Stolen Heiress 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 11 - 챕터 20

~Celine’s POV~I woke up before dawn, my body still aching from the fall at Clara’s wedding and my mind restless from everything that had happened.Lucien was gone from the bed. The sheets on his side were cold. For a moment, relief washed over me. I didn't have to face him yet after last night’s intense confrontation. But the relief was short-lived. The questions wouldn’t leave me alone.I slipped out of bed, pulled on a silk robe, and padded quietly toward the door. My throat felt dry. I needed water.As I walked down the dimly lit hallway toward the small pantry area, I noticed something unusual. The door to Lucien’s private study was slightly ajar. Soft light spilled out into the corridor. I could hear Mrs. Hargrove humming softly inside as she dusted the shelves she must have started her early morning cleaning routine.My heart picked up speed.Lucien was hiding something. I was sure of it. After the way he had cornered me last night, the threats, the raw anger… there was more t

Raid at the Port~Celine’s POV~The port hummed with controlled chaos around us.Crane operators shouted directions, forklifts beeped as they moved containers, and the salty sea air mixed with the sharp tang of diesel. I stayed close to Lucien and Lucas as we moved through the restricted Thornhart section, my eyes scanning every manifest, every timestamp, every route log I could glimpse.Lucien walked beside me in his public mask, rocking slightly on his heels, and humming a nonsense tune under his breath. His hand occasionally brushed mine with deliberate, steady pressure. A silent reminder that the real him was always watching.Lucas led us toward a cluster of shipping containers that had just been offloaded. “This is the last batch from the affected route,” he said quietly. “If there’s any sign of tampering or diversion, it should show here.”I leaned in closer to one of the open logs, comparing numbers in my head. The patterns were unmistakable. The same blind zone timing, the sam

~Celine’s POV~ The Laurent estate looked the same as always grand, cold, and filled with ghosts of memories I wished I could forget. I stood beside Lucien in the grand dining hall, wearing one of the elegant dresses he had gifted me. The emerald silk clung to my body, a silent reminder of the new life I had been forced into. Lucien stood tall and imposing next to me, still wearing his public mask rocking slightly on his heels, humming a soft, childish tune under his breath. But I could feel the real him simmering just beneath the surface, his hand occasionally brushing mine with deliberate, possessive pressure. Grandfather Laurent was already seated at the head of the long mahogany table, looking frailer than I remembered but with the same kind smile that had always made me feel seen. His silver hair was neatly combed, and his eyes lit up the moment they landed on me. “My little star!” he exclaimed warmly, opening his arms. “Come here, Celine. It’s been too long.” I walked fo

~Celine's POV~Since the Dinner with Grandpa, I haven't slept peacefully. So when the clock in the hallway struck two, I stopped pretending. I changed into something that wouldn't catch light in the hallways, stole the master key from Mrs. Hargrove's kitchen drawer, and went hunting for ghosts in the locked cabinets three floors down."By 3 a.m., a confidential ledger burned against my palms."Rain lashed the windows, the Thornhart estate creaking around me like a ship in a storm. The shipping records were finally starting to speak and what they said made my blood run cold.Blind zones. Manifest alterations. Ghost routes.Someone was bleeding Lucien's empire dry, and they'd been doing it for years using the exact same methods the Laurents had perfected twenty years ago.The door exploded open.I didn't have time to hide the evidence. I didn't have time to breathe. Lucien filled the doorway, shirt unbuttoned at the collar, hair wild, his steel-gray eyes finding the ledger in my hands

Second cousin to James Laurent. Shared great-grandfather." Voss zoomed in on a family tree, the branches spreading like a diseased root system. "Hale joined Thornhart Two years ago. The first wave of missing ships began eleven months ago."The timeline clicked into place with terrible clarity.I pulled up the shipping loss reports, laying them beside Hale's employment record. "First disappearance: the Thornhart Meridian, Malacca Strait, ten months ago. Hale had been in his position for eight months long enough to understand the routing systems, not long enough to trigger internal scrutiny."I highlighted another entry. "Second: the Coastal Crown, same blind zone, seven months ago. By then, Hale had requested and received emergency director credentials. Officially for 'crisis management preparedness.'""Third," Lucien said, his voice flat. "The Silver Dawn. Three months ago. Same pattern.""Four ships total," I finished. "Estimated cargo value: forty-seven million. Insurance claims den