บททั้งหมดของ Empire of Deception: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

*Amelia*“Don’t get yourself in trouble, Amelia. This case is dangerous as it is,” my friend Samantha mentioned as we said goodbye. “I bet your boss won’t be happy when he finds out that you started interviewing people behind his back.”“I promise I will be careful. I won’t put my life at risk until I get a solid case against them. In Mom’s memory, I need to make it work.”She nodded and gave me a smile, waving a hand and blowing me a kiss as we both parted ways. I sighed, walking back home, Sammy’s words resonating in my mind all the way until I made it to my apartment.I sat in my threadbare, sparsely decorated apartment and looked at the mountain of case files and legal documents piled before me. On top of the stack closest to me, there was a picture of a gorgeous woman with hazel eyes and dark brown hair. She had smile lines that showed grace and poise. She had the most beautiful, kind smile that resembled my own. I caught a glimpse of myself in the window, and I could see

*Amelia*I wearily trudged up the steps of my apartment, the leather of my work bag creaking with each step. When I pushed open the door, a boisterous rendition of Total Eclipse of the Heart filled the air. My roommate, Nina, was spinning around the room, her curly black hair flying in all directions as she gesticulated wildly and sang into a hairbrush microphone."What the hell are you doing?" I yelled over the chaos.Nina spun around with a smile, "Just getting my steps in. The rain kept me from going on a run, so I decided to dance it out. How was work today?"I rolled my eyes and walked to the kitchen to grab a snack, "It was long and tiring, per usual. But I made progress on the wrongful injury case I'm working on with Michael. I just need his final approval before we can move forward."Nina followed me into the kitchen, "That sounds promising! Did you find out anything about the suit against MID?" she asked cautiously.Nina was well-versed in my obsession with justice

*Amelia*Adrian was seated behind his desk, a picture of poise and power. His tailored charcoal suit fit his frame perfectly, emphasizing the definition of his broad shoulders and narrow waist. Though he was facing away from me, I could feel the energy radiating from him like a force field.His eyes met mine as he turned around in his chair, and I felt my breath hitch in my throat. His gaze was piercing and cold, sending shivers down my spine. There was something about him, something in his eyes that exuded danger, intimidation, and sex, a combination that left me feeling completely off-balance.He motioned for me to take a seat across from him with a nod of his head before searching through some paperwork on his desk. My stomach twisted into knots as I sat there waiting for him to start talking; I had no idea what this meeting would entail, and my anxiety was running rampant.I cleared my throat and spoke, "Mr. Chase..."He interrupted me almost immediately, "Adrian, please.

*Amelia* I was so caught up in the details of my personal injury case that I almost missed my lunch meeting with Gregory. I glanced at the clock and realized it was nearly time. I hurried to make sure I wasn't late. A few muttered curses later, I shoved off my desk and packed my bag as hastily as I could.We had plans to meet at a diner around the corner, and if I hurried, I'd make it in time. As I walked, I couldn't help but reflect on how we first met. It was at a conference for private investigators that I had attended out of pure curiosity. During a break between presentations, we'd struck up a conversation about the food, and it resulted in me feeling uncharacteristically comfortable with him.Little did I know, that conversation would be the first of many. I took his number that day and ended up calling him for advice on tracking down a witness in a case I was working on at the time. We became fast friends after that. In little more than a year, we had developed an unbreak

*Amelia*Today, I felt unstoppable. Gregory and I had made progress with two of the witnesses that had been bribed to stay quiet. Neither of them was quite ready to go on the record, but they had spoken with us and told us their stories, which were both very similar to my mother's.Stacia, the woman I had spoken to, had been living with a breast cancer diagnosis. She was desperate for a cure and had turned to the MID Corporation when the doctors couldn't help her. At first, it seemed like a miracle; her tumors had shrunk dramatically in just a few short weeks.But then, Stacia started to experience serious side effects from the drugs—nausea, hair loss, fatigue, her kidneys began shutting down—and eventually, her tumors began to grow at a frightening rate. By the grace of God, a surgeon performed a risky surgery and managed to remove most of the tumors. Once she stopped MID's medication, the tumors stopped growing. She was in remission now but suffered long-term effects from her o