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Home / He Locked Up the Wrong Woman / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of He Locked Up the Wrong Woman: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

13 Chapters

Chapter 1

"You really think that piece-of-junk phone can wipe out billions of dollars?"Joseph Stout scoffed and snatched the phone from my hand.He slammed it onto the tile floor. The screen shattered on impact, and a few shards flew up and nicked my ankles, leaving thin streaks of blood.His expression flickered before he let out a harsh, humorless laugh. "No one's going to take a lunatic seriously. You sit at home tapping away at a keyboard and think that makes you some elite hacker?"Stout Group's firewall is maintained by one of the best cybersecurity teams in the world. And you think you can get through it?"I glanced at my shattered phone on the floor.I'd already hit "Enter." The Trojan was already embedded deep inside Stout Group's core systems, and the 72-hour countdown had begun.When it hit zero, his entire financial empire would be gone.Joseph finally lost his patience. "Hold her down."Two burly attendants stepped forward and pinned me by the shoulders, one on each side.

Chapter 2

Rebecca walked over to the bed and looked down at me. "Awake?"With Joseph gone, she didn't bother pretending anymore. The sweetness vanished, and her spite showed through."Hurts, doesn't it?"I gave her a cold look. "What do you want?"She pulled over a chair and sat down. "I came to see you, of course, my dear sister. Just look at you. You look like hell."She reached into her bag and pulled out a clear, sealed bag. Inside was the broken paintbrush my brother, Noah Caldwell, treasured most.My eyes widened. "What did you do to Noah?"Rebecca toyed with the bag and laughed softly. "Relax. We just gave him a little warning. He refused to hand over the patent, so Joseph got angry and had someone break his right hand."For a brilliant painter, losing the use of his right hand has to be worse than death, don't you think?"My breathing turned ragged as rage surged through me.Noah was the only family I had left."Rebecca, you're both going to pay for this," I said through clenc

Chapter 3

I lifted my head. After two days without food, my lips were cracked, and my vision kept fading in and out.Joseph tossed a document in front of me. "Sign this."Across the top were the words "Patent Assignment Agreement Without Compensation." There was a signature line for Noah in the bottom-right corner."Talk Noah into signing it, and I'll have you moved to a private room. You don't want these lunatics staring at you every day, do you?"I looked at the agreement and scoffed. "Joseph, do you really think you've won?"He crouched in front of me and grabbed my chin. "Why wouldn't I? Lillian, you still don't get it, do you? Those hacking skills you're so proud of are useless in here. Noah's life is in my hands too. You don't have a choice. Give in."I met his gaze. "Is that so? Have you checked the company's financials lately?"Joseph's gaze faltered. "What are you talking about?"I gave a faint smile. "Nothing. Just a warning. You might want to watch your back."He let go of my

Chapter 4

The guests around me pointed and whispered."Isn't that the woman Mr. Stout used as Rebecca's stand-in?""I heard she went crazy and got sent to a psychiatric hospital. What's she doing here?""Mr. Stout probably felt sorry for her and brought her here so she could finally get the message.""How shameless. She's even wearing a bridesmaid dress. Is she trying to steal the spotlight?"Cruel whispers and laughter came from every direction, but I didn't react.Joseph wore a white tailcoat and moved easily through the crowd, looking every bit the perfect groom.Rebecca stayed on his arm in a custom wedding gown worth ten million dollars. Around her neck was the Azure Heart, a diamond necklace Joseph had bought at auction for 300 million dollars as her wedding gift.She smiled like she'd already won.Joseph spotted me in the corner and walked over with a wineglass in hand. Rebecca was still at his side.He stopped in front of me and looked down at me. "How does it feel watching som

Chapter 5

Just as Joseph was about to slide the ring onto Rebecca's finger, the sharp buzz of his phone broke the silence in the ballroom.He frowned and was about to ignore it when another phone in his pocket started vibrating nonstop. It was his private phone.At the same time, the phones of several senior Stout Group executives in the front row started going off.Unease rippled through the ballroom.Joseph pulled out his phone. The moment the screen lit up, his face went rigid.The bodyguards still had me pinned in the corner. I couldn't see his screen, but I knew exactly what was on it.One alert showed that three billion dollars had been transferred from his overseas account at Helvory Bank, ending in 8899.Another showed that 1.5 billion dollars had been transferred from his Nexara Bank account, ending in 1234.A third showed that Stout Group's corporate account had been completely drained.Alert after alert flooded his screen, each one worse than the last."That's impossible," J

