2025-05-22 04:40:15For a heartbeat, there was silence as heads turned in the direction of the voice.
Then, there was sudden laughter. It erupted from the surrounding guests with their voices blending in a chorus of amusement and mockery. It rolled through the crowd like a wave. Someone near the front nearly doubled over. "Isn't that Antonio, Elaine's ex-husband?" “Did he just say that?” “He must be out of his mind!” another scoffed. “He’s really standing here, in that same cheap suit, telling Harry Gibson he’s not getting the partnership? Delusional doesn’t even cover it!” "Well, would you blame the guy? After all, he's now Miss Cynthia's boytoy. I guess that's where he's getting his confidence from." Harry let out a loud bark of laughter. “Antonio, my man, you need to stop reading fairy tales.” “You? The person behind Bellagio Group? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all year.” Antonio stood motionless, eyes calm, expression unreadable. Amid the crowd’s jeering, he radiated an unsettling stillness, the kind that didn’t need to shout to be heard. He had long learned that fools loved to ridicule what they couldn’t comprehend. “I’m not claiming anything,” he said flatly. “I am the president. I don’t need your belief for it to be true.” The room roared louder at that. Elaine clenched her fists. At first, she had been furious, embarrassed that Antonio, her ex-husband, would have the audacity to come here and humiliate her like this. But now, a thin sliver of doubt pierced through her certainty. Morris. She knew that was Antonio’s last name. It wasn’t exactly common, and now that she thought about it… He’d never once talked about his family, his past, or where he came from. She had always assumed it was because he was just...nobody. But what if—? No. She shook the thought away. There’s no way! If Antonio really was from the Morris family, the hidden giants of Bellagio Group… How could he have tolerated living in her house, being mocked by her family, treated like trash by everyone? Impossible. Embarrassment flushed her cheeks as the laughter around her deepened. She stepped closer, lowered her voice to a hiss only them three who were near her could hear. “Antonio, stop this nonsense. You’re making a fool of yourself, and me!” Antonio didn’t even look at her. “Funny. That’s exactly what your old friend Harry has been doing all night.” Harry smirked. “He’s still mad I took his wife. Don’t worry, Elaine. It’s what he does! Spins lies. He’s been lying to you since day one.” Antonio turned, eyes boring into Harry’s. “And what about you, Harry? How long have you been lying to her?” Elaine’s stomach twisted. “Antonio, just stop! You drugged me last night, you hit him this morning.” “We haven’t even pressed charges yet. Keep making a scene, and I will call the police!” “I’m serious this time!” “I have a better idea.” Harry interjected with a mocking grin. He waved at a pair of security guards at the edge of the room. “I’ll have him dragged out right now.” But Antonio didn’t flinch. Instead, he calmly pulled out his phone and held it out to Elaine. “You still want to call the police?” he said. “Fine. But before you do, take a look at this. Let’s make sure they arrest the right man.” Elaine hesitated. The phone glowed in Antonio’s hand like a trap, but the cool and absolute in his voice, made her reach out and take it. Almost immediately, her face drained of colour. Elaine's breath hitched as she scrolled through the documents. There were rows upon rows of financial records, bank statements, and legal documents. And Harry’s name was everywhere. He was practically drowning in debt. Billions of dollars worth! It was like staring into a financial graveyard. The man she thought was strong and successful… was buried in a mountain of debt. Harry was a walking corpse propped up by borrowed money and fake smiles. Her stomach twisted as she continued scrolling, only to come across a recording. With shaky fingers, Elaine pressed play. A muffled voice came through, unmistakably Harry’s. "Make sure you slip it into her drink before she leaves the bar. She needs just enough to lower her inhibitions, nothing too strong." Elaine’s heart pounded. "Then, send her to the hotel I told you about. I’ll be waiting." The floor beneath her felt like it was collapsing. The scene from last night replayed in her mind… …Her body burning with an unnatural heat, her mind foggy, unable to think clearly. She had been drugged! A sharp gasp escaped her lips. Harry had orchestrated everything! He had called her to meet him, but the driver had mistakenly brought her back to the villa instead of the hotel. That was why she had acted so irrationally, why she had thrown herself onto Antonio, begging him to touch her. A wave of nausea surged through her. She had been manipulated by Harry! Elaine’s head snapped up, her gaze locking onto Antonio’s cold, unreadable expression.
