Chapter: Chapter 176: The True Heiress (THE END)Six months had passed since the last handcuffs closed on the last conspirator, and Ecofel's headquarters no longer felt like a building under siege. The stock ticker had climbed back past where it stood before any of it began, and then kept climbing, steady and unspectacular in the way that meant investors had stopped watching for the next disaster and started simply trusting the numbers again.Curtis stood backstage at the annual shareholder meeting, straightening his tie for the third time, watching the auditorium fill through a gap in the curtain. Every seat was taken. A year ago, half these people had been ready to walk away from Ecofel entirely, ready to believe the worst simply because the worst had been dressed up convincingly enough to seem reasonable. Now they filled the room early, murmuring among themselves with something that looked, unmistakably, like confidence.Tessa found him there a few minutes before the meeting started, dressed sharply, a folder tucked under one
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-24
Chapter: Chapter 175: Picking Up the PiecesThe morning after Lauren's arrest, Ecofel's offices felt strange in a way Curtis couldn't quite name. He arrived early, earlier than he had in weeks, and found Tessa already there, sitting at the head of the conference table with a legal pad covered in her small, precise handwriting. She looked up when he came in, and for a moment neither of them said anything."Couldn't sleep either," she said finally. It wasn't a question."No." Curtis pulled out the chair across from her instead of his usual seat at the far end, close enough now that it felt deliberate rather than accidental. "Kept thinking about what happens next. All the pieces still moving.""There are a lot of pieces," Tessa agreed, sliding the legal pad toward him. "Legal's already fielding calls from four different reporters wanting comment on Kade's arraignment. The SEC wants a full compliance review before they'll lift the trading restrictions on the disputed shares. And the board wants a statement drafted before markets
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-24
Chapter: Chapter 174: JusticeThe seventy-two hours Kade had given himself to complete his tender offer became, instead, the seventy-two hours that ended him.Jason worked without sleep, feeding everything they had to the regulatory task force and, at Tessa's insistence, to a federal prosecutor she'd known since law school, a woman with a reputation for moving fast when the evidence justified it. And the evidence, by that point, more than justified it. Wire transfers spanning nine years. Shell entities registered in six different jurisdictions, all eventually tracing back to accounts controlled, however carefully, by Desmond Kade. A pattern of manufactured misconduct documents that investigators matched, within hours, to metadata scrubbed but not quite scrubbed enough.The tender offer itself became the final piece. Attempting to circumvent a shareholder vote already under regulatory freeze wasn't just aggressive business strategy. It was, according to the prosecutor's office, evidence of intent, proof that who
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-24
Chapter: Chapter 173: The Final Corporate WarThe next ten days moved faster than anything Curtis had lived through in his career, a blur of conference rooms, courthouse steps, and phone calls that started before sunrise and ended long after midnight.Jason worked with a small team of forensic accountants Tessa had quietly brought in from outside the company, people with no ties to Ecofel and no reason to fear whoever was on the other side of this. Together they built a case file thick enough to make even the most skeptical regulator sit up straight. Every shell company. Every wire transfer. Every layer Kade had built to keep his name off a single page, unraveled and laid out in a timeline that told its own story without needing much interpretation.The first emergency injunction was filed on a Wednesday morning, freezing the voting rights attached to the disputed shares pending investigation into their true beneficial ownership. Renner's lawyers fought it hard, filing counter-motions within hours, but the judge had seen enoug
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-24
Chapter: Chapter 172: An Impossible AllianceCurtis had agreed to meet her, but only on his terms — a conference room at Ecofel's downtown office, neutral ground, with Tessa present and Jason waiting just down the hall in case anything about the meeting felt wrong. Curtis wasn't taking chances anymore, not with Lauren, not with anyone connected to the last several months of his life.Lauren walked in looking smaller than Curtis remembered, none of the polish she usually wore into rooms like this. Her hands trembled slightly as she set a thick folder on the table."Thank you for seeing me," she said quietly."You have five minutes," Tessa said, arms crossed, standing rather than sitting, making it clear she considered this a courtesy rather than a negotiation. "Then Curtis walks out and we let our lawyers handle whatever this is.""It's bigger than lawyers," Lauren said. "It's bigger than any of us."She talked for nearly twenty minutes without anyone interrupting her, and by the end of it, the room had gone entirely silent in
