All Chapters of AWAKENED ADRIAN LACANSTER : Chapter 311
- Chapter 320
357 chapters
CHAPTER 311
“And Gerald Aldridge is being tried when?”“Next tomorrow.”The room went silent.Adrian tapped his fingers once on the desk. “Lilian… I thought Rhein Group hired some of the best hackers in the country.”“We did,” she said softly. “And they are the best. But whoever framed the Aldridge family… they didn’t use commercial-level tools. This is next-level engineering. Military-level cloaking. Even our elite team can’t break it in twenty-four hours.”Adrian shut the folder with a soft thud.For a moment, he sat there, his head lowered.“And there’s no other way to clear Gerald before the trial?” he asked.Lilian hesitated. “Not unless the hacker responsible steps forward.”Adrian exhaled through his nose. “That won’t happen.”“No, sir.”Then Adrian looked at the folder again… and an idea flickered in his eyes.“What if,” he murmured, “I did the hacking myself?”Lilian stared. “Sir… you?”Adrian stood suddenly, pushing the chair back. His expression hardened.“Yes,” he said, turning to her
CHAPTER 312
Adrian stepped closer.“I’m competent in my department,” he said, voice steady. “You’re the one who needs help. That’s why I’m here.”A hush fell over the assistants.Mr. Han’s smile dropped.“You think you can do what I can’t?” he asked, incredulous. “If, with all my qualifications, experience, and specialized equipment, I submitted a report saying it would take a week, then what makes you believe you can do better?”Adrian met his gaze without blinking.“Because I'm certain of it.”The arrogance in Adrian's tone irritated him.The older man stood from his chair.“Stop this nonsense,” he snapped. “Go back to whatever post you hold upstairs. I’m only being polite because the vice president is here.”Adrian took one more step forward, the cold lights reflecting dangerously in his eyes.“Let’s make a bet then.”The room stilled.Mr. Han crossed his arms. “A bet?”Adrian nodded.“If I can hack the system and trace the origin within one hour… You will forfeit your entire salary for a year
CHAPTER 313
Lilian covered her mouth in shock. Her eyes darted toward Adrian, trembling at the realization.The hacking team looked at him like he wasn’t human.Adrian stared at the screen without surprise, his expression darkening just slightly.Of course.Of course, it was them.And if it was the Guild…Then the one pulling the strings…The one who framed Gerald…The one who wanted Sophia cornered…It wasn’t a mystery at all.Adrian’s jaw tightened, his fingers curling slowly into fists.Lucien.Adrian stood from the chair slowly, his shadow stretching across the glowing monitors. The room was silent as every hacker stared at him like he had just rewritten the laws of reality.He turned to the nearest specialist, a young man who had been silently watching with wide eyes.“Compile the full trace report,” Adrian said. His voice was calm, cold, controlled. “Everything. Every IP hop. Every server loop. Every manipulated log. I want it in a single file.”The hacker nodded so fast his glasses shifted
CHAPTER 314
For a heartbeat, the entire compound went silent.Sophia stared at the mountain of gifts... The glittering diamonds, gold coins worth nations, silk woven from myth, the moonstone crown glowing under the sun, the ancient jade dragon carved in forgotten dynasties.Each gift screamed one thing:Lucien intends to own you.Something inside her snapped.“What is all this nonsense?!” Sophia exploded.Her scream bounced off the mansion walls, so loud that even the guards flinched.She stormed down the stairs and out the front door before Sarah or Elena could blink.“What is all this?!” she roared again, marching straight toward the gifts. “Is it by force to get married? Is he insane?!”The Guild men exchanged uneasy looks.“Sophia, stay calm,” one tried, voice timid.She didn’t even hear him.She shoved a chest of phoenix silk so hard it toppled and crashed against another box, scattering silk worth a kingdom across the floor.“I SAID I AM NOT INTERESTED!”She grabbed the moonstone crown and
CHAPTER 315
The courthouse filled long before dawn. By seven a.m., the entire street was a sea of cameras and microphones, reporters fighting for positions. Bodyguards formed silent walls, trying to hold back the restless crowd. People came not just to watch a trial, but to witness the collapse of a once-respected family. Inside, the building pulsed with a tense, suffocating energy. Sophia sat in the public gallery beside her mother, her fingers twisting together in her lap, her jaw clenched so tightly her teeth ached. Sarah’s hands trembled violently, and Elena’s face was drained of color. The doors at the back swung open. Every camera snapped toward the entrance. Lucien walked in like he owned the building. Dressed in a black suit, he walked with calm and confidence. Like he owned the entire building. The crowd parted instinctively, as though afraid to brush against him. He didn’t look at the judge. Or the reporters. Or the cameras. His eyes found Sophia immediately.
