"Charles, any updates about today's event?" I whispered on the phone as I stared at Lilly's sleepy figure. Well, I wanted to stay with Liara because after what we did, I just couldn't hold myself back and that worried me. That's the reason I chose not to bother Liara anymore and rushed into this little girl's room.

"Master, it's chaos out here. Did Ms. D'waner not say anything about it?" He asked, and I shook my head, but then realized he couldn't see me and answered him instead.

"Shimmers is closed for the time being and Chief said he will not help them this time, so they left her to fend for herself." He said, and I cursed him.

"I know, but he thinks his position is in danger if he gets involved with her. So he let me handle it instead. He said to close the case as soon as possible."

"That's the only help that old man is capable of?" I asked, and scoffed.

"Perhaps yes. And by the look of it, I'm pretty certain this news has had her other companies in chaos. The stock market is in an uproar." He continued, and I just listened to him silently.

"The other companies that she acquired have called an urgent meeting to demote her as CEO. And not only that, but the SAMS is also in danger as the investors are slowly withdrawing their funds." He said, and I fisted my hand.

"How come she mentioned nothing to me?" I asked, to which he remained silent. I knew why she did that because she still couldn't trust me enough to share her problems.

"How's she dealing with the stuff? I have seen no official statement released from her side yet." I asked.

"I don't think she would." He said, and he sounded certain.

"Why? And how are you so certain about it?" I asked as I looked out the window.

"You should know it better than anyone else after how she's been with you." He laughed. I grew frustrated by how carefree he was.

"You better spit it out," I warned him and he fell silent for a while.

"I've seen her dealing with such situations and it's a given that she'd not show up to the media or anyone who wants to trample her image, that's for sure. That's the reason most people still do not know how she looks in real life. They have some random clicks of her in one or two award shows and that's it." He said, and it made little sense. Why did she choose to hide?

"Maybe because she hates the limelight. Well, her bodyguard always protected her image and they have an excellent PR team." He answered.

"And how does that help this situation?"

"From what I know, her PR team will come up with an explanation and I guess that's also not confirmed yet because we have seen no kind of move from them yet." He said.

"What is she up to?" I asked myself.

"The club staff were really helpful and answered everything we asked. So we found nothing that could link her up to human trafficking. It delighted them that she was the owner now as they got so much help from the new higher-ups." He explained.

"If everything is going so smoothly, then why aren't those motherfuckers stopping the news on the news channel?" I asked, perplexed.

"Because they got a good catch and their TRP has drastically increased after this news. It's been the hot topic of the New York Times consistently for a day and, by the look of it, they will not stop soon." He explained.

"Someone tipped them." I blurted.

"Someone sent the insider pictures of the day when I and Julie helped the kids move out of the building," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Samira." He spoke.

"I also think she did that because the amount offered to all the reporters was not something someone with little money would do."

"And I bet Julie shared those pictures. How considerate of her." He retorted.

"I don't know," I confessed because I never imagined Julie would do that.

"Oh, for Julie, you just play dumb. Look at how she is making your wife's life miserable when the actual culprit was her. Your wife chose not to take action against your girlfriend and now she just backstabbed her." He grew angrier.

"I... Anyway, why didn't you send your men when such a tremendous commotion happened in front of the D'Waner mansion?" I asked as this was their duty to protect the civilians.

"We got the news a little later and when we did, the neighbors took care of it again." He said.

"Again?" I asked.

"Yeah, a few days back, something similar happened, and those neighbors took care of it in an instant. When we got there, they just said they took care of it." He said. That's when I realized they were protecting this house, and I knew nothing about it.

"Master, I think Ms. D'Waner is losing all her money buying back the shares." He stated after we fell silent for a while.

"Why?" I asked.

"This is like a cherry on top for her enemies to enter SAMs and perhaps to stop her enemies from buying the shares and getting a hold of the company's power. She is buying all the shares herself." He said.

"Although I have little knowledge about it, I talked to Emma, and she said perhaps your wife is liquidating all her properties to buy the shares." He said and cut the call when I heard someone calling him.

"Shares." I held the phone tighter and thought about how to help her. I wouldn't let her suffer alone. Not until I was by her side.

"Drake, I need you to do something right now." I clicked on the speed dialer and called the only person who could be useful at the moment.

***†***†****†****†***†***†***

"Son?" I groaned when I heard a voice. My hands were stuck in the awkward position I was in.

