Chapter 975:
Up to this very moment, whenever faced with the choice between personal affection and loyalty to her nation, Emani had always chosen to defend her country.
“This must not continue down this path,” she said quietly. “I know Brad possesses the strength to make a difference. And so do all of you. The moment I saw you, I realized the time had finally come.”
On one side stood a mother who, bound by unwavering principles and duty, had sacrificed her own daughter’s life for the sake of national security. On the other stood a daughter who, desperate to save her dying sister, had resorted to poisoning her mother and slipping into the darkness of betrayal.
Rylie clasped Emani’s frail hand, listening in silence as years of buried pain and remorse spilled forth.
When Emani’s emotions finally eased, she spoke of the assets registered in her name. After learning from Rylie that her daughter was expecting a child, she said softly, “I am an old woman now. The only reason I held onto those assets was to keep them from being misused. Juan is gone… and Rhoda has no one left to depend on. Give that money to her. Let it be… my way of making amends.”
Outside the door, Rhoda broke down, her sobs shaking her shoulders as tears streamed down her cheeks.
The day before Christmas, Rylie took Lucilla to her physical therapy session, planning to bring her to the mall afterward for some holiday shopping.
Brad, having finally secured a few rare days off duty, decided to come along.
This time, Rylie was behind the wheel of a gleaming red Ferrari. In the back seat, Lucilla sat wide-eyed with fascination, running her hands over every polished surface she could reach.
Brad glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “You like this car?” he asked.
Lucilla’s eyes sparkled as she nodded eagerly. “Yes! My daughter likes red the most!”
Exclusive stories galησv𝑒l𝓼․com
Brad’s brows lifted slightly before he turned to Rylie. “You like red?”
Rylie didn’t reply. Instead, she shot him a brief, unreadable look. Her silence said everything—she didn’t care for the color. And the “daughter” Lucilla mentioned clearly wasn’t her. Brad’s expression shifted subtly as the meaning sank in.
Lucilla piped up again, her voice full of childlike wonder. “It’s going so fast! Can it go even faster?”
Rylie caught her reflection in the mirror and smiled gently. “It can. Want to try something different? Something like a roller coaster. How does that sound, Lucilla?”
Lucilla clapped her hands, her whole face lighting up. “It sounds great!”
“Alright then,” Rylie said with a playful smile. “Let’s see how fast it can really go. Hold on tight.”
The instant those words left her mouth, Brad instinctively grabbed his seatbelt and the handle above the window. He had seen her drive before and knew exactly what was coming.
The next moment, the Ferrari surged forward down the highway—sleek, precise, shooting ahead like an arrow loosed from a bow. The tires screeched as Rylie took a few sharp turns, the car drifting smoothly through each curve with expert control.
Since Brad was concerned for Rylie’s safety, the Owen family had assigned bodyguards to accompany her whenever she went out. Fortunately, their vehicles were high-performance models, capable enough to barely stay on her tail.
After only a few minutes of speeding, Rylie eased off the accelerator, worried Lucilla might not handle the pace. She kept glancing at the back seat and asked softly, “You alright, Lucilla?”
.
.
.