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2024-10-29 19:42:56Four months ago, when Leonardo used to work at Kevin's company as a chauffeur, he had crashed the car of one of the company's board of directors when he was tasked with driving the man back to his hotel.
As expected, the man had burst into fury and demanded that Leonardo fix his car but Leonardo knew he would never be able to raise the huge amount needed to fix the car.
He was barely making ends meet with his meager pay. His pay was so little that he was certain he would have to save up all his salaries for an entire year before he would be able to fix the car.
Left with no other options, the company had to fire Leonardo as a way of taking responsibility for his action. But even after Leonardo was fired from the company, he was certain of one thing.
The car crash wasn't an accident. Someone had tampered with the car and orchestrated the accident to implicate him. But because he had no evidence whatsoever, he couldn't speak up about it and was forced to swallow his suspicions.
But today, he has confirmed his suspicions. It was Kevin who had planned the whole accident to implicate him and have him fired from the company.
Leonardo was right, after all. And to think that the culprit was no one else but his best friend who was also sleeping with his wife and got her pregnant behind his back!
“Tell me he is lying. Tell me you are not pregnant for him.” In his weak state, Leonardo shifted his eyes to Sophie and she stared back at him with barely any emotions in her eyes.
He wondered how he had managed to end up with a devil for a wife. What wrong did he ever do to deserve any of this?
Sophie rolled her eyes tiredly at him and picked at her fingernails. She seemed completely unbothered by the ruckus that she had caused.
“If you are going to ask me to get rid of the baby, just know I won't.” She answered. “I'm keeping the pregnancy.”
As she said those words, Leonardo's heart broke for the hundredth time like a fragile case, shattered by the words that he never imagined he would ever hear. Much worse, coming from a woman he had been married to for five years. A woman he loved with all of his heart.
“How could you do this to me, Sophie? How could you do this to me?”
Sophie laughed, her laughter carrying an air of mockery and sarcasm as she dressed before him in a big shirt.
“I cannot believe you still have the nerves to ask me such dumb question, Leonardo.” She walked towards her desk and pulled out a drawer, searching for something inside.
“You never held any meaning in my life, Leo. You never added anything valuable to my life. All you did was suck me dry and pretend to be a perfect husband.”
She picked some papers from the drawer and flung them at Leonardo and as his eyes scanned the typewritten content of the papers, his heart sank. They were divorce papers.
“Because I am a nice person, I am going to help you get out of your misery. Sign the divorce papers and be free from your pathetic state, Leo. Kevin and I plan to be wedded next month.”
Listening to Sophie say such horrible things made Leonardo feel like his whole world was being torn apart. Despair and anger warred inside of him and his nose flared as the feelings of anger won the war inside of him. He lifted his red, angry eyes to stare at Sophie again.
“You are the devil's spawn.”
She laughed again, evilly before walking towards Kevin. She placed her hand over his shoulder and kissed him on the lips before looking back at Leonardo again. There was a deep look of self satisfaction inside her eyes.
“I agree. Now, sign the paper, Leo, and be free from your misery.”
“Over my dead body!” Leonardo spat on the ground and raised himself back to his feet. He glared hatefully at Sophie. “I'll only agree to this divorce if I am dead!”
And so saying, Leonardo stormed out of the house, banging the door shut angrily behind him. As he descended down the staircase like a storm cloud, he passed Emma who looked surprised to see Leonardo in such an unusual state.
“Leo…” She tried to call out to him but he had already stormed away.
As soon as Leonardo walked out of the house and stomped towards his car, he noticed a black, expensive looking jeep parked close to his.
Confusion etched on his face and his brows furrowed together as he watched two men and a woman, clothed in dark suits alight from the car. They walked towards him and stopped directly in front of him.
“Leonardo Matteo, am I correct?” The woman stepped forward and extended a handshake to him. Leonardo accepted the handshake with skepticism and puzzlement.
Who were these people and why were they here? Who were they here to see and most importantly, how did they know his name?
“Y…yes.” He stuttered. “How may I help you?”
“My name is Gracie. I and my men are here for a purpose, Mr. Matteo, or should I say…Mr. Romano.”
“Mr. Romano?” Leonardo's frown deepened. “What do you mean by that?”
