Twilight Romance: Flash Marriage to Mature Tycoon – Episode 39
Security isolated the package on the lawn while the family moved to a protected room. Jocelyn kept Violet close and resisted imagining what waited inside. Ray spoke with police through an encrypted phone, his calm voice unable to disguise the tension in his shoulders.
The bomb unit found no explosive. The box contained the crushed silver locket from the Mother’s Day party, or a careful copy of it, beside a photograph of Tony being placed in handcuffs. The message was psychological, not physical.
Jocelyn touched the locket already hanging safely at her neck. Whoever sent the package knew details of the Smith conflict and wanted her to understand that private moments remained visible. The estate’s walls no longer felt protective.
Police traced the intruder’s route to a landscaping truck using forged Astor credentials. The driver abandoned the vehicle several blocks away. No fingerprints remained, but a traffic camera captured part of his face.
The facilities chief identified him as a private investigator previously hired by Tony. He specialized in intimidation and surveillance, not violence. The gunshot, he claimed, had come from someone else Tony never named.
Ray argued that Jocelyn and Violet should leave California until arrests were complete. Jocelyn understood the fear behind the suggestion but refused to let danger decide alone. Moving might be wise; treating her agreement as assumed was not.
He corrected himself and asked what she preferred. Jocelyn chose a secure foundation residence outside the city for Violet, Harry, and Caleb. She would remain near the investigation with Ray, provided they made safety decisions together.
Violet objected to leaving them. Jocelyn explained that courage did not mean standing nearest to every threat. Protecting Caleb and continuing schoolwork would give Violet a role other than being guarded.
Harry agreed to accompany her. Stacy requested permission to go as part of her supervised visit schedule. After consulting the court monitor, Harry accepted, though separate rooms and security rules remained mandatory.
The household departed before dawn. Watching Violet’s car disappear, Jocelyn felt the old instinct to follow and care for everyone personally. She stayed because choosing a partner also meant trusting other people to carry responsibility.
Ray and Jocelyn returned to headquarters under escort. The building reopened cautiously, and employees gathered in the lobby. Many applauded when Jocelyn entered, but she did not mistake public approval for permanent security.
The independent investigator formally cleared her of the fraudulent transfer. Evidence showed Tony had opened the account using the copied identification, while Summer approved the payment. Astor Group published the finding in full.
Summer was released pending charges because prosecutors had not linked her directly to the armed threat. Tony remained detained on financial and obstruction allegations. Ray warned that freedom would make Summer unpredictable.
Jocelyn asked whether fear of Summer would always occupy their marriage. Ray said only if they allowed her choices to control theirs. He could protect entrances and hire guards, but he could not promise a life without risk.
She preferred the honest limitation to impossible vows. They walked through the unfinished foundation wing, where bare walls and exposed floors awaited purpose. Jocelyn began imagining classrooms, legal clinics, and kitchens where families could learn practical skills.
Ray listened without turning her ideas into assignments. He asked what resources she would need if she chose to participate. The question treated her experience as expertise rather than charity.
Jocelyn proposed a program for older women returning to work after years of caregiving. Too many had been dismissed as uneducated or obsolete, the same insults Stacy once used against her. Ray asked her to develop the idea at her own pace.
For the first time, Jocelyn saw a future not defined solely by serving one family. The possibility frightened and energized her. Her life with Ray might include love without requiring her identity to disappear inside his.
They returned to the executive office and found the original wedding ring on Ray’s desk. Neither had brought it from the small house. A white card beneath the box carried Summer’s handwriting.
You keep offering her choices, the note read. Ask what she will choose when the next bullet is meant for Violet. Ray reached for the security alarm as a live video appeared on his computer, showing Violet’s supposedly secret residence.