Chapter 2: The Name He Ignored
They moved us to the sitting room, but the tension followed like a shadow.
Adrian demanded answers.
“You think this is a game?” he snapped. “Do you know who I am?”
“Yes,” I said.
“And you don’t.”
I stood slowly, ignoring the pain in my body.
“My full name,” I said, “is Elena Laurent.”
The name hung in the air.
Vanessa frowned. Adrian didn’t react.
Which told me everything.
“You’ve never heard it,” I continued. “Because people like you don’t look up. You only look down.”
I pulled out my phone again and turned the screen toward him.
An article.
A photo.
My father standing beside presidents, kings, and CEOs.
Laurent Global Holdings.
Net worth: unlisted.
Influence: immeasurable.
Adrian’s face drained of color.
“That’s… not real,” he said.
“It is,” I replied. “And you built your entire life on his money.”
Vanessa stepped back like I had just turned into something dangerous.
“What… what did you do?” she whispered.
May you like
I met her eyes.
“I made a call.”
