Masuk(Fabian's POV)Dad remained silent throughout our journey away from the lounge.His eyes stayed fixed downward. He didn't raise his head even once to look at me.He was probably too ashamed to meet my eyes. Maybe he was disappointed in himself, knowing that I had ended up being the one who stood up for him.A father was supposed to protect his children. But somehow, I was the one protecting him."Drive me home first," Dad finally said, his voice coming out small and weak.I stared at him. He wasn't going to the office?After everything that had happened, he was probably no longer in the mood to deal with work.The driver nodded slightly and turned the car toward the family mansion.After a short while, we arrived at the house.Dad reached for the car handle, but he suddenly paused.His hand hovered over the door for a moment, as if he was struggling with something.Then, quietly, he turned back and finally looked at me.For the first time since we left the lounge, our eyes met.His ey
(Fabian's POV)I stared at her for a long moment, then let out a quiet laugh."You really think you've got the last shot, don't you?" I asked.Susan blinked, caught off guard. The proud smile on her face slowly disappeared as she tried to understand what I meant."Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't give in to blackmail," I said calmly. "No matter how important something is to me, I will never trade justice for it."Susan's expression stiffened.She stared at me in disbelief. She had probably expected me to panic and agree to her terms immediately.Finding my half-sister was important.So was getting justice for Aliana.That poor girl had faced so much danger because of Steve. I wasn't going to fail her now."Steve made his own choices, and he'll have to face the consequences of those choices," I said."You..." Susan muttered, unable to hide her shock."However," I continued, "if you tell me where my sister is... I might do something to see that Steve's sentence is reduced.
(Fabian's POV)"How dare you send me that kind of message?" Dad demanded.I knew exactly what this was about and why he had immediately demanded to see her.The threats. The fear of being exposed. The reason he had paid her off wasn't because he wanted to keep peace in the family. It was because he was terrified that people would discover the truth."You're keeping my son in jail. Of course, I need to do something," she said calmly, completely unbothered. "Even if it means exposing the truth."Dad's expression faltered for a brief moment. She had struck the exact place he hated the most.But he quickly recovered. He pointed an angry finger at her, his chest rising and falling heavily with rage."I dare you to do that and see exactly what happens to people who cross me," Dad fumed."Why?" she asked casually, as if his threat meant nothing to her. "Are you ashamed of your ugly, dirty secret?"Dad's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.He knew the truth. The fear of being exposed was pro
(Fabian's POV)"Where... where did you get these?" he muttered, disbelief heavy in his voice.I didn't answer.That wasn't the question he should have been asking.Shouldn't he have been more concerned about why Steve's mother had stayed in the shadows all this time? Why she had been secretly watching our lives while still keeping in contact with her son, even after taking the money and agreeing to disappear forever?What had her plan been all along? She had even gone as far as threatening Dad.By now, I was sure he had already figured out who was behind that threatening message he received."Now you know who's most likely behind that message," I said calmly as I leaned back in my chair.Dad's jaw clenched so tightly I thought he might crack a tooth. His eyes burned with pure rage."Take me to her," he said through gritted teeth. "Now."A faint smile appeared at the corner of my lips.I didn't argue. I simply stood up, picked up my phone, and walked out of my office with him.Both my
(Fabian's POV)I let out a quiet sigh and dropped the phone back onto my desk."They can go ahead and expose the truth," I said calmly.I wasn't even a bit bothered by the threat. There was nothing I wanted more than for the truth to come out.Maybe then, Dad would finally care more about his children than his already damaged reputation."What did you just say?" he muttered through clenched teeth."Do they really think they can get Steve out of jail with this cheap blackmail?" I asked with a bitter chuckle."They should go ahead and do their worst. Steve isn't going to walk free without answering for his crimes."He had already committed too many.And if he was released, who knew how many more crimes he would commit? Who knew who else he might try to hurt? Maybe even Aliana again.I didn't know why, but a part of me had always wanted to protect her, even though I already knew nothing could ever happen between us anymore.Still, there was an invisible bond between us that could never b
(Delvin's POV)Mum looked from Aliana to me, clearly confused about what we were talking about."What if who tries something?" she asked.I opened my mouth, trying to say something else because I didn't want to tell her yet.But Aliana wasn't having it."Mrs. Barrington, please stop him," Aliana pleaded. "He's putting his life at risk."Mum frowned even more, completely confused."What's going on?" she asked.I let out a quiet sigh and rubbed my forehead, already feeling a headache coming on."His half-brother, Simon, is behind everything," Aliana blurted out.She was probably tired of keeping it a secret and afraid that if this dragged on any longer, Simon might try to hurt me again."Delvin has known about his evil intentions for a while now. And now he's planning to confront him... alone," she said, stressing the word alone to make sure Mum understood exactly how dangerous it was.Mum instantly turned to me, disbelief flashing across her face.I swallowed hard. I was cornered now.