“What we are about to tell you might overwhelm you but that is exactly why we are here. To inform you about this. Your surname is not Matteo. Your surname is Romano. Rossi Romano was your father, may his soul rest in peace.”
Leonardo laughed a little ridiculously now, almost forgetting that he was angry just a few seconds ago.
“What are all these? Are you trying to pull a trick on me? Rossi Romano, the top business mogul in the country? Are you kidding me right now?”
“Fortunately, we are not trying to trick you, Mr. Romano.” The woman had a serious countenance on and it didn't look like she was trying to crack a joke, or anything of that sort.
“A month ago, your father died from a heart attack and two weeks later, his will was read and in that will, he left his company and eighty percent of his properties and assets under your care.”
She continued to explain. “You can come with us if you still have a hard time believing what I've just told you.”
Leonardo eyed them suspiciously. If they thought he was going to fall for their tricks, then they were dreaming.
“And why should I trust you? I've never even met any of you before. You could be kidnappers, for all I know. ”
A smirk played on the woman's lips this time around.
“Because, Mr. Romano, we have the key to turning your life overnight and making you one of the most prominent figures in the country.”
She took a step closer to him and stared at him, dead in the eye.
“So, what do you say, Mr. Romano? Are you coming with us or not?”
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Chapter 166 - Epilogue
One year laterThe sun cast a golden glow over the vast, manicured gardens of the prestigious Grand Regency Hotel.A venue renowned for its grandeur and elegance. The garden, transformed into an ethereal paradise all thanks to the best wedding planner in town.It was the perfect setting for the wedding of the century between Estelle and Silas, the Controller General.Guests from all walks of life, including dignitaries, politicians, celebrities, and high-profile business moguls, filled the garden, their elegant attire creating a vibrant tapestry of colors. The air buzzed with excitement and anticipation, mingling with the scent of blooming roses, lilies, and orchids that adorned the space.A grand archway, entwined with white roses and ivy, marked the entrance to the ceremony area. As guests entered, they were greeted by the soft, melodic strains of a live orchestra, playing classical pieces that echoed through the garden.Crystal chandeliers hung from the branches of large ancient o
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“Hahaha, very funny" Antonio laughed hysterically, glaring over at his brother from the corner of his eyes.“And when exactly did you become a police officer that you think you have the right to tell me to freeze?” Antonio scoffed with malice in his voice.“I always knew you were dumb-witted but this is a whole new low,” he laughed again uncontrollably. “Do you think being a cop is transferable or something? Just because you’re an in-law to one?” Antonio asked sarcastically, but Leonard left Antonio's words hung in the air unanswered while giving time for the police to surround the house. "Leonard, Leonard, Leonard, " Antonio called out his name, his teeth making ‘tsk-tsk’ sounds as he shook his head in disapproval.“You amaze me sometimes, you know brother?” he continued. "Always thinking you were better than everyone else and had it all together but we both know you never did.” He said while he laughed moving towards Estelle but she pushed back from him. “Even taking our sister'
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Leonard frantically looked through the CCTV cameras at the venue of the wedding, his face was beaded with sweat but he somehow managed to remain calm compared to the rest of them he was the one who was calm the most. The day before which was the last day before the wedding he had spoken with Estelle so how was it that she had just gone missing on the day of her wedding? How could she have just vanished into thin air without a word of warning? It had been a couple of hours already but the family wasn’t in a hurry to let the media or the public in general know anything about all that had happened, at least not until they got the bearing back together and had figured out at least something about what was going on, could she have run away on her wedding? That didn’t seem feasible, particularly because of how happy she was during the preparation, she was truly excited to be with Silas, but at the same time, she was afraid that something would happen and perhaps as a cruel joke played on
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Leonard began to go through the accounts book and began to see a large number of errors regarding the money going in and out of the firm, at this time Antonio had been arrested so it was up to him to take over the company and oversee all that was going on within it. But what he was seeing in the books did not put him at ease at the very least, on the contrary,, it made him feel rather disturbed, what exactly had Antonio been doing for so long in the company, what had he been spending so much money on that he didn’t care about the losses it incurred so frequently?He asked himself inwardly and then with a sigh he stood up and decided to question the people who worked for Antonio starting with Alice.She was the only one he actually trusted to tell the truth about what was really going on in the company and every office, as for the others he could not exactly be certain which ones among them were still in contact with or still willing to work for Antonio. He couldn't be more angry at
