Adrian left the office that evening and went back to his newly bought well furnished mansion. The whole house was silent, yet Adrian couldn’t sleep.He lay on his back in the massive bed, staring at the ceiling where a faint shimmer of moonlight sneaked through the curtains. The sheets beneath him were cool, expensive, and soft—everything about this new life screamed luxury. The polished marble floors, the curated art pieces laying on the hallways, the chandelier that shimmered dimly in the foyer downstairs.But all those luxuries couldn’t give him the peace of mind he always had wanted.Each time he closed his eyes, his mother’s face appeared. Not a good face of memory, but the broken ones he had last seen—the pain, the struggles, the unanswered questions. The pain and betrayal she could hide for years. Just like him.He turned on his side, then on his back again. The sheets twisted around his legs as if trying to bind him in place. He pressed his hands against his fore head and too

The wheels of Veronica’s Bentley screeched against the driveway as she drove through the Harris estate. The slam of the car door echoed across the garage like a gunshot. She rushed inside, her heels clicking the marble floor with fury, emerald silk whipping behind her like a banner.“Unbelievable. Utterly unbelievable!” she spat as she flinged her pause onto the sofa. Her reflection stared back at her from the giant gold-framed mirror, and for the first time in years, she looked shaken—hair loose from its pins, makeup smudging at the edges.Her chest heaved. “How… how dare he speak to me like that?” she muttered, pacing across the parlor. “A loader boy. That nobody? Now threatening me? If Adrian exposes me—if the world learns of my affair—Harris Group will crumble. I’ll be finished. I cannot… I will not let that happen.”She gripped the edge of the marble table until her knuckles turned white. A plan. She needed a plan, fast.Her thoughts shot to Emily. Her daughter. Her pawn. Her lev