Chapter 6

Joseph squeezed my throat until I could barely breathe, but I wasn't afraid.I met his murderous glare with a confident smile and forced out the words. "Joseph, the game is just getting started."His grip tightened. "You have a death wish!""Joseph, stop!"Rebecca rushed over, lifting the skirt of her wedding gown. She wasn't worried about me. She was worried about those billions of dollars."Lillian, give Joseph his money back! What you're doing is a crime!"I gave her a cold glance.A crime? In a world where money was king, I made the rules.Joseph roared, "Security! Lock her up! No one is allowed to see her without my permission. I'm going to make her wish she were dead!"Two security guards stepped forward and grabbed me by the arms. I went with them without a fight.When we reached the ballroom doors, I stopped and looked back. I glanced at the oversized wedding monogram on the stage, then at Joseph, still seething with rage."Joseph, this is just the interest on what y

Chapter 7

I watched the candlesticks on the tablet plunge almost straight down and smirked."Raise money? Put the word out. Anyone who lends Joseph so much as a cent is crossing me. Make sure he can't borrow a dime from anyone."Miguel gave a respectful nod. "Got it." Meanwhile, Joseph paced back and forth in his office on Stout Group's top floor like a caged animal.The ashtray on his desk was packed with cigarette butts. His tie hung crooked around his neck, and his eyes were bloodshot."Hello? Mr. Langley, it's Joseph. About that loan we discussed…"Mr. Langley hung up on him.Joseph slammed the receiver onto the desk."Mr. Watson, we've known each other for years. Can you lend me 200 million dollars to tide me over?""Mr. Stout, it's not that I don't want to help. Everyone knows you crossed someone no one can afford to mess with. I run a small operation. I can't afford to get mixed up in this."Turned down yet again, Joseph slumped into his chair. The business empire he had always

Chapter 8

Bringing up the past was the worst thing Rebecca could have done.Joseph snapped. He shot to his feet, grabbed her by the throat, and slammed her down onto the desk."You have the nerve to bring that up? You think I don't know you've been secretly moving properties out of my name? Rebecca, do you really think I'm blind?"Rebecca struggled for air, beating at his arm with both hands. "L-Let go of me! Joseph, you're insane!"Joseph's bloodshot eyes were wild with desperation. "I am insane! I had Lillian locked in a psychiatric hospital because of you. I lost everything because of you. And now you're trying to profit off my downfall?"He abruptly let go.Rebecca crumpled to the floor, coughing violently. She looked at the man who had once seemed untouchable, and contempt flashed in her eyes."Joseph, stop blaming me for everything. You were the idiot. You were the one who never figured out who Lillian really was. The company's bankrupt now. What are you taking it out on me for?"S

Chapter 9

The door to the private suite opened, and Noah walked in. His right hand was wrapped in bandages, but he looked much better.He came over to me. "Lillian."I set down my wineglass, got to my feet, and steadied him. "Noah, does your hand still hurt?"He smiled. "Not anymore. The doctor said if I take it easy and let it heal, I'll still be able to paint."My eyes stung. "I'm sorry, Noah. You got hurt because of me."Noah gently patted my head. "Don't be silly. As long as you're safe, a little injury is nothing."He looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows. "What are you going to do about Joseph?"I scoffed. "His business empire is what he cares about most, isn't it? Then I'll make him watch as I bring it down piece by piece."Someone knocked at the door.One of the bodyguards stepped inside. "Zero, Joseph is downstairs. He doesn't have an invitation, so security stopped him at the entrance. He says he'll agree to anything if you'll see him."I lifted my glass and took a sip of w

Chapter 10

At the sound of my voice, Joseph went rigid.He lifted his head in disbelief, his gaze traveling up from my heels to my tailored slacks, my slim waist, and finally my face, one he knew all too well.The truth seemed to hit him all at once. His eyes flew wide, and his lips trembled. For a moment, he couldn't get a word out.At last, he found his voice. "L-Lillian?"Joseph slumped back into the muddy water and stared at me like he'd seen a ghost. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in the psychiatric hospital?"He shook his head hard, refusing to believe what he was seeing. "No. You can't be Lillian. You're Zero's stand-in, aren't you? Zero must be keeping you. That's why you've gotten so bold!"I looked down at Joseph, watching him desperately cling to his own ridiculous version of the truth. I said nothing.Miguel stepped forward beside me and gave him a cold look."Show some respect. This is Zero, a top financial powerbroker who controls the global underground

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