Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 71 - Chapitre 80

"Get down!" I shouted, pulling Victoria behind the large stone pillar as the deafening sound of a gunshot echoed through the air.Her breath came in sharp gasps, her hands gripping my jacket with a force born of fear. The chaos around us blurred, but my focus remained razor-sharp on one thing—keeping her safe."Is anyone hit?" Victoria's voice trembled as she glanced up at me, her eyes wide with terror."I'm fine," I said, scanning the scene. "Stay here."Another shot rang out, ricocheting off the pillar, sending shards of stone flying. Selene's deranged laughter echoed from somewhere beyond the smoke. She was out of her mind, desperate and dangerous."Elias, we have to stop her!" Victoria insisted, pulling at my arm."I said stay here!" My voice was harsher than I intended, but fear clawed at my throat. I couldn't let anything happen to her.I peeked around the pillar and spotted Selene sprinting toward the dock, a speedboat waiting in the distance. Her accomplice, a burly man in bla

"Open it," I urged, my voice tight with anticipation as I stared at the package resting on the coffee table. The plain brown wrapping did nothing to betray the weight of what it could contain.Elias hesitated, his brows furrowed. "What if it's a trap?" he murmured, glancing at me with concern.I shook my head. "We can't afford to ignore it. Not now."With a grim nod, he grabbed a letter opener from the desk and sliced through the tape. The room seemed to hold its breath as he lifted the lid and pulled out a stack of documents and a small USB drive. My stomach twisted with unease.Elias’s eyes darkened as he flipped through the papers. "These are financial records," he muttered. "But not from Westbrook Industries. Offshore accounts. Wire transfers. Selene’s name is all over them."I leaned in closer, my heart racing. "Are you saying this is evidence of her embezzlement?""More than that," Elias said, his voice hardening. "It’s proof that she’s been moving money through shell companies

"You're quite brave to show your face here, Selene." My voice cut through the buzz of the room, drawing eyes from every corner of the lavish business summit. Selene's perfectly curated smile faltered, but only for a second before she regained her composure."Victoria, darling," she purred, stepping toward me with a confident sway. "What a surprise to see you here. I thought you'd retired to obscurity after that... unfortunate misunderstanding years ago."Elias’s hand brushed against mine, grounding me. His jaw was clenched, and I could feel the tension radiating off him. He was holding back, but I wasn't sure for how long.I didn't flinch. "Funny you call it a misunderstanding. I call it sabotage."The room fell into a tense silence, the power players of the business world hanging on every word. Cameras from the press circled like vultures, capturing the unfolding drama.Selene's eyes flickered with annoyance, but she kept her tone sweet. "Oh, Victoria. Always the dramatist." She turn

"Do you think she'll ever stop?" I asked quietly, staring at the horizon as the golden hues of sunset painted the sky. The wind carried a soft chill, rustling the leaves around us.Elias wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer. "Selene doesn't know how to stop. But I'm done letting her control our lives." His voice was steady, resolute.I wanted to believe him, but Selene's shadow loomed over us like an unrelenting storm cloud. "She’s cunning, Elias. She won't just disappear. Not after everything she's done."He tilted my chin up, his blue eyes locking onto mine. "We’ve fought too hard to be here, Victoria. I won’t let her ruin this—us." His thumb brushed across my cheek. "And I won’t let her take away our future. I swear it."I leaned into his touch, feeling the weight of his promise. "I want to believe that. I really do. But she's already hurt us so much."He cupped my face with both hands, his expression fierce. "Then let me prove it to you. From this day forward, I’

“You're here early,” Selene's voice sliced through the tension as she entered the private lounge, flanked by two of her lawyers. Her designer dress clung to her frame like armor, but her smile was brittle, a mere facade for the chaos lurking beneath her composed exterior.Elias didn’t bother to greet her. His jaw clenched, and his hands curled into fists at his sides. I reached over, brushing my fingers against his knuckles, silently urging him to keep calm.“We’re not here to waste time, Selene,” I said firmly. “You asked for this meeting, so talk.”Selene arched a brow, seemingly amused by my newfound assertiveness. “Straight to the point as always, Victoria. I must say, I admire your resilience.”“I don’t need your admiration,” I snapped. “We want answers.”She sighed dramatically and sank into the plush chair opposite us. “Fine. Do you want the truth? Here it is: yes, I framed you, Victoria. But it wasn’t just about jealousy or control of the family fortune.” Her voice lowered, ca