Chapter 122: Scandal

Words : 1078 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

Chapter 122: Scandal "Breaking news... a cyberattack threatens to expose sensitive financial data," the news reporter announced. Heather yawned, her eyes blinked open slowly. She hadn’t gotten much sleep. How could she? Not after Caius locked her out of their bedroom last night. She could’ve just told him nothing happened with Jake. But looking at her messy appearance from last night, he already had his mind made up. Nothing she said would’ve changed that. The TV was still on, but she wasn’t paying much attention. Her mind kept drifting to the information Manager Sheng promised to get her. She explained the Lauren incident to him. And he said twenty-four hours. It had been twenty-four hours. She sat up and quickly grabbed her phone. Her notifications were flooded—messages, tags, comments—but she ignored them all. She opened the message from Sheng, her heart raced as she clicked the PDF he sent. As she read through it, her eyes widened. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Trish’s brothers... they weren’t just powerful businessmen. They were running a trafficking ring, one that forced their own sister to entertain powerful politicians. That’s how they kept their business deals intact. That’s how they secured their connections and stayed protected. The people they worked with—the ones at the top—covered for them, shielding them from the law. But if any of that information leaked, the entire operation would fall apart. Heather knew exactly what this meant. If she exposed them, the authorities would be forced to investigate. Their powerful friends wouldn’t want that kind of attention. They’d cut ties fast to save themselves, and Trish’s brothers would be left with nothing. Sheng had warned her (in the texts), though. Everyone in the underground world knew about the brothers. But no one dared to challenge them. Except Heather. She had something they didn’t—her family name. The Thorne name carried enough weight to protect her, at least for a while. But she still had to be careful. Sheng made that clear. The brotherhood had their ways of sending threats—and they weren’t subtle. Suddenly, the TV caught her attention. "Rumors are swirling about a money-laundering scheme. Sources claim VestorCorp has been cleaning dirty money for years, using their businesses to hide funds for a dangerous crime network." Heather’s head snapped toward the screen. VestorCorp? She remembered reading about that in Caius’s office weeks ago. "Reports say someone uncovered evidence and is threatening to make it public." Her chest tightened. How did this get out? Someone was trying to sabotage him. She just didn’t know who. But she knew one thing—Caius always found a way to survive these things. He always did. Her phone buzzed with a new text. She unlocked it and saw the name—Lauren. Perfect. [I was thinking...] the message read. Heather rolled her eyes. The last person she wanted to hear from right now was Lauren. Before she could respond, another text popped up. [Post a photo of me on your social media. Say I’m everything you look up to in a role model.] Heather frowned at the screen. [But you’re not everything I look up to in a role model. You’re not even close.] She replied. It didn’t take long for Lauren’s response to come through. [Remind me... how many years do people spend in prison for murder?] Heather’s fingers froze over the keyboard. She had almost forgotten—the leverage Lauren still had over her. Lauren was waiting for the right moment to trap her, and Heather wasn’t prepared for that just yet. She clenched her jaw. [Fine.] She was already climbing the stairs when she sent the last message. Tonight, she would have dinner with Trish, though she hadn’t decided if she’d reveal what she knew yet. She needed to think this through. But then, she heard her name. She stopped halfway down the hall, her ears straining to catch where the sound came from. It was faint, but it came from Caius’s study at the end of the hallway. Curiosity won over hesitation, and despite everything between them, her feet carried her toward the slightly open door. She didn’t step inside. Instead, she stayed by the doorframe, peeking through the small gap. Inside, she saw Adams and Adonis standing near Caius, both of them looking serious. "I don’t know what her motive is," Adonis was saying, his arms crossed over his chest. "But I knew we couldn’t trust her from the beginning." Heather’s heart skipped. They were talking about her. Caius let out a deep sigh, leaning back in his chair. His face looked tired and strained. She could tell he had been thinking about a lot all night. At first, Caius didn’t believe Adonis’s accusations. But now, Adams had confirmed the same thing, and the timing made sense—only Heather had read those documents in his office. "I know what her motive is," Caius muttered. His voice was low and filled with regret. "Revenge." Adonis raised an eyebrow, looking amused. "After all these years, you think she’s still holding a grudge? Well, you know what to do. Divorce her." Caius didn’t respond right away. "Master Adonis, that won’t be possible," Adams interrupted. "And why is that?" Adonis’s tone sharpened, he was clearly annoyed. Adonis never liked Adams. He always thought their father favored Caius more, and Adams seemed to follow Caius’s every command. It was obvious who he loved among the two masters. That only fueled his resentment. Adams straightened his posture. "Because Mrs. Thorne is still legally tied to the family’s inheritance. Without her signature, no official decisions can be made." Adonis’s expression darkened. He had spent years looking for ways to push Caius out of the inheritance, and when he found that information about VestorCorp, he thought he had finally won. But Heather had complicated things when she caught him snooping in Caius’s office. It was perfect when Adams confirmed seeing Heather there. It gave them the story they needed to shift the blame to her. "I’ve worked hard to make Heather mine," Caius finally spoke, running a hand through his hair. "I’m not letting her go over some scandal." Adonis laughed under his breath, the sound filled with contempt. "I just don’t understand You’ve always been soft. That’s your weakness." Caius ignored him, turning his attention to Adams. "Is there a way to make this all go away?" Adams hesitated, then cleared his throat. "One way—leave the country." "For how long?" Caius asked. "Six months... maybe a year," Adams answered.

Chapter 122: Scandal

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