บททั้งหมดของ Waiting in the shadows : บทที่ 81 - บทที่ 90

Early the next morning, Maya stood by the window of her bedroom, her phone pressed against her ear.The call rang.Once.Twice.Three times.Then it disconnected.She frowned slightly and pulled the phone away to check the screen.Damein.The call hadn't gone through.She tried again.This time it didn't even ring."Strange..." she murmured under her breath.She typed a short message instead.I'm travelling with Layrus for a few days. Call me when you see this.After sending it, she placed the phone down and sighed.Across the room, Layrus sat on the bed surrounded by his small toys, happily playing without a care in the world.Maya walked over and gently picked him up."We're going on a little trip, baby," she whispered.Not long after, she called Lucas.The line connected quickly."Maya?" Lucas's voice sounded slightly surprised. "Is everything okay?""Yes," she said calmly. "I just wanted to tell you something.""What is it?""I'm travelling with Layrus for a few days."There was a

Maya asked Lucas to meet her at her place.He didn't delay.When Lucas arrived, he looked tense, like someone already carrying too much on his shoulders. The ongoing drama with the Thoreau family, the media pressure, it was already a lot.And now Maya had called him.That alone meant something serious.He walked in and sat down, resting his elbows on his knees."Maya... what is it?" he asked.Maya stood for a moment, then slowly sat across from him.There was hesitation in her eyes."I'm sorry," she started. "I didn't tell you about what I've been doing these past few days."Lucas frowned slightly."What are you talking about?"Maya took a deep breath."I've been digging... into your birth."Lucas blinked, confused."My birth?" he repeated. "Maya, my birth isn't some kind of mystery.""Yeah... not in that way," Maya said quickly. "That's not what I mean."She paused.Then asked the question that had been sitting in her chest for days."Lucas... do you know if you were a twin?"Silence

The drive back from the doctor's house was tense and quiet. Lucas sat beside Maya, staring out of the window, his thoughts a whirlwind of confusion. Maya noticed the clenched jaw, the way his fingers drummed restlessly against his knee. She knew he was trying to process everything they had just discovered."I still can't believe this," Lucas finally muttered, his voice low but edged with disbelief. "Margaret... she kept a twin from my father? From me?"Maya nodded, trying to calm him. "Yes. And not just any child... the twin died at birth. That's why it was hidden. Henri never knew."Lucas's face tightened. "So... everything she's done... all this time, she's been controlling the narrative to protect herself.""That's exactly it," Maya replied, her eyes serious. "It wasn't about you, Lucas. It was about Margaret keeping her secrets buried and keeping the Thoreau name untarnished, at least publicly. But now that we know... this changes everything."The next day they went back to the do

London was draped in its usual grey haze, the streets humming with life as Maya, Lucas, and Alicia returned from their investigative trip to Scotland. The car ride was tense, silent for stretches, as each of them processed the revelations they had uncovered, the truth about Margaret's hidden twin, the layers of family secrets, and the fragile balance of power in the Thoreau empire.Sophie, meanwhile, remained completely unaware of their trip's purpose. From her penthouse in central London, she assumed Damein was still following her guidance blindly, completely unaware that Maya and Lucas had taken their own steps in Scotland. The ignorance filled her with confidence; she believed she was still several moves ahead in the game.Back in the boardroom, Damein prepared for a crucial round of meetings with investors. Every detail Sophie had provided him every investor preference, hesitation, and expectation was meticulously applied. He walked into the room carrying reports and projections,

Sophie stared at the report in her hand, her fingers tightening around the paper until it crumpled at the edges.The DNA results.Cold. Final. Undeniable.Her chest rose and fell sharply as she read the line again, as if the words might change if she looked long enough.They didn't.Damein was not Henri Thoreau's son.For a moment, the world around her felt still too still. Then it hit her.Everything she had built... every move she had made... every risk she had taken to destabilize Lucas...Was collapsing."Impossible..." she muttered under her breath.Her jaw tightened, anger flaring in her eyes. She had played this game too carefully for it to end like this. She had calculated every angle, controlled every narrative.And now?It was slipping through her fingers.Without wasting another second, Sophie grabbed her bag and stormed out, her heels striking sharply against the marble floor. If Damein wasn't answering her calls, she would go to him herself.The drive felt longer than usu