LOGINThe drive to Vale Grand was silent.Damian kept both hands on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road.Amelia sat beside him.Victoria was in the back seat, holding the small key her father had left behind.Adrian was following them separately.Nobody knew who had entered the hotel.Nobody knew what they were looking for.But Damian knew one thing.They had to get there first.When they finally arrived, the old hotel stood exactly as they had left it.Dark.Silent.Abandoned.Except for one thing.A light was glowing on the third floor.Damian stopped the car.Amelia stared at the building.“Someone is inside.”Victoria swallowed.“My father used to bring me here when I was a child.”Damian looked at her through the mirror.“Did he ever mention an underground room?”“No.”She looked at the hotel.“But he always told me never to go below the ground floor.”Adrian pulled up behind them.He stepped out.“I've already contacted security.”Damian nodded.“Let's go.”---The front do
Damian read the message again.WHEN THE VALE FAMILY COMES LOOKING FOR ITS SHARES, GIVE THEM TO JONATHAN.He couldn't stop staring at the words.Amelia stood beside him.“Damian.”He finally looked up.“If Marcus Hale transferred his shares to Jonathan, then Jonathan isn't trying to steal Vale Group.”Daniel nodded.“He's trying to restore the original ownership.”Damian's jaw tightened.“Then why threaten me?”“Because you weren't listening.”“Listening to what?”Daniel pointed at the document.“The agreement.”Damian looked down.“Which agreement?”“The one your father signed before Meridian was dissolved.”Daniel pulled another document from the box.“This.”Damian took it.His eyes moved across the page.Then stopped.THE ORIGINAL SHAREHOLDERS MAY RECLAIM THEIR ASSETS IF THE COMPANY IS EVER CONTROLLED BY A SUCCESSOR WHO WAS NOT PART OF THE ORIGINAL AGREEMENT.Damian's expression hardened.“I'm the successor.”“Yes.”“And because I wasn't part of the original agreement…”“Jonathan c
The following morning, Damian woke before the alarm.He lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling.Twenty-nine years.Three families.One company.And a man named Daniel Mercer who apparently knew how it all began.Beside him, Amelia stirred.“You're thinking again.”Damian turned toward her.“How did you know?”“You have that look.”“What look?”“The one you get when you're trying to solve a problem before breakfast.”He smiled.“I'm going to see Daniel Mercer today.”“I know.”“You're coming?”She raised an eyebrow.“You really thought you were going alone?”Damian laughed quietly.“No.”“Good.”She sat up.“But before we leave, I want breakfast.”“Of course.”“And you're making it.”His smile disappeared.“Why?”“Because you woke me up with your worrying.”“That isn't how marriage works.”“It is today.”He shook his head.“Yes, ma'am.”---By nine o'clock, they were on their way.Adrian had sent them the address.A quiet neighborhood far from the city center.No security guard
Damian remained silent long after the call ended.Amelia watched him.“The company was created by your family?”He nodded slowly.“Twenty-nine years ago.”“And Jonathan owned it?”“Apparently.”She studied his face.“Damian…”“I know what you're thinking.”“No, you don't.”He looked at her.“You're thinking I should simply give him the company.”Amelia shook her head.“I wasn't going to say that.”“Then what?”“That we need to know the truth before deciding what belongs to whom.”For a moment, Damian said nothing.Then he smiled faintly.“That is exactly why I married you.”Amelia rolled her eyes.“Don't try to distract me.”“I wasn't.”“You were.”He laughed softly.Then his expression became serious again.“Let's go home.”---By the time they returned to the house, the rest of the family had already gathered.Adrian was sitting at the dining table with Nathan's documents spread before him.Victoria stood near the window.Elena sat quietly beside Mara.Noah was on the floor, playing
The next morning, Damian arrived at Vale Group before sunrise.He hadn't slept much.Neither had Amelia.The message from Jonathan remained on his mind.THIRTY DAYS.Not a threat thrown into the air.A deadline.A legal deadline backed by documents, trusts, and a history Damian hadn't known existed.When the elevator doors opened, Nathan was already waiting.“You came early.”Damian stepped out.“So did you.”Nathan gave a tired smile.“I thought you might want to see this before the board does.”He handed Damian a folder.Damian opened it as they walked.“What is it?”“The original shareholder agreement. The complete version.”Damian stopped.“You found the missing page?”“Yes.”“And?”Nathan lowered his voice.“The copy we had wasn't altered recently. It was replaced decades ago.”Damian looked up.“Meaning?”“Someone deliberately removed the final pages before the agreement entered the company's official records.”Damian's eyes hardened.“Who had access?”“That is what I'm trying t
For several seconds after Jonathan left, nobody in the boardroom moved.The door closed behind him with a soft click.Damian remained standing.His eyes were fixed on the door.Amelia watched him carefully.“Damian?”He finally turned.“I don't trust him.”Nathan exhaled. “Neither do I.”Adrian leaned against the table, arms folded.“But that doesn't mean everything he said was a lie.”Victoria slowly nodded.“My father kept records of the Vale family agreement,” she said. “If Jonathan's name was deliberately removed from those records, there has to be a reason.”Damian walked back to the table.“Then we find the reason.”Nathan immediately opened his laptop.“There is something else.”Everyone looked at him.Nathan turned the screen around.“The trust that currently holds eighteen percent of Vale Group shares.”Damian's expression hardened.“What about it?”“It wasn't established six months ago.”Silence.Nathan enlarged the document.“It was registered six months ago,” he continued.
The moment Amelia signed the papers, the ballroom erupted into whispers.Some people pitied her.Most enjoyed the spectacle.After all, scandals involving powerful families were entertainment for the rich.Amelia could practically feel their eyes burning into her skin as she placed the pen down car
The crystal chandeliers of the Grand Orion Hotel glowed above the crowd, casting gold across silk gowns and tailored suits. Laughter echoed through the ballroom, champagne glasses clinked softly, and cameras flashed toward the stage where the powerful elites of the city gathered.At the center of i
“Amelia!”The sound of Damian’s voice echoed through the apartment with a panic nobody had ever heard from him before.Sophie gasped.Nathan froze.And Adrian immediately lifted Amelia into his arms as her body went limp against him.“Move.”His calm tone cut sharply through the chaos.Years of med
The words slammed into Damian like a physical blow.“Don’t touch her.”For a second, nobody moved.Amelia’s body trembled weakly in Adrian’s arms, her face pale enough to terrify everyone in the room.“Move aside,” Damian said coldly.Adrian ignored him completely.“Get water,” he told Sophie calml







