Falling in Love : I love you, Today and Forever
Chapter 755: Valerie’s stance

Chapter 755: Valerie’s stance

Almost all the people in the room were happy to see the two men reconcile, especially Aria. Only she knew how broken Noah had been when he had found out about his grandfather. He had spent a lot of sleepless nights and almost lost his soul every time he thought about his involvement in crimes that he loathed the most.

Now that the truth was out the old Carter’s involvement had pure intentions and it was the others who had misused the mission, Noah had no reason to remain angry at his grandfather. Even if he was still aggrieved to have been kept in the dark these years, he had no reason to not forgive the old man. He might as well forgive him and make the old Carter pacify him later.

"Now, stop crying, old man. Look at you." Noah rubbed his back as he chided him softly.

Jonathan Carter was not at all ashamed to have wept in front of people before whom he had maintained a mighty and dominating image. He did not care that he had shown them his vulnerable state. To him, his grandson was more important than anything in the world and him accepting his apology was all that mattered. To hell with everything else.

"You aren’t angry with me anymore, are you?" Jonathan still sought assurance from Noah. The last few weeks had been terrible and with his grandson resenting him for his past mistakes, it had been even more hellish. He could tolerate anything in the world, anything at all. But he could never accept his family, especially his grandson looking at him with his eyes filled with hatred.

"No, Grandpa. I’m not." Noah assured him with a smile. "And even if I am, I’ll wait for you to pacify me." He teased and Jonathan finally burst out laughing. He let go of his grandson and looked at him with his teary eyes. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Noah did not speak a word in return. But the message had been conveyed and he smiled at him in return.

Jonathan did not let go of his grandson’s hands, forcing the helpless man to glance at Aria. Having no choice, he looked at Theo, who scooted a little, making space for him.

Aria had no qualms to see Noah leave her side and sit beside his grandfather. The happiness of the two people was evident on their faces and there was nothing more she wanted than to see Noah happy. He had got his grandfather back after a few long, tension-filled days. He should stay beside him and catch up on all the missed days.

Samuel was touched and grateful to see Aria’s understanding. He was not an idiot to not notice Aria’s involvement in Noah’s change. Although the truth was finally out and his father was not a criminal, it was not unexpected for Noah to not have grievances about being kept in the dark,

For him to let go of everything and forgive his grandfather, someone had to have enlightened him and he could think of none but Aria. ’That lady is good.’ He thought, his eyes shining with approval.

Even Hailey had nothing but words of approval for her daughter-in-law and a word of understanding flashed between the couple when their eyes met. An event was put on the agenda and they had to seek the young couple’s opinions before they thought about it.

"Now that we know the truth, what are we going to do next?" Joshua’s words changed the mood drastically and they remembered that the culprit was still at large and continued to wreak havoc.

"I have a plan." Noah started and everyone looked at him immediately. He did not waste any time and revealed the plan he had thought of. He did not care that Preston was present and he’d reveal everything to Jared. He had planned everything, keeping Preston as an anomaly.

"I’m not worried that this plan will not remain a secret once we open the doors to this mansion," Noah stated once he was done explaining what he had planned.

Valerie and Maggie’s heart skipped a beat at his words and they glanced at each other immediately. His words were unexpected and sudden.

"If anything we have discussed goes out of this mansion, I know who will be responsible for it." As soon as he finished speaking, he looked at Preston directly, startling the man with his intense gaze.

Everyone in the room followed Noah’s sight and collectively stared at Preston. While the ones who knew the truth had no reaction other than being surprised at Noah’s direct attack, the ones who had no idea about the truth stared disconcertedly.

"Noah, what are you talking about?" Oliver was the first to break the silence and he glanced at the two men who seemed to be having a silent battle.

"I am sure the person I’m looking at knows exactly what I am talking about," Noah smirked as he noticed Preston’s uneasiness.

"Mr. Carter, is there some sort of misunderstanding?" Preston questioned, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible even though he was anything but that. Noah’s gaze had scared the shit out of him and he was just short of running for hills, especially after facing everyone’s scrutinizing gaze.

Preston realized that not just a few, but even his colleagues were apprehensive about him. His cover had been blown and what he was fearing had eventually happened.

"Oh, I hope this is all a misunderstanding. If I get any evidence to support my claims, then you’ll not live a day anymore." Noah threatened blatantly and Preston’s gaze immediately snapped to Aria.

Unlike the others whose emotions were clear on their faces, Aria, surprisingly remained impassive. She was the first girl he had ever loved and her looking at him with disgust was the last thing he ever wanted.

Preston was secretly relieved that Aria looked at him questioningly and not with disgust.

"Mr. Carter, I promise this is all a misunderstanding. I do not know why you came to this deduction that I am involved with Jared somehow. But that is not the truth." Preston explained while he clenched his clammy palms. His entire back was drenched and his heart was palpating as if he was on a marathon.

"I hope so, Mr. Preston. I hope so. I do not know what you are playing at. But I am sure everyone here suspects you. If someone were to foil our plan that could only be you. So think twice before you act. We have our eyes on you."

Noah observed Preston and his body language. Even though he was scared and sweat trickled down his cheeks despite the room being well-conditioned, there was something in his eyes that spoke volumes. There was a hidden truth that no one saw, no one at all, not even Maggie.

"Mr. Carter, I assure you. Nothing from here will leave these four walls, not by me at least." His eyes and tone held a conviction that surprised Noah. Even Ian looked at him differently than he did previously. There was something odd in the way he was behaving but they did not question him about it, allowing him to stay secretive for the time being.

"Deputy, you know all the truth and the plans. Do you have something to add to? We need your cooperation in this matter. Otherwise, it will be difficult for us to proceed."

Noah changed the topic suddenly, surprising all the employees from the Intelligence. But they held back their questions and stayed silent. It was a conversation they decided to have some time later.

"I have something to say if you’d not mind."

"Please go ahead." Noah gestured and leaned back in his seat.

"Mr. Jonathan Carter, I understand your predicament in this matter and I also understand your helplessness. However, I’ll never forget that I lost my father and directly or indirectly you and your team are responsible for it. Your grandson and everyone else here might forgive you for all that you did. However, I’m sorry. I can’t do that."

Valerie expressed her stance clearly. She wasn’t hypocritical and went along with the others to forgive and forget all that the old Carter had done. They had not lost a family member. She had. A sorry would not bring him back from the dead. Period.

"You may have done your best to stop Jared once you learned of his schemes. I will not say you didn’t. But Jared was still unstoppable and many people became victims of his ploy. Many families lost their loved ones and you cannot escape from this truth even if you want to. If you wanted, you could have made this matter a bigger issue, considering the power you hold. If not the police, someone would have supported you for sure. But you sought help from just a few people and allowed Jared to continue with his devious plan. I’m sorry, I cannot forgive you for this."

Valerie stood up suddenly and others followed suit. Jonathan’s face was pale and filled with shame but he did not deny her words and accepted all her blame. He was at fault and it would never change. No amount of apology could change the truth.

"In the eyes of the law, you may not be a criminal. But in my mind, you are and I will not be able to say otherwise. I apologize if my words have hurt you but I can’t lie against my conscience. And Mr. Noah Carter, I agree to cooperate with you in your plan. It seems good. And that is all I have to say."

Valerie ran her eyes around and met everyone’s gaze. "If you’ll please excuse me, I think I should leave."

Without waiting for anyone’s response, Valerie departed from the place, and to her relief, none of Noah’s men made things difficult for her.