Lahat ng Kabanata ng BENEATH THE LIES : Kabanata 111 - Kabanata 120

112TASHA’S POVAfter I saw that my father's house wasn't in pieces on the news, I couldn't help but smile. I decided to go see for myself. Standing there and inhaling the smoke would give me more satisfaction. My father thought he could discard me like waste, like I was nothing—all because now he had Alora. Well, now I guess he would find satisfaction six feet beneath me. . Everyone will mourn and soon after I would be the one to take everything; after all, I was his next of kin. A few more days and I would own everything: his wealth, his mansion, his cars, his companies. I would be unstoppable. I would be rich. I would finally get what I wanted.I had booked a taxi to my father's house, expecting that when I arrived I would find peace and solitude—I would stand there and watch everything in pieces. But unfortunately, life always seemed to take a twisted turn. Standing at the rubble with Stanley and a man dressed in uniform was Alora. I spotted her from the taxi and rolled my eyes. W

114TASHA'S POVThe police station felt like a trap. I sat across from the Inspector who's name I came to know was Davies, my heart was hammering so hard I was sure he could hear it. Sweat beaded on my forehead despite the air conditioning. His eyes burned into me like he was trying to read my soul.*Get it together,* I screamed at myself. *You're supposed to be the perfect actress.*But sitting here, under his intense stare, my confidence was crumbling. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. I gripped my dress to hide it."So, Mrs. Tasha," he said, his voice cutting through my panic. "Says here you're Ken Xavier's adopted daughter."The word 'adopted' hit me like a slap. My chest tightened with rage, but I forced my face to stay calm. "No, that's not right. I'm his real daughter. It's just... it's complicated.""Then un-complicate it for me." He leaned back, studying me like I was some lab experiment. "Tell me everything. Don't worry, you can trust me. Just pour it all out. The truth shall

116RYAN'S POVI walked the empty streets for what felt like hours, my hands shoved deep in my jacket pockets, my mind racing in circles like a caged animal. The city felt different at night—darker, more dangerous, full of possibilities that didn't exist during the day.Every few blocks, I'd pass a newsstand or see a TV through a shop window, and that same goddamn headline would flash across my vision: "Billionaire Stanley Richardson Announces Engagement to Alora Ken, Daughter of Business Tycoon."*Alora Ken.* Even seeing her name in print felt like someone was twisting a knife in my chest.How the hell had she moved on so fast? How had she forgotten everything we'd shared, everything we'd been to each other? We'd been planning our future together just two years ago. We'd talked about getting married, having kids, growing old together.And now she was engaged to some rich bastard she probably barely knew.But then again, why wouldn't she have moved on? I'd given her every reason to ha

118ALORA'S POV"Family members huh?" My voice cracked. "They think I'm a suspect? They think I tried to kill my own father?"The absurdity of it made me want to laugh and scream at the same time. After everything I'd been through, after rushing to the hospital, after watching my mother fall apart—now I was being treated like a criminal?"I'm not going," I said firmly, crossing my arms. "I'm not leaving my father's bedside to be interrogated like some kind of terrorist.""Alora, we don't have a choice. If you refuse, it'll only make you look guilty.""Guilty of what?" My voice was getting louder. "Of caring about my family? Of being devastated that someone tried to murder my father?"Stanley glanced around nervously. "Keep your voice down. People are staring.""I don't care who's staring!" But I did lower my voice slightly. "Stanley, you know who did this. We both know. It's Tasha. She's been planning to ruin our family and I'm sure she did it out of jealousy because she saw my father

120ALORA'S POVThe moment I stepped into the room behind Tasha, she immediately turned toward me with that fake concerned expression she'd perfected."I need some privacy to speak with my father," she said, her voice dripping with false emotion. "This is a very personal moment for me."I crossed my arms and planted myself firmly by the door. "Absolutely not. I'm not leaving this room.""Alora, please. I just need a few minutes alone with him."she barked at me but I didn't care, I rolled my eyes."If you want to speak to him so badly, then you can do it right here in front of me and everyone else." I gestured toward my mother and Stanley. "We're all family here, right? So whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of all of us."Tasha's jaw tightened for just a second before she composed herself again. She looked around the room at all the watching faces—Stanley by the door, my mother in her chair, the doctor observing everything, and me standing guard like a sentinel."Fine,"