Semua Bab Belonging to Lockhart: Bab 151 - Bab 160

AMARIS POV I paced the office restlessly, trying to connect the dots while grim possibilities clouded my mind. Our system was supposed to be airtight untouchable yet the image published in that article looked disturbingly authentic. “The reporter said his source found the offer and the so-called free sample on a dark web forum,” Romilly reported. I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek. “Maybe someone planted it. A decoy to bait the media.” “That’s possible,” Rex agreed, then turned to Romilly. “Do we know how much they were asking for the database?” “One million,” she said with a humorless smile. “The listing vanished within an hour. We can’t tell whether someone bought it or if they just took it down.” Dariel folded his arms, his tone edged with frustration. “It’d be easier if the reporter had given us the name from the leaked sample. We could’ve confirmed whether the user was real.” “He couldn’t,” Romilly said with a pointed look. “Data privacy laws. That’s why he

I stared at the man sitting before me the man who so closely resembled Theron it sent a chill down my spine. Even in something as ordinary as a chair, he carried himself like a monarch regal, unyielding, a ruler confronting one of his subjects. Whenever I faced him, there was always that same commanding aura, that same quiet strength. But now, beneath the surface, I saw the cracks: tension etched into his features, exhaustion heavy in his eyes. I offered a crooked smile. “I was just about to leave…” “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t urgent,” he said tightly, motioning toward the three-piece suite for me to sit. I regarded him with wary eyes before walking over to the sofa. He followed and settled opposite me. The irritation I’d been biting down all day finally surfaced, pushing sharp words to the tip of my tongue. “Mr. Lockhart, I know you don’t like me. This day has already been a disaster, and if you’ve come to add to the pile of nonsense I’ve heard from the board” “I di

THERON POV I undressed Ami slowly, savoring each moment as I peeled away the layers that separated us. I wanted to see all of her every exquisite inch of skin, every subtle curve that still managed to leave me breathless. When I finally laid her back on the bed, I let my fingertips chart a path along her body, exploring every rise and dip. Her breath hitched when I reached the soft swell of her breasts. Then my mouth followed, taking over where my hands left off, worshipping the delicate, pink skin of her nipples until she moaned beneath me, her fingers curling into the sheets. She tugged at the hem of my shirt, impatient, dragging it up with unsteady hands. I let out a quiet laugh and pulled it over my head. Her fingers ran over my chest and down to my abdomen, almost reverent in the way they moved as though she were memorizing me. Then her touch paused. She inhaled sharply, her expression shifting. “What’s wrong?” I asked, leaning in to kiss her, needing to pull her back int

AMARIS POV Hope. It surged through me, pulsing beneath my skin like a current, saturating me with warmth. Even after I hung up the phone and climbed into bed, the feeling lingered radiant and alive. It might be over soon. I’d be going back to New York. Back to Theron. Back to my friends. Back to everything I’d left behind. Soon. A soft smile clung to my lips as I shut my eyes, coaxing myself toward sleep. But sleep refused me. The more I tried to let go, the more my mind clawed its way back to the surface. Anxiety crept in, curling its cold fingers around my thoughts. What if it didn’t work? What if the evidence was fabricated? Or worse real, but not damning enough to bring Chun Kit down? My chest tightened, breath catching in my throat. Too many variables. Too many unseen angles. We could be walking into a trap and not even know it. “He’s always several steps ahead,” I murmured aloud, echoing what Jareth Lockhart once told me. And damn it, he was right. It felt like

THERON POV “There’s something important I need to tell you,” Ami said, her voice tinged with unease. She’d called around eleven, and by the time we hung up, it was well past midnight. She told me everything her meeting with Ellison Halberg, the revelations he’d shared. And as I listened to her describe a far darker, more chilling version of what had happened all those years ago, I wasn’t even sure I was breathing. I needed to tell my father. But I had no idea how. Jareth Lockhart was a cold, calculating bastard most of the time, but one thing I knew for certain he had loved his brother. Discovering he’d handed over money to the man responsible for that brother’s death? That would destroy him. Renzo needed to know, too. And God only knew how he’d take it. Would he blame my father? Most likely. Would he try to beat the living hell out of him? Without question. But one thing was certain after hearing the truth, both Renzo and my father would want Chun Kit dead. And yet