er 107
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Chapter 107
Lucas Brown had not slept well for days.
Ever since Adrian walked out of the police station as if nothing had happened, as if the entire carefully laid trap had never existed, Lucas’s mood had been spiraling downward. Every time he thought about it, anger would surge up in his chest like a fire he couldn’t put out.
He was sitting in his office, staring at the city skyline through the glass window, his jaw clenched so tightly it hurt.
“Useless. All of them are useless,” he muttered.
He had spent money. He had used connections. He had even risked exposing some of his hidden resources. And for what?
Adrian was still walking free.
Not only that–there were rumors spreading that the man’s reputation had actually grown after the incident. Some people were even calling him “a miracle doctor” and “a hidden expert.”
The more Lucas thought about it, the more furious he became.
He grabbed a glass from his desk and threw it against the wall.
Crash.
Shards scattered across the floor.
“Why won’t you just disappear?” Lucas snarled under his breath.
From his point of view, Adrian was nothing more than an annoying pebble on the road. A nobody who should have been crushed easily. And yet, again and again, things went wrong whenever Adrian was
involved.
First the duel.
Then the hospital incident.
Then the police station.
Everything he planned ended up collapsing in ways he couldn’t understand.
Just then, his phone rang.
Lucas frowned and picked it up without looking at the caller ID.
“What is it?” he said impatiently.
The voice that came from the other end was filled with barely restrained rage.
“You still have the nerve to ask me what it is?!”
Chopter 107
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Lucas stiffened.
“Dad?”
“Yes. Your father,” the man on the other end snapped. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!”
Lucas frowned deeper. “What are you talking about?”
“What am I talking about?” His father almost laughed, but there was no humor in it. “The East Harbor project. The one our family spent years preparing for. The one we poured half our resources into. It’s
been canceled.”
Lucas’s eyes widened. “Canceled? Why?”
There was a short, heavy silence on the other end.
“Because,” his father said slowly, each word heavy, “you offended the chairman of the Cole Group.”
Lucas felt as if someone had poured cold water over his head.
“The… chairman?” he repeated. “What chairman?”
“The chairman of the Cole Group!” his father roared. “Don’t play dumb with me!”
Lucas stood up from his chair. “Dad, wait. This doesn’t make sense. I’ve never even met the chairman.
How could I offend him?”
There was another pause.
Then his father’s voice turned even darker. “You’ve never met him?”
“No,” Lucas said quickly. “And… isn’t the Cole Group’s chairman supposed to be dead? He’s been gone for almost four years, hasn’t he?”
His father inhaled sharply on the other end.
“That’s exactly what everyone thought,” he said in a low voice. “But there have been rumors recently. Some people in the upper circles are saying he was never dead. They say he had an accident, went into hiding, and has been recovering in another country.”
Lucas’s heart skipped a beat.
“Rumors?” he asked.
“Yes. Rumors,” his father said. “They’re not officially confirmed yet. But they’re serious enough that people are already acting cautiously.”
Lucas’s mind was spinning.
If the chairman was really alive…
Then who had he offended?
2/5
Chapter 107
Lucas stiffened.
“Dad?”
“Yes. Your father,” the man on the other end snapped. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!” Lucas frowned deeper. “What are you talking about?”
“What am I talking about?” His father almost laughed, but there was no humor in it. “The East Harb project. The one our family spent years preparing for. The one we poured half our resources into. It been canceled.”
Lucas’s eyes widened. “Canceled? Why?”
There was a short, heavy silence on the other end.
“Because,” his father
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
