All Chapters of Dark Fate: The Useless Son-in-Law’s Vengeance: Chapter 11
- Chapter 20
21 chapters
Victoria’s desperation
The words sent shockwaves through the hall. Guests whispered among themselves, their eyes darting between Sophia and Victoria.Victoria’s face had gone from pale to red to ashen. “There must be some mistake,” she said, her voice rising with panic. “That’s not what yesterday’s press conference said! I haven’t received any notice about my company’s listing being terminated!”Her phone buzzed in her hand.She looked down at the screen, and whatever color remained in her face drained completely. Her fingers trembled as she read the message once, twice, then three times.Her company’s IPO had been suspended due to suspected regulatory violations. She was ordered to submit relevant evidence within three days or face a formal investigation.“No,” she whispered. “No, no, no…”She grabbed Vincent’s arm desperately. “Fix this! You promised everything was handled! You said the approval was ironclad! Fix this right now!”Vincent’s face was pale, his eyes darting around the room like a trapped ani
The Police Station
Victoria’s phone rang as security dragged her through the banquet hall’s side exit. She jerked it to her ear, her voice sharp with fury. “What?”“Ms. Cole?” An unfamiliar male voice came through. “This is Officer Reynolds from the 14th precinct. Your mother has been detained. You need to come to the station to post bail.”Victoria stopped struggling against the guards. “What? What are you talking about?”“Ma’am, your mother was arrested for attempted trespassing and triggering a security alarm at the Grand Plaza Hotel residence. Please come to the station as soon as possible.”The call ended.Victoria stood frozen in the hotel corridor, her mind reeling. Her IPO was suspended. Her reputation is in tatters. And now her mother got arrested?Victoria stumbled out of the entrance, the cool night air doing little to clear the haze of shock and fury. She barely registered where she was walking until she collided with someone."Watch it…" the man began, stepping back sharply, then froze. "Vi
Fake trust
Twenty minutes later, in the station’s service hall, Mrs. Stone sat with an ice pack pressed to her swollen face. The scratch on her cheek had been cleaned and bandaged, but her eye was turning a spectacular shade of purple.Victoria stood over her, arms crossed, her voice tight with barely controlled rage. “You’re always causing trouble! Do you have any idea how busy I am? My IPO just got suspended, and now I have to waste time cleaning up your mess!”Mrs. Stone lowered the ice pack, her voice defensive. “It wasn’t my fault! The security guards insisted I was trespassing! How was I supposed to know they’d call the police?”“Are you insane?” Victoria’s voice rose. “You broke into someone’s house! What if the owner had been there? What if they’d had a gun? Do you have a death wish?”“I didn’t break in!” Mrs. Stone protested. She hesitated, glancing at Vincent, who was standing several feet away pretending to be very interested in a bulletin board.She remembered Vincent had specificall
The Dinner Invitation
The moment Sophia stepped off the stage, still clutching the golden mallet, her phone began to vibrate in her evening clutch. Once. Twice. Then continuously, like a swarm of angry bees demanding her attention.She pulled it out with trembling fingers and watched as the screen lit up with notification after notification. Messages flooded in…dozens, then hundreds within minutes. Former business partners suddenly remembering her name. Investors who'd ghosted her calls now sending congratulations. Associates who'd crossed the street to avoid her after the bankruptcy now asking about "potential opportunities for collaboration."Sophia's jaw tightened as she scrolled through the parade of hypocrisy. Where were these people three months ago? Where were they when she'd lost everything, when creditors had stripped her office bare, when she'd been too broke to afford more than instant noodles?She left every single message on read and shoved the phone back into her clutch.Director Chen was sti
The Cousin's Mockery 2
Derek Laurent stood near the restaurant entrance, his expensive suit tailored perfectly but somehow still managing to look cheap on him…perhaps because of the way he carried himself, with that particular arrogance that came from never having earned anything in his life.His eyes swept over Adrian with naked contempt, taking in the simple black shirt, the unremarkable slacks, the complete absence of designer labels or flashy accessories."My God, Sophia," Derek said, his voice dripping with mock concern. "This is who you're with now?" He circled them slowly, like a predator who'd already decided his prey wasn't worth the effort. "I mean, I knew you'd fallen on hard times after Stellar Dynamics collapsed, but I didn't think you'd fallen this far."Adrian's expression remained perfectly calm, but Sophia felt her face flush with humiliation and rage.Derek was her father's brother's son…a man who'd spent his entire thirty-five years perfecting the art of doing absolutely nothing productiv
