To Love a Shadow To Be the Sun novel Chapter 325

“She’s dead,” Zane said.

That was the message passed along to the Grove family once he acknowledged Surplus’s true identity.

Now, that’s what he told everyone.

Victor looked at him, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “But you still married into their family. We need the Groves’ support, so we can’t afford to offend them. The three-year agreement still stands.”

Zane pressed his lips together. “I know.”

Victor’s tone softened. “I get it—you’re only human. If you need someone on the side, just keep it discreet. No one’s going to blame you.”

Zane’s mouth twitched, but his voice was unreadable. “I’m in a hurry. I’ll be going now.”

***

Elara stepped out of Blackstar Tower, Fiona’s words still stabbing at her heart. Pretending she wasn’t hurt would have been a lie.

At some point, rain had started falling. Her car was parked all the way at the far end of the open lot; if she dashed out now, she’d be soaked through.

As she hesitated, a large black umbrella appeared silently above her head.

She turned and found herself facing Quincy Shelton.

“Miss Jules, it’s really coming down. Please, take my umbrella.”

Elara took it, but didn’t thank him. Instead, she cut straight to the point. “Where’s Zane? He must have time for me now, right?”

Quincy looked awkward. “Mr. Lawrence is here for an important meeting today, and we have to head straight to the site. The car’s already waiting.”

Elara couldn’t hold back her frustration anymore. “He was the one who chased after me, and now he’s acting all distant? If he wants to draw the line, fine, but he should at least make himself clear. Then we can go back to being strangers.”

“Uh…” Quincy managed a strained smile. “Please don’t be upset, Miss Jules. We’ll only be gone for three days. I promise, as soon as we’re back, I’ll contact you right away.”

Finally, something that sounded almost reasonable.

Elara pressed her lips together, said nothing more, and walked off alone into the rain, umbrella in hand.

***

Chairman’s office, Blackstar Technologies.

Fiona had already left. Victor sat alone behind his desk.

His assistant brought him a pot of freshly brewed green tea, but Victor didn’t touch it. He just stared out at the rain pouring beyond the window.

Still, a fingerprint recovered at the scene matched a partial print found on a pair of sneakers—consistent with the evidence from Platinum Bay.

With this, suspicion of Lina’s involvement in Chuck’s murder skyrocketed, and she was officially named a wanted fugitive.

Meanwhile, in just three days, everything at SiliconCrest Group changed.

Hayden Everly had just secured extra funding for the lab by pitching a “proprietary innovation,” and it seemed like the company was finally turning a corner. But then, at the board meeting, Ellis forcefully opposed the funding, and suddenly news broke that the group’s cash flow had collapsed.

The investigation revealed that, besides the lab’s heavy spending, Ellis had secretly siphoned off huge sums to bribe political backers, dragging SiliconCrest Group into a full-blown financial crisis.

Once, Ellis and his father had all the power. Now, they’d become everyone’s scapegoat. And Brian, already on the outs, couldn’t turn things around. SiliconCrest Group was officially on the verge of bankruptcy.

***

Illusion Manor.

Ellis had smashed nearly everything in his room in a fit of rage.

Gareth Vincent, watching the chaos, tried to reason with him. “He only said he’d cut you off because he thinks SiliconCrest Group is done for—that we can’t pay him anymore. But we’re not bankrupt yet! There’s still hope!”

Ellis grabbed Gareth’s shirt, eyes bloodshot. “You’re the one who kept saying SiliconCrest Group had plenty of money! How did we run out so fast? The Vincents are the richest family in Kingston City—so where’s all the money now?”