LOGINLiora thought for a few seconds, rubbing the tip of her chin before finally saying, “Admit they were wrong, then sincerely apologize. Just like I did with you. I was wrong, and I apologized. I hoped you would forgive me, Mom.”“I already have,” Tara said. The little girl's simple answer made the faint curve at the corner of Tara's lips grow even softer, though it carried a deeper, unspoken meaning. “Yes... that's what they should do.”Not long afterward, the mansion's front gate bell suddenly rang loudly. Once. Twice. Then, within seconds, it turned into a relentless barrage of ringing as someone repeatedly pressed the button without pause, shattering the peaceful calm of the late afternoon.Tara looked up, while Liora's nanny, who had been standing quietly in the corner of the room, turned around in surprise as well. A moment later, one of the housemaids hurried over.“Ma'am,” the maid called hesitantly. “There's a visitor.”“Who is it?” Tara asked calmly.The maid held up a tablet c
Kara turned toward her, her eyes vacant as tears slowly began to fall. “Benny refused, Mom. Everyone's afraid of getting involved. They said... this is connected to money laundering.”Helena flinched, her expression growing tense as well. But her anger and overwhelming pride refused to surrender so easily. She clenched her fists tightly. “That bitch really wants to bury us alive. We can't just sit here waiting for the police to come.”“Then what are we supposed to do?” Kara asked in a trembling voice, feeling completely shattered and cornered.“Let's go see Tara right now. She's the only one who can help us get out of this situation.”Meanwhile, the atmosphere at the Ashbourne main residence was completely different.The afternoon sun streamed through the large windows of the family room, creating a warm and comforting atmosphere inside. Liora's condition was much better than it had been a few days ago. Although the doctor still recommended that she get plenty of rest, the little girl
“How did they even find out about this apartment?” Kara whispered, her voice barely audible. Her body trembled violently behind the tightly drawn curtains in the living room.The memory was still fresh. Just fifteen minutes ago, her escape with Helena had turned into a humiliating nightmare. The moment their car pulled into the front entrance of the apartment building, dozens of reporters who had somehow caught wind of their whereabouts immediately surged toward them.Camera lenses pounded against the car windows, flashes went off one after another, blinding their eyes, while relentless accusatory questions were hurled at them without pause.When Kara and Helena were forced to get out, they had no other choice because nearly all of the reporters were blocking their way, the news hunters recklessly chased them all the way into the lobby. They almost managed to grab Kara's arm if several building security guards hadn't acted swiftly.The scene descended into chaos. The reporters' shouts
Every head turned toward Tara. Since the beginning of the meeting, the woman had mostly remained silent, but this time she had spoken up.And it made nearly everyone in Victor’s office turn their full attention to her.“The Neo Group project has no connection to the audit findings. Today’s issues are centered on the projects under Adrian’s supervision. As long as we can convince Neo Group that their project is secure, this partnership can still be saved.”“How do we convince them?” one of the directors asked.Tara lifted her gaze. “I’ll meet with them. You can’t possibly have forgotten that the negotiations I’ve handled with Neo Group have always ended well. I’m confident they’ll be willing to listen to my explanation.”Several directors exchanged glances. For the first time that day, they did not see Tara as Adrian’s wife or the Ashbourne family’s daughter-in-law. They saw the woman who had long been the primary liaison for many of the company’s major projects.Silence settled over t
Victor’s office door stood wide open because several directors had come to see him after the meeting to discuss the external audit findings had concluded. On their way to Victor’s office, most of them had never imagined what would happen. Except for a few names who had been involved in helping Adrian. Some of them remained busy at their respective desks, either erasing the traces of their crimes or preparing to take responsibility for what they had done.But one thing was certain: Victor had no intention of giving them any opportunity to escape.As soon as Victor’s office door closed again, the atmosphere became even more tense. No one moved from their seats. If the room’s attention had previously been consumed by the audit findings and the arrest of Ashbourne’s CEO, they now had to face consequences far greater than that.Several directors exchanged glances. Some were still in shock, while others were busy checking their phones, which continued to be flooded with notifications.“The
The group of staff members immediately fell silent and turned toward her almost at the same time. Some looked surprised at being caught, but none of them appeared frightened, uncomfortable, or guilty. And it was precisely that reaction that made Kara’s chest feel even tighter.Until now, people had always been careful around her, always watched what they said, and always tried to please her. Today was different. They merely looked at her impassively, with no desire to take back their words and no intention of apologizing.As if what they had been saying was simply the truth.“You’re spreading lies!” Kara accused, her voice rising.No one responded. One of the female staff members gave a faint smile and said, “We saw the news this morning, Miss Kara. So we’re not the ones spreading lies.”The sentence sounded simple, yet it felt far more insulting than any rebuttal. “You...”“That’s enough, Kara.” Helena immediately grabbed her daughter’s arm firmly. “We’re leaving.”“I’m not done talk
“You may begin, Mr. Keith. My apologies for keeping you waiting,” Victor said with a faint smile.Fifteen minutes had passed without a single person voicing any objection to Victor’s decision. In the man’s eyes, those who had spoken so loudly earlier were nothing more than cowards. They were only b
“We’ve arrived, Miss Tara,” the driver informed her.Once again, Tara let out a long breath. Ready or not, she had to face today. “Thank you.”The driver gave a polite nod as he opened the car door for Tara, allowing her to step out and reminding her to watch her step.The moment Tara entered the l
Victor looked at her without speaking. The look alone was enough to ask for an explanation from the woman still standing nearby.Tara let out a short breath before saying, “The audit starts today.”“I know.”“And I’ll be its lead supervisor.”Victor was still waiting for the real reason.Tara conti
Adrian let out a long sigh again and again. He had no idea how many dozens of calls he had made and how many messages he had sent to Kara, but the result was the same... the woman was ignoring him.“Damn it!” Adrian growled through gritted teeth.The curse slipped out from between his teeth. His ha







