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10:15 A.M. – Federal Investigation OfficeRichard Carter sat across from the investigators with his back straight and his expression carefully composed.He looked nothing like a man who had been arrested the night before.His shirt was perfectly pressed.His silver watch rested neatly against his wrist.Even his hair was carefully combed.He looked calm.Untouchable.As though the room belonged to him.Across the table, two federal investigators sat with a thick file between them.One of them slowly opened it."Mr. Carter, let's begin with something simple."Richard leaned back."Go ahead.""How did Carter Group come into existence?"Richard didn't hesitate."I built it."The investigator raised an eyebrow."Built it?""Yes.""From what?""Capital. Business connections. Investments.""And where did that capital come from?"Richard's expression hardened slightly."My personal investments.""Your personal investments?""Yes."The investigator flipped through several documents."That's i
9:10 A.M. – Cross MansionAria barely slept.The events of the past few days had become a blur of betrayal, fear, and regret.Richard had been arrested.Sophia was dead.Ethan had disappeared.And Lucas...Lucas was becoming someone she no longer recognized.She sat at the edge of the bed, staring at her phone.For several minutes, she hesitated.Then she opened her messages.Her fingers moved across the screen.Aria: I need to see you.She stared at the message before pressing send.The reply came less than a minute later.Lucas: Come to my office.Aria's eyes narrowed.No questions.No hesitation.Almost as if he'd been expecting her.She locked her phone."Fine.""If you want to play this game...""I'll play."---10:00 A.M. – Walter Group HeadquartersThe elevator doors opened.Aria stepped into the executive floor.Her expression was calm, but beneath it, anger burned fiercely.Lucas's personal assistant immediately stood."Good morning, Miss Carter.""He's expecting me.""Yes, m
Two days later8:10 P.M. – Carter MansionRichard Carter was lying comfortably in his bedroom, one hand resting behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.For the first time that day, the house was quiet.Too quiet.He had spent the entire evening thinking about Aria.Her words kept replaying in his mind.I was never home to begin with.Richard's jaw tightened.That ungrateful girl.After everything he had done for her...He closed his eyes.Then—Bang!A loud sound echoed from downstairs.Richard's eyes snapped open.Another voice followed.Deep.Authoritative."Nobody leaves the premises."Richard immediately sat up."What the hell?"He heard hurried footsteps approaching his bedroom.The door flew open.Elizabeth stood there, breathing heavily."Richard!"He frowned."What happened?"Her face was pale."The police are here."Richard stared at her."What?""They're downstairs."She swallowed."Richard... there are several officers."His expression hardened."The police?"He slowly
8:45 A.M. – Cross MansionAria remained seated on the edge of the bed long after Damian's footsteps disappeared down the hallway.Her eyes were swollen.Her face was pale.And her heart felt impossibly heavy.She looked at her phone again.The unknown number was still displayed on the screen.Sophia was dead.There was no undoing that.No amount of money could change it.No revenge could bring her back.Aria slowly stood and walked toward the bathroom.She turned on the tap and splashed cold water over her face.Once.Twice.Again.She stared at herself in the mirror."You have to get yourself together."Her voice was barely audible."You can't let Damian know."But the moment she said it...She hated herself.Because Damian had always told her the truth mattered.And she was still lying to him.Aria grabbed a towel and dried her face.She adjusted her hair.Then she forced herself to smile.It looked fake.Terribly fake.But it would have to do.She opened the bedroom door.---Dinin
8:15 A.M. – Cross MansionMorning sunlight filtered through the curtains of Aria's bedroom, but she barely noticed it.She sat on the edge of the bed, her phone clutched tightly in her hand.She had been trying to reach Ethan for almost an hour.Again.And again.Nothing.She dialed his number one more time.The call didn't even ring.The number you have dialed is currently unavailable.Aria frowned.She lowered the phone and stared at the screen."No..."She tried again.Same message.Her heart began to beat faster."Ethan..."She whispered."Where are you?"After everything that had happened yesterday, she needed answers.She needed to see him.She needed to know whether the documents he had given her were enough to prove the truth about Clara.And more importantly...She needed someone who understood what was happening inside her head.She dialed again.Unavailable.Aria threw the phone onto the bed."Why aren't you answering?"Before she could pick it up again...Her phone suddenl
10:40 P.M. – Carter MansionThe Carter Mansion was unusually quiet.The servants had long since retired to their quarters, and the enormous house was almost completely dark.Only the faint glow from the study spilled into the hallway.Inside...Richard Carter stood behind his desk, staring at the city through the floor-to-ceiling windows.His face was unusually tense.He had spent the last several hours thinking.Aria knew.That was the only thought running through his mind.The door opened.Elizabeth entered first, followed by Vivienne.Elizabeth frowned when she saw the expression on her husband's face."You asked us to come here this late.""What happened?"Richard didn't answer immediately.He poured himself a glass of whiskey.His hand was unusually tight around the glass.Then he finally spoke."Aria has found out the truth."Elizabeth froze."What truth?"Richard turned around."The truth about her."A confused expression crossed Elizabeth's face."What are you talking about?"
Three days later, the conference room of Carter Holdings looked like a crime scene for human patience. Papers everywhere. Coffee cups abandoned like casualties. Perfume in the air heavy enough to choke the ancestors.Vivienne Carter stood in the center of the chaos tall, flawless, and dramatic as a
It was 11:28 PM and Selene still wasn’t back.Damian finally shut his laptop with a sigh. She’s doing too much, he thought. He headed downstairs, spotting one of the house staff.“Where is my girlfriend?” he asked quietly.“Sir… I saw her enter the guest room,” the servant replied.Damian’s brows t
Daniel stepped into the private suite Lucas used for meetings, shutting the door behind him.Aria was already there, sitting with one leg crossed over the other, scrolling through her tablet like a CEO reviewing an empire she already owned.Lucas looked up first.“Front man,” he grinned, “you survi
It's 7:15 a.m.Jessica stood in front of Carter Holdings’ glass doors, breathing in deeply like someone about to run a marathon she didn’t train for. She adjusted her bun, squared her shoulders, and whispered to herself:“Okay. It’s Vivienne Carter. Not a lion. You will not die.”She stepped inside







