Chapter 134
A few seconds later, the door opened. A doctor wearing a mask walked out, exhaustion written all over his face.
"Mr. White."
"Is she..." David's voice was rough as sandpaper.
"We stabilized her. She's temporarily out of danger, but she's still unconscious. She needs to be monitored in the ICU."
David's legs nearly gave out.
She was alive.
That was enough.
He was about to follow the bed being wheeled toward the ICU when a commotion erupted from down the hall.
"Where's my daughter! Where's Chloe!" A middle-aged woman dripping with jewelry came rushing over, wailing. Behind her was a worried-looking man and several bodyguards.
The doctors and nurses looked bewildered by the spectacle.
"Who are you?"
"We're her biological parents!" The woman grabbed the doctor's arm. "My poor daughter, lost to us since childhood, and when we finally find her, how could this..."
David stopped in his tracks, frowning.
Hadn't Chloe's parents died recently?
The woman ignored everyone else and threw herself at the bedside, sobbing over the unconscious Chloe with such drama you'd think she was already dead.
The man following behind stepped forward and extended his hand to David with polite detachment. "You must be Mr. White. I'm Chloe's father, Leon Anderson. Thank you for taking care of our daughter all these years."
David didn't shake his hand.
The Andersons.
A third-rate family from the next city over who dabbled in building materials. He'd seen them at a reception a few years back—this Mr. Anderson had been all bows and scrapes then, not even worthy of offering Lucas a toast.
Now he was suddenly Chloe's father?
"From today on, you needn't trouble yourself with Chloe anymore." Leon withdrew his hand without embarrassment, his tone hardening. "She's our daughter. We'll take care of her. Outsiders should leave."
As soon as he finished speaking, two bodyguards stepped in front of David, gesturing for him to go.
……
David walked out to the hospital entrance. When the night wind hit him, he finally felt the cold seeping through his entire body.
……
Meanwhile, in the study at the Sharp estate.
The Sharp family's chief lawyer and CFO stood before Lucas.
"Boss, we've confirmed it." The lawyer's voice was strained. "The overseas assets Mr. Logan transferred were... legally done."
Lucas's fingers holding his cigarette paused.
"Continue."
"Those holdings were separated from the family trust many years ago and transferred to Mrs. Sharp—Ashley's personal name. The reason given at the time was to avoid certain overseas estate tax risks." The CFO added, "So when Mr. Logan operated with authorization documents bearing Mrs. Sharp's seal, everything went through official channels. The banks and regulators can't find any irregularities."
Death by a thousand cuts, hollowing out the foundation.
This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a conspiracy planned over god knows how many years.
Even Ashley was just a pawn.
"Got it." Lucas stubbed out his cigarette. "Send all related documents to my email. Highest encryption level."
The lawyer and CFO bowed and retreated as if pardoned.
Lucas leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
……
Juliana woke up hungry.
The apartment was empty—just her.
She shuffled to the living room in her slippers, poured herself some water, and picked up her phone to check for messages from Lucas.
When the screen lit up, it was full of financial news alerts.
[Sharp Group Suffers Massive Overseas Asset Transfer, Suspected Family Infighting, Stock Price Plummets]
Below the headline was a candid shot of Lucas leaving the Sharp estate. His face was expressionless, his eyes cold as ice.
Juliana's heart sank.
She immediately opened the news article and skimmed it quickly. The report was vague, mentioning only the Sharp Group's stock volatility and some rumors about Logan.
But Juliana understood.
A thought struck her like lightning.
Seven years ago, Logan had approached her, said he'd help her father connect with European contacts, then swallow the Wells family.
Seven years later, he'd used nearly the same playbook to hollow out the Sharp family.
Juliana felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet and spread through her entire body.
She gripped her phone and called Lucas.
The phone rang for a long time before he answered. His voice was low and tired.
"You're awake?"
"I saw the news." Juliana got straight to the point. "Where are you?"
"At the office."
"I'm coming to you."
She didn't wait for Lucas to respond before hanging up and heading back to the bedroom to change.
She couldn't just sit around anymore.
Logan, that rabid dog, had to be put down personally.
……
Sharp Group headquarters, top floor.
The air held the faint smell of tobacco. Lucas stood alone by the window.
When Juliana pushed the door open, that's the scene she walked into.
She walked over quietly and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.
The man's broad back stiffened for a moment, then relaxed. He reached back and covered her hands with his.
"Why'd you come?" His voice was hoarse.
"I was worried about you." Juliana felt his steady heartbeat. "I saw the news. What happened?"
Lucas turned around and pulled her to sit on the couch.
He poured himself some water and one for Juliana too, then finally spoke, his tone so flat he could've been talking about someone else.
"Logan's like a rat you can't kill."
He looked at Juliana, his eyes calm, just stating facts.
"He's not my father's legitimate son. My dad brought him home from outside."
Lucas's mouth twisted—the hint of a smile full of mockery.
"He's hated me and David since we were kids. Thought we stole everything from him. He's always been pulling shit. When David and I were young, we got burned by him constantly. When he got older, his schemes got nastier. Several times he tried to actually kill us. Once he sabotaged David's race car brakes. David nearly died on the track that day."
As Lucas recounted this ancient history, his eyes were frozen solid.
"After that, David and I teamed up and kicked him completely out of the Sharp family. Cut off all his prospects. I thought he'd learn to behave."
"I underestimated him. He's been lying low all these years, digging out the Sharp family's foundation from underneath."