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Chapter 162
Sophie paced back and forth in the place she had decided to take shelter which wasn't anywhere comfortable but was some place in the slums, her past self would never once have even imagined that she would ever have a day of such humiliation, a day when she would be trying so hard to fight a losing battle against the monster that was the law. And as it was in that moment this monster was mere minutes away from finding her and choking her to death, as she pondered she recalled what Antonio had said before, both what he said about having more affluence and what he told her to do then with Emma, but it was as she thought about it that she shook her head and decided not to, she was already in hot enough soup, she didn't need to add any more fire. She really didn't know everything about Antonio or what his endgame really was, but one thing she knew that she could count on if she decided to work with him was the fact that somebody was going to have to die, it was just a matter of who, and
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Chapter 161
The next dayAs Leonard looked up at the exterior of the company's building, memories started flooding in, he began feeling a sense of nostalgia.The company was a sleek and modern marvel! It appeared as a gleaming giant, its facade a vast expanse of silver-gray glass and steel that seemed to stretch up to the very sky. The entrance was marked by a bold, oversized logo in a bright, electric blue color that seemed to pulse with energy. The walls of the building appeared to be made of a shimmering glass material that reflected the surrounding light, giving it a sense of depth and dimensionality.Overall, it was one damn of a cutting-edge technological company and Leonard couldn't imagine how Antonio might have managed to ruin it.As he climbed the wide stairs leading to the entrance, he cleared his throat trying his best to ignore the nervousness he was feeling.Questions like–would he even be able to fit in? What if no one wanted him there? What if he couldn't catch up and missed ever
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A week laterIn the courtroom, filled with a shimmering sense of hope, Leonard stood in his small wooden cubicle before the judge.Everyone present, expecting nothing but good judgment. Through the thick lenses of the judge looking down on everyone from her high seat, with a hand she picked up her gavel with one hand and struck it twice on the gavel stone.“Leonard, you are hereby acquitted and released from all your charges,” she declared with a sounding voice as light applause began to fill the room.As Leonard made his way out of the court, a whole flock of people including the press, news reporters, broadcasters, the media were outside waiting for Leonard to emerge and once they got sight of him, they all came running to him at once.Lenoard tried his best to stay composed as multiple cameras and mics were getting shoved in his face. “Leonard, look here!” One reporter said, “No, Leonard look here,” another blurted out. “So you were really accused?”The questions kept rolling and
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Estelle adjusted herself on the seat provided before Leonard, sitting upright so she could get a clear view of her brother's face through the security glass partition.“What do you mean by that Leonard? You don't want to work for the company anymore when you come out?” Estelle asks, trying to clarify.Leonard noded, “Just as I said Estelle, I don't think going back to that company is what I want to do.”“Don't think like that Leo,” she started in a convincing voice. “I mean, the company's faith depends on you. Speaking of which, it has already run down significantly, although we haven't run into any debt. What I'm saying is if you leave now, it will be in total shambles.”Leonard looked away for a moment sighing and if he thought Estelle would give up so easily then he was mistaken.“I honestly don't understand how Antonio is running that company, people literally loved you Leonard! In fact it was those same people who advocated for you to be released after all the evidence came out a
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Chapter 158
In the boardroomThe atmosphere in the boardroom was thick with anticipation. Silas, a commanding presence with an air of authority, stood at the head of the table, his eyes scanning the faces of the gathered board members.“Thank you all for coming,” Silas began, his voice steady and firm. “Today, we address the matter of the DNA test results.”He looked over at the corner where the police officers he was here with today stood. And with a flicker of his wrist, one police officer came forward, handing him over a brown envelope.Silas took the brown envelope, bringing out the documents within, lifting it up in the air so everyone present in the boardroom could see so there'd be no chances of anyone accusing him that he'd slip anything in.“May a neutral person come forward?” Silas announced and a junior officer appeared before him from the crowd. He hands the documents over to him. “Distribute them.” With that the junior officer nodded, beginning from the first person, he went one aft
