บททั้งหมดของ Too Late for Regret, Mr. Vale: บทที่ 61 - บทที่ 70

The rain started early Friday morning, tapping steadily against the tinted windows of our car as Victor drove us toward the municipal court building. Elara sat in the seat beside me, holding a black leather briefcase packed with three copies of the cloned phone files and raw server IP logs.I looked down at my hands resting on my lap. I was calm. There was no shaking in my fingers, no racing beat in my chest, and no lingering fear. The weak, frightened girl who believed Adrian's gentle lies was gone for good."They filed the emergency petition at seven this morning," Elara said, looking up from her tablet. "Isabella's chief attorney managed to pull a temporary judge for an off-schedule probate hearing. They didn't even notify your family lawyer until an hour ago.""They wanted to catch us completely unprepared," I said, looking out the window as we pulled into the court parking lot. "Isabella knew that if she gave us two days, we would review every single paper. She wants to force a q

While Victor drove me toward the primary harbor docks to meet Lucien and share the good news about the judge's ruling, a very different scene was unfolding beneath the courthouse.Down in the dim underground parking garage, the air was cold and filled with the sharp smell of gasoline and damp pavement. Tall steel pillars cast long shadows across the empty spaces, hiding two figures standing beside a dark car near the far wall.Isabella threw her purse onto the hood of her vehicle, the loud slap echoing off the walls. Her face was twisted with pure rage as she whirled around to face Adrian."You worthless fool!" Isabella screamed, her voice echoing in the quiet garage. "Your own mother! She walked right into that room and handed the judge every single bank record! How could you not know she had those ledgers?"Adrian leaned back against the driver's door, his face pale and his dark blue jacket unbuttoned. He looked completely broken, his eyes staring blankly at the floor."I didn't kno

The wind howled off the open sea, whipping the rain sideways as my car rolled to a silent stop a hundred yards away from the old breakwater. High above the water, the abandoned harbor building stood dark and hollow against the stormy sky, its rusted metal walls rattling under the force of the gale.I sat in the driver's seat for a long second, my hands resting on the steering wheel. Beside me on the passenger seat lay a thick paper folder holding the printed transfer forms and estate releases.I took a deep breath, gathered the folder against my coat, and opened the car door.The rain hit me instantly, cold and bitter against my face as I walked through the deep puddles covering the broken stone floor outside. The yellow glow of my headlights faded behind me, leaving only the pale flicker of a single work light shining through the cracked doors of the building ahead.I pushed the sliding metal door open, the rusty wheels screeching loudly into the vast, dark space.The air inside smel

Chaos broke out across the dark room the second the main lights went dark and the tactical teams pushed through the doors. The hired guards tossed their handguns onto the floor, dropping straight to their knees with their fingers locked behind their heads as searchlights cut through the space.In the middle of the panic, Isabella saw her chance.She lunged sideways, her long fingers snatching the dark folder off the floor before spinning toward the small side exit behind the rusted pillars. She didn't look back at Adrian or the guards. Her eyes were fixed on the narrow door that led out toward the dark water, desperate to escape into the rain before the officers reached her.She didn't make it three steps.Elara stepped straight out from the shadows near the back wall. Without hesitation, she stuck her foot out, tripping Isabella right in her path.Isabella hit the floor with a loud gasp, the thick folder flying out of her hands and scattering pages across the wet floorboards. Befor

Monday morning was clear and bright, the high sun shining through the wide glass windows of the main conference room at the Jehanna Holdings building.Outside, the bay was alive with activity. Large cargo vessels moved smoothly across the water, their blue and white hulls gliding toward the central docks under the newly restored flag of my family’s company.Inside the room, the atmosphere was quiet, serious, and focused.Lucien sat at the head of the long glass table, leaning forward with his arms resting on the surface. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, showing the dark bandage wrapped around his right forearm. I sat right beside him, my fingers wrapped around a warm mug of black coffee, while Elara and Victor stood near the large digital display screen mounted on the wall.On the screen was a neat layout of data folders, server paths, and encrypted communication logs that our technical team had spent the last forty-eight hours decoding from Isabella’s satellite devic