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-23
Chapter: Chapter 171: Lauren Gets BetrayedLauren noticed the change first in the way Renner stopped returning her calls the same day.It had started small enough that she almost dismissed it. A meeting pushed back twice. An email that came back shorter than usual, missing the warmth that had always been there, even when the warmth was purely transactional. She told herself it was nothing, that men like Renner ran a dozen deals at once and couldn't be expected to treat every conversation like it mattered.But three days later, when she called the private line she'd been given for emergencies only, and it rang through to a voicemail box that hadn't existed the week before, something cold settled into her stomach that she couldn't talk herself out of.She drove to the offices herself, the ones tucked into an unmarked floor of a building downtown that she'd only ever visited twice before, both times by careful arrangement. This time she didn't have an appointment. She walked in anyway, past a receptionist who clearly hadn't b
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-23
Chapter: Chapter 132: Vows and ConsequencesA week later, everything had been set in motion with a kind of quiet certainty that made the moment feel both real and unreal at the same time. The wedding venue stretched open toward the horizon, the calm breath of the sea moving gently through the space, carrying with it a soft breeze that brushed against every face present. Diana stood there in her dress, her fingers lightly clasped together in front of her, her heart steady but full, as though everything she had been through had led her exactly to this point. She turned slightly, stealing a glance at Merlin beside her. He caught her eyes almost immediately, as if he had been waiting for that moment, and the smile that spread across his face carried something deeper than joy. There was pride in it, relief, and something quietly possessive, like a man who knew what he had almost lost and refused to ever let it slip again. Diana held that look for a second longer than she intended, her lips curving softly before she t
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-04-25
Chapter: Chapter 131: A New Life BeginsTwo days later, Diana, Emma and Merlin were seated at the dining table, the atmosphere warm and relaxed in a way that felt natural now, like this was what their lives had always been meant to look like. The plates were filled, the soft clinking of cutlery against ceramic blending with the low hum of conversation. Emma sat comfortably, swinging her legs under the chair as she ate, her face bright with satisfaction. “Mummy, you’re the best cook in the world,” Emma said with full confidence, lifting a spoonful of food into her mouth like she was making an important declaration. Diana smiled, shaking her head lightly. “Don’t talk while eating, sweetheart,” she said gently, though her tone carried more affection than correction. Emma nodded quickly, though her grin didn’t fade. Merlin watched them both quietly, something soft settling in his chest as he leaned back slightly in his chair. Moments like this still surprised him, how easily Diana had blended into his life, how
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-04-25
Chapter: Chapter 130: "Can We Get Married?"Diana returned home that evening looking worn out in a way that couldn’t be hidden. It wasn’t just physical tiredness. It sat deeper than that, in the way her shoulders dropped, in the quietness that followed her into the house. The door had barely closed behind her when Merlin stepped forward. He didn’t ask anything at first. He simply pulled her into his arms, holding her firmly, one hand at her back, the other resting gently at the back of her head. She leaned into him fully, as though that was exactly what she needed. He guided her slowly to the couch, his arm still around her as they sat. Only then did he pull back slightly to look at her face. “How’s she?” he asked quietly. “She’s better now,” Diana replied, her voice low but steady. There was a brief silence before she turned to face him properly. Her eyes searched his for a moment, then softened slightly, though something unsettled still lingered beneath. “Do you think I’m a bad mother?” she asked suddenl
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-04-25
Chapter: Chapter 129: Drawn BackThe call didn’t take long, but it was enough to change everything.Diana didn’t wait to think things through. The moment she ended it, she grabbed her bag and turned toward the door without hesitation.“I have to go,” she said quickly.Merlin was already moving before she finished speaking. “I’ll come with you.”She shook her head almost immediately. “No… let me go first.”He paused, studying her face, then nodded. “Call me when you get there.”“I will.”She didn’t say anything else before stepping out.The drive felt longer than it should have. Every second stretched, her mind racing through possibilities she didn’t want to consider. By the time she arrived, her heart was already pounding in a way she couldn’t control.She rushed through the entrance, her eyes searching until she found what she was looking for.Selena.The little girl lay on the bed, smaller than usual, her usual bright energy replaced with a quiet stillness that unsettled Diana immediately.“Mommy…” Selena called w
