

I nod numbly, but the words offer little comfort. How did we even get here? How did the man I thought I knew like a brother, like myself, become someone capable of this level of betrayal? Because he wasn’t like this in the past. When we started out, he had such good intentions. I know him—or at least that’s what I thought. Was it all a lie? I glance at Roxanne, seeing the worry in her eyes, and it cuts me even deeper. She’s caught up in this mess too, all because of Oliver’s greed and my blind trust.

She must see the storm brewing in me because she steps closer, never dropping my gaze. “We’re going to get through this. You’re not alone. I will be with you every step of the way.”

Her words placate some of my anger, taking away some of the tension that grips my gut. I nod, trying to take in her calm words.

I take a deep breath, turn away from the monitors, and force myself to regain some composure. “I just need a minute,” I whisper in a broken voice.

Roxanne nods, watching me with an understanding that somehow steadies me. I head toward the window, looking out, trying to find some escape from what I’ve just witnessed. Everything just turned upside down.

Behind me, I hear Raphael and Harris talking, discussing the next steps and the logistics of the investigation. But it all feels distant, like background noise that I can barely hear.

It’s only when Roxanne comes up beside me that I finally feel a spark of something. She stands beside me in silence, her presence calming the turmoil brewing inside me. She doesn’t say anything, doesn’t push me to talk or pretend I’m okay. She just lets me be, giving me the space I need, and somehow, that’s enough.

After a while, I turn to her, the weight of guilt crushing my chest. “I should have seen this coming,” I admit, the words taste bitter in my mouth. “I should have known.”

She shakes her head, her gaze never leaving mine. “Leonard, no one could have predicted this. You had a reasonable explanation for his odd behavior. You trusted him because he was your friend. That doesn’t make you weak—it makes you human.”

I want to believe her, but the guilt crushes me. It constantly reminds me how badly I’ve fucked up judging the man I once considered a brother. “Maybe. But it still doesn’t change what happened.”

“No,” she agrees softly, “it doesn’t. And it doesn’t make it easier for you. Give yourself time to grieve this situation and the friendship that you lost. You are a person with a big heart, and it will take time to heal it.” She puts a hand over my chest, where my heart is beating erratically.

We stand there in silence, and for the first time, I allow myself to acknowledge the hurt, the betrayal, the defeat I can’t avoid. Roxanne’s words resonate in my mind, calming the spiraling thoughts. I need time to heal, and this time, the strength is coming from her.

When we finally leave the hotel, Harris assures me that the evidence we’ve gathered will be more than enough to bring Oliver down. But even as we step out into the cool night air, the sense of closure feels out of reach. I’m not done; it’s not a closed chapter for me, but I know where to start when it comes to healing my wounds.

Roxanne stands by my side; her hand slips into mine, and her fingers are warm and reassuring against my skin. It doesn’t make the pain go away, but somehow, with her here, I feel a little bit stronger facing whatever comes next.

And for now, that will have to be enough.

32

Roxanne

I stare out the window with my fingers wrapped around the mug of tea in my hands, comforted by its warmth. Silver’s house feels like a safe haven, almost another world, far away from the chaos unleashed by Leonard and me. After Oliver’s arrest, the news spread like wildfire on a windy day, and even this cozy living room, with its colorful sofas and bookshelves, can’t dissolve the fear taking root in me.

Silver sits on the couch in front of me, watching me with that worried look only an older sister can give you—it’s strange how this situation has brought us closer than anything else we’ve tried in the last few years. She’s already sensed the fear I can’t hide, but she waits, giving me time to gather my thoughts and explain my urge to come here.

I take a deep breath and break the silence. “It’s…it’s just that with the FBI involved now, I keep thinking about my past. I wonder how much they already know, or worse, what they’re capable of finding if they really dig,” I confess in a shaky tone.

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