Chapter 366
In the hallway, in front of the massive door to the presidential suite.
Leandro Arbex clenched his hands tightly, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
He wasn't just nervous about seeing his daughter again, but also about the location. Lilian was staying at a luxury hotel owned by the Legrand family—the family of the man he despised and who, in his mind, had ruined her life.
Since the night before, he had tried to call Lilian incessantly, but the number remained blocked. His fatherly desperation got the better of him, and he came in person.
But now, standing in front of the door, paranoia set in.
“Is she in danger? Have the Legrands found her? I have to get her out of here. She has to go to my father's house or Gisele's. I can't leave her in this enemy territory.”
He clenched his teeth, trying to calm his racing heart, and prepared to face any security that might appear.
The door opened.
Leandro prepared his best concerned father speech, but the words died in his throat. He froze, his eyes wide with shock at the imposing figure standing before him.
Ethan Legrand.
Panic set in instantly. Leandro's flight instinct kicked in.
“Sorry, sir... I think I'm on the wrong floor,” Leandro stammered, lowering his head and quickly turning to flee, praying that the CEO hadn't recognized him.
“Mr. Leandro Arbex.”
Ethan's deep, authoritative voice echoed in the hallway, freezing Leandro in place.
He turned slowly, trembling. He couldn't believe it. Did the powerful Ethan Legrand remember him?
“Y-You... Do you... still remember me?” Leandro asked, his voice fading.
“Of course I remember you,” Ethan replied with courteous calm, suppressing the urge to laugh at his former father-in-law's terrified expression. “And you're not in the wrong room, Mr. Arbex. Please come in. Your daughter, Lilian, is waiting for you inside.”
The sentence hit Leandro like a punch.
“Lilian... inside? With him?”
The expression of disgust and fear intensified. Why would his daughter be in the same suite as her billionaire ex-husband?
“Sir, are you coming in or would you rather stay in the hallway?” Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow when he saw that Leandro was still standing rooted to the spot like a statue.
“Yes... Yes...” Leandro swallowed hard and entered, dragging his heavy legs, forcing himself to maintain his composure.
As he walked through the luxurious entrance hall, Leandro's mind tried to find a logical explanation. Maybe it was a business meeting? Maybe Ethan had called her to discuss the past?
He still doubted that he would see Lilian there, at ease.
However, the moment Leandro entered the living room, the world stopped.
His muscles betrayed him. He froze in the middle of the Persian rug.
Lilian was there. Sitting comfortably on the sofa, with a relaxed posture and a serene smile, as if she owned the place.
But the final shock came when Ethan walked past him and sat down casually beside her, his arm brushing Lilian's shoulder with undeniable intimacy.
“Lilian... you...” Leandro's voice faltered, his brain unable to process the image. “Why are you here with Mr. Ethan Legrand?”
Lilian had to bite her lip to stifle a laugh at the sight of her father in such a state of absolute panic.
“Dad... why are you so shocked?” she asked, with disconcerting casualness. “The man next to me is Ethan Legrand. And in case you've forgotten... he's my husband.”
Leandro stood frozen. His mind refused to accept the information. This could only be a dream—or a delusion caused by the stress of the day.
“Dad, are you okay?” Lilian's voice rose a notch, concerned, as she saw that he seemed to have turned into a wax statue. “Please, sit down.”
Leandro snapped out of his trance, blinking repeatedly, but the image did not change: his daughter was there, holding hands with the billionaire.
He nodded mechanically and collapsed into the armchair in front of them, his gaze glazed over. How was this possible? He vividly remembered the chaos of five years ago. The supposed divorce had been the catalyst for the ruin of the Arbex Group. The Legrand Group had cut ties, contracts had been canceled, and the family business had never recovered.
And now... they looked like a couple on their honeymoon?
“Lilian... when did you get married again?” Leandro asked, his voice hoarse. “And why didn't you tell anyone? I... I don't understand.”
“Mr. Arbex, forgive the interruption,” Ethan's calm, firm voice cut through the air. “But Lilian and I never divorced.”
“What?” Leandro brought his hand to his forehead, pinching his skin to wake himself up. It hurt. “Wait... have I lost my memory? You two separated five years ago! The whole world knows that!”
“Yes, we separated physically. But we never finalized the divorce legally,” Lilian explained, exchanging a quick glance with her husband. “We never filed the papers. So we're real. The man next to me is my lawful husband.”
Leandro was stunned.
“You're kidding me, right?” He looked from one to the other, searching for the hidden camera. “If you're still married, why did his family announce the divorce? Why did they destroy our business partnership?”
Leandro's eyes fixed on Ethan, demanding answers. The atmosphere grew heavy.
Ethan exchanged a meaningful glance with Lilian. He wanted to explain, to justify the mistakes of the past, but he sensed her reluctance. This was not the time to dig up old wounds.
Discreetly, Ethan picked up his cell phone and sent a quick signal. He needed a distraction. The perfect distraction.
“Hahaha! I knew it! You guys are messing with me,” Leandro continued, laughing nervously. “There's no way you two are still married, because...”
Leandro's sentence was cut short by a sweet, crystal-clear voice that echoed behind him.
“Daddy? Mommy?”
Leandro turned slowly. And froze.
A little boy walked toward the couple with confident steps.
“Theo...” Lilian's eyes instantly lit up. Her smile lit up the room as she pulled the boy to sit between her and Ethan, completing the picture of the perfect family.
“Théo, this is my father. Your grandfather.”
“Grandpa Leandro?” The boy tilted his head, curious.
Lilian smiled, delighted with her son's natural performance.
“Oh, I've heard Grandma talk a lot about Grandpa Leandro,” said Théo, with impeccable manners. He turned to the stunned man in front of him and held out his little hand. “Hello. I'm Théo Arbex Legrand. It's a pleasure to meet you, Grandpa.”
Leandro's hand began to shake uncontrollably.
The shock was visceral.
He looked at the child—the beauty, the innocence, the features that blended the Arbex and Legrand families. His eyes instantly filled with tears. This little man was his grandson. His blood.
And then, like dominoes, all the pieces fell into place in Leandro's mind.
The purchase of the shares.
Marcio's dismissal. The elite security. Lilian's unshakeable confidence.
It wasn't just the divorce money. It was much more. The powerful and terrible force protecting his daughter was Ethan Legrand.
No wonder everything had happened so fast. He hadn't been fighting his rejected daughter; he had been fighting the Legrand empire.