CHAPTER THE LAST ATTEMPT
CHAPTER 13
THE LAST ATTEMPT
There was a moment before every storm.
A moment when the world became strangely quiet.
When people could feel something coming but could not see it yet.
The Laurent family knew that moment had arrived.
Because Adrian Cross had stopped hiding.
And when dangerous people stopped hiding...
It usually meant they believed they had already won.
For three days, nothing happened.
No attacks.
No headlines.
No leaked documents.
No threats.
That silence frightened Isabella more than anything else.
Because Adrian was not the type of man who gave up.
He was the type who waited.
Inside the Laurent headquarters, everyone was preparing.
Security teams reviewed every possible weakness.
Lawyers examined every contract.
Executives prepared for investor questions.
But Isabella felt something different.
A strange feeling she could not explain.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
Something closer to uncertainty.
Marcus noticed.
"You haven't slept."
She looked up from the documents.
"Neither have you."
He smiled slightly.
"Fair."
For a moment, they were almost like they used to be.
Two people working late.
Two people fighting for the same dream.
But the difference was...
Before, Marcus believed he was the leader.
Now, he understood they were partners.
"Are you afraid?"
Marcus asked.
Isabella looked surprised.
"Of Adrian?"
"No."
He looked at her carefully.
"Of what happens after."
She knew what he meant.
After the battle.
After the empire was safe.
After they no longer needed each other.
"I don't know."
It was the first honest answer she could give.
Marcus nodded.
"I understand."
She looked at him.
"You do?"
"Yes."
A pause.
"Because I spent years pretending I knew exactly what I wanted."
He looked away.
"And I was wrong."
Before Isabella could respond, Evelyn entered the room.
Her expression immediately changed the atmosphere.
"We found something."
Marcus stood.
"What?"
Evelyn placed a folder on the table.
"Adrian has scheduled a shareholder presentation."
Isabella frowned.
"When?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"About what?"
Evelyn hesitated.
Then answered:
"About the Laurent family's history."
The room became silent.
Isabella looked at her father.
Alexandre's expression changed.
"What history?"
Evelyn looked uncomfortable.
"The history that was never made public."
That night, Isabella finally learned the truth.
A secret her family had protected for decades.
A secret even she did not fully know.
Her grandfather had not built the Laurent empire alone.
There had been another partner.
A man named Victor Cross.
Adrian Cross's father.
Isabella stared at the documents.
"Cross?"
Alexandre nodded.
"Yes."
"Then why have I never heard this?"
"Because the partnership ended badly."
She read the documents.
Victor Cross had helped build early investments.
But he wanted control.
More control than the Laurent family was willing to give.
The partnership ended.
The Cross family lost influence.
And over the years...
Resentment grew.
"Adrian doesn't want the hotels."
Isabella whispered.
Alexandre looked at her.
"He wants revenge."
Everything suddenly made sense.
The patience.
The planning.
The obsession.
Adrian was not chasing money.
Money was only the weapon.
The real goal was revenge against the Laurent family.
The next morning, Adrian Cross appeared on every major financial network.
Confident.
Calm.
Prepared.
"I believe shareholders deserve transparency."
His voice was smooth.
Professional.
"I believe companies should not be controlled by families who hide important information."
Then he revealed the documents.
The old partnership.
The conflict.
The history.
The audience reacted immediately.
Because secrets always attracted attention.
The media exploded.
“LAURENT FAMILY HIDES BUSINESS HISTORY.”
“QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT BILLION-DOLLAR EMPIRE.”
“ADRIAN CROSS CHALLENGES LAURENT LEGACY.”
Investors became nervous.
Not because the documents proved wrongdoing.
They did not.
But because uncertainty created fear.
And fear created opportunity.
Adrian's final move was simple.
Create doubt.
Because people did not need to believe he was right.
They only needed to stop believing Isabella was.
Inside the shareholder meeting, tension filled the room.
Adrian entered with confidence.
He looked at Isabella.
"I never wanted your hotels."
She said nothing.
