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The Abandoned Groom Married his Ex's Enemy!

Chapter 71: What Do You Know? · Nov 01, 2026

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Chapter List (139)

Page number / 3

51 Chapter 51: Getting to Know You 2026-11-01
52 Chapter 52: Something of her own 2026-11-01
53 Chapter 53: Until the Work is Done 2026-11-01
54 Chapter 54: After the Bridge 2026-11-01
55 Chapter 55: No Business After Hours 2026-11-01
56 Chapter 56: The Man Behind the Wheel 2026-11-01
57 Chapter 57: The Man for the Job 2026-11-01
58 Chapter 58: One Seat Empty 2026-11-01
59 Chapter 59: The Connection 2026-11-01
60 Chapter 60: Someone Was Watching 2026-11-01
61 Chapter 61: The Last Ride 2026-11-01
62 Chapter 62: Watch Your Back 2026-11-01
63 Chapter 63: The One Left Out 2026-11-01
64 Chapter 64: The Name He Remembered 2026-11-01
65 Chapter 65: The Accident That Wasn’t 2026-11-01
66 Chapter 66: Keep Driving 2026-11-01
67 Chapter 67: The Dead Inspector 2026-11-01
68 Chapter 68: The Man With Two Names 2026-11-01
69 Chapter 69: The Third Name 2026-11-01
70 Chapter 70: The Recommendation 2026-11-01
71 Chapter 71: What Do You Know? 2026-11-01
72 Chapter 72: You’re Getting Warm 2026-11-01
73 Chapter 73: Before We Grew Up 2026-11-01
74 Chapter 74: Buried for Later 2026-11-01
75 Chapter 75: Familiar Faces 2026-11-01
76 Chapter 76: Something Worth Coming Back to 2026-11-01
77 Chapter 77: Like Old Times 2026-11-01
78 Chapter 78: One Last Dance 2026-11-01
79 Chapter 79: What He Forgot 2026-11-01
80 Chapter 80: The Boy Who Kept Winning 2026-11-01
81 Chapter 81: Something to Prove 2026-11-01
82 Chapter 82: The Other Name 2026-11-01
83 Chapter 83: The Price of Silence 2026-11-01
84 Chapter 84: What Matteo Knew 2026-11-01
85 Chapter 85: The Last Questions 2026-11-01
86 Chapter 86: Not Deliberately 2026-11-01
87 Chapter 87: Tying loose ends 2026-11-01
88 Chapter 88: Is this Business? 2026-11-01
89 Chapter 89: A Bad Hair Day 2026-11-01
90 Chapter 90: Out of Sight 2026-11-01
91 Chapter 91: A Place to Begin 2026-11-01
92 Chapter 92: Building it together 2026-11-01
93 Chapter 93: Back at the River 2026-11-01
94 Chapter 94: What Comes Next 2026-11-01
95 Chapter 95: Something Appropriate 2026-11-01
96 Chapter 96: Dress Accordingly 2026-11-01
97 Chapter 97: Beyond Business 2026-11-01
98 Chapter 98: No Particular Reason 2026-11-01
99 Chapter 99: Tickets for Two 2026-11-01
100 Chapter 100: Somewhere Nobody Knows Him 2026-11-01

Gerald Serrano arrived at Mercer Group thirteen minutes early, just enough time to pass by the lobby restroom before taking the lift.

He’d dressed for the occasion, too.

The man who normally preferred rolled sleeves and comfortable shoes wore pressed trousers, polished leather shoes, and a dark jacket over a pale button-down shirt.

No tie.

Formal enough to impress without looking like he’d tried too hard.

He had definitely tried.

By the time Giovanni’s assistant opened the private office, Gerald was smiling.

Then he noticed three saucers.

Three with no cups.

Several chairs were also slightly out of place.

Apparently, Giovanni had been meeting with other people shortly before Gerald arrived.

Gerald’s optimism increased.

Perhaps they’d been discussing whatever project Giovanni intended to offer him.

”Gerald.”

Giovanni stood.

”Been a while.”

”It has.”

Gerald crossed the room and extended his hand.

Giovanni hesitated only briefly before accepting.

The handshake was polite.

Short.

Not nearly as warm as Gerald expected.

His smile faded slightly.

”Everything okay?”

”Sit.”

That didn’t help. Giovanni’s curt demeanor didn’t help.

In the adjoining room, Alexander settled into his chair, holding on to his half-empty cup of coffee.

The private investigator had already finished half of his.

Elias hadn’t touched his.

All three listened through the internal audio feed.

