All Chapters of Love in the Shadows of Legacy: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

80 Chapters

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Lily's POVThe evening was winding down and I was starting to relax when I heard Victor Walter's voice carry across the gallery, loud enough to turn heads."Thompson Enterprises is a sinking ship," he said to a cluster of investors near the bar. "Richard Thompson's last decision proves the old man had lost his mind."I froze with my champagne glass halfway to my lips and felt Rafael tense beside me.Victor Walter was hard to miss, tall and imposing with sharp features and an expensive suit that screamed new money trying to look like old money. I'd seen his name in the investor reports but we'd never met."The company will be in chaos for years," Victor continued, clearly enjoying his audience. "You can't put a retail worker in charge of a multi-billion-dollar corporation and expect anything but disaster. I give it six months before the whole thing collapses."Heat flooded my face and my hands started shaking because this wasn't anonymous comments online, this was a major player in

Last Updated : 2025-10-26

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Alexander's POVThe text came through at midnight while I was still awake replaying the gallery event in my mind.Got what you asked for. Sending files now. Call me when you're ready to discuss.I sat up in bed and opened my laptop as the email arrived with a dozen attachments from the private investigator.The first was Elena Rose's death certificate dated April 3, 1999. Cause of death: blunt force trauma from a single-vehicle collision on Highway 82 in Alabama. She'd been twenty-eight years old.The next document was her obituary from a small Alabama newspaper.Elena Rose, 28, of Birmingham, died April 3 in a traffic accident. Born in Miami, Florida, she was a talented artist and devoted mother. She is survived by her daughter, Lily Rose, age 8. Services will be held at Pinewood Memorial Chapel.Lily Rose, age 8.I stared at the words and did the math again because I'd done it a hundred times already. Elena had left Miami in October 1998 and died less than six months later, leaving

Last Updated : 2025-10-27

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Lily's POVThe email arrived at 7:43 AM with no subject line and a sender address that was just random numbers and letters.I almost deleted it as spam but something made me click it open.Inside was a single scanned document and my blood turned to ice when I saw what it was.Miami-Dade Police Department arrest record dated July 2014 with my name at the top and a mugshot of nineteen-year-old me looking terrified and young.Charges: Art forgery, fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud.My hands started shaking so badly I almost dropped my phone and I had to set it down on my kitchen counter while I tried to breathe through the panic squeezing my chest.A second email arrived thirty seconds later with more documents, the police report detailing how Marcus Webb had used me to create forgeries he sold to private collectors for thousands of dollars.Then a third email with the final disposition showing all charges against me were dropped when investigators confirmed I'd been deceived and had no

Last Updated : 2025-10-27

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Alexander's POVThe file sat on my desk like a loaded gun, and I stared at it for the hundredth time, trying to decide if I had the stomach to pull the trigger.Inside were copies of Lily's arrest record, police reports, and witness statements from the forgery case, everything neatly organized and ready to send to Martin Torres at the Miami Herald.One email and the story would break within hours, Lily's credibility would be destroyed and the board would have no choice but to remove her.I'd get the company back and everything would return to the way it should have been.Except I kept seeing the look on her face this morning when she'd shown me those anonymous emails, the fear and vulnerability she'd tried so hard to hide.Someone had already sent her the documents which meant someone else was planning to expose her past.All I had to do was sit back and let it happen.But sitting back felt like cowardice and I'd never been a coward, so why did pulling the trigger feel equally wrong?

Last Updated : 2025-10-28

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Lily's POVMy phone started buzzing at 6:32 AM and didn't stop.I grabbed it from my nightstand, still half asleep, and saw seventeen missed calls, forty-three text messages, and a flood of news alerts that made my blood run cold."Thompson Enterprises CEO's Criminal Past Revealed""Art Forgery Charges Surface for Lily Rose""Questions Mount About Thompson Heir's Qualifications"My hands shook so badly I nearly dropped the phone as I clicked on the first article from the Miami Herald.Lily Rose, the controversial CEO of Thompson Enterprises, was arrested at the age of 19 for art forgery and fraud, according to documents obtained by the Herald. Rose allegedly created forged paintings that were sold to private collectors for thousands of dollars before the scheme was uncovered by police in 2014.While charges were eventually dropped, the arrest raises serious questions about Rose's character and judgment at a time when the company faces mounting scrutiny over its unprecedented leadershi