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-04-24
Chapter: Chapter 128: A Different GameThe shift didn’t come with noise. There was no confrontation, no sudden appearance, no carefully timed interruption. That was what made it unsettling. After everything Henry had been doing, the disruptions, the pressure, the quiet interference that had slowly revealed itself, the sudden silence felt wrong.Diana noticed it before she could explain it. At first, it came as relief. A day passed without anything going wrong. Then another. Her schedule aligned perfectly, meetings held as planned, calls came through at the right time, nothing delayed, nothing clashing. It should have felt like things were finally returning to normal, but instead, it left her uneasy.She stood in her office one afternoon, staring at her calendar, going through it again even though she had already checked it twice. Everything was in order. Too in order.“That’s strange,” she murmured under her breath.Merlin, who had walked in moments earlier, caught the tone immediately. “What is?” he asked, stepping c
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-04-24
Chapter: Chapter 127: Standing FirmBy the time Diana reached the end of that week, she was no longer guessing. The pattern had revealed itself too clearly to ignore, and the quiet frustration she had been managing turned into something more grounded, something sharper. She didn’t feel overwhelmed anymore. Instead, she felt focused. Whoever was behind it had expected confusion, distraction, maybe even panic. What they hadn’t expected was for her to step back, observe, and decide she was done reacting blindly.That was how she found herself standing in front of Henry again, not by accident this time, not because he appeared uninvited, but because she chose it. She sent the message herself, short and direct, leaving no room for misinterpretation. He agreed to meet just as quickly, as if he had been waiting for that moment all along.When she arrived, he was already there, seated, calm as always, his presence carrying that same controlled composure she had come to recognize too well. For a brief second, Diana studie
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-04-23
Chapter: Chapter 57: Question of Choice"What the hell?" Ryan snapped, shaking his hand from the sting.He flexed his fingers once, wincing dramatically for effect.The room had gone briefly still after the sharp sound of the slap.Helen, still standing near the door, glanced between the two men nervously."You're dirty." Benjamin said, hiding the joke buried in his tone.His face remained composed, though something in his eyes betrayed the humor.It was rare to see him joke, even in that quiet, understated way.Petra smiled and bent her head, unsure whether to laugh or stay quiet.She had never seen this side of Benjamin before, this easy teasing.It made him seem, for a moment, almost like an ordinary man.The thought surprised her, warm and unexpected, settling somewhere in her chest.Ryan swallowed, stared at Petra for a long moment, then turned back to Benjamin.His expression shifted quickly from pain to something more knowing.There was a familiar glint in his eyes, the one that always preceded trouble.He had known
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-08-19
Chapter: Chapter 56: Ryan ClearBenjamin nodded, then walked to Petra.The room around them was quiet, save for the faint hum of the air conditioner.Outside, tailors moved about with fabric and pins, finishing the last touches on his suits."Oh," He said, bending and reaching for her chin as he held up her face. "You think I'm old?"His thumb brushed lightly against her jaw as he waited for her answer.There was something almost boyish in the way he watched her, waiting.For a man who ran an empire, he looked, in that moment, almost unsure of himself.Petra opened her mouth to answer, but the words never made it out.Before she could respond, the door opened without so much as a knock.Ryan Clear walked in, holding a black file under his arm.He carried himself the way most men carry a trophy, easy and proud.His footsteps were loud against the marble floor, announcing him before he even spoke.He was Benjamin's friend and business partner. Ryan was known across the city for turning failing companies around within
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-08-19