Gerald knew none of them were there.

Giovanni waited until his former classmate settled, then placed a document between them.

”Who is Martin Valdez?”

Gerald blinked.

”Who?”

”Martin Valdez.”

”Martin who?”

Giovanni watched him.

”Don’t.”

Gerald frowned.

”Don’t what?”

”Answer with another question while deciding what I already know.”

That removed the last of Gerald’s smile.

”Gio, I genuinely don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Giovanni slid the employment record toward him.

Gerald looked down.

”Oh.”

”So you remember him.”

”Yes.”

”Good.”

Giovanni leaned back.

”What was your relationship with him?”

”Relationship?”

”How did you know him?”

Gerald looked at the record, and the picture stared back at him.

”I recommended him.”

”I know.”

”Then why are you asking?”

”I want to hear it from you.”

Gerald stared at him.

Something in Giovanni’s face finally made him realize this wasn’t an invitation between old friends.

”What’s going on?”

”Answer first.”

Gerald exhaled.

”We were short on technical personnel for the logistics project. We needed somebody familiar with maintenance compliance and equipment inspection. Martin’s name came up.”

”From whom?”

”I don’t remember.”

In the adjoining room, Alexander frowned.

Giovanni didn’t move.

”Try.”

”It was years ago.”

”So was college. You remember nearly drowning.”

Gerald’s expression tightened.

”That’s different.”

”Why?”

”Because you dragged me out of a swimming pool while I was busy swallowing half of it.”

”Then treat this as another important memory.”

Gerald leaned back.

”What did Martin do?”

”That’s what I’m trying to determine.”

”Is he in trouble?”

”Answer the question.”

Gerald rubbed his forehead.

”Someone called me.”

Giovanni’s attention sharpened.

”Who?”

”I don’t remember.”

”Man or woman?”

”Man.”

”Name?”

”No name. It was from an unregistered number.”

”What did he want?”

”He’d heard we were looking for someone with compliance experience. He recommended Martin.”

”How did he know you were looking?”

”I assumed someone from the project told him.”

”Did he know you?”

Gerald hesitated.

”I think so.”

That was different.

Giovanni leaned forward.

”What makes you say that?”

”He knew my name.”

”That’s not unusual.”

”No.”

Gerald frowned.

”But he knew something else.”

”What?”

”I don’t...”

He stopped.

Then his expression changed.

”The swimming competition.”

In the adjoining room, Alexander straightened.

”What about it?” Giovanni asked.

”The caller joked that if I could survive drowning, I could survive one difficult project.”

Giovanni went still.

”Did you know him?”

”I assumed I did.”

”Why?”

”Because who the hell else would say that?”

”Apparently somebody you didn’t know.”

Gerald looked increasingly uncomfortable.

”Half the campus heard what happened.”

”Years earlier.”

”And to my recollection, I have not drowned again after that.”

”Did you ever meet this caller?”

”No.”

”Did Martin mention him?”

”Not that I remember.”

”Why did you recommend Martin?”

”Because he was qualified based on his resume.”

Gerald’s voice sharpened.

”I interviewed him. His references checked out. HR cleared him. I didn’t hand him an employee ID because some stranger called.”

That was fair.

Giovanni allowed the silence to settle.

Then he slid a second photograph across the desk.

Manuel Vera.

Gerald looked at it.

”That’s Martin.”

”No.”

Gerald looked up.

”What?”

”That man’s name was Manuel Vera.”

Silence.

Gerald looked down again.

”I don’t understand.”

”He worked under that identity before Mercer.”

”What exactly are you accusing me of?”

”Nothing yet.”

”Doesn’t feel that way.”

Giovanni leaned forward.

”Did you know Martin Valdez had any connection to my father’s death?”

Gerald stared at him.

”What?”

”My father.”

”Matteo?”

”Yes.”

”What the hell would Martin have to do with Uncle Matteo?”

That stopped Giovanni.

Uncle Matteo.

The old familiarity didn’t prove Gerald was innocent. If anything, bringing up his history with the family at that particular moment could’ve been deliberate.

But the shock on Gerald’s face looked real.

”I saved your life once,” Giovanni said quietly.

Gerald went silent.

”I didn’t do it so you’d owe me.”

”I know.”

”But if I discover that you knowingly helped someone conceal what happened to my father, our history won’t protect you.”

Gerald stared at him.

Then something close to hurt appeared.

”You really think I’d do that to you?”

Giovanni didn’t look away.

”I don’t know yet.”

In the adjoining room, nobody moved.