"I wanted your family to admit what happened."
Isabella remained calm.
"What happened?"
Adrian smiled.
"My father was destroyed by yours."
The room became quiet.
"My father believed he deserved control."
Alexandre said calmly.
"He wanted ownership without responsibility."
Adrian looked at him.
"You ruined him."
"No."
Alexandre's voice remained steady.
"Your father ruined himself."
Adrian's expression hardened.
That was the first crack.
Then he turned toward Marcus.
"And you."
Marcus looked at him.
"You were the easiest part."
The words surprised everyone.
Adrian continued.
"You wanted power more than anything."
Marcus did not deny it.
"You wanted everyone to believe you were special."
A pause.
"So I gave you exactly what you wanted."
Marcus looked at Isabella.
Then back at Adrian.
"You used my arrogance."
"Yes."
"You used my marriage problems."
"Yes."
"You used Victoria."
"Yes."
The room listened.
Because Adrian was admitting everything.
"Why?"
Marcus asked.
Adrian smiled.
"Because people like you destroy themselves."
For a moment, Marcus said nothing.
Then:
"You are right."
Everyone looked at him.
Adrian seemed surprised.
Marcus continued.
"I did."
A pause.
"I destroyed my marriage."
"I damaged my company."
"I hurt the person who trusted me most."
He looked at Isabella.
"But I am not that man anymore."
Adrian laughed.
"You think changing makes you powerful?"
Marcus shook his head.
"No."
A pause.
"It makes me dangerous."
Adrian frowned.
"Why?"
"Because I no longer need to prove anything."
The statement hit harder than anger.
Because Adrian understood something.
A man who needed power could be controlled.
A man who had lost everything and found himself...
Could not.
Then Isabella revealed her final piece.
The document Adrian never expected.
The original partnership agreement.
Signed by Victor Cross himself.
The agreement clearly showed:
Victor Cross voluntarily surrendered control.
Not because the Laurent family forced him.
Because he failed to meet the terms.
Adrian's face changed.
"Where did you get that?"
Isabella looked at him.
"My grandfather kept everything."
A pause.
"Even the truth."
The room erupted.
Lawyers reviewed the document.
Investors listened.
The foundation of Adrian's argument collapsed.
But Adrian was not finished.
Desperate people made mistakes.
And Adrian made his.
He reached for his phone.
Too quickly.
Too obviously.
Security noticed.
"What are you doing?"
Adrian stopped.
The room became tense.
Marcus looked at him carefully.
"You didn't come here to win."
Adrian stared.
"You came here because you needed everyone to hear your story."
A pause.
"But now the truth is louder."
For the first time...
Adrian Cross looked defeated.
The authorities later discovered the full extent of his actions.
Unauthorized access.
Financial manipulation.
Corporate espionage.
The evidence was overwhelming.
But Isabella did not celebrate.
Because winning did not erase everything.
It did not erase betrayal.
It did not erase pain.
It did not erase the years she spent believing she was invisible.
That evening, Isabella stood outside the Laurent headquarters.
Marcus joined her.
"It's over."
She nodded.
"Yes."
A long silence followed.
Then Marcus spoke.
"I know I don't deserve another chance."
She looked at him.
"Marcus..."
"No."
He shook his head.
"Let me say this."
"I spent years thinking love meant someone standing beside me while I succeeded."
A pause.
"Now I know love means respecting someone even when they no longer need you."
Isabella looked at him.
And for the first time...
She saw no desperation.
No demand.
No expectation.
Only honesty.
"Thank you."
Marcus smiled sadly.
"For what?"
"For finally becoming the man you should have been."
The words were not forgiveness.
Not yet.
But they were something.
A beginning.
However...
Neither of them knew that one final problem remained.
Because while Adrian Cross had lost the battle...
The damage he created was still there.
The company needed rebuilding.
The reputation needed healing.
And most importantly...
Isabella needed to decide whether the past was something she could forgive...
May you like
Or something she needed to leave behind forever.
END OF CHAPTER 13
