Shadows Of A Forgotten Spring
Billionaire Shadow 128

Chapter 128

Alexander got out of the car and onto the granite paving of the Blackthorn skyscraper. His eyes iced, his jaw tightened. The betrayal was still fresh, a venomous wound in his pride. Five hundred million bucks, lost. Stolen under his nose. The thought of it burned like acid, and he swore to himself that the man who dared to cross him would regret it for the rest of their miserable life...

He strode through the grand lobby, his presence commanding attention. Employees scattered out of his path, their heads lowering in both respect and fear. They could feel the storm brewing in him. Alexander didn't bother acknowledging them: his focus was razor-sharp. He entered his private elevator, pressing the button for the top floor with more force than

necessary.

The moment the elevator doors opened onto his office, Alexander was already shrugging off his suit jacket onto the nearest chair. There were piles of documents atop his desk, but the documents related to the embezzlement was what he needed. He sat, grasping the papers and scanning every detail with eyes sharp in ruthless precision.

It was indisputable: Blackthorn Holdings had been scammed out of five hundred million dollars. The transactions was buried deep but not deeply enough to avoid detection from some workers.

How could I have let this happen under my watch? he wondered bitterly.

His private investigators stood before him, hands behind their backs in attention. He raised his head and, with a cold voice. instructed, "Start tracing every person who has left the country in the last 48 hours through air, sea, or road. I don't care how you do it; find him. He couldn't have gone far," Alexander barked

"Yes, sir. We'll update you as soon as we have something," the lead investigator stammered, scared.

Alexander closed the file and leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. The frustration and anger swirled in his chest in a storm of emotions that he could not hold back entirely. The situation required all his attention, yet his mind betrayed him, as he began thinking about Emma.

She had left him five years ago. He could still remember the look in her eye as she had walked away. Then, he hadn't grasped what he lost; his pride, anger, and misplaced priorities had blinded him. But now, the emptiness she left behind was a constant ache, one he couldn't shake no matter how much he tried to bury himself in work.

He had no right to think about her, not after the way he had treated her, yet she lingered in his mind all the time.

Alexander shook his head, forcing himself back to the present. There was no time for this. He couldn't afford to be distracted, not now, not when everything that his forefathers had worked for was at stake.

Straightening in his chair, he flipped through the documents again, his determination hardening. He would find the thief. He would reclaim what was his. But even as he immersed himself in the task at hand, a part of him couldn't help but wonder if his success meant anything without Emma by his side.

AAAAA

Annie stood as the door of the warehouse began to open.

Her heart pounded in her chest but not with fear, but with a dark excitement that she hadn't felt in years. She had been informed that they'd managed to find Jim, the guy she had slept with, though the owner of the playhouse had managed to slip through their grasp. She rubbed her palms together, her red-painted nails shining bright under the weak light bulb hanging above her. Anticipation hummed in her veins. It had been far too long since she had indulged in these cruel games that gave her life meaning. For five long years, she had played Alexander's picture-perfect girlfriend. She had smiled when she wanted to scream and pretended to be the perfect lady when deep down, she was anything but.

Pain had always been her fuel; she fed off it, craved it, and needed it to remind herself of who she really Jim being dragged into the room, her old self began awakening.

was. And now, with

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10:48 Wed, Jan 14 GF.

Chapter 128

The sound of scuffling feet brought her gaze up, and a smirk curled upon her lips. Jim resisted or at least he tried to.

His futile attempts were laughable against the giant men who were holding him strongly. His eyes darted around the room like a trapped animal; he was afraid and on the lookout for any escape available. There was no means of escape, though. Not for him. AAAAA

The thought of Emma filled Derek with venomous fury. She had taken everything from him, his family name, his pride, his future. And now she stood tall, celebrated and untouchable, I was unbearable. But not for much longer. He opened the closet, pulling out the bag he had packed meticulously for weeks. Inside was the explosives.

Derek caught his reflection once more in the mirror, running a hand over his freshly cut hair. It was shorter now, neater, meant to blend in with the rest, like any other man walking the crowded street. He pulled a plain black face mask over his features, obscuring his identity

even more.

He stepped out of the apartment, squinting against the sun's brightness that momentarily dazed him. He hailed a taxi, holding the bag close as he climbed inside.

"To Diana house," he told the driver in a curt manner. The man nodded and adjusted his rearview mirror to glance at Derek's masked face before pulling into traffic. Derek looked down at the bag sitting on his lap. It seemed heavier than before.

This wasn't just about destroying her success alone but taking back his identity, forcing the world to remember him once more, even if it was for something terrifying.

The taxi pulled to a stop in front of Diana's house, and Derek stepped out, his heart pounding in his chest. He stood for a moment, staring at the towering structure before him, a structure that should have become his. With a deep breath, he adjusted the strap of the bag on his shoulder and walked forward with steady steps, and unshakable purpose.

Emma should be ready to feel his wrath.

SEND GIFT