Third Person's POV
Sunny glared at him with disgust. "Traitors usually don't end well. I hope to see yours soon."
Samuel remained nonchalant. "Not necessarily." With that, he left with a swagger.
Sunny grasped Leo's tense fist. "Don't let people like him get to you."
Leo let out a self-mocking chuckle. "I'm clearly not as good at judging people as Blake. He's surrounded by loyal people, while I..."
"Don't think like that," Sunny whispered soothingly. "Samuel's inherently insincere and good at pretense. It's normal not to see through him."
"There must be someone backing him," Leo said, his expression weary. "Otherwise, he wouldn't dare betray me knowing my brother is Blake."
A sudden chill ran down his spine—relying on Blake's protection in the past, he now felt as if he'd fallen into an abyss, sensing a more complex force manipulating behind the crisis.
Could it be Richard and Nick?
But Blake didn't take them seriously.
Leo furrowed his brows, unable to find an answer for the moment.
Immediately after Samuel left, Leo reviewed the company accounts and found every entry had been meticulously covered up.
With an icy expression, he sat in his office. Just a day after Samuel's resignation, several senior executives submitted their resignations—one misstep, and all would fall together.
Faced with the company's upheaval, Leo wasn't too concerned about financial losses.
He wasn't driven by wealth. He'd started the company out of interest.
The weariness now stemmed more from heartbreak—being betrayed by someone he trusted was a wound slower to heal than physical pain.
This incident added a layer of caution to his view of human nature, making him more silent than before.
Sunny witnessed all this and felt her heart ache for him.
That night, Leo took her to the Royal Wolf Pack for dinner.
At the table, Abigail zoned out several times. Sunny's smile made her dazed—as if the woman in Olivia's photos, etched in her memory, flickered before her in Sunny's features.
She'd harbored hatred for Olivia countless times, whose face was ingrained in her bones, yet now she caught a resemblance in Sunny.
Sunny, sensing Abigail's stare, felt restless and uneasy, as if sitting on pins and needles.
Meanwhile, Leo was upstairs in the study discussing Richard's movements with Blake.
Abigail sighed inwardly. She knew Sunny was in no way connected to Olivia, yet she couldn't help but make the association.
Could it be that during her last conversation with Leo about Olivia, Sunny's reaction had planted seeds of suspicion?
She refused to believe Leo would keep anything from her.
In the study, the brothers were discussing Richard's recent moves.
Given their grandfather's condition, they wanted to resolve the trouble soon but had to tread carefully.
"Blake, Samuel resigned. I'm planning to hire new people," Leo said flatly.
"Why would he resign? Didn't you trust him a lot?" Blake knew how crucial Samuel was to Leo.
"He betrayed me, secretly setting up a rival company," Leo said lightly, though his clenched fists betrayed his emotions.
Blake patted his shoulder. "Let me know if you need help. No matter who betrays you, I'm always your family."
Blake' support was concise yet powerful. Leo said earnestly, "I suspect Richard and Nick have backing. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare oppose us."
Blake's expression turned grave. "I'll look into it. Samuel's betrayal might just be the beginning."
"With no leads for now, but watch out for hidden enemies," Leo glanced at his watch and stood. "It's getting late. I'll say hello to Emerson."
Upstairs, Emerson was asleep, and Leo didn't want to disturb him.
Back in the living room, he noticed Sunny's pale face, nervously eyeing the stairs.
"What's wrong? You look so pale," he asked.
Sunny bit her lip, hesitated, then whispered, "Leo, maybe tell Abigail I'm not Olivia's niece. Don't let her guess."
Leo gripped the steering wheel tightly. "What did she say?" The issue he'd been avoiding had finally arrived.
"She's been eyeing me all day. I'm afraid she'll figure it out..." Sunny's voice trembled, her care evident in her caution.
The car's dim light faded as Leo fell silent. After a moment, he covered her cold hand with his. "Don't worry. I'll handle it."
He knew some truths had to surface eventually, but for now, he just wanted to protect the woman who tugged at his heart.
Emily spent a restless week abroad, even Christmas's Eve alone in a foreign land.
Distant fireworks bloomed in the night sky, yet failed to warm her gradually freezing heart.
In her youth, she had grown tired—of love unattained, of excessive greed. Perhaps from the start, she couldn't maintain pure intentions.
That day, Emily received a call from Richard, his tone laced with command: "Emily, I've set you up with a boyfriend. Meet him tonight."
She stiffened, her voice trembling with tension: "Dad, why suddenly introduce a boyfriend? You know I'm not in the mood right now..."
"Emily, you know our situation. Having a man protect you would ease my mind," Richard interrupted, clearly displeased with her refusal.
Emily shuddered again, realizing Richard was serious. "Who is he?"
She forced lightness into her tone.
"You'll see. Remember, rein in your temper and don't anger him," Richard said before hanging up.
Emily shivered—her father seemed to be abandoning her.
Once, she'd hoped for Richard's release to lean on, but now he was pushing her into the abyss.
Terrified, she didn't want to risk her life or freedom, yet entangled in a murder case, she could only await retribution, even hoping Blake might spare her out of past feelings.