Chapter 367
Suddenly, everything made sense in Leandro's mind. The dominoes fell.
The imminent bankruptcy of the Arbex Group. The mysterious and sudden collapse of Ivan Milles' empire. It wasn't bad luck or market coincidence. It was the wrath of a jealous husband. Ethan Legrand had crushed empires simply because Ivan had had the audacity to ask for Lilian's hand in marriage.
A shiver ran down Leandro's spine. He realized the real reason his father had moved to the capital: to protect this precious secret called Théo.
He swallowed hard, pushing curiosity and fear to the back of his mind. At that moment, nothing mattered more than the boy in front of him.
Leandro turned to Théo. The smile that appeared on his tired face was shaky, but genuine for the first time in years.
“Hi, Théo...” Leandro's voice faltered, choked with emotion. “You can call me Grandpa.”
“Okay, Grandpa!”
“And how old is this big boy?”
“I'll be five in November!” replied Théo, puffing out his chest with pride.
At first, the conversation flowed with a certain awkwardness, the weight of lost years hanging in the air. But Théo's innocence, talking about his toys and adventures, soon melted the ice, transforming the moment into a pure connection.
Lilian and Ethan watched in silence, exchanging meaningful glances. She gave a discreet nod.
“Ethan... would you take Théo to his room, please?” she asked softly. “I need to have an adult conversation with my father.”
As soon as the bedroom door closed, muffling Théo's laughter, a heavy silence settled back into the room.
Lilian crossed her arms and waited. But the minutes passed and Leandro remained silent, his gaze lost in the landscape outside the window, as if searching for answers on the horizon.
She didn't rush him. She let him marinate in his own reflection.
“Dad...” Lilian finally called out. Seeing that she had his attention, she got straight to the point: “I hope you keep your mouth shut about Ethan and Théo. No one can know.”
Leandro smiled sadly and resignedly.
“I won't tell anyone. You have my word,” he promised, with the gravity of a sacred oath.
Knowing that his daughter was the matriarch of the Legrand family, that she had built a powerful and happy life without him, made him feel small. Regret was a bitter taste in his mouth. He was ashamed to be there, in front of her, realizing that every refusal he had received was, in fact, a deserved lesson from fate.
“Thank you,” said Lilian, exhaling. At least the secret was safe from her uncles' greed.
Silence returned, but now it was charged with urgency. Lilian glanced at her watch. Time was running out; the Arbex Group was waiting for its new owner.
When she looked at her father, she saw a broken man. Compassion tried to surface, but the memories of her mother's tears hardened her heart again. The calm, defeated man in front of her was a stranger compared to the tyrant of her memories.
“Is there anything else you want to say?” she asked, checking the time again. “I have thirty minutes before I have to go to the company to take control.”
Leandro felt his vision blur. Tears threatened to fall, but he held them back. His hands clenched so tightly on his lap that his nails dug into his skin. Nervousness paralyzed him.
“Lilian... I...”
“If you have nothing to say, you'd better leave,” she cut him off, standing up.
“Lilian, wait!” Leandro jumped up, desperation in his voice. “Can I... can I talk to your mother?”
Lilian stopped. Her expression hardened instantly, becoming a mask of ice.
“What?”
“I'm sorry to ask this...” Leandro's voice trembled, pleading. “But please... I need to talk to her one last time before I sign the divorce papers.”
Lilian narrowed her eyes, suspicious. The fact that he was willing to sign was a victory, but the price seemed too high.
“I beg you, daughter.” He took a step forward, his hands outstretched. “Let me talk to her. Even if it's just for a minute. Even if it's the last thing I ever do.”
“What do you want to say to her?” Lilian asked dryly. “You can tell me. I'll pass on the message.”
“No. It has to be in person. Or over the phone.”
Tears finally streamed down his face. “I want to ask for forgiveness. I need her to hear it from me. Please, Lilian... it's my first and last request.”
Lilian clenched her jaw. The dilemma was cruel. She wanted the divorce signed to free her mother, but she knew that Leandro's voice was a powerful trigger for Juci's trauma.
She looked at the man in front of her, seeing not the monster, but a broken human being.
“All right,” she sighed reluctantly. “I'll ask her. But listen carefully: if she says no, if she refuses to hear your voice... do you promise to sign the papers anyway?”
Leandro looked her in the eyes, defeated, and nodded.
“I promise.”
“Yes,” he replied. But deep down, the hope that Juci would accept his request burned in his chest.
“Wait here,” Lilian ordered. Before walking away, she stopped and looked at her father with genuine curiosity. “Can I ask you something? Why did you change your mind so suddenly?”
Leandro smiled, a bitter, broken smile.
"Your words... they tortured me all night. ‘Selfish.’
I don't want to be selfish with you, or with your mother. That's why I decided to let her go.
Lilian didn't answer. She walked to a corner of the room and dialed the number. Leandro's eyes didn't stray from her back, his hands clenched in anticipation, awaiting the verdict.
“Mom... my dad wants to talk to you.”
A heavy sigh echoed on the other end of the line.
“Did he bother you?” Juci's voice hardened, her protective instinct kicking in. “Lilian, if he refused the divorce, so be it. I don't care. I'll be fine, as long as he doesn't force me to go back to that house.”
“No, Mom. He didn't bother me. Actually... he's changed a lot. Since yesterday, I feel like I'm talking to a stranger. He's different.”
“Different?” Juci laughed, without humor. “A monster never changes, daughter. What you see is just another mask.”
“I know. But he seems... sincere,” Lilian admitted, confused by her own perception. “I know it's a lot to ask, but I hope you can hear him out one last time. You don't have to answer. I'll be here monitoring every second.”
There was a tense silence on the line.
“What does he want to say?” Juci finally asked.
“He wants to apologize. He said he wants to talk to you before signing the papers.”
“Are you sure he's going to sign?”
Lilian clutched her phone, her eyes flashing.
“Mom, if he lies to me, I promise he'll never see the light of day again. I'll put him in the worst prison money can buy. He'll pay for every sin.”
Juci hesitated. Fear paralyzed her, but her daughter's assurance gave her strength.
“He said his punishment will be to disappear,” Lilian continued, softening her voice. “He said he's going to move to a remote place, isolate himself from the world as penance for hurting us.”
The shock silenced Juci for a moment.