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Chapter 593
Elias noticed it the moment she turned.Emily hadn’t fully walked out.She had stopped mid-decision, suspended between rejection and reconsideration. That small hesitation was not loud, not obvious, but to Elias it was more revealing than any spoken response could have been. It told him the resistance had not held completely. It had cracked just enough for doubt to enter.Then she turned back.Slowly.Not with conviction, but with recalculation—like someone reviewing a conclusion they had been too quick to finalize.And Elias smiled.Not openly.Not warmly.Not in a way meant to comfort or persuade.It was the kind of smile that appeared when a calculation finally aligned with expectation, when an outcome that had been statistically anticipated finally confirmed itself in reality.She was listening again.That was enough.Emily walked back toward her seat, her expression no longer sharp with refusal. Instead, it had shifted into something more controlled, more careful—like someone gua
Chapter 592
Emily stared at Elias for a moment, her expression caught in a narrow space between disbelief and irritation, as though she were trying to decide which emotion best matched the situation in front of her. The brief warmth that had surfaced earlier—fragile and unsteady, born from old memories, forgotten familiarity, and a flicker of nostalgia she had not expected to feel again—was now completely gone. It had been stripped away so cleanly it was almost unsettling, as if it had never existed at all. In its place remained something firmer, sharper, more grounded, and significantly less forgiving of what she was hearing.“You’re asking me,” she said slowly, deliberately spacing each word as though she was testing whether the sentence itself made sense when spoken aloud, “how you can reunite me with a man who is already married?”Elias remained exactly as he was, seated with quiet control, posture relaxed in a way that suggested ease rather than carelessness. His expression did not shift in
Chapter 591
The moment Emily admitted she knew Antonio Morris, Elias felt a subtle but distinct shift inside him.Not emotion in the traditional sense.Not excitement.Not surprise.Positioning.It was the feeling of a piece on a board confirming itself exactly where it needed to be, without force, without resistance, simply aligning into place as though it had always been meant to be there. Elias did not react outwardly. There was no visible change in posture or expression. But something in his eyes sharpened slightly, then softened into quiet satisfaction, the kind that came from validation rather than discovery.Good.That was the confirmation he needed.Across from him, Emily remained seated, but her posture had shifted slightly. There was a subtle uncertainty now, as if she had stepped into a moment that was beginning to feel heavier than she originally anticipated. As though her simple admission had unlocked something she could no longer see the full shape of.Elias allowed the silence to l
Chapter 590
When the investigator saw the transfer notification appear on his screen, he paused for a moment longer than usual, his eyes fixed on the amount as if confirming it had not been misread or duplicated by mistake. It was not merely generous. It was excessive in a way that immediately removed it from the category of professional payment and placed it into something more deliberate.It was far beyond what was required for introductions, arrangements, persuasion, or even extended effort.It was a statement.A confirmation of intent rather than a simple transaction.The investigator exhaled slowly through his nose, almost amused, though there was caution beneath the reaction.“Of course,” he muttered to himself. “He doesn’t do moderation.”He leaned back in his chair, still staring at the screen for a few seconds longer, letting the implication settle fully before locking the phone and setting it aside. Whatever Elias was building toward, it was no longer a simple inquiry or background sear
Chapter 589
As soon as Elias finished reading the email, the smirk on his face did not fade.Instead, it deepened slightly, as though something within him had finally aligned into place after a long period of uncertainty. He sat back in his chair, the faint glow of his laptop casting soft reflections across his face, highlighting the calm satisfaction in his expression. Emily Williams. A name that, to anyone else, would appear ordinary, unremarkable, easily forgotten. But in Elias’s mind, it was already transforming into something far more structured, far more intentional.Not a person.Not a memory.A tool.A point of access.A variable that could be shaped and positioned.He picked up his phone slowly, his movements deliberate and unhurried, as though the outcome of the call had already been decided before it began. Without hesitation, he dialed the investigator’s number and brought the phone to his ear.It rang twice.Then it was answered.“Elias,” the investigator’s voice came through calmly.
Chapter 588
Upon hearing Elias’s words, the investigator gave a slow, thoughtful nod, as though weighing not just the instruction itself but the scale of what it implied. He adjusted his posture slightly, already shifting mentally into work mode.“I’ll get back to you,” he said calmly, rising from the chair with unhurried confidence. “Once I’ve gathered enough—especially what you asked for.”Elias did not respond immediately. He simply watched him, his expression steady and unreadable, the kind of silence that suggested control rather than uncertainty. There was impatience there, but it was carefully contained, folded beneath composure like something deliberately restrained.The investigator straightened his jacket, ensuring everything sat properly before continuing.“I understand what you want,” he added. “And I’ll go deeper than most people would dare.”That, at last, was enough for Elias. Not reassurance, but confirmation of direction.A faint nod followed.“Do not waste time,” Elias said.The
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