Chapter 1299

Oliver got home at three in the morning.

First thing he did was disinfect himself from head to toe, then he hit the shower, and tossed all his clothes straight in the wash-no way was he risking dragging germs inside. Even after that, he showered three more times, until his skin felt like it might just peel off.

He crept quietly through the apartment, planning to just peek in on Josefina before crashing in the guest room for the night. But when he opened the door, he found the bedside lamp still on, casting this soft, golden glow through the room that made everything feel warm and safe.

Oliver couldn't help but grin, his eyes softening as he walked over.

The mattress dipped as he sat on the edge of the bed. Josefina was a light sleeper; as soon as she heard his footsteps, she opened her eyes, immediately sitting up when she saw him.

"Don't get up. Go back to sleep," Oliver whispered, trying to nudge her back down, but Josefina wasn't having it. She insisted on sitting up, and he didn't push it—when she was at home, what she said went.

"How come you're back so early? I figured you'd be out all night," she asked, her voice still thick with sleep.

Oliver paused, a little taken aback. So she hadn't really been worried about him at all, huh?

"We finished up most of it. The site was already compromised, so we had to move quickly before things got even messier,” he explained.

Josefina nodded. "Did everyone else make it back, too?"

"Yeah, everyone's back. Percy took two big cases with him to look through. He'll let you know if there's any updates.”

Percy had already checked in with her, and Josefina had sent Alfie and Cash to help out, so with her mentor and senior there, she felt a lot better.

"Oh, Josie, I brought something back for you. A whole crate, actually."

Josefina raised an eyebrow, half teasing. "What, you found treasure in that dump?"

"Come see for yourself," Oliver said, his smile growing wider.

Josefina perked up, suddenly not tired at all. Oliver stood, took her hand, and together they rode the elevator down to the basement.

The wooden crate was still in the trunk. Qliver hadn't let anyone else touch -no need to attract

attention. He hauled it out himself, setting it down with a heavy thud.

Even in just a t-shirt, his arms flexed with effort, making him look strong and capable safe.

Josefina smirked. "So, what's in the box? Gold bars? Ancient artifacts?"

"If it was that valuable, shouldn't Darren have taken it?" she wondered out loud. But Darren hadn't, so why did Oliver have it?

"Open it and see," Oliver told her.

Josefina popped the lid open, and her jaw dropped. Inside were pieces of jade, sparkling jewelry, intricately crafted gold, coins, even diamonds.

"Oliver, why'd you bring all this home? Doesn't Darren know about it? Aren't you supposed to turn this stuff in?"

Oliver shook his head. "No need. This stuff actually belongs to my family-the Baldwins."

Josefina blinked, confused. "Wait, what?"

"Sydney and Rowan have been

married for years, right? Over time,

Sydney skimmed off some of the

Baldwin family's valuables. Some of them are even marked, so she Couldn't sell them locally without getting caught. My guess is, she planned to sneak off with this crate when everything blew over. But before she could, we found it."

Josefina stared, speechless. “Seriously? She hid all this in the backyard?"

Oliver nodded. "Yeah. And get this the person who told me where it was buried was Logan."

"What!" Josefina gaped at him. Logan always seemed to know everything, like he was watching from above or something.

Oliver continued, "Logan was once

caught by Sydney. He overheard her

talking to Dominic about it,

remembered the details, and when he sa the backyard, he realized it matched what she'd described. That's how he wa stash."

embout the