INICIAR SESIÓNChapter 183Zara stood her ground, her posture rigid. She refused to show an ounce of fear to the monster sitting before her."You're Arthur Sinclair," Zara said, her voice steady.The old man wheezed a laugh, tapping his cane against the floor. "I am. And you are my granddaughter. You have your mother’s stubborn chin, but those eyes... those are Sinclair eyes. The mark of kings.""Don't flatter yourself," Zara spat. "You have no right to call me your granddaughter. You abandoned my mother. You left her to die in poverty, and now you send hitmen to murder my fiancé and threaten my son."Arthur’s smile faded into a thin, grim line. "I did not abandon your mother. She ran away. She fell in love with a weak, pathetic man and refused her birthright. I simply allowed her to experience the consequences of her actions. As for your fiancé..."He leaned forward, his icy blue eyes turning cruel."Ethan Cole was a miscalculation. I ordered Julian to ensure your engagement five years ago was term
Chapter 182The silence in the underground garage was suffocating, broken only by the low, predatory hum of the Rolls-Royce engine.Zara didn’t move. Her eyes remained locked on Chloe.It was impossible. Zara had been in the courtroom two weeks ago when Chloe was denied bail. She had watched the marshals shackle her wrists and lead her away after Ethan played the video of Chloe tampering with his neuro-medications. There was no legal avenue, no bribe large enough, to get a woman facing attempted murder and corporate espionage out of federal lockup."You look pale, Zara," Chloe mocked, leaning casually against the open door of the Rolls-Royce. "What’s the matter? Aren't you happy to see family?"Zara’s thumb slid over the safety switch of her taser inside her purse. She kept her face an unreadable mask of ice. "How are you out, Chloe?""Oh, you know," Chloe examined her perfect manicure. "Friends in high places. It turns out when you work for the right people, federal judges develop a
Chapter 181The Next Morning - 8:00 AMThe Grand Atrium, Cole Corporation HeadquartersJulian Thorne loved the smell of desperation.He stood in the massive glass lobby of Cole Corp, surrounded by a swarm of reporters and flashing cameras. Today was the day. With Ethan Cole on his deathbed and Agatha Cole ousted, the board had called an emergency public shareholder meeting.Thorne adjusted his bespoke tie, offering a devastatingly charming smile to a female reporter."Mr. Thorne!" a journalist shouted over the din. "You represent a massive, undisclosed private equity firm that just bought 40% of Cole Corp. Are you planning a hostile takeover today?""Hostile is such an ugly word," Julian chuckled smoothly into the microphones. "Let’s just say I am stepping in to provide stability during a tragic time. Ms. Frost is an emotional, grieving woman. Running a multinational empire requires a steady hand. I merely intend to offer my services as the permanent CEO.""But what about Ethan Cole’s
Chapter 180The penthouse at the top of the Cole Tower was exactly as Ethan had left it on the morning of the shooting.Zara stepped out of the private elevator, her heels sinking into the plush, charcoal-gray carpet. The massive apartment was silent, bathed in the orange hues of the setting sun filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows.She had ordered Marcus to stay at the manor to oversee Ethan’s transfer and guard Leo. She needed to do this alone.Julian Thorne had called her a Sinclair. He knew her bloodline, which meant Victor Vance had known too. If Victor knew, there was a high probability that Ethan had uncovered it during his underground investigation into his amnesia.She walked past the minimalist living room and pushed open the door to Ethan’s private study.The room smelled intensely of him—cedarwood, black coffee, and old paper. Zara felt a fresh wave of grief tighten her throat, but she swallowed it down. Now was not the time for tears.She walked behind his massi
Chapter 179The phone slipped from Zara’s fingers, clattering loudly against the mahogany table.Julian Thorne paused at the boardroom doors, looking back over his shoulder. A slow, deeply satisfied smirk played on his lips. Then, he adjusted his cuffs and disappeared into the hallway, the heavy oak doors swinging shut behind him.Zara didn’t waste a single breath on screaming."Meeting adjourned!" she barked, already sprinting toward the exit.She abandoned her security detail, bursting out of the boardroom and ignoring the startled shouts of the executives. She hit the elevator call button, hammering it repeatedly with the palm of her hand until the metal doors slid open.The ride down to the ground floor felt like an eternity. Her mind was a chaotic loop of Marcus’s frantic voice.He’s flatlining. He’s flatlining."Don't you do this, Ethan," she whispered to the empty elevator car, her nails digging half-moons into her palms. "Don't you dare leave me with this mess. You coward. You
Chapter 178Silence dropped over the boardroom like an anvil.The directors stared at the document in shock. Ethan Cole had a son? A four-year-old heir? The implications were staggering.Agatha stared at the document, her hands trembling with rage. She looked like she might have a stroke. "This... this is a forgery! A cheap trick by a gold-digging tramp!""Read the signature at the bottom, Agatha," Zara said coldly. "It’s signed by Ethan himself. Dated three weeks ago."Agatha’s eyes darted to the bottom of the page. There, in bold black ink, was Ethan’s unmistakable signature.Zara felt a tight squeeze in her chest at the sight of it. Three weeks ago, when Ethan was desperately cooking for them and sleeping in his car outside her apartment just to make sure she was safe, he had secretly drawn up this document with his lawyers. He had secured Leo’s future without ever using it as leverage to win her back.You stupid, arrogant man, she thought, her heart aching. You always have to be o







