Lahat ng Kabanata ng Love Me Then Destroy Me: Kabanata 121 - Kabanata 130

Adrian's POV"Did she suspect before she left that evening," I asked, directing the question at the empty office rather than at Thomas, who was still in the doorway with the specific posture of someone who has been asked to remain present in a difficult situation and is managing the discomfort of that request through professional composure."Sir," Thomas said carefully, "I do not know what she suspected. I was not present for the conversations that preceded the accident.""I know," I said. "I am not asking you. I am asking myself."He was quiet.The office was empty of everyone except the two of us, which was the condition I had specified when I called him back from his car forty minutes ago. The monitors on the far wall cast their soft illumination across the space without providing warmth. The city beyond the glass was in its full late-evening configuration, the specific pattern of lights that I had looked at from this window for twenty years without ever fully seeing it as anything

POV: Adrian"Adrian, you need to understand the narrative here," my lead counsel said, pacing slowly across the polished office floor. "We present the technological malfunction. Everything points to a system failure, not intent. That is our strongest line."I did not reply immediately.I leaned back in my chair, hands clasped, staring at the city skyline through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The sun was low, spilling amber across the buildings, but all I could see was the gathering storm of my own choices pressing in from every direction."I understand," I finally said, keeping my voice measured. "But understand this as well. I cannot simply shrug and point fingers. I built these systems. I approved these protocols. Even if the logs show a malfunction, I will be held accountable for negligence, and in this environment, negligence looks identical to intent."My lawyer nodded slowly, aware of the weight settling behind every word I spoke. "Which is why we need distance. You step back fr

POV: Adrian"Are you seeing this?" I asked, voice tight and controlled as I tapped the tablet screen in front of me. The financial dashboard flickered under my fingers, numbers shifting faster than I could reconcile them. "Margins are collapsing faster than projected. Investors are pulling out, and the press is relentless."My assistant Rachel shifted uneasily beside me, fingers clasped. "Adrian, some of the board members are calling meetings to discuss their positions. Some want to publicly distance themselves."I did not respond immediately. My eyes remained locked on the cascading figures, the headlines running in real time. Former Titan Faces Unprecedented Scrutiny. Corporate Ethics in Question. Adrian's Legacy Under Fire. Each one felt like a calculated strike, each one a small fracture in the structure I had built over decades."I understand the optics," I said finally, forcing the words out evenly. "But we control the narrative. We always control the narrative. Let us not panic

POV: Lana"Elias, the override command," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, though my pulse was hammering against my ribs. We were seated across from each other in the small conference room, the forensic report spread between us, its data lines illuminated by the harsh fluorescent light. "It was not Adrian. It did not come from his device."Elias's eyes met mine, sharp and unwavering. "I know," he replied, leaning back in his chair. "That is why this is worse. Or maybe better, depending on how you look at it. Because it means the narrative we have been following, the one that framed him as the sole actor, is incomplete. There is someone else involved. Someone who manipulated the system from within."I swallowed hard. "So he is innocent?" The words felt heavy in my throat, almost foreign. I had spent months, years even, convincing myself that every fracture between us was his doing, that the accidents, the fear, the control, all of it stemmed from him. Now the evidence suggested

POV: Adrian"You crossed a line," I said, voice low and controlled as I stepped into the board member's private office. The room smelled faintly of polished wood and old leather. Afternoon light slanted through the blinds, cutting sharp stripes across the floor. The quiet hum of the building felt almost oppressive, as if it were fully aware of the tension between us.The board member did not flinch. He leaned against his desk, one hand gripping the edge, eyes calm but sharp. "Adrian," he said, voice smooth, almost rehearsed. "You are in no position to make accusations."I closed the door behind me, feeling the familiar tightening in my chest. The same sensation I had learned to recognize as anger tempered by calculation. "Do not play coy. I know what you did. Accessing the executive systems, monitoring communications, influencing everything. Even the accident logs."He let out a quiet laugh. Not unkind, but deliberate. "And yet here you are. Standing, still breathing, still in control