Outside, the night air was cooler.Derrick spent no time finding Dominic's Ferrari idling by the curb. He walked over and slid into the passenger seat."Whatsup?" he said as soon as he shut the door.Dominic didn't waste time."We've gone through everything sir," he began in a direct tone. "And it leads to one man–someone who's been very careful."He paused, then added, "You're not gonna believe who it is, sir."Derrick's gaze remained forward. Then he heaved a sigh. "Tell me it isn't Pa Lorenzo."His words cut cleanly through the air. It made Dominic turn sharply, genuine surprise flashing across his face."What? How did you come to that conclusion?”Derrick dragged a hand slowly down his face, his fingers pressing hard against his eyes as if he could push the monstrous reality back into the shadows where it belonged."Dammit..." he muttered under his breath before dropping his hand. His jaw tightened, and his voice lowered into something tougher and dangerously close to deception. "

The room settled into a strained quiet the moment the last chair scraped lightly against the polished floor. Moses leaned back in his new seat at the head of the table, fingers loosely interlocked before him. His gaze was fixed on Ma Lorenzo. For a moment, he said not a word. Then he straightened slightly as though easing into a role he had long been waiting to claim. "Well, I believe it's only proper that I begin by clarifying a few things," he said in a smooth and measured voice. "As of now, I remain the acting chairman of the Lorenzo Group." His eyes moved to Ivy's face. "No one here holds a greater stake or a stronger claim to that position than I do." "Then go straight to the point," Ivy cut in just then, her tone controlled but quite edged. "We surely didn't come here for a speech." Moses turned his head slowly toward her and studied his cousin for a moment. Then he exhaled softly as though indulging a child's impatience. "Very well then." His gaze drifted across the room

Sleep came eventually, and the days that followed moved quickly.Each morning, the routine resumed. Ivy, Derrick and Ma Lorenzo left the house together, their arrival at the headquarters marked by the undercurrent tension that had begun to seep into every corner of the company.The question of whether Ma Lorenzo would finally bow to Moses' pressure hung unspoken between everyone who was aware of the situation.Pa Lorenzo remained quite distant. There were no family meetings to address the problem, and everyone just watched him with hopes that he had something up his sleeves."Trust him to get us off this mess," Ivy's father said once over dinner. "He surely won't let the labours of his youth just go down the drain."At the Lorenzo Group, however, Moses did not relent. If anything, he grew more deliberate.What he had begun in the boardroom continued in subtler, more insidious means.The pressure he metted on his grandmother shifted from the formal demand to something far more uncomfo

Moses slid his hands into the belt loops of his trousers, his posture suddenly relaxing in a way that didn't quite match the tension in the room. For a brief moment, he lowered his head as though weighed down by the gravity of Christopher's last words.Then he drew in a breath and looked up again–his face tightening into something seemingly exaggerated and almost theatrical."Oh no," he said, his voice trembling with feigned alarm. "Please...please don't hurt the love of my life!"He dramatically pressed a palm to his forehead, as though the thought troubled him greatly."What will I do," he went on, his tone thick with mock despair, "if a single strand of my love's hair is harmed? Oh, my life would be completely ruined."Christopher watched Moses' display, his pipe hovered just shy of his lips. Vincent bit his lower lip, as if waiting for the punchline to settle into something real.Moses held the pose for another second longer before his full laughter filled the aids office space C

Ivy eased into the chair, exhaling lightly. "I've been better," she admitted, a small smile following. "It feels more like I'm carrying an entire person inside me now."The doctor chuckled. "I guess that's because you are."Derrick laughed lightly."We'll take a look," the doctor continued, already reaching for his notes. "Let's make sure everything is progressing properly."He pressed a button on his desk. "Nurse, please come in now."As they waited, Derrick turned to Ivy. His hand came to rest gently on her shoulder."I've got to go see Dominic now," he said.She tilted her head up at him, her eyes widening a bit. "Be careful. It's a dangerous world out there."Derrick chuckled. "A really dangerous world."Then he leaned down and pressed a brief, soft kiss to her cheeks before straightening. Afterwards, he turned to the doctor. "I'll be back sir."The doctor nodded just as Derrick turned and walked out.In the hallway, Derrick reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. The