Chapter 17 A Bouquet Of Flowers

That broadcast was the last straw that led to the downfall of the Vanderbilt Group.

From the outset, their means of amassing wealth were anything but clean.

And now, as fate would have it, the FBI was investigating their illicit dealings, catching them red-handed.

"All this time, it wasn't me propping them up, but rather my kind-hearted half-brother."

Lucas assured, "Our collaboration on certain projects is superficial; I can withdraw anytime without affecting me."

Finally, I was at ease.

I handed over all the evidence I had gathered over the years to the authorities.

Thanks to Lucas taking over the reins at the Xavier Luxury Group and cutting ties with those folks, he wasn't implicated.

The day the Vanderbilt Group was utterly vanquished had come.

Holding a bouquet of flowers, I walked with Lucas to visit my mom at the cemetery.

Her face on the tombstone photo still radiated a gentle warmth, yet it always seemed tinged with sadness. She was a kind, delicate soul, genuinely in love with my dad. Because of that love, she never really found her way out of the shadows.

"On her deathbed," I murmured, barely touching the photo with my fingertips, "she clutched my hand and begged me not to blame Nicole."

"She told me that my sister wasn't true Vanderbilt Group blood and must have had it tough there." I sighed. Unfortunately, she never knew that Nicole spent years belittling her, currying favor with Madison Vanderbilt, and securing her place within the Vanderbilt empire.

From the day she was brought into the Vanderbilt fold, something within her began to decay.

"Mom," I whispered to the picture, "no one believes you were at fault anymore. I've built a great career, and I have a... a boyfriend—"

Lucas corrected me softly from the side, "Fiancé."

"...Right, fiancé." I subconsciously twisted the matching silver ring on my left ring finger that Lucas and I shared. After moving abroad, it was hidden away at the bottom of a trunk. Never did I imagine that it would grace my hand again.

Having arranged the flowers neatly by the headstone, I bowed respectfully. As I turned to leave, Lucas' gaze stopped me. " Madeline, please wait for me in the car," he said. "I need a moment alone with your mom."

The autumn night was chilly. I waited in the car for a while before Lucas returned. Droplets of dew on his black coat made his features seem even more chiseled.

"What did you say to my mom?" I asked, turning to him.

He started the car and after a long pause simply said, "I thanked her for bringing you into the world. Otherwise, I might not have survived the darkest point of my life – that summer five years ago."