Chapter: Chapter 55: The SuitHis mouth met hers, and they remained locked in the kiss for several quiet seconds.Petra felt her heartbeat racing as the closeness suddenly became too much.She had never expected their conversation to end that way between them.The warmth of his lips made her forget every question troubling her moments earlier.Then, almost as quickly as it had started, Petra pulled away.She stepped backward with wide eyes, looking as though she had surprised herself.Her cheeks felt warm, and she could barely bring herself to meet his gaze.The sudden embarrassment made her search desperately for something else to say."I'm thirsty." She said hurriedly, barely meeting his gaze now. "I'll go get some water."Before Benjamin could respond, Petra turned and hurried towards the bedroom door.Her steps were faster than necessary, revealing just how embarrassed she had become.She kept her face turned away because she could not handle his teasing smile.Benjamin watched her disappear through the doorwa
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-08-18
Chapter: Chapter 54: The TruthBenjamin released a breath, stepped closer and held her arms. "What do you want to know?" He asked warmly, brushing her shoulder. "I will tell you. Hm?"Petra stared up at him for several seconds, carefully studying his expression.She wanted to believe him, but too many unanswered questions still troubled her.The discovery that he had a daughter had completely unsettled her confidence.She couldn't continue pretending that everything between them was simple anymore.She slowly pulled his hands away from her arms and stepped backward.Benjamin allowed her to move without trying to hold her in place.He simply watched her, waiting patiently for whatever question she wanted answered."You have a daughter." She began, her voice breaking. "Are you married?"The question immediately changed the atmosphere between them.Benjamin became silent, staring at her as though considering how to respond.Petra stood before him with nervous determination, refusing to look away.She had prepared hers
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-08-18
Chapter: Chapter 53: What She Wanted"Do you know Petra Hudson?" Benjamin asked, waiting for her response. Vanessa froze, her eyes turning from side to side. How did he know that name?The question caught Vanessa completely off guard, and her heartbeat immediately became faster.She had not expected Benjamin to mention Petra after their previous conversation.She just stood there for minutes, trying to understand what was happening.Her mind quickly searched through every possible reason behind her father's question.Slowly, she turned back to face him, forcing a fake smile. "We were classmates in college, but we weren't close." She said, holding her hands together down. "I heard she cheated on her husband and got divorced. Why?"She carefully watched Benjamin's face after delivering the explanation she had prepared.She hoped her father would accept the answer without asking another difficult question.However, his expression remained unusually calm, making it impossible to know his thoughts.She couldn't stop wondering
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-08-17
Chapter: Chapter 52: The Question"That's because..." She started to say, her voice breaking as she looked down, barely meeting his glance. "They insulted me and bullied my boyfriend! I was angry, so I..."Vanessa stopped speaking and lowered her head further, suddenly struggling to continue.She had prepared herself for questions about the mall, but not from Benjamin himself.Her fingers kept moving nervously as she searched for words that would protect her.She knew the complete truth would sound far worse than the explanation she had started.Benjamin watched her carefully, noticing how quickly her confidence had disappeared.He had seen Vanessa become defensive many times whenever she knew she was wrong.However, her reaction now seemed different because she appeared genuinely afraid of his judgment.He leaned back slightly, his expression becoming more serious as he considered her explanation."You've always been hot-tempered." Benjamin cut in sharply, and Vanessa immediately shivered. "How are you going to lead
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-08-17
Chapter: Chapter 89: The Final ReckoningThe boardroom was silent except for the shuffle of papers and the faint hum of the air conditioning. Ginny sat stiffly, her hands clasped together so tightly that her knuckles turned pale.Every breath she took felt heavy, thick with fear and hope.Annabella sat beside her, calm on the outside, but Ginny could feel the tremor in her cousin’s hand where their fingers brushed.Margaret was across from them, her face sharp with determination, and Joshua, though bruised and pale, sat straight-backed as if refusing to show weakness before Lucy.The doors opened.Lucy walked in like she owned the air they all breathed. Her heels clicked against the polished floor, her dress immaculate, her smile calm, controlled, a queen entering her throne room.She didn’t spare Ginny a glance as she took her seat at the head of the table.The board members murmured faintly, unsure, restless.“Ladies and gentlemen,” Lucy began, her voice dripping with authority. “I called this emergency meeting because the
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-10-02