"Angel!" I heard Lilly this time. Slowly opening my eyes, I caught the image of Lilly and Dima standing in front of me. Both of them had the same posture. They had their hands placed on their hip and their hair a mess with mischievous smiles on their faces.

"What time is it?" I asked when I checked. It was barely even morning, as the sun was still waking up.

"It's five in the morning," Dima said, giving an apologetic smile.

"Why are you up so early?" I asked Lilly as she jumped at me when I woke up a little.

"We decided to lighten Princess's mood by cooking something delicious for her." Dima paused, and with a sigh, I heard Lilly's squeaky voice. "Princess has to go to the office early and she will not have time to eat food," Lilly explained with a pout on her face.

"So, so. I said to Dima that I will help her." She squealed and giggled happily. How come this kid was so active in the early morning? I was tired as I barely caught any sleep but when I heard them say Liara will go early to the office, I started worrying.

"Sweety, can you let me talk with your angel for a minute?" Dima crouched down and spoke to Lilly, to which she looked at me and I nodded, sitting up on my bed.

"Okay," she said and walked out of the room obediently.

"What is it, Dima?" I asked after I took a sip of water as I felt my throat was a little dry.

"Well, I came to ask for a favor." She contemplated how to speak to me. I moved a little towards her and held her hand.

"You call me son and still contemplate how to talk to me?" I asked, and she smiled. Her face was so beautiful and divine that I swear every single person's day would light up when they see her.

"I want you to stay by her side today. It's a big day for her and even if I know Anthony will be by her side, considering Aria's absence, Anthony wouldn't possibly take proper care of her. And I.." She kept on explaining herself, but I stopped her and said, "I will." Because I already was by her side and thankfully I got to know her schedule beforehand.

"You will?" She looked surprised, and I laughed at her.

"Dima, it's not like I have any urgent business to take care of, and honestly, nothing is as important as being by her side," I said, and I meant it. I wanted to support her and stay by her side.

"You know, I cried for a few days and cursed God when I realized I had only a few days left to stay beside her." She spoke, and I instantly knew where she was heading.

''The day when I found out that she married someone without informing me, was shocking because she never believed in love and I wouldn't blame her." She said as she held my hand softly.

"But, when I found she married someone completely stranger to her and not business related, I was happy. This sounds strange, but considering the world, she is in, people marry for business purposes and that's what her father did, too." She explained.

"Even though you guys were poles apart, I knew you would keep her safe and happy. Although sometimes I saw her upset because of you or you being upset because of her, that's life." She shushed me when I was trying to interrupt.

"I've watched you both growing on each other, and the love and respect you share are much more than what's needed to continue any marriage." She explained.

"I'm glad that after me, she has someone who would take care of her. And I don't mean that Anthony has never taken care of her, but the way a husband stays beside his wife, no one would." She said. Her voice soothed my soul. It was so gentle and her words so precise that they felt right. Everything felt right at the moment and I was thankful for her.

"No one can ever take your place in her life." I hugged Dima when I saw her tearing up in front of me.

"Don't leave her side, even if she pushes you away. She pushes people away when she feels insecure or sad. Please stay by her side." She said between her sobs. My heart broke at how they were so attached and God was cruel to them.

"Everything will be alright." I gave her time to adjust and stayed by her side until she cooled down.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked, giddily. Even if I had less sleep, I felt energetic considering Dima let me do something for Liara.

"Anthony said that Liara must attend today's meeting in SAMs and because of paps, she will enter SAMs early. Before the paps crowd up in front of the building." She explained.

"And I was sure she was going to escape silently because she would not disturb me and stay empty stomach the entire day. That I never would let her be." She said confidently.

"You have your spy everywhere, Dima." I pointed to which she just smiled.

"I had to! And after me, you will have to do the job. Thank you in advance." She said, and I looked at her as if she just be kidding.

"Nope, I'm not. I have a long list of people to contact about her whereabouts. That I will hand over to you." She smiled, and I laughed.

"So let's get to work. She will get ready by six, I guess. We have less than an hour to pack her stuff." She said as we both looked at the clock.

"Freshen up. I will do the rest." She said and closed the door slowly. I blinked a few times and sighed when I realized how nerve-wracking today was going to be.

**†****†****†****†****†****†**

PS: I am not going anywhere, well until I finish this part at least. So rest assured you guys will get to read the chapters frequently. ❤️❤️❤️

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