جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 120

I frowned at Adrian. The way his expression changed when I mentioned Alexander Roth wasn’t normal. His face had gone pale. His jaw tightened. He looked worried. “How did you know he made me an offer and Why did you say that?” I asked quietly. “Why are you telling me not to accept his offer?” Adrian leaned back and let out a slow breath. “For once, Serena… I need you to listen to me.” I laid my phone on the table. "Speak, I'm listening.” He looked around the café before lowering his voice. “Years ago, when the Laurent Group was at the top of the stock market, a businessman approached my father.” I stayed silent. “He introduced himself under a company's name. He talked about international investments, overseas expansion, and unbelievable returns for the market.” He smiled bitterly. “He was convincing.” I folded my arms. “So?” “It sounded believable with proof, charts, records and my father ended up believing him.” Adrian’s eyes remained fixed on the table. “Not completely

The call ended. Nobody in the room moved. The only sound came from the clock on the wall. Tick. Tick. Tick. Emma finally spoke. “What do we do now?” I took a slow breath. “We keep digging.” Clara looked confused. “Even after this?” “Especially after this.” I placed the tablet on the table. “If someone like Alexander chose Lumina… then Lumina has become valuable enough to attract dangerous people.” Neither of them argued. Emma nodded. “I’ll alert legal authorities.” “No.” She looked at me. “Not yet. We don’t know who else is connected to him. If this reaches the wrong ears… they’ll disappear before we know the whole truth.” Emma understood immediately. “I’ll keep it quiet.” “Good.” I stood. “No one signs anything. No meetings. No emails. No calls. If Alexander contacts anyone from Lumina… I want to know immediately.” Both women nodded. “We understand.” Just then, my phone began vibrating across the table. Unknown number. Again. And again. Three missed calls already.

A black SUV rolled to a stop half a block from the glass building. Its engine went off, and for a moment, no one moved. Adrian stepped out first, eyes locked on the big building across the street. Employees from the company came out and went in. Nothing seemed suspicious, and that was exactly what made it dangerous. Another vehicle pulled up. Victor Laurent climbed out, adjusting his dark coat. Sheriff Daniels arrived in an ordinary gray sedan, no flashing lights, no sirens, nothing to raise alarms. The sheriff walked over. “She’s still inside?” Adrian nodded. “She texted me before she went up, she's got to still be there.” Around them, plain-clothes officers dressed like office workers quietly spread out. Some carried briefcases, others held takeaway coffee or pretended to talk on phones. One slipped into the café opposite the building. Two more headed toward the back entrance. North side, loading dock, underground parking, all covered within seconds. Victor looked around wi

Sheriff Daniels looked over. “We’ve got offshore account records,” the detective reported. Another detective raised a portable hard drive. “And encrypted backups.”Adrian quietly watched the entire process unfold from his position. Months of careful investigation had finally led to this very moment. One detective approached the sheriff after some time. “Sir, we’ve got everything.”Sheriff Daniels nodded once in approval. “Good work.” He then looked directly toward Alexander. “It’s over.”Alexander clenched his jaw so tightly that the muscles in his face trembled visibly. The detectives escorted him firmly toward the front entrance. The moment the main office doors opened, curious employees looked up from their desks. But the second they saw Alexander in handcuffs, everything changed.Panic hit them instantly.Chairs scraped loudly as people shot to their feet. They knew. They were all in on it too, fraudsters who had helped him run the scheme. Files were quickly shoved into drawers. S

Adrian had barely taken a few steps when he stopped at the entrance of the Laurent group. Group headquarters. Meetings were waiting. Reports needed signing. People expected him. Yet none of it felt important anymore.His thoughts kept returning to one thing, his children.The conversation he had with himself earlier refused to leave his mind. If he truly wanted to change, if he truly wanted Serena to believe he was no longer the man who had hurt her, then he had to start with the people who deserved him the most.He turned and went back to his car. Without another thought, he started the car and turned the steering wheel. The car left the building and headed toward the children’s school. His heart beat faster the closer he got. He didn’t even know if seeing them was the right decision. He only knew he couldn’t keep pretending they didn’t exist.Back at Lumina company. I had barely opened another design file when my phone rang again. Nathan. I answered almost immediately.“Hello, Natha