Chapter 149 Chapter One hundred and forty eight
ARA
“Lola once mentioned that her camera recorded what happened that night,” Liliana said as we made our way out, her eyes flicking toward me.
I said nothing, hoping she'd continue.
“Jimmy tricked her into believing he would sponsor the start of her photography career. He filled her head with hope… only to do what he did.” Her voice thinned at the end.
I knew my mother knew a lot about photography, but I'd never bothered to ask her how she knew. She never told me about that part of her. I'd always known her to be a chef from the very moment I called her ‘mother’.
“But how does that help us bring my father down?” Thayne asked, voicing the exact question circling in my mind.
We'd managed to lay hands on the footage from that night, all thanks to Nick.
“Try not to faint from the shock,” Liliana said dryly. “But the studio Lola always dreamed of working in is owned by your father, Thayne. You can probably guess where Jimmy chose to take advantage of her.”
In the studio. The bastard.
She looked at me with quiet pity. We stopped in front of the elevator.
For the first time in weeks, something began to align in my head. Pieces of a puzzle I hadn’t even known existed were sliding into place.
If we found that camera, then we could grind Jimmy to dust.
“Dad owns a photography studio?” Thayne asked slowly.
“Yes.” Liliana sighed. “He named it Photoslade. Not many people know about it.”
I stared at her. Slade Senior was the CEO of Photoslade. All this time, we had been chasing shadows, when the truth had been sitting right in front of us, just hidden behind another one of Slade Senior’s many doors.
“Jimmy was acting as Lola’s agent,” Liliana continued. “Or at least he pretended to be. He promised he would help her get an internship at Photoslade, and after that, secure her a permanent position as a photographer.”
My chest tightened, because I knew what it felt like to hope and dream for so much.
“Lola believed him,” she went on. “She thought he genuinely wanted her to reach her potential. One evening, he called her and told her that Slade Senior wanted to interview her personally.”
“A lie,” I murmured.
“A calculated one,” Liliana corrected softly.
The elevator chimed and the doors slid open, but none of us moved.
“Lola went there with her camera,” Liliana added. “She was so excited. She said she wanted to document every step of her journey. Her first big opportunity.”
“Mother, we are running out of time. We’ll grow white hairs before you finish explaining everything,” Thayne urged, impatience sharpening his voice.
Behind Stuart’s broad back, Sasha stifled a laugh. She leaned out from under his arm to peek at us.
Thayne caught the movement and shot her a lethal glare.
She immediately ducked back behind Stuart like a mischievous child hiding behind a wall.
“I was watching the news before you came up,” Liliana continued calmly, as though the room hadn’t just devolved into chaos. “Every channel is talking about the press releases. They won’t stop.”
She paused, looking between Thayne and me.
“What I’m saying is, we need to visit your mother’s old neighbourhood.”
“What?”
“Why?”
Thayne and I spoke at the exact same time.
“To ask the new occupants if they threw away her belongings,” Liliana said patiently. “Lola didn’t pack anything when she left. When she realised she was pregnant, she moved out almost immediately.”
My pulse jumped.
“If we find the camera…” I began.
“Then we can give the media a clear recording of what happened that night,” Liliana finished for me.
She clasped her hands together as if the answer had been obvious all along.
“Nick’s copy was black and white because, at the time, cameras couldn’t transmit or receive coloured footage easily. But if Lola’s original camera is still there…” Her eyes sharpened.
“We’ll have the complete recording.”
The room fell silent for half a second. Then Thayne moved.
“Stuart,” he said briskly, already slipping into command mode. “You stay with Sasha and make sure she’s protected while monitoring Jimmy’s media team. I want to know the exact moment New York realizes the footage he released was edited with AI.”
Stuart nodded once. “Yes, sir.”
“Hold up. Everyone stop.” I raised my voice.
All heads turned toward me.
“How does any of this help us bring Slade Senior down?”
Thayne paused.
“Actually… that’s a good question,” he admitted under his breath.
Liliana sighed dramatically.
“None of you were listening,” she said, giving Thayne a reproachful look. “And you were the one complaining about growing white hairs.”
Thayne rubbed the back of his neck but said nothing.
“The law will consider Slade Senior an accomplice,” Liliana explained. “The assault happened in a studio he owns. And up until now, he hasn’t released a single official statement.”
“Because he doesn’t want people to know he owns Photoslade,” I said slowly as the implication sank in.
Liliana nodded. “Correct.”
A slow, dangerous smile spread across Thayne’s face.
“Which means,” he said quietly, “the moment that camera surfaces…”
“…his silence becomes evidence,” Sasha finished from behind Stuart, clearly unable to resist inserting herself back into the conversation.
Stuart groaned softly. “And just like that,” he muttered, “New York’s most powerful man becomes a suspect.”
Thayne’s eyes burned with cold determination.
“Tell the boys to get the car ready,” he ordered.
“Because we’re going hunting.”
The next few minutes happened really fast. Thayne took call after call, his phone practically glued to his ear as he issued orders with steady precision.
His tone never wavered, even as he kept up with updates from the team currently holding Neil in detention.
“Slade Senior won’t see us coming,” I said, leaning back in my seat with a confidence I hoped wasn’t misplaced.
“He won’t see me coming,” Liliana amended, smiling widely.
But it disappeared just as quickly. Her eyes drifted to the window, narrowing.
“There’s someone on the roof of that building,” she said suddenly, pointing toward a warehouse-looking structure a few blocks away.
“Where?” I craned my neck, trying to follow the direction of her finger. Something about this reminded me of Lenora's instincts that saved us days back.
Their names both started with L and ended with A. Was it a name thing?
“I saw him move just now. Thayne, turn.” Liliana said to Thayne who was on the wheels.
“Mother!” Thayne groaned, irritation flashing across his face.
“Trust me, son. Turn,” she insisted, grabbing the headrest of his chair.
A strange tension prickled along my spine. What the hell was going on?
Thayne sighed but turned the wheel anyway.
The moment he did, the car behind us suddenly swerved.
Then—
CRACK!
The passenger-side window of the car exploded inward as a bullet tore through it.
That car was trailing us, but Liliana had thought quickly and asked Thayne to turn around.
“Drive, now! They’ve been waiting for our next move,” Liliana said calmly, her eyes still locked on the building where she’d spotted the shooter.
“But how did they find us?” I asked, dread curling in my stomach. I hated this feeling, this constant sense of being hunted.
Liliana inhaled slowly. “I think I know,” she said grimly. “The press release you made earlier… the footage captured the hotel’s trademark in the background.”
Damn. “That’s how they tracked us.”
Thayne’s jaw tightened as realization settled over him.
“I hope they have excellent drivers,” he said coldly, slamming his foot down on the accelerator.
The car surged forward like a beast breaking free.