Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 161 - Chapitre 170

Tiana, if you're reading this, I am sorry I did not protect you better while I lived. I allowed Eva to undermine you, allowed Nikolai to take you for granted, yet I did my best to make you as comfortable as I could. This is my attempt to make amends for what your teenage pregnancy stole from you. You have the resources now to build whatever future you want for yourself and your children. Use them wisely. And know that I always saw your worth, even when I failed to defend it. Sandy, my brilliant daughter, take the company and make it better than I ever could. Your startup will change lives, and now you have access to personnel and the resources to do it properly. I am so proud of the woman you've become. To my family as a whole: Eva's arrest for my murder will likely come shortly after my death, as I hope this letter can serve as evidence and testimony that will make her guilt clear. Do not mourn what she was. Mourn instead what she could have been if she had chosen love over contro

Chapter 163 Amanda pulled out a document. "Mr. Toriaga, I'm showing you what's been marked as Prosecution Exhibit 47. Can you identify this?" "It's the autopsy report on my father. The independent one my sister commissioned after his death." "And what did this autopsy reveal?" "That my father had been poisoned with thallium over an extended period. That his death wasn't natural but was caused by deliberate, repeated administration of a toxic substance." The jury was leaning forward now, attentive despite having heard versions of this information from medical experts. But hearing it from the victim's son carried different weight. "When did you first learn about this report?" Amanda asked. "My sister showed it to me about three months after my father's death. We met at a pier in Velmore, and she presented the evidence which included the toxicology results, the physical indicators of thallium poisoning, everything that proved Dad hadn't died naturally." "And what was your reactio

CHAPTER 165 Two Weeks Later - Verdict Day The jury deliberated for eight hours. Eight hours during which Tiana, Nikolai, and Sandy sat in a private room adjacent to the courthouse, waiting for word that a decision had been reached. They'd been warned it could take days as murder trials often resulted in lengthy deliberations as jurors worked through complex evidence and legal instructions. But eight hours suggested the jury found the case straightforward. The question was whether that worked in Eva's favor or against her. At 4:47 PM, Amanda Laurie's assistant knocked on the door. "We have a verdict. Judge Andersen is reconvening in fifteen minutes." They filed back into the courtroom which was now even more packed than during the trial, every seat filled with reporters and observers eager to hear the outcome of Velmore's trial of the century. Eva was already at the defense table, looking smaller somehow, as if the weight of the proceedings had physically diminished her. She di

Chapter 167 That Evening - Toriaga Residence Tiana arrived home energized despite her exhaustion, eager to tell Nikolai about her new role. She found him in the nursery, assembling the last pieces of the crib they'd put off finishing until closer to the due date. "How did it go?" he asked, looking up from the instruction manual he'd been scowling at. "Sandy was elected unanimously…well, ten to two, but close enough. She's officially CEO and Chairman." Tiana lowered herself carefully into the rocking chair they'd positioned by the window. "And she offered me a job." Nikolai's hands stilled on the crib rail. "What kind of job?" "CEO of Sandy's Care. Her medical foundation. She wants me to run it, to build it into something that really makes a difference for pregnant women who can't afford proper healthcare." She watched Nikolai's face, trying to gauge his reaction. In the past, he would have objected, would have worried about how it reflected on the Toriaga name, or whether it wa

Chapter 169 The reception was held under a massive tent on the estate's lawn, with dinner and dancing and all the celebration they'd missed the first time around. As the sun began to set, casting everything in golden light, Sandy stood to give her toast. "I've been dreading this speech," she began, and laughter rippled through the guests. "Not because I don't have things to say, but because I have too many things, and most of them will make me cry." She took a breath, composing herself. "Nine years ago, my brother married Tiana in a ceremony I didn't even know was happening until after the fact." The guests were silent now, attentive. "I watched them struggle for years," Sandy continued. "Watched my brother make terrible choices based on our mother's manipulation and his own fear. Watched Tiana suffer in silence, trying to be the perfect Toriaga wife while being systematically undermined and devalued. And I…" Her voice caught. "I did nothing. I told myself it wasn't my place to