Chapter 89

His actions were his answer.

He knew her life at Lambert Manor was a living hell, yet he had agreed to let her stay.

Latisha stared blankly in the direction he had gone, a bitter taste filling her mouth. What had she been trying to prove? That he understood her words? That he was truly as heartless as he seemed?

Latisha went back inside the mansion. After the evening's drama, everyone had already retired to their rooms. She went to her old bedroom, found a change of clothes, and took a hot shower.

As soon as she closed her eyes, memories flooded her mind, replaying like a film reel-the good, the bad. All told, her twenty years with the Lamberts had been an utter failure. She didn't know where she came from or who she really was.

She remembered waking up one day to the face of a man named Darby Lambert. Before that, her memory was a complete blank. He had told her that her name was Latisha Judd, that she was an orphan, and that she would be with him from now on. So she had followed him, dazed and confused, to the Lambert estate, becoming a part of the family without ever truly belonging.

And just like that, twenty years had slipped by. Fate had never been kind to her. Even the one spark of light she had clung to was now fading, growing more distant with each passing day.

...

In the Mystic Cube.

The private room was electric, filled with scantily clad women dancing under the flashing lights. Flint, who hadn't had a night out like this in ages, grabbed a microphone and dove into the throng, his movements stiff and endearingly awkward.

Killian and Clifford sat together on a sofa, watching the scene with detached expressions.

Killian took a sip of his drink. "The customs issue is resolved. And while I was looking into it, I found something interesting."

Clifford, his legs crossed, glanced at him. "Oh?"

Killian lowered his voice. "The people targeting you don't seem to be in logistics.

They're in tech R&D. Don't you find that odd?"

"I already know that. Tell me something useful."

Killian was surprised. So Clifford had already figured it out. No wonder he'd handed the problem off to him. The rival company wasn't even. based in the country, which meant their attack on the Lambert family was personal-or, more specifically, an attack on Clifford There were hundred ways to go after the Lamberts; why target the logistics division that Clifford personally managed? This meant Clifford had dragged his family, the Staffords, into his personal war.

Killian paused, choosing his words carefully. "This piece of information could be very

helpful to you. If I tell you, I expect something in return."

The incident with Nikita had hit the Stafford family hard. While it hadn't bankrupted them, it had certainly done significant damage. He needed Clifford's help to stabilize things before a rival could take advantage

of their vulnerability.

"I won't know if it's helpful until you tell me," Clifford said, idly flicking a lighter. The

flame danced, casting shifting shadows across his face.

Killian leaned in. "Your brother-in-law, Santino, once outsourced a project. The

partner he chose was a subsidiary of that very company."

Clifford's hand stilled. He turned to Killian. "Is that so?"

Killian nodded. "You can check the records."

"That outsourced project was run through AuraJoy Inc.'s books, if I remember correctly. That was the company

ir father gave Renata as a wedding gift, wasn't it?"

Though the company was in Renata's name, it was still tied to the Lambert Group's

overall stock and intrinsically linked to the parent company's interests.