Chapter 9
Online trolls were hired to smear the Thorne Corporation’s reputation, overwhelming the comment sections with waves of criticism and insults. The company’s credibility was in shambles, enduring an unprecedented crisis.
Business partners stepped forward to terminate contracts, despite the heavy penalties they faced for doing so.
Suppliers ceased delivering raw materials, demanding an explanation from Liam before they would resume operations.
In this small community, some companies hesitated to offend the Thorne family, but none dared to cross the Wellingtons. It was clear that Cassian was orchestrating everything.
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I stared at the news on the screen, utterly baffled by Liam’s behavior. For three years, he had secretly transferred millions to Seraphina. Why act so guarded now that he only owned half of a hotel’s stock?
I had been abroad for three years to escape imprisonment, but Seraphina, who was part of their ruse and feared I would reveal it, had just cleared her name and regained her freedom. Shouldn’t Liam be celebrating wildly with her now? Why hesitating?
Before I could figure it out, a phone call from home broke my train of thought. Habitually, I pressed the answer button, but the moment I heard that all–too–familiar voice, I panicked and hung up.
I blocked all domestic numbers, yet Liam persisted. Apology texts poured in, crossing
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international borders one after another. At first, I would delete each text individually, but I soon realized he was texting faster than I could clear them. So, I selected them all and deleted everything in one go.
When texting failed, he turned to email. Within an hour, my inbox was flooded with over 99 unread messages, the endless red notifications giving me a splitting headache. Left with no choice, I uninstalled the app entirely, severing all ties with Liam.
Back in the country, Liam stared at his phone, watching his messages disappear into nothingness, swallowed by an empty void. He was unraveling, barely holding himself together, teetering on the edge of a breakdown.
His secretary, drenched in sweat, stood nervously in the office, clutching a contract.
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“Mr. Thorne, pchaps you should review the contracts? The online backlash is spiraling out of control. Several partners are threatening to end their deals. The company won’t survive this-”
“Where is she?” Liam’s voice cut through, sharp and unyielding.
The secretary froze. “Who?”
“The person I asked you to find!”
“Mr. Thorne, I’ve done everything I could. I’ve searched everywhere–hotels, train stations, every possible place she might’ve gone. But I couldn’t find any trace of her. With the company in this state, I couldn’t leave to search any further!”
Liam didn’t spare him another glance. He snatched the keys from the desk and
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turned on his heel, heading straight for the police station. But when he filed the report, the police ran a search, only to come back empty–handed.
“Mr. Thorne, are you sure you have the right details? Our records show that Mrs. Calder’s identity has already been deactivated. Without valid information, we’re unable to assist you in locating her.”
Deactivated? A thought struck him–the call she had answered that morning. Without hesitation, he grabbed the police officer by the arm and dragged him out the door.
When they arrived at the identity office, the staff, seeing the police, scrambled to check the new details of Mireille’s identity after she had canceled the old one.
During this time, Seraphina had sent Liam
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several messages, but he didn’t even glance at them. With one swift motion, he deleted them. The police noticed his growing
agitation and tried to calm him, but Liam was pacing, his anxiety palpable.
When the new details were finally retrieved, Liam snapped a photo and sent it to his secretary. Within ten minutes, he had Mireille’s flight details in hand.
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