Long chapter incoming.

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Soon after Zaria left, Zeus went to his own office and just a few minutes later, went to find Lucy. He entered her office discreetly and made sure to lock the door before turning to face her.

"What do you want to tell me?" Lucy looked up at her son after watching his dramatics. If it wasn't anything urgent, he would have waited to say it to her at home. There was only a few hours left before they left work after all.

"Father was arrested." Zeus went straight to the point, telling her what he had discovered after looking it up a moment ago.

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows. So that was why Zaria was late this morning and looked like she was on the verge of death. She shut her eyes for a second and looked up at her son. "And?" She believed this was not the only thing he intended to tell her.

"What do you mean by that?" Zeus was taken aback by his mother's indifference. "We have to get him out. Doesn't that go without saying?"

Lucy massaged her temples with a frown. "No way. A jailbreak?" She unknowingly exerted pressure on the pen she was holding as she looked at her son in disapproval. "I was wondering why you often end up on the wrong side of everyone. You are too reckless."

Zeus was taken aback. "Helping my sister is being reckless? Did you see how sad she was a moment ago? She is not a crybaby and you know that, but she was crying so heartbrokenly. How do you expect me to ignore what she is going through?"

"Do you think that by helping him out you will be doing the right thing?" Lucy slammed her palm against the table. "You… have you thought about what would happen next?"

"We will find him a safe place to hide. Zaria can move there with him." He explained, even though he believed it was obvious. He was not going to rescue him just to bring him back to his current residence and let the police catch him, was he?

"And he will have to be termed as a criminal for the rest of his life. Not to mention, she will bear the title of the daughter of a criminal." Lucy countered in displeasure.

Zeus knew that it would definitely happen but he scoffed. "Do you think they care about that? All Zaria cares about now is to be with him and he only cares about her. Besides, what difference does it make? It's not like her mother and brother are saints."

Lucy almost wavered but the second part of Zeus' statement woke her from her trance. She glared at her son. "Don't ever breathe a word of this to Zaria. Get lost. I will handle this myself."

"Okay. I hope you don't wait until Zaria's tears flood the whole building before you take action." Zeus shrugged and smiled his way out. If worse came to worst, he would have decided on a jailbreak. However, that was not his intention at the moment. He had only come to Lucy's office to provoke her. She had more power under her belt, after all. If she really had to, she would definitely ensure Theodore was freed. As expected, Zaria was her weakness.

When Zeus left, Lucy glanced at the door and let out a breath. Did she know how much Zaria cared about Theodore? Of course she did! That was her daughter. How could she not feel her grief?

When she called her son to ask about it, she found out that Theodore had been arrested for shooting Amanda and kidnapping Laia Qin. She immediately frowned. No matter how much she hated Theodore, she was certain that he would never do either of the crimes he was accused of.

What was worse, it was only a matter of time until the news was leaked. As soon as it was leaked, other media agencies would use it to tarnish the reputation of F&P Media to a point of no return, getting rid of a major competitor.

"I will not let that happen." She declared as she looked out through the window. A few seconds later, she frowned slightly as she added, "I will not allow anything else to make my daughter sad." She was doing it for her daughter—only for her daughter.

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About half an hour later, she arrived at a meeting room of CT Corporation where she had requested to meet Mrs. Qin.

It wasn't long before a woman in a short business dress sauntered in. She sat down opposite Lucy and immediately cut to the chase.

"What brings you here?"

"You don't need to pretend when you already know." Responded Lucy.

Of course, Shera knew. She only found it ridiculous. "You want me to call off the lawsuit against your ex husband."

Lucy was not surprised that Shera had found out the relationship between her and Theodore. Even then, she shook her head. "It's for my daughter."

"You would certainly do everything for her." Shera mocked.

Lucy sighed when she mentioned Zaria, her heart aching. "You are a mother too, Shera. You know how it feels to see your daughter so sad."

Not only was Shera not moved, but she found it ridiculous too. She let out a small laugh. "You said it yourself. We are both mothers. I thought you would understand me. You have no idea how pained I felt to see my Laia with those marks on her ankles and wrists."

She asked for a cup of tea, looking distressed because of the topic they were discussing. Her hand that was at the edge of the table trembled slightly. "What pained me even more is her reaction when I took her away. Your daughter had managed to befriend her, making her forget that she was the victim. Do you know that she was actually unwilling to part with her new friend and her pet?"

Lucy remained silent. She had only asked for the reason why Theodore was arrested, so she had no idea that Laia had been held hostage at his house nor did she know that Zaria had even befriended her. Why would she do that? She should have contacted her as soon as she found Laia! She would have found a way to end this without implicating Theodore.

Even so, she didn't blame her daughter for the decision she made. She, after all, did not completely trust her.

Shera took a sip of her tea when it arrived, while Lucy stared blankly at hers.

"I would gain nothing from poisoning you." Shera chuckled sarcastically without a hint of a smile. "When Desmond found my husband for a talk, I was actually willing to drop this matter. But that was until I found out that he shot my mother too. My mother, who has never done wrong to anyone. How could I forgive him for this? My mother was shot near the heart. If Kara didn't immediately take out the bullet, she would have died. His intention was to murder her!"

Lucy looked at the other woman and didn't say a word. It would have been easier if it involved one victim.

Shera continued to explain. "When I told Laia that the bad guy who shot her grandma and kidnapped her would be taken to prison, she pitifully cried and said that Zaria would be sad to be separated from her dad. Do you know how it feels for your daughter to defend a murderer?"

"Children are innocent, Shera." Lucy responded, finding Laia so kind and thoughtful for her tender age. "Believe me or not, they can easily tell whether someone genuinely cares for them or if they are being pretentious."

"So now you're saying that your ex husband was caring." Shera interrupted with a scoff. "Then on behalf of my whole family, and ancestors, as well as those of my husband, I appreciate him for taking such good care of our baby."

"I don't mean that…" For the first time, she was too stunned to find the right words. What was worse, she had to admit that if she were in Shera's shoes, sending Theodore to prison would have been the most lenient outcome.

"I mean he isn't that kind of person. He would never willingly hurt anyone, especially a child. I believe he was forced." She confidently suggested.

Shera raised an eyebrow and said nothing.

"I will prove to you that he was forced to do this, as soon as I can. But before then, I have a feeling that his life is in danger. What if someone is trying to murder him and the first step of his plan is to put him behind bars? What if he was in fact, a witness and was forced to be the scapegoat? You cannot ignore the possibility that the real culprit might still be after your family. "

The last part successfully caught Shera's attention, who frowned ever so slightly.

After thinking about it for a while, she looked straight at the older woman. "I know Desmond is probably discussing the same thing with Leo so never mind. I will drop the lawsuit temporarily and give you a chance to prove his innocence."

"What's your condition?" Lucy was certain that Shera would never blindly take such a risk.

"Everything you have will be on the line." Shera said. "If you are unable to prove his innocence using valid evidence, I will acquire Twilight. Not only that, but I will also take over The Dark Night. I know you are its leader."

Lucy was more shocked about the mention of The Dark Night than she was about the terms. How did Shera find out?

"What's it gonna be? Are you willing to bet on everything you have?" She pressed without explaining how she found out about Lucy's secret gang.

"If you are ready, I will draft a contract right away."

Lucy's lips moved slightly. It was not a question of whether or not Theodore was innocent, but of whether she could prove it. Although The Dark Night was one of the strongest organizations, Shera's La Rose Noire practically ruled Olphire. It was not guaranteed that she would not try to sabotage the investigation.

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What do you think Lucy will do?

A Anything for Zaria

B So much risk just for an ex-husband? No f-ing way!