Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 11 - Chapitre 20

The next day, the same piece of news spread through several circles in New Yorke and New Jersy that had dealings with the Melville family.The Donna of the Melville family was about to be replaced.When the news reached Lyon, he was at a private club in the city that only received regulars. He was meeting several partners.The people at the round table were not just drinking buddies who came for fun. They were a port insurance broker, a fund custody lawyer, and a trustee from a private museum.They spoke with restraint. The more restrained they sounded, the more troubling it felt.“Don Melville,” the custody lawyer said. He moved his glass slightly, and his tone remained polite. “What you do with that woman outside is your private matter. But if Cecilia really stops signing documents, many projects that used to go through her by default will need to be reviewed again.”Another trustee spoke after him. “She was supposed to attend a closed-door meeting for the restoration fund last

This time, Lyon did not go to the hospital. He did not confront Gianna.He shut himself in his study and waited through the entire night.At 4 a.m., the digital forensics team sent him the analysis report of the recording.The results were clear. The original audio showed no signs of fabrication. The background noise matched the timestamps from the port warehouse surveillance. It was a 97% match with Gianna’s voice.Lyon stared at the screen without moving for a long time.The second report was the medical review.The so-called pregnancy report came from a private clinic that the state medical board had reprimanded. The doctor who signed it had received a transfer three months earlier. The money eventually went through Gianna’s agent’s shell company.After that came the hotel records, brand swap lists, and emails showing that she had privately contacted the heads of film companies and the family foundation while using Lyon’s assumed approval.Page after page, it felt like someo

The house was calm and quiet.Clara did not press her about why she had suddenly brought Isabella back here. Matthew followed his usual routine. He left and returned home on time. It felt like they were silently telling her that she always had a home here.The only one making a fuss was Alexander.He spent the day handling contracts and meetings for the Laurent family and several art foundations. At night, he came back with snacks, knocked on her door, and asked if she and Isabella wanted to watch a movie. Sometimes he stood at the kitchen doorway and pretended to study children’s nutrition books. He would end up making a plate of poorly presented roasted potatoes and then confidently claim it had “top Kalifornia flavor.”Isabella warmed up to him quickly. She called him “Uncle Alexander.”That evening after dinner, Matthew went to the study to take a call, and Clara took Isabella to pick out pajamas. Cecilia and Alexander were alone in the living room.Alexander set a warm cup o

After that day, something between Cecilia and Alexander had secretly changed.The change was not dramatic. It felt like ripples spreading slowly across water.She no longer saw him as just an overly attentive brother. He no longer relied on jokes to hide what he felt.He still teased her.When she frowned at a restoration report and stared at it for too long, he leaned over and said in a serious tone, “Miss appraiser, that expression makes you look like you’re planning a murder. Do you need me to take care of the body? Legal counsel comes at a discount.”At other times, she became so busy that she forgot to eat. He set a meal on her desk and said, “Ms. Laurent, if you don’t eat, I’ll start thinking that you survive on pure resentment.”Every time, she did not know whether to laugh or feel annoyed.But when it really mattered, he was more reliable than anyone else.Once, a client tried to pass off an antique of unclear origin. When Cecilia refused, the client tried to pressure h

“Trying a different approach?”Lyon sneered. “Cecilia, do you really think a few documents can pin me down?”This time, Cecilia stepped forward before Alexander could speak. She picked up another folder from the workbench. She flipped to the last page and held it in front of Lyon.“These are not just a few papers,” she said. “These are bank confirmation letters, receipts from the prosecutor’s office, court case numbers, and your electronic signatures on several dispatch records.“Whether you get away with this doesn’t depend on you. It doesn’t depend on me either. The judge and the audit committee decide that.”Lyon stared at the words. The last bit of his forced coldness finally broke.He probably never imagined that the woman who once arranged seating at his charity dinners, smoothed over his mistakes, and cleaned up after his affairs would one day apply every rule to him without mercy.“You really had to go this far?”“You are the one who pushed things this far,” Cecilia s