Chapter 261: The First Crack Of His Crumbling World
Lola had never seen Slater take anything seriously. Or rather, all the things he was serious about were being an uncle, and even that looked a little ridiculous from a bystander’s point of view. But just moments ago, she felt like she was talking to a completely different person.
"If not my brother, I’ll kill him myself."
Lola shook her head, seated on the edge of the bed. His voice kept echoing in her head, making her think about what Slater had said.
"Atlas’s gonna kill him... is what he said," she whispered. "And not being able to bear a child is the least of my concerns."
She did not expect to hear this when she brought the matter to him. Her only reason for telling Slater was that she trusted him and knew he would know the answer.
"Lawrence Young... he did cross the line," came another quiet voice. Lola should be worried, but she found herself smiling, albeit subtly.
"I guess it’s not just me who thinks like that."
She glanced at the time. It had been over an hour since Atlas left. "Should I really wait for him?"
Since she couldn’t sleep at the moment, Lola paced around the room and used this moment of silence and peace to rethink her situation. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was about what Slater had said.
If Atlas wouldn’t get angry or angry enough to take action against Lawrence Young, Slater would. And that was a promise before the two of them parted tonight.
"I guess the timing is right," she whispered to herself. "Since I’ve already started."
Having that thought in mind, she ran to get her laptop. Setting it on the table in the room, Lola checked some of the files that concerned LL Constructions. Amala and Lola had been keeping an eye on this progress. After all, LL Constructions—the company Lawrence was running, which he inherited from Lola’s grandfather—was one of the prominent construction companies in Novera.
Handling not only private projects but also government projects, their family company was an established one. It may not look like it, but Lawrence Young was a businessman, after all.
"Since buying off the land, which he didn’t profit from, I’m sure he has been looking to fund his other projects," she murmured, nodding in approval. "It’s a good thing Atlas got those documents."
Out of curiosity, she picked up her phone beside the laptop and dialed Amala. It was late, but she knew Amala would answer.
Ring... ring...
Her brows crinkled when the line just kept ringing. Just when she thought Amala wouldn’t answer, the line suddenly connected.
"Lola."
"Amala, did I disturb your sleep?" Lola let out a deep exhale, listening to Amala’s short chuckles.
"It’s not that late. I’m not sleeping," Amala muttered. "What is it? Did... something happen?"
Lola arched a brow, noticing how Amala stressed each word as if she was trying to gauge out Lola’s situation.
"I’m fine, Amala. Are you?"
Amala didn’t answer immediately, but when she did, her answer was short. "Of course."
"Are you sure?"
"Have I never been sure?"
"..." Lola thought about it, but didn’t dwell on it. "Anyway, I called because I want to know if you mailed the files I told you to send earlier?"
"Of course," said Amala. "You said they were important. I sent it right after you left, and for sure, it already arrived. I asked Haji to do it."
"Haji, huh?" Lola rocked her head. "Well, if it’s him, I’m sure it already arrived. Thanks, Amala."
"You’re most welcome." Amala smiled. "Is that all?"
"Yes. That’s all. Goodnight, Amala."
Amala’s smile stretched a little. "Goodnight."
Clack.
Amala listened to the disconnected line before she slowly put down the phone. As she placed the phone on top of the slightly wide armrest, she rested her leg over the other, and snapped her eyes at the person seated across from her in the dimness of her place.
There, a man with a slightly bulky physique occupied the one-seater couch. Despite the lack of light in Amala’s apartment, his figure emanated danger.
"That was Lola," Amala hummed calmly, the subtle smile on her face growing sharper by the second. "Just in case you are curious, Vito."
*****
At the same time...
Lawrence loosened his tie, walking down the hall to go home. His briefcase in his left hand swung to and fro with every step, not pausing as he caught his driver waiting for him while bowing at the main entrance of the building.
"Mr. Young!"
Just as Lawrence was about to leave, the security guard called to stop him. He stopped and turned, catching the security guard jogging in his direction.
"Mr. Young, someone left this envelope for you," the security guard handed the brown envelope. "It says important, but the reception was already closed when it came."
Lawrence took it and nodded. He didn’t say a word and just carried on while the security behind him bowed. Once he jumped in the backseat, he completely loosened his tie.
"Damn it," he hissed, tossing his tie next to him. His face grimmed as he glanced at the window, clearly not in any mood for anything.
How could our reserve fund be too low? All these years, it wasn’t even touched, but it barely added anything.
His mouth curved down, not liking this feeling at all. Problems from different projects were starting to arise with the lack of materials because of Lawrence’s lack of funding. This was not what he expected. Even if he had bought those lands, he had a fail-safe and plenty of time to fix this financial problem. However, the problem rose much earlier than he expected.
As he was deep in thought, his eyes suddenly drifted to the envelope that was handed to him. Curious, he reached out and checked what it was. He wasn’t expecting anything today after all.
Lawrence opened the envelope to check the contents, expecting nothing. What he didn’t know was that what was inside it could shatter his life in one second. And he was a little too late to realize that as he skimmed through the documents before his hands began to tremble.
"What in the world is this?" His thumb pressed on the paper, causing it to crease. "This... is a lot of money."
Enough money to save LL Construction from any more problems. He gulped, checking the accounts that were in this ledger. He may be a fool, but he wasn’t stupid enough not to understand this document.
"Jasmine... Young," he ground his teeth. "You better have a good explanation for this."
Otherwise, he would have to face the reality that his wife—his beloved wife—had been stealing from him not just once, but all these years.