Chapter: Chapter 88: The Trap for Victor KaneThe night city lights spilled into the car windows as Ginny sat beside Annabella, her palms damp against the leather seat. Every bump on the road felt like it echoed in her chest.The investigator drove in silence, his jaw tight, eyes locked on the road as though he too carried a burden heavier than the air around them.“Are we really ready for this?” Ginny whispered, her voice fragile but steady enough for Annabella to hear.Annabella turned her face, her eyes burning with determination. “We don’t have a choice. Lucy has painted you as a thief. If we don’t cut Victor down, the board will never listen to us.”Ginny nodded, though her stomach twisted. She had imagined the face of the man who helped Lucy weave her lies.Now, she was on her way to meet him, to wrestle her fate back from his hands.The car slowed before a dimly lit diner tucked away at the end of an almost deserted street. The signboard flickered, half-broken, as if the place itself was tired of hiding secrets.The invest
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-10-02
Chapter: Chapter 87: Lucy’s Last CardThe morning carried no peace. By the time Ginny stepped out of her room, whispers were already spilling through the hallways.Faces turned toward her, some with pity, others with suspicion. She felt the judgment like stones pressing against her chest.At the dining hall, Annabella hurried in, her face pale, clutching a folded newspaper. She dropped it on the table before Ginny. “She’s done it,” she said, her voice shaking. “Lucy has moved first.”Ginny’s eyes fell on the bold headline. Her name screamed across the page—accused of siphoning funds, manipulating accounts, betraying her own family’s trust. A wave of heat rushed through her body.She gripped the edge of the table, her knuckles whitening. “This is false,” she whispered, though the heaviness in her throat made her voice crack.“She’s framing you,” Annabella said firmly. “And she’s doing it publicly.”Margaret entered slowly, her face stern, her hands holding yet another folder. “It’s worse than that. She’s called for an emer
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-10-02
Chapter: Chapter 86: Shattered LoyaltiesThe night air felt heavier than before, pressing against Ginny’s chest as she and Annabella stumbled out of the hidden passage with the ledger clutched tightly in Annabella’s trembling hands.Their breathing came in broken gasps, not just from running but from the weight of what they had left behind.Joshua.Ginny’s heart pounded at the thought. She could still hear his voice in her head, telling her to go, telling her to finish the fight, even as he stayed back to face Lucy’s men.The guilt was like fire in her veins. She had promised him she would end it, but the promise did not make the emptiness in her chest any lighter.Annabella slowed, pressing her back to the wall once they reached the east corridor of the mansion.Her face was pale and streaked with sweat, but her grip on the ledger was fierce. “Ginny,” she whispered, almost choking on the words, “we left him… we actually left Joshua down there.”Ginny’s throat tightened. She looked at her cousin, tears glistening in her eyes
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-10-02
Chapter: Chapter 85: A Desperate GambleThe room was suffocating, filled with the sharp tang of fear and the heavy sound of panting breaths. Ginny’s heart pounded as Lucy’s men spread out, eyes sharp and muscles tensed.Annabella leaned against the cool stone wall, holding the book of accounts as if it was her ticket to life. Joshua, on the other side, has his jaw clenched, fists too tightly bunched at his sides."You actually thought that you could outsmart me?" Lucy's voice sliced through. There was an undercurrent in her voice: humor laced with rage. She did another step and, by that light, her eyes sparkled menace. "You have underestimated me once too often."Standing her ground and her eyes fixed on Lucy, Ginny said, "We aren't afraid of you anymore, Lucy. The truth's out, and it is only a matter of time before the board sees it.Lucy's lips curled into a smile, but it was anything but friendly. "The boa"rd? Oh, darling, you don't think I'm worried about the board, do you?"She turned to one of her men, nodding sharply
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2024-12-09
Chapter: Chapter 84: The Hidden VaultThe early morning air was sharp and cool as Ginny stood on the balcony of her room, staring out at the sprawling estate below.It was the calm before the storm, that silence that always heralds the expectation of an up-and-coming battle.Two days had gone by since they had met with the investigator, and their plan had begun its motion. Her testimony to the embezzlement of Lucy into papers, with the damning link to Victor Kane, had all been set in place.She had learned to make the most of moments like this; when the quiet seemed to cradle her in its fragile, uncertain peace. She knew it wouldn't last. The board meeting loomed ahead, and with it, Lucy's inevitable counterattack."Morning." Annabella's voice snapped her from her thoughts. She stepped onto the balcony, joining Ginny with a determined expression."Morning," Ginny said, offering her a small smile. "Are you ready?"Annabella glanced over at her, the light in her eyes unwavering. "As I'll ever be. We've come this far, and no
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2024-12-09
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