CHAPTER 316
Lucien looked down at Sarah as if she were something stuck to his shoe. “Of course,” he said softly. “I will save him. But only if Sophia agrees. Here. Now.” Malvin stood behind them, his expression perfectly crafted... pained, sympathetic, worried. “Sophia…” he murmured. “Maybe… just for now… go along with it. To save your father. Please. Think carefully.” Sophia’s throat tightened. She looked at her mother, at her father being pulled toward the officers, at Elena trembling beside her. Her knees weakened. Everyone's eyes were on her. Will she do whatever it takes to save her family from this disgrace? Lucien leaned closer, his voice a poisonous whisper meant only for her. “This is the only way to save your father. After everything he has done for you… This is the least you can do to prove you love him.” Sophia’s body swayed. She felt herself sinking… falling… breaking. She stepped forward. The Aldridge family held their breath. The entire room leaned in.
CHAPTER 317
Lucien didn’t even blink. He just watched them… bored, almost amused. Adrian remained still. Calm. His eyes never left Lucien. Gerald turned toward the officers lining the courtroom walls. “Arrest him!” he commanded. “Arrest him at once!” The courtroom stiffened. The officers exchanged terrified glances. Not one of them moved. Who would dare? Arresting the Duke’s son was no simple act. It was an execution order for themselves, for their families. Everyone in the room understood that. Lucien smirked. “Arrest me?” he repeated softly. “On whose authority?” Gerald opened his mouth, furious. Lucien cut him off with a sharp laugh. “I dare ONE of you…” He said, sweeping a slow gaze across the officers, “…to lay a finger on me.” The officers' faces drained of all color. Lucien’s smile slowly faded. His expression hardened into cold arrogance. Then his eyes snapped to Adrian. “You,” he said. The venom in that single word thickened the air. “You’re alway
CHAPTER 318
Malvin nodded slowly, his tone grave.“He must not go scot-free,” he agreed. Sophia folded her arms, her anger pulsing visibly in her shoulders.A cold silence settled over the front yard.Malvin finally cleared his throat.“Please, try to get some rest,” he said softly. “I’ll do everything I can to protect your family.”Gerald nodded, still fuming and Sarah squeezed his arm.Sophia didn’t look back.Elena watched Malvin quietly looking at him with suspicion.Malvin forced one last sympathetic smile, then walked briskly to his car.He slid into the driver’s seat, exhaling deeply as he gripped the steering wheel.And then a grin slowly crept across his face.Everything was going perfectly.The Aldridge family despised Adrian now.Lucien’s chaos was fueling more fear.And he had positioned himself as their only trustworthy ally.“Perfect,” Malvin whispered to himself as he started the engine. “Even though everything didn't go as planned today... It is still under my control."He drove
CHAPTER 319
Adrian’s eyes didn’t flicker.“Get out of my house this minute!” Malvin shouted, losing whatever control he thought he had. “Stop this madness before I drag you out myself!”Adrian tilted his head.“Tell me, Malvin,” he said quietly. “Do you know what floor your building is?”Malvin paused.“What?”“It’s a simple question,” Adrian said, swirling the whiskey. “Which floor are you on?”Malvin swallowed.“…Seven.”Adrian looked toward the balcony.“So,” he murmured, “that means if you fall from this height… You won’t survive.”Malvin stiffened.“What do you mean?” he said, stepping backward. “Adrian.. stop. Don’t be stupid.”Adrian stood up slowly.“You have ten words,” he said, placing the whiskey glass down gently. “Tell me where he is… or I won’t hesitate to throw you off this building.”Malvin backed up until his shoulders pressed against the wall.“F–fuck off!” he shouted. “You can’t lay a finger on me!”Adrian’s expression barely changed.“That is nine words,” he said quietly.Bef
CHAPTER 320
Malvin didn’t argue.He scrambled to his feet, shaking so badly he nearly dropped the keys twice. His breathing was ragged as he led the way out of the apartment.The drive to the woods was quiet.Malvin kept both hands on the steering wheel, knuckles pale, forcing his breathing to stay steady. Adrian sat beside him, eyes fixed on the dark road ahead, saying nothing… but Malvin felt his presence like a blade pressed to his spine.The deeper they drove, the darker the woods became.Finally, they reached a lonely cabin at the edge of the old radio tower.Malvin parked. His hands trembled when he turned off the ignition.Adrian stepped out first.He walked straight toward the cabin door and pushed it open.Inside, a foul energy hung in the air. A heavy, oppressive darkness. Adrian’s eyes immediately found the talisman hanging above a crude iron cage.Zane was inside.Barely conscious. Breathing harshly. The talisman pulsed with a sickly glow, feeding on his strength like a parasite.Adr