Chapter 153 The Hidden Origin

Chapter 153 The Hidden Origin
"You didn't even give me a heads-up before signing those release papers!"

Detective Miller slammed his clipboard against the precinct wall.

Nadia didn't break her stride. She zipped her leather case shut and stepped right past him into the crowded corridor.

"The security drive cleared him," Nadia said flatly. "The case is closed. If you want to do actual police work, go track the Cobra gang instead of making useless noise."

"Don't you dare walk away from me!" Miller roared, his face turning dark red. "I'm still your superior!"

Nadia kept walking down the tiled hallway. She didn't turn around.

Their department had split months ago. Constant clashes forced the station chief to divide the detectives into two separate units. Miller took team one, while Nadia took team two.

"You think running team two makes you my equal?" Miller shouted after her, his voice echoing off the walls. "Go handle the gang yourself if you think it's so easy!"

Nadia pushed through the glass exit doors, ignoring his shouts.

Miller kicked a metal trash can into the corner. He didn't care about justice or closed files. He cared about the money that just walked out the door.

Zarik was one of the biggest pop stars in the country. A high-profile arrest could've netted millions in quiet settlement fees. Now the singer had walked out of the station completely free of charge, without dropping a single dime into Miller's pockets.

\---

The next morning at Zenith Beauty began with bright sunlight pouring through the floor-to-ceiling glass of the top floor.

Chloe pushed through the doors of the executive suite, clutching a folder against her ribs. She kept her eyes on the carpet, her steps quiet and hesitant.

Sarah looked up from her computer monitor. She set her gold pen on the desk and leaned back in her leather chair.

"How're you feeling today, Chloe?" Sarah asked, her voice calm. "I'm guessing you really enjoyed your day off."

Chloe stopped three paces from the desk. She shifted her weight, gripping the folder tighter.

"I'm fine, Madam CEO," Chloe stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you for asking."

Sarah picked up a printed document from the tray, looking over the top edge with a playful smile. "So tell me. When's the wedding? Has the date been fixed yet?"

Chloe's cheeks turned bright red. Her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't tell if her boss was making a joke or testing her position at the company.

"Madam CEO, I can explain everything," Chloe blurted out. "The news online makes it look completely different from what really happened."

"Calm down," Sarah said softly, setting the paper back on the desk. "I'm not angry with you. What you do with your private life is your business, as long as it doesn't interfere with your work here."

Chloe let out a long breath, her shoulders relaxing for the first time all morning.

"I do have one question, though," Sarah said, tapping her finger against the wood. "If you were seeing him, why didn't you suggest Zarik for our brand ambassador campaign earlier?"

"I separate my personal life from company business," Chloe answered firmly. "My job is picking the best fit for Zenith Beauty, not handing contracts to my partner."

Sarah gave a slow, approving nod. "Good. That's exactly why you run this office with me."

Chloe stepped forward and set the thick folder on the desk. "Here are the sales reports from the product launch. The initial numbers from the retail chains are already breaking regional records."

"Leave them here," Sarah said, pulling the file toward her. "Go check with logistics and make sure the new shipping routes stay on schedule."

"Right away, Madam CEO," Chloe said. She gave a quick bow and slipped out of the room, letting the door click shut.

Sarah sat alone in the quiet office.

She opened the folder and ran her eyes down the spreadsheets. Every single sales target had been shattered. Orders from domestic distributors were doubling by the hour, and international retailers were begging for product allocations after Yuri's appearance on the platform.

Zenith Beauty had grown from a struggling regional subsidiary into an untouchable corporate powerhouse in a matter of days.

Sarah leaned back in her chair and stared out the window at the skyline.

For the first time in five years, the crushing weight on her shoulders was completely gone.

Every major obstacle that stood in front of her family had been cleared. The Quinn family debts were settled, and the corporate saboteurs had been crushed.

Zoe was fully healed, playing happily at home without a trace of that deadly fever.

Even the Cross Patriarch, the man who had threatened her daughter's life, was dead. Julian Pierce had met the same fate. She felt a brief sting when she thought about Julian, but he was an ex who had turned into a monster.

Maybe karma was finally on her side.

Sarah paused.

Her hands went still against the armrests as a strange thought crossed her mind.

She began tracking the events of the past few weeks step by step.

Every single time a crisis hit her family, Luke stood right beside her. When Victor tried to force a wedding, Luke broke the doors. When the supply lines stalled, Luke promised they were safe, and the trucks rolled in. When their daughter was dying, the medicine appeared on her desk.

He never raised his voice. He never panicked. He simply gave her calm, steady assurances.

And without fail, every single assurance he gave came to pass with absolute perfection.

He always laughed it off. He told her it was luck, or prison favors, or simple coincidences.

Sarah stared at the reflection in the glass window.

No one was that lucky.

A sudden chill ran down her spine as another memory pushed its way to the front of her mind.

She remembered her grandfather lying in that hospital bed, clutching her hand with his dying strength. She remembered the terror in his eyes when he confessed his darkest sin before the monitor flatlined.

Thirty years ago, he found an abandoned baby in a rainy alley. He stole the blood-red jade pendant from the infant's neck, sold it to the Cross family to build his fortune, and dumped the child at the city orphanage.

That abandoned baby was Luke.

Sarah's breath hitched in her throat.

She had kept the secret locked away to protect her husband from Capital dynasties that could crush them both.

Now those enemies were dead. The storm had passed, and the danger had cleared.

Sarah stood up from her desk, her eyes sharp with absolute resolve.

She picked up her phone and walked straight toward the door.

It was time to tell Luke who he really was.