Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

Steven Gould's voice was gentle. He wore a well-tailored custom suit, and his gold-rimmed glasses were spotless.He had even thoughtfully poured a glass of warm water, gently placing it in front of my dad, Richard Sutton.The entire top-floor conference room was dead silent, and there was a suffocating despair hanging in the air.I sat on the couch in the corner, mechanically twisting the Rubik's Cube in my hands. The quiet snap of its pieces filled the silence.No one spared me a glance. In their eyes, I, Celeste Sutton, was only there for show. To them, I was a fool who couldn't understand a word they said.Zander York, sitting across from me, picked up his coffee and took a sip.He was the one behind today's takeover attempt. He was also well known in the business world for being ruthless beneath his friendly exterior."Mr. Richard, time is running out," Zander said. "Once midnight passes, Sutton Group's stock will plunge when the market opens tomorrow morning."By then, y

Julian held up the flashcards and read them to me over and over.Instead, I looked at him without emotion.In the end, he threw the flashcards into the trash and gently patted my head, his eyes red-rimmed with tears.He said to forget it. Our family could afford to support one person who could do nothing.When I was ten years old, Yara brought in a top brain specialist from overseas.All sorts of cold medical equipment were placed on my head.The results showed that my brain activity was unusual, but I was unable to develop normal language and reasoning skills.Yara held the report and cried outside the door all night.After that, no one bothered with me anymore. I didn't have to think, speak, or take responsibility for anything.That was the life I had always wanted. But now, someone was about to take that life away from me."Take her outside." When Dad finally spoke, his voice was rough and dry. "No one is allowed to let her back in without my permission."Lily tightened h

My words came as a sudden shock to everyone, and the entire conference room fell silent.The pen fell from Dad's hand onto the table with a loud clatter.Julian stopped in his tracks.Yara covered her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.Zander's smile froze, his expression suddenly looking forced.As for Steven, the calm and gentle expression on his face completely disappeared.There was a long silence.It was so quiet that I could even hear the faint sound of air coming from the central air-conditioning vent."Celeste… You spoke?" Dad's voice shook badly as he stared at me in shock. "Say that again?"I didn't look at him. I kept my eyes locked on Steven.Steven swallowed.His hands began to tremble slightly, but years of experience helped him stay composed and try to regain control of the situation."Ms. Celeste, what are you talking about?" he asked. "This is a confidential business contract. You're just a kid, so you wouldn't understand it."Don't talk about things you kno

I crouched down and tapped Steven's face with the agreement."Your overseas account received 20 million dollars yesterday. The money went through a shell company overseas before ending up in a hidden account at a foreign bank. Is that right?"Steven's eyes widened as he stared at me in shock."You… How did you know?" His voice shook as he completely broke down.He had covered his tracks perfectly. Even Zander didn't know the exact route the money had taken.How had I found out?Actually, I hadn't looked into it at all.In my previous life, I had handled too many international financial crime cases to count. I knew this kind of money-laundering scheme inside out.I had simply used the most confident tone I could to bluff him, and he had confessed on his own."You betrayed us and committed fraud. How many years in prison do you think you'll get for this?" I said.I stood up and threw the agreement at Steven.Then I turned to Dad, who was absolutely stunned.He looked at Steve

I lowered my head and put on a hurt expression."But Mr. Gould was awful today. He wanted to destroy our family," I said. "I couldn't keep pretending anymore."The excuse was only half true and a little weak, but for parents who spoiled their child, it was enough."Celeste…" Tears welled up in Dad's eyes, and he pulled me into his arms.He held me so tightly it almost hurt."This was all my fault. I should have noticed it earlier! I can't believe I let you suffer all these years."Yara rushed over and hugged me too. She was sobbing so hard she could barely speak."I'm sorry, Celeste. I'm so sorry," she said. "I thought you were really… I don't even know what your favorite food is."Julian stood nearby and quietly wiped away a tear.He walked over and gently ran a hand through my hair.The gesture was gentle, but there was a respect I had never seen from him before."Celeste, I'll never think of you as a nuisance again," he said. "From now on, you're in charge of the family