Last Updated : 2025-10-29

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Alexander's POVThe first headline popped up at 6:45 AM, and I was already awake, staring at my laptop, waiting for it."Thompson Enterprises CEO's Criminal Past Revealed"I clicked through and saw her mugshot, nineteen-year-old Lily with wide terrified eyes and no makeup, looking like a kid who'd just had her world destroyed.My stomach twisted but I kept reading.The article laid out everything exactly as I'd provided it: the arrest for art forgery and fraud, the police investigation, and her involvement in creating fake paintings that sold for thousands of dollars.Torres had buried the part about charges being dropped in the seventh paragraph where most people wouldn't see it.Perfect character assassination.I should have felt victorious but instead I felt nothing except a strange hollow sensation in my chest.My phone started ringing immediately, and I ignored the first three calls before Robert Hartley's name appeared, and I knew I had to answer."Alexander, have you seen the n

Last Updated : 2025-10-30

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Lily's POVI arrived at Thompson Enterprises thirty minutes early for the board meeting because I wanted to walk in on my own terms instead of rushing in late and flustered.Janet was waiting by my office with coffee and a folder of documents I'd asked her to print."How are you holding up Miss Rose?""I'm terrified but I'm here." I took the coffee gratefully. "Did you get everything I requested?""The complete police report, the letter from the district attorney dropping all charges, character references from your professors and Mr. Martinez, everything." She handed me the folder. "Miss Rose, for what it's worth, I believe you."Her words made my throat tight, but I just nodded because if I started crying now, I wouldn't stop.I went into my office and reviewed my statement one more time, the words I'd spent all morning crafting and rewriting until they felt honest without being defensive.My phone buzzed with a text from Rafael: You don't have to do this. Walk away and let them dest

Last Updated : 2025-10-31

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Alexander's POVI couldn't leave the conference room after Lily walked out.I just sat there in the empty space staring at the chair where she'd delivered her statement with shaking hands and a voice that barely held steady.She'd been nineteen years old and in love with someone who'd used her.Just like I'd used her yesterday when she'd cried in my arms and I'd promised to help her.The parallel made me sick.I pulled out my phone and opened the article I'd leaked, looking at her mugshot again but this time all I could see was the terror in her eyes. She'd been a kid who'd trusted the wrong person and spent a night in jail for it.And seven years later I'd made sure everyone knew about her worst moment.My phone buzzed with a text from Patricia Blackwell: Disappointing outcome but we'll get another chance. She'll make a mistake eventually.I stared at the message, feeling nothing except disgust, because Patricia was excited about the prospect of destroying Lily, and I'd given her the

Last Updated : 2025-11-01

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Lily's POVI made it to my office before the full weight of what happened hit me.Probationary status with monthly evaluations and increased oversight like I was a criminal on parole instead of the CEO of a company worth billions.I'd survived but barely and everyone knew it.Janet brought tea instead of coffee this time and set it down gently. "Miss Rose, you should go home. It's been a long day.""I will in a bit." My voice sounded hollow. "I just need a minute."After she left, I sat at Richard's massive desk and stared at my hands, wondering how everything had gone so wrong so fast.Three weeks ago, I'd been happy mixing paint and teaching art classes, and now I was fighting for my professional life because someone had weaponized my worst mistake.Because Alexander had weaponized it.My phone buzzed with a call from Sophia and I answered because I needed to hear a friendly voice."Lily, oh my God I just heard about the board meeting. Are you okay?""I kept my position but I'm on p

Last Updated : 2025-11-02

CHAPTER THIRTY

Alexander's POVI sat in my car outside Willis's office building at 9 PM staring at my phone and the message from James about Richard's private letter.The building was dark except for a few windows on the upper floors where associates worked late on cases that couldn't wait until morning.Willis's office was on the fifteenth floor and I knew he kept late hours because Richard used to joke that the man never slept.I got out of the car and rode the elevator up, my stomach twisting with something that felt like dread mixed with anticipation.The receptionist desk was empty, but Willis's door was open, and I could see him hunched over his desk reviewing documents."Working late," I said from the doorway.He looked up and didn't seem surprised to see me. "Alexander. I was wondering when you'd show up.""James said you have a letter for me from Richard.""I do." Willis set down his reading glasses and gestured to the chair across from his desk. "But before I give it to you, I need to ask

Last Updated : 2025-11-03

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