Chapter 256

Chapter 256

"Officer, I swear I'm innocent."

He put on a helpless expression.

"I was just checking out an old factory project in the suburbs that day when Chloe showed up out of nowhere with the kid, claiming she was Kian's illegitimate daughter and demanding to use my place to get revenge on Elena. She brought several burly bodyguards with her—they looked downright threatening. I couldn't stop them."

"What was I supposed to do? I'm an elder. I couldn't just throw a little kid out on the street, could I? I had no choice but to play along and figure out how to contact Kian. Who knew Elena would show up and think I'd kidnapped the child?"

He spoke with such sincerity, then had his lawyer submit security footage from the factory entrance.

The video showed everything clearly:

Chloe carrying Nora, walking into the factory with two bodyguards, giving them instructions before leaving—clearly the one calling all the shots.

Combined with Zoe's earlier testimony that Chloe had snatched the child right in front of her, the evidence chain pointed straight to one mastermind.

The police moved immediately.

Chloe had been sitting back enjoying the show, calculating that once Indigo dealt with Elena, she'd reap all the benefits and finally secure her position as Mrs. Lancaster.

Then her door crashed open. When the police stood before her with an arrest warrant, she went completely blank.

"It wasn't me! Indigo made me do it! He said he'd help me get rid of Elena!"

She screamed her innocence hysterically, but words without evidence meant nothing.

Chloe had no defense. When the police led her away, her face was ghost-white.

After all her scheming, Indigo had used her as a pawn and thrown her away.

Before the case even went to trial, Howard pulled every string he had, hired Harmony City's best legal team, and got Indigo released on bail under "insufficient evidence, cooperating with investigation."

When Indigo walked out of the police station, he was impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, hair perfectly combed, not a trace of distress on him.

He stood on the steps, glanced toward the hospital, and let out a cold laugh.

With Kian critically injured and unconscious, his fate uncertain, this was the perfect time to seize power.

The Lancaster Group was a prize he'd coveted for so long—he couldn't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Kian had been unconscious for three days with no signs of waking.

The company was in crisis mode. With public opinion swirling and their leader absent, they were like a ship without a captain, completely adrift.

Indigo and Howard, under the guise of stabilizing the company, showed up at headquarters daily, meeting with directors one by one over tea, trying to consolidate power in their hands.

They spread rumors that Kian probably wouldn't make it, that the company couldn't remain leaderless, that they needed to select a new head immediately.

The board members were in a panic.

They were in the critical sprint phase before going public, and now the CEO was critically injured and unconscious, with a scandal about an illegitimate daughter breaking out. The stock had dropped two days in a row.

If this chaos continued, they'd lose the performance agreement for sure, and the whole company would collapse.

Right in the middle of this mess, Elena received a call from an unfamiliar landline.

On the other end was an elderly but steady voice. Arthur.

"Elena, it's me. If you have time, please come to the Lancaster Manor. I need to speak with you."

Elena gripped her phone, heart pounding.

With Kian unconscious, Arthur suddenly reaching out—she didn't need to guess it was about the company and the child.

She hesitated for a few seconds, then agreed.

Nora had stabilized, with Zoe and Olivia watching over her. She felt at ease.

Some things had to be faced eventually.

The Lancaster Manor looked exactly as she remembered—blue brick and white walls, deep courtyards, utterly quiet.

In the living room, Arthur sat in the main seat's rosewood chair, hands resting on his cane.

Just five years, yet he seemed to have aged decades. His hair had gone completely white, his back was stooped, deep wrinkles carved into his face. He looked particularly worn.

Seeing Elena enter, Arthur looked up at her, his eyes full of heartache and guilt.

He sighed, his voice hoarse and aged: "Elena, our Lancaster family wronged you before. You suffered because of us."

Those words made Elena's nose sting instantly.

She turned away, blinking hard to force back the tears, and softly called out: "Grandpa."

"Sit." Arthur gestured to a nearby chair. Once she sat, he spoke slowly, "Kian's a stubborn boy, terrible at expressing himself, doesn't know how to care for people properly. He did a lot of foolish things back then. You suffered because of him."

"I scolded him many times, but he's stubborn. Once he sets his mind on something, eight oxen couldn't drag him back. By the time he figured it out, when he wanted to cherish you, you were already gone."

Elena kept her head down, silent.

"Kian drafted his will two years ago."

Arthur looked at her, speaking each word clearly.

"All his Lancaster Group shares, properties, and assets—the sole beneficiary is you."

Elena's head snapped up, eyes wide with shock, certain she'd misheard.

"Grandpa... what did you say?"

"I said he left everything to you."

Arthur repeated it, his tone heavy.

"He said he owes you a debt he can never repay in this lifetime. If anything ever happened to him, these things would be his compensation to you."

Elena froze completely.

She never imagined Kian would draft such a will.

Arthur sat in the rosewood chair, fingers lightly tapping the cane head, letting out a heavy sigh.

"You can probably guess the company's situation right now."

"Indigo's been at headquarters daily with some old board members, pressuring everyone, saying Kian won't wake up and we need to elect a new leader."

"We're at the critical moment before going public. With internal chaos, the stock's dropping hard. If this continues, we'll lose the performance agreement, and everything Kian worked for all these years will be destroyed."

He looked up at Elena, his eyes carrying a hint of powerless desperation:

"I'm old, my health failing day by day. I can't control these wolves anymore. All I can do is watch them run wild."

Elena lowered her eyes, saying nothing.

"I know this is difficult for you. I know you've been wronged." Arthur's tone softened, taking on a pleading quality.

"Elena, with my shares added to yours, you have the highest voting power after Kian. If you just take that position, hold the line, don't let Indigo and his people seize control—just hold on until Kian wakes up."

"I've heard about these past five years—how you built your studio from nothing into something thriving. You have the ability."

Elena pressed her lips together, torn.

She really didn't want to get dragged into this mess.

But now, Kian had taken a bullet to save her and Nora and was unconscious. His life's work was about to be stolen. And Arthur was saying all this...