Chapter 118
On the other side of Starlight City, at the Douglas Group headquarters.
Manuel sat behind his desk, a pen spinning between his fingers—round and round.
His assistant was delivering updates from Ridgeway Tech, his tone shifting from routine to barely contained amazement. "...Joseph has been taken in by the Economic Crimes Unit. Ms. Wipere not only recovered the surveillance footage he deleted, but she also traced all his transaction records from the past four years. She even dug up the server hosting contracts for his underground casino."
The assistant paused and glanced at his boss. "And despite everything that's happened, Ms. Wipere hasn't halted R&D. In fact, she's told the entire company to keep pushing forward. She told the tech department that the product won't go to waste, that the truth will come out soon, and that the competitor company will pay the price."
Manuel's pen stopped spinning.
"Keep researching? And she said the competitor will pay?"
He repeated the words as if talking to himself.
The assistant nodded firmly. "Yes. Those were her exact words, straight from the tech department. Now everyone at Ridgeway Tech is fired up—working overtime like crazy. Morale's even higher than before the incident."
Manuel's lips curved slightly. He pulled out his phone from the drawer and opened his photo album to a picture Valencia had sent him.
Lucinda stood in the Douglas Estate garden, wearing a white knit sweater. The wind lifted her hair. Her expression was calm, but her eyes were bright.
He stared at the photo for a few seconds, his thumb brushing lightly across the screen. "She's been back for days now, and I haven't gone home once."
He set the phone down, his voice tinged with regret. "That cross-border acquisition dragged on forever. Every day was spent grinding through details with lawyers and investment bankers. I could barely sleep. Then, just when we finally signed, regulatory review kicked in..."
He paused, leaning forward, hands clasped on the desk, his gaze settling on his assistant's face. "But things are finally wrapping up. It's time I went home."
The assistant immediately understood. He pulled a booklet from his briefcase, flipped to the first page, and handed it to Manuel. "Mr. Douglas, I've had people select over a dozen gift options. These are the finalists. Please take a look."
Manuel took the booklet and flipped through it page by page.
Diamond necklaces. Gemstone earrings. Limited-edition watches. Every piece was worth a fortune, but as he reached the end, his brow remained slightly furrowed—none of them seemed quite right.
Then, on the last page, his fingers stopped.
A bracelet.
Platinum, set with a circle of pale pink gemstones. Not a loud, garish pink, but soft and delicate—like the color of the first wild rose on an early summer morning.
"This one." Manuel tapped the image.
The assistant leaned in to look, his voice immediately respectful. "This is the 'First Blush' limited edition from Ethereal Jewel Studio, released earlier this year. Only three exist worldwide. This is the only one currently on the market. Perfect condition. The price is—"
He named a number.
Fifty million dollars.
Manuel didn't even blink. "Reserve it. Have it wrapped. I'll take it with me when I go home."
"Understood."
Manuel closed the booklet, pushed it aside, and picked up his pen again, spinning it once more. The curve of his lips deepened.
At the same time, in a quiet rest room next to the Economic Crimes Unit's interrogation area.
Valencia and Wesley sat side by side on a sofa. Two officers stood in front of them.
"Mr. Douglas, Mrs. Douglas, Joseph has requested to see you. He says there are things he must tell you in person. According to procedure, you have the right to refuse."
Valencia glanced at Wesley. Wesley nodded slightly. "We'll see him."
The door to the rest room opened. When Joseph was brought in, he was already wearing a standard detention uniform. His hair was disheveled, his face sallow.
The moment he saw Valencia and Wesley, his eyes reddened. His knees buckled, and he dropped to the floor. "Cousin! Cousin-in-law! You have to help me!"
His voice was hoarse, tears squeezing out from the corners of his eyes and streaming down his cheeks. He looked utterly pathetic. "That Lucinda—some nobody who came out of nowhere—I don't know who she's sleeping with, but she parachuted into Ridgeway Tech as acting CEO. The moment she got there, she started abusing her power, forming cliques, pushing out veteran employees. And now she's framing me for selling company data—I'm innocent! I've worked at Ridgeway Tech for over a decade. Even if I haven't done anything great, I've put in the work. What gives her the right to treat me like this?"
He knelt on the floor and shuffled forward on his knees, reaching out to grab the hem of Valencia's skirt.
Valencia took half a step back, avoiding his hand.
Her face didn't show the sympathy Joseph expected. Only a cold severity he'd never seen before. "Joseph, you called her a nobody?"
"You said she's sleeping with someone and parachuted into the company to abuse her power?"
Joseph froze, his lips trembling. He didn't know what he'd said wrong.
Valencia looked down at him, her gaze devoid of warmth. "She is my biological daughter. The Douglas family's eldest daughter, lost for twenty years. Ridgeway Tech is a company her father gave her. She's going back to her own family's company. Who does she need to sleep with? Why would she need to parachute in?"
The room fell silent.
Joseph knelt there, his expression shifting wildly. His mouth hung open, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
"Biological... daughter?"
"The Douglas family's daughter? She's... she's the one who..."
He couldn't finish.
She was the Douglas family's daughter who had been lost for twenty years?
Joseph's knees scraped forward again on the floor. His voice grew louder, his sobs thicker, tears and snot smeared across his face. "Cousin-in-law, cousin, I was wrong. I was so wrong. I didn't know she was your daughter. If I'd known, I'd never have dared cross her. For the sake of all the years I've served the Douglas family, please forgive me this once. I'll apologize to her. I'll kneel and kowtow to her. I'll do whatever she asks—"
"Enough." Valencia cut him off, her voice ice-cold. "You served the Douglas family? You stole company data and sold it to competitors. You ran a casino inside the company and swindled employees out of their hard-earned money. You harassed female employees. Do you even know how many people you've hurt over the years? Can you even count them?"
She took a step forward, looking down at Joseph kneeling on the floor. "Every single one of those things is enough to put you in prison. But do you know what I can't forgive the most?"
Joseph looked up at her through tear-blurred eyes.
Valencia's voice trembled slightly, but every word was sharp and deliberate.
"You bullied my daughter. You tried to frame her. You wanted her to take the fall for you. For that alone, I will never forgive you. Not in this lifetime."