The CEO's Secret Obsession-Chapter 156: Not a Coincidence

He opened it.

The first page was technical and included valuation reports, zoning notes, legal terminology but then his eyes dropped lower.

Owner: Evelyn Carter

Alexander’s breath stilled.

He flipped the page and there it was again, her name, clear and undeniable.

His jaw tightened slowly as he scanned further because what he saw wasn’t casual or new or some recent curiosity.

The file was thick, too thick and it wasn’t the file of a man casually buying land.

This was an obsession.

A strange, cold awareness crept up his spine.

Lucas had mentioned that Benjamin had been after a piece of land for years.

At the time, Alexander hadn’t thought much of it.

But now, everything made sense.

Carters deciding to sell the land after a "good buyer" suddenly appeared and the land sitting here, on Benjamin Reid’s desk wasn’t a coincidence. It looked too calculated to be one

Just then the door closed softly behind him.

Alexander didn’t hear it at first.

He was still standing by the desk, the Willowood file open in his hands with his eyes moving slower now as he was not reading anymore, just absorbing.

"Why are you still here?"

Benjamin’s voice was calm and casual.

Alexander didn’t turn immediately. He closed the file slowly, then faced his father.

"I was about to leave," he said. "Then I saw this."

Benjamin glanced at the file in his hands, then back at his face with no reaction or tension.

"That?" he said mildly. "Work."

Alexander’s brows knit together. "Work?"

Benjamin moved to his desk, loosened his cufflinks, unbothered. "A property deal."

Alexander held up the file slightly. "This is Willowood."

"Yes."

"The Carter land."

Benjamin nodded once. "They are selling it."

"And you are buying it."

"Correct."

The ease with which he said it set Alexander on edge.

"You have been after this land for years," Alexander said quietly.

Benjamin met his gaze evenly. "I have been interested."

"That’s not the same thing."

Benjamin’s lips curved faintly. "It is when you are patient."

Alexander took a breath. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

Benjamin leaned back against the desk. "Because it didn’t concern you."

Alexander’s voice sharpened. "It concerns Evelyn."

Benjamin’s expression didn’t change.

"That was before she decided to sell it," he replied. "Now it doesn’t concern her anymore."

Alexander stared at him.

"Do the Carters know," he asked slowly, deliberately, "that you are the buyer?"

For the first time, Benjamin didn’t answer immediately.

He reached out, took the file from Alexander’s hand and placed it neatly back on the desk aligning it with meticulous precision.

Then he looked up.

"They got the money," he said calmly. "And I am sure they are satisfied."

Alexander’s jaw tightened. "And that’s all that matters to them?"

"Yes," Benjamin said without hesitation.

Silence stretched between them, heavy and sharp.

Benjamin straightened his jacket, voice steady. "You should be focusing on your wedding and on your bride and not on matters that are already settled."

Alexander didn’t move.

"This feels wrong," he said.

Benjamin stepped closer, his tone firm and final now. "Trust me, it isn’t."

Alexander held his gaze for a long moment, searching for something that is close to reassurance, honesty or guilt.

But he found none.

"Enjoy your bachelor party," Benjamin added coolly. "Tomorrow, everything changes."

Alexander turned and walked out without another word.

Behind him, Benjamin Reid stood alone in his study, staring at the closed door with his expression unreadable and his grip on control unbroken.

....

[Outside the Reid Mansion]

Lucas was already waiting near the gate with his hands in his pockets and phone abandoned in his palm.

He looked up the moment Alexander stepped out.

One glance was enough.

"Okay," Lucas said slowly, straightening. "What happened?"

Alexander didn’t answer right away. He stopped beside him with his eyes still on the mansion behind them.

The lights, the guards and the silence that felt heavier than usual.

"Evelyn told me something the other night," he said finally.

Lucas turned fully toward him now. "About?"

"Willowood," Alexander replied. "The land her grandfather invested in but her dad sold it to a potential buyer recently."

Lucas’s brow creased. "Sold it now?"

Alexander nodded once. "She didn’t think much of it and I didn’t ask. She said her dad got a good offer."

Lucas exhaled sharply through his nose. "Okay, that doesn’t sound weird."

"Yes but there is more," Alexander added.

That got Lucas’s attention.

"I went to my father’s study," Alexander continued. "I saw the file which had a full breakdown, valuation, transfer drafts, everything about the land.

Lucas went still.

"Benjamin is buying it," Alexander said. "And like you had said before, Willowood is the land he has been after for years."

Lucas cursed under his breath. "That’s not a coincidence."

"No," Alexander agreed. "That is planning."

They stood there for a moment, the night air pressing in around them.

"And let me guess," Lucas said carefully. "He acted like it was nothing."

"Like I was being dramatic," Alexander replied. "Like I should focus on my wedding and stop asking questions."

Lucas shook his head. "That’s classic Benjamin. When he tells you not to worry, it means you absolutely should."

Alexander ran a hand through his hair. "Evelyn’s name was on that land. He didn’t even hesitate when I asked if the Carters knew he was the buyer."

Lucas’s jaw tightened. "Did they?"

"He said they got the money. That’s all that mattered."

"Yeah," Lucas muttered. "That’s not an answer."

Silence settled again, thick and uneasy.

Then Lucas clapped a hand on Alexander’s shoulder, firm.

"Listen to me," he said. "You are not wrong. This is suspicious as hell."

Alexander looked at him. "Then we should dig."

Lucas shook his head immediately. "Not tonight. Not now."

Alexander frowned. "Lucas—"

"Tomorrow is your wedding," Lucas cut in. "If you start pulling threads now, everything explodes and if you confront him before the ceremony, he will shut you out completely."

Alexander exhaled slowly, frustration simmering beneath the surface.

Lucas softened his tone. "Finish the wedding, marry Evelyn and then we dig together."

"I promise you," he added, eyes sharp, "whatever your father is playing at, it won’t disappear just because you look away for one day."

Alexander nodded reluctantly.

"One day," he said. "Then we go after the truth."

Lucas smirked faintly. "That’s my cue to drink tonight like a man with bad instincts."

Alexander let out a short breath of a laugh. It was brief and humorless.

They then turned toward the car and left.

Behind them, the Reid mansion stood tall and silent, holding secrets that were already beginning to crack.

.....