Semua Bab Beneath the Façade: Bab 21 - Bab 30

BENEATH THE FACADEBehind the façade of wealth and power, a web of secrets awaits.Chapter 22Caleb's POV:Ken pushed the door open without knocking, his face already telling the story before his lips parted. He stood in the doorway for a second longer than necessary, shifting from one foot to the other, like a man who’d rather be anywhere but here. I looked up from my desk, the numbers on the spreadsheet blurring into one another. My morning coffee had gone cold. The sun hadn’t fully risen, and already the day felt heavy.“Sir,” he began, voice low, but urgent. “We’re short. The operation unit can’t run on what we have left.”I dropped my pen slowly, locking eyes with him. “What are you saying exactly, Ken?” My voice had a clipped edge, the kind that made most people stammer. But Ken didn’t stammer. He just swallowed, hard.“There’s no money coming in,” he said finally, and his eyes dropped to the floor like they couldn’t bear to meet mine. “No new deposits. No clearance from the las

BENEATH THE FACADEBehind the façade of wealth and power, a web of secrets awaits.Chp 24 beneath Emily's POV:My phone rang just as the digital clock on my nightstand blinked 12:00 a.m. in bold, unbothered digits. At first, I thought it was a dream—but by the third ring, I groaned softly and reached out blindly, fingertips fumbling until they landed on the cold screen.The name lit up instantly: Ethan.That jolted me upright.I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, still dazed and slightly disoriented, but something about his name in the dark stirred me awake faster than any alarm ever could. I swiped to answer, not sure why I felt a ripple of nerves dancing in my chest.“Happy birthday, my Dream,” his voice came through, rich with excitement, thick with something sweeter—something like love.My breath caught. For a moment, I just sat there, blinking into the darkness of my room, the phone pressed against my ear, his voice echoing in the quiet. I glanced down at the screen, half expecting

BENEATH THE FACADEBehind the façade of wealth and power, a web of secret awaitsChapter 26 beneath Emily's POV: The rain had started without warning, quiet at first, a gentle rhythm of droplets brushing against the tall windows of my father’s study. I hadn’t meant to linger there that evening. The room still carried the faint scent of his cologne, sharp, woodsy and the warmth of the leather chairs clung to the air.I was only supposed to retrieve a folder, the one with the quarterly numbers for the company's board review. He’d mentioned it offhandedly during dinner, claiming he’d left it in his study, tucked safely in the middle drawer.But as I walked toward his desk, something felt off.My hand reached for the brass handle, expecting it to glide open like it always had, effortlessly. Instead, the drawer resisted. A subtle, unnatural resistance. Not jammed, but restrained. Almost as though it was guarding something not meant to be seen.I paused, brows drawing together. I gave it

BENEATH THE FACADEBehind the façade of wealth and power, a web of secret awaitsChapter 28 Ethan's POV: I stood barefoot on the cool wooden floor of the beachside suite, the salt-heavy wind slipping in through the open balcony door. Below, the waves rolled in and broke softly against the shore—steady, unhurried, like they’d been doing this forever. It was the kind of sound that usually made me feel calm. Not tonight.The room was still. No voices, no music—just the low hum of the ceiling fan overhead and the heavy rhythm of my own breathing. My chest felt tight, like something was pressing down from the inside.I walked toward the window, drawn by the sea like it might have answers. The horizon was pale gold where the sun had started to dip, and the sky above it stretched wide and silent. I watched the tide move in slow, deliberate strokes, like it had something important to say but didn’t know how to say it.I looked down at my hand. The small velvet box lay open in my palm.The r

BENEATH THE FACADEBehind the façade of wealth and power, a web of secret awaitsChapter 30 Caleb's POV: I used to think I’d recognize the exact moment my daughter stopped being my little girl. Thought I’d feel it coming, like a shift in the wind or a light that flickered just before going out. I imagined it would be in the way she spoke, maybe in the way she said my name, or the questions she stopped asking. I thought there would be signs, loud or quiet, that would let me prepare for the day she stepped into a new chapter of her life without needing me to guide her every step.But nothing prepared me for it. No warning. No clue.It didn’t come with a speech or some dramatic goodbye. It came with a simple glance. A glow in her eyes. A small ring on her finger. And just like that, the truth hit me.She wasn’t mine to keep anymore.Not in the way she had been when she was five and needed help tying her shoes. Not in the way she had been at twelve when I waited in the rain outside her