The Vice President's Humiliation
Alexander Chen's face went from red to purple. He yanked at his wrist, trying to free himself from Adrian's grip, his entire body twisting with the effort.Nothing happened.Adrian's hand remained exactly where it was, steady as iron, his expression unchanged."Let go of me!" Alexander snarled, his voice rising. "Who the hell do you think you are? You're making a scene!""I'm the one who has an appointment with Sophia," Adrian said calmly. Then, without warning, he released his grip.Alexander staggered backward, his arms windmilling as he tried to catch his balance. He would have fallen completely if Derek hadn't suddenly appeared at his side."Mr. Chen! Are you alright?" Derek grabbed Alexander's arm, shooting venomous looks at both Adrian and Sophia. "This is unacceptable! Sophia, how dare you let your... your gigolo assault Mr. Chen! Do you have any idea who he is? What he could do for our family?"Sophia's face flushed with fury. "Get out of my way, Derek.""Sophia, you need to a
The Blacklist
Derek's eyes lit up like he'd just discovered gold. He rushed forward, practically shoving the woman in red out of the way to position himself next to Alexander."Mr. Chen, you're absolutely right!" Derek gushed, his voice dripping with exaggerated enthusiasm. "Someone of your stature, your accomplishments…it's truly inspiring! And honestly, when I look at you and Sophia together, I can't help but think how perfectly matched you are. Both successful, both driven, both from good families..."Alexander preened under the attention, his earlier humiliation from Adrian's grip already fading as his ego inflated. "Well, I wouldn't say perfectly matched yet. Sophia still needs to work on her judgment." He shot a pointed look at Adrian. "But with the right guidance, I'm sure she'll come around.""Oh, absolutely!" Derek nodded so vigorously his head looked like it might fall off. "Sophia's always been stubborn, but she's a smart girl deep down. She'll realize soon enough that aligning herself w
The Misunderstanding
The city lights blurred past the car windows as they drove in comfortable silence. Sophia kept stealing glances at Adrian's profile. The evening had been a whirlwind…humiliating for others, vindicating for her, and thoroughly confusing in terms of understanding who this man really was."I'm sorry," Sophia said finally, breaking the silence.Adrian glanced at her. "For what?""For everything that happened back there. I invited you to dinner to thank you, and instead you ended up being insulted and humiliated by those awful people." She twisted her hands in her lap. "Derek has always been terrible, but I never imagined he'd stoop that low. And Alexander..." She shuddered. "I can't believe I ever considered even having a meal with that man.""You didn't know what he was really like," Adrian said evenly, his eyes back on the road. "People like him are experts at hiding their true nature until they think they have power over you.""Still, you shouldn't have had to deal with that. Being moc
Vincent's Trap
Adrian leaned against his car and pulled out a cigarette. He didn't smoke often…only when he needed to think, or when his carefully maintained control had been tested in ways he hadn't anticipated.Like having Sophia Laurent in his lap, her lips on his neck, her body warm and soft and willing against his.He lit the cigarette and took a long drag, watching the smoke curl up toward the streetlights. His body was still humming with tension, with want he'd ruthlessly suppressed. A low, mocking whistle cut through his thoughts.Adrian turned to see Vincent leaning against a nearby lamppost, his suit jacket slung over one shoulder, his expression dripping with mockery."Well, well," Vincent drawled, his voice sharp with disdain. "Adrian Cole. Really stealing the spotlight today, aren't you?" He pushed off the lamppost and sauntered closer, gesturing at the luxury high-rise behind them. "What are you even doing here? This clearly isn't a place someone like you could afford to live in."Adr
The Borrowed Fortune
Vincent stood in the parking lot for a long time after the property manager left, staring at the business card in his trembling hand. Forty-five million yuan. The number kept echoing in his head like a death sentence.He had twenty-four hours.The next morning, Vincent sat in his apartment…the small, cramped one-bedroom he actually rented, not the luxury penthouse he’d claimed to own…with his laptop open and his phone pressed to his ear.“Mr. Lu, I’m sorry, but without collateral, we simply cannot approve a loan of that size.” The voice on the other end was polite but firm. “Perhaps if you had property in your name, or stocks, or…”“I have stocks,” Vincent interrupted desperately. “I have investments, I have…”“According to our records, your investment portfolio is valued at approximately eight million yuan. That’s nowhere near sufficient collateral for a forty-five million yuan loan. I’m sorry, but…”Vincent ended the call and immediately dialed the next number on his list.The conve