2025-07-31 04:31:28
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 156
Elizabeth pulled her coat tighter around herself as she slipped quietly out of the Duval mansion. The great iron gates had creaked only faintly when she eased them open, and she took her time making sure they were shut behind her, careful not to raise any suspicion from the guards.Her steps were brisk as she moved deeper into the streets. She had chosen this path days ago, memorizing every turn until she found the alley Lord Ryder had demanded they meet at. It was quiet, deserted, with nothing but a flickering lamp overhead and the smell of damp stone.Elizabeth stopped, her chest rising and falling quickly as she waited. For a moment, she rubbed her gloved hands together, more out of agitation than cold. Then—“You’re late,” came a voice from the shadows.Elizabeth turned sharply. Lord Ryder emerged from the darkness like she owned it, her long coat flowing behind her. Elizabeth forced her lips into a thin smile. “I had to wait until everyone was asleep,” she said, her voice clippe
Chapter 155
The heavy wooden doors of the boardroom closed behind them with a dull thud.Claudia’s chest rose and fell quickly, her hands tightening into fists at her sides. She tried to hold herself together, to keep her composure, but it was useless. The frustration in her blood was too much. She turned to Ryan, her eyes wide with disbelief.“Seven days?” she burst out. “Seven days, Ryan! How could they do this to you? How could they put you under such impossible pressure? Don’t they see what’s happening? Don’t they see that they are being manipulated by Julian and the McCarthys?”She wasn’t just angry—she was devastated.Ryan’s expression was calm, too calm, as though he had expected this. His hands curled into fists, then relaxed again as he tried to steady himself.“They see it, Claudia,” he said quietly, his voice even. “But they’re afraid. Fear makes people blind. It makes them grab at whatever looks like security, even if it’s a lie.”Claudia shook her head in frustration, her lips trembl
Chapter 154
Ryan woke up early, his head pounding. He had slept late the previous day. He had gone to bed telling himself that today would be different, today he would go back to that neighborhood and dig deeper until he found the man who sold him the laptop.He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his temples. “I won’t stop,” he muttered under his breath. “I’ll find something. I have to. Then I can be able to prove my innocence.”His phone buzzed suddenly on the nightstand. Ryan frowned, reached for it, and saw the caller ID: Nova Headquarters.“Hello?”“Mr. Walker,” came a crisp, professional voice. “This is Nova’s front desk. You are requested to report to headquarters immediately. There is an urgent board meeting scheduled this morning. Attendance is mandatory.”“This morning? What is the meeting about?” Ryan asked.The woman’s tone didn’t waver. “I have no clue sir.”“Understood. I’ll be there,” Ryan said camly.When the call ended, Ryan stared at the phone in his hand, thinking about everyth
Chapter 153
The house was quiet when Ryan finally pulled into the driveway. For a moment he simply sat in the driver’s seat, gripping the steering wheel tightly, as if the energy to move had drained out of him completely. His shoulders sagged, his shirt clung to him with the faint smell of sweat and dust from the streets he had spent hours wandering, and his eyes burned from both fatigue and the countless conversations that had led nowhere.When he finally stepped out and shut the car door behind him, it was already late.Claudia was waiting for him in the living room. She sat curled on the sofa, her legs tucked under her, a thin blanket draped over her knees. The television was on, muted, showing flickers of light across the room, but her eyes had been on the door the entire time. The instant she heard it open, she straightened, the blanket falling away, and stood quickly.“Ryan,” she breathed. “Finally. Do you know what time it is?” She hurried toward him, her expression both relieved and worri
Chapter 152
Ryan stood frozen on the cracked pavement as the words echoed in his head. A fire. That was all the man had said at first. A fire that burned everything.He blinked hard, struggling to process what the man had just said, then leaned forward as he spoke.“A fire?” Ryan repeated, his tone half disbelieving, half pleading for the man to take it back. “What do you mean, a fire? What are you talking about?”The man, with greying hair and deep lines etched into his face, shifted uneasily where he sat on the bench. He scratched the back of his neck and gave a helpless shrug.“Years ago,” he said slowly, as if replaying the memory in his head. “There was a fire in that block. Burned down a few shops… the computer place included. Everything gone. Records, furniture, the whole lot. Nothing left but ashes.”Ryan’s brows knitted together, his fists clenching at his sides. “But… but that shop… that shop had my receipt. The record of the laptop I bought there. Are you saying… it’s all gone? Complet
Chapter 151
Ryan gripped the steering wheel tightly as he turned into a neighborhood that felt both familiar and strange at the same time. The streets stretched before him, wide and busy, yet his chest ached trying to search his memory.He hadn’t been here in years, not since the days when money was tight and dreams were still just that — dreams. Back then, this street had been full of little shops, cramped stores, noisy vendors. Now, glassy new buildings and modern storefronts stood tall, replacing what he once knew.“This has to be the place,” Ryan muttered to himself, squinting as he slowed the car to a crawl. His voice filled the silence of the car, calm one moment, agitated the next. “I remember… it was right around here, I think. On the left side. Or was it the right? Damn it, I should remember this. How can I not remember?”His heart pounded harder the longer he stared. He leaned forward, his nose almost brushing the windshield, as though being closer to the glass would somehow bring the p
You may also like
Secretly Rich Son in Law
Banin SN190.6K viewsThe Almighty Landon
Princez72.8K viewsThe Secretly Rich Man
Two Ears is Bodhi7.3M viewsFrom Illegitimate To A Zillionaire Heir
R. AUSTINNITE86.3K viewsMy Billionaire Betrothed: Golden Comeback
Yanah1.2K viewsFrom Doormat to Tycoon: The Rise of the Useless Husband
Rissa11.0K viewsThe General's Ex-Wife's Regret
Ameiry Savar39 viewsThe Absolute Son-in-law And The Ten Rings Of Power
Jericho Chase131 views