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2024-10-29 19:42:56As soon as Leonardo returned back home, he headed straight for the bedroom. Once he reached the door of the bedroom, he pushed it open to see Sophie all dressed and reapplying her makeup, as if nothing ever transpired between them only a moment ago.
When she turned her head to face him, Leonardo felt his stomach turn in disgust at her sight. She repelled him so much that he could throw up and he wondered how a woman could be this evil and dark hearted.
It irked him to think that he had been married to this woman for five whole years and had endured all her mistreatments, all because of a love that was never there to begin with.
“Knock before opening the door. How many times do I have to correct you?” She sighed in frustration and rolled her eyes at him. But Leonardo wasn't here for any of her drama. He was here for something else.
“The divorce papers.” He spoke. “Where are the divorce papers?”
Fine lines of wrinkles crossed Sophie's face at his question.
“And what about them?”
“Where are the divorce papers?” He repeated his question, his tone nonchalant and impatient.
Still confused as to why Leonardo was asking for the divorce papers out of the blues, Sophie pulled open her drawers and fetched the papers from within. Walking up to Leonardo, she handed them to him with a small smirk playing on her lips.
“Don't tell me you intend to tear them to shreds or crumble them away. That wouldn't change a thing, Leo. I will no longer stay in this marriage, no matter how much you beg me to.”
“And who said I was going to?” Leonardo surprised Sophie to her bones as he began to sign on the papers. Sophie's eyes widened with the biggest shock of her life.
In a minute, he was done signing in all of the required places, after which he flung the papers into Sophie's face.
His face was cold and expressionless, while hers was red with embarrassment. She looked like she could not believe the scene in front of her. As if she was in a dream.
“I will not leave without my daughter. You are a terrible mother and you don't deserve to raise Ava. She is too good for you.”
Sophie's face steamed at Leonardo's words and her chest heaved with rage. She looked like she could tear him apart any moment from now.
“You are not going anywhere with my daughter, you asshole!”
“I do not want to drag this with you, Sophie. I'll take Ava with me and that is final.”
“Don't you dare!” Her yells echoed throughout the walls of the entire house. “I will never let you do that.”
“Alright then.” Leonardo didn't seem to be in the mood for a fight either. “We'll meet in court and I will have the rightful and legal custody of my daughter.”
“Let's meet in court then.” Sophie's rage had consumed her entire being now. Luckily for her, Leonardo didn't plan to stay for long. He turned on his feet to leave but stopped again. He looked back at Sophie, still with a cold and expressionless face.
“I will make sure that you pay for everything you have done to me. I will make sure you regret all the pains you put me through. That, I promise you.”
…………..
“Welcome back home, brother. For a moment, I thought you had slipped from my grasp again.” Estella greeted Leonardo with open arms as he walked into the mansion.
Unlike the first time that he was here, looking all clumsy and awkward, he stood tall this time and exuded an air of grace and charisma. The real Leonardo was back. Or rather, Jayden Romano.
“I wasn't going to run, Estella.” He replied to her. “I only needed to attend to some very important stuff.”
He walked over to a lounge to sit and he signaled a servant over. The servant hurried over to him without delays.
“Wine, please.” Leonardo ordered the servant and she quickly carried out his order, bringing a glass of red wine to him in a minute. Estella smiled as she watched him drink the wine.
“One thing about us Romanos…, we are very easy to spot at first glance. Our aura screams for itself. You've only just regained your memories and here you are, already acting like a true Romano that you are.”
“Brief me about everything that had happened while I was away. Leave out no details.” He went straight to business and Estella complied. She sat beside him in the lounge again.
“Mom died from ovarian cancer two years before dad. She was a true fighter.”
Leonardo's heart broke as Estella spoke and he felt pained that he was not there when either of his parents died. He never got to see them in their last moments. Instead, he had caused worry to their hearts because they kept trying to find him even after so many years.
“Antonio found out mom wasn't his real mother. His real mother had abandoned him during birth and mom had raised him as her own.”
“Wait…what?!” Leonardo's head felt heavy now as he took in all this news. Being separated from his family for fifteen years, only to return and find out that so many things had changed, overwhelmed him.
“Yep. You heard me right. You shouldn't feel bad for him either. Antonio has turned into a big bully and an asshole. All he wants for himself is dad's company and his assets. He is going to be your biggest rival and your worst enemy.”
“I just can't believe this. Antonio? My rival?” Leonardo was still trapped in his matrix of disbelief.
“You better believe it, brother. Right now, the company needs you. You are the only one we can trust to handle all of dad's proceedings and finance. It is going to be a bloody war but I trust you. And I know that you will win.”
Leonardo stared downcast and ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to calm himself down. Who would have thought that he would return to the lovely family that he knew, only to see that the lovely family didn't exist anymore.
In its place was now power hungry family members who waged war against each other. How did everything change this fast?
“Get yourself together, brother. We are going to take a tour around dad's company first thing tomorrow morning.”
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The security guards bowed to them as they walked into the company building. As they stepped into the large and vast entrance, they were greeted by the staff while they also whispered in awe behind their backs. “Oh my goodness, it's Jayden Romano.” “I thought he was dead.” “He grew up to be so good looking. Goodness!” “Where has he been all these years? I heard he went missing.” “There is a board meeting currently ongoing. We are late.” Estella informed Leonardo and they took the elevator to the top floor, where the meeting was being held. “Are you nervous?” She asked him as they disembarked from the elevator and walked down the hallway. “I mean, it's going to be your first board meeting. It's okay to be nervous.” “Surprisingly, I am not.” He replied to her. “I look forward to the board meeting.” As soon as they set foot into the board meeting, the once lively room suddenly fell silent for a few seconds and everyone in the room eyed Leonardo curiously. “Good day, ladies and
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"Then tell me who did it this instant or I will not hesitate to fire you. You don't want to remain penniless after all, do you?" He replied in a very angry tone. Mr. Ben's eyes flickered to the right as he stared at him, he was helpless. He needed this money to feel his wife and children and everything he held dear. Getting cut out of this business would put a dent on his image because he was sure that Leonard wouldn't issue a recommendation letter to him no matter how he begged. "It was your brother Antonio." "How do I believe you? For all I know you might be trying to frame him so that I don't send you out." Ben's hands went straight to the air. " I swear, I don't know anything about this. I don't know if you have anything in mind. we can go to him together. He gave me orders that I couldn't reject, sir. I swear I didn't want to do it. I have the conversation on my phone, the chats, the calls, everything, even the money he gave me to buy my silence." Wow! Leonard thought, this
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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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Chapter 164
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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Chapter 163
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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Chapter 160
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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Chapter 159
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
