Chapter 125: The Man Behind It All
Chapter 125: The Man Behind It All
The phone continued ringing.
Neither Debbie nor Daisy moved. The sisters simply looked at each other in silence. After everything that had happened today, neither of them knew what Lucas wanted.
Was he calling to explain what they had seen?
Or was it something else entirely?
The ringtone echoed for several more seconds before Debbie finally let out a quiet breath. She looked at Daisy, and Daisy looked back at her. Without saying a word, they both gave a small nod.
Debbie pressed the answer button.
"...Hello?"
Lucas’s calm voice came from the other end almost immediately.
"Debbie."
"I’m sorry for calling so suddenly."
"I wanted to ask if you and Daisy are free."
"I need both of you to come over to my place."
"I have something important I want to discuss."
Debbie was slightly taken aback. Without saying anything, she switched the call to speaker so Daisy could hear as well.
Both sisters listened quietly. Neither of them had expected this. They honestly thought Lucas was calling to explain the misunderstanding from earlier.
Instead, his voice remained calm and serious.
There wasn’t the slightest hint of embarrassment in his voice.
After Lucas finished speaking, Debbie hesitated.
"What... is it about?"
"It’s about the person who framed you."
Lucas answered immediately.
"I’ve been thinking about it."
"If we don’t find out who did this..."
"They’ll probably do it again."
"And next time..."
"It might not be you."
His words made both sisters freeze.
Lucas continued,
"I don’t think we should let this end here."
"I want to find whoever was behind it."
"If you’re willing..."
"I need your help."
The call ended shortly afterward.
The apartment entrance became quiet once again.
Debbie lowered her phone slowly.
Neither sister spoke.
After nearly a minute, Daisy finally broke the silence.
"...What do you think?"
Debbie looked down.
"I don’t know."
"But..."
"I don’t think he’s lying."
Daisy nodded slowly.
She felt the same.
Lucas could have ignored everything after paying the money.
He had already done more than enough for them.
Yet he was still trying to help.
That alone spoke volumes.
After another moment of silence, Debbie made her decision.
"Let’s go."
Daisy smiled faintly.
"I was hoping you’d say that."
Neither of them bothered unlocking the apartment anymore.
Instead, they turned around, walked back to the roadside, and hailed another taxi.
...
Nearly fifteen minutes later, the taxi rolled to a stop outside Lucas’s villa.
Even though this wasn’t the first luxurious neighborhood they had ever seen, the mansion standing before them still left the sisters speechless. The elegant gates, the massive garden, the illuminated fountain, and the rows of carefully maintained flowers looked like something straight out of a movie.
Daisy unconsciously tightened her grip on her handbag.
"...He actually lives here."
Debbie also found herself staring blankly. Earlier she had been too distracted to notice much, but now that she had calmed down, the gap between Lucas’s world and theirs became painfully obvious.
Lucas was already waiting outside when he saw them arrive.
He walked over with a relaxed smile.
"Thanks for coming."
The sisters nodded politely.
Lucas led them inside.
The spacious living room instantly made them feel even smaller.
Everything looked expensive.
The marble floor reflected the ceiling lights.
The furniture looked brand new.
Even the faint fragrance in the room made the place feel elegant.
After everyone sat down, Lucas got straight to the point.
"I’ve been thinking about your situation."
"Honestly, the money isn’t the biggest problem anymore."
"The real problem is the person behind all of this."
"If we don’t figure out who framed you..."
"They’ll just keep causing trouble."
Debbie nodded slowly.
She had been thinking about that too.
Lucas leaned forward slightly.
"There was something I wanted to ask."
His tone became noticeably more careful.
"I know this isn’t an easy question."
"But..."
"The photos."
"Do you know where they were taken?"
The moment those words left his mouth, the room became awkward.
Lucas immediately added,
"I’m not asking to see them."
"And I’m not asking you to describe them."
"I just need to know the location."
"If we know where they were taken..."
"We might be able to narrow down the suspect."
Debbie looked relieved.
She had been worried Lucas might actually ask to see the leaked pictures.
Thankfully...
He never did.
She lowered her head for a moment before answering quietly.
"...I know where they were taken."
Lucas waited patiently.
Debbie clenched her hands together.
"It was..."
"...my previous workplace."
"The office where I used to work."
"I remember that room very clearly."
"When I saw those pictures..."
"I recognized the background immediately."
Lucas’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"So the photos weren’t taken recently..."
Debbie shook her head.
"No."
"They were taken months ago."
"I just don’t know when..."
"...or how."
Lucas slowly leaned back against the sofa.
Now...
They finally had their first real lead.
Lucas nodded slowly.
Everything was beginning to make sense. If the photos had been taken inside her former workplace, then whoever framed her was almost certainly someone with access to that office.
He looked at Debbie.
"Think carefully. Is there anyone you suspect?"
Debbie lowered her head. Her fingers tightened around the glass in her hands as memories she had tried to bury resurfaced one after another. Daisy silently reached over and held her hand.
After a long silence, Debbie finally spoke.
"...There is one person."
"My former boss."
"The managing partner at the law firm where I used to work."
The moment she mentioned him, her expression turned visibly uncomfortable.
Lucas didn’t interrupt.
He simply listened.
"He..."
"...kept making advances toward me."
"At first, I thought he was only joking."
"But it became more frequent."
"He would deliberately find excuses to keep me in the office after everyone else had gone home."
"He constantly hinted that he could help my career..."
"...if I was willing to ’cooperate’ with him."
A trace of disgust flashed across Debbie’s face.
"I rejected him every single time."
"No matter how politely I refused..."
"He never stopped."
Daisy lowered her head.
She knew bits and pieces of this story, but hearing it again still made her angry.
Debbie continued quietly,
"When my mother’s condition became worse..."
"I was desperate."
"I even asked him if there was any way the firm could advance part of my salary or help me with a loan."
"I thought..."
"...he might show a little compassion."
Instead...
Debbie gave a bitter smile.
"That only made things worse."
"He stopped pretending."
"He told me directly that if I wanted his help..."
"I knew what he expected in return."
The room became silent.
Lucas’s expression gradually darkened.
Debbie slowly shook her head.
"I refused again."
"And a few days later..."
"He found an excuse to fire me."
"He claimed my work performance wasn’t good enough."
"But everyone in the office knew that wasn’t the real reason."
Lucas didn’t say a word.
He simply stared at the floor for several seconds.
His face had already gone cold.
A dangerous glint slowly appeared in his eyes.
"So..."
"He tried to force you."
"When you refused..."
"He fired you."
"And now..."
"Someone leaks your private photos and uses your identity to borrow millions."
Lucas slowly looked up.
His voice was calm.
Almost too calm.
"I hope for his sake..."
"...this has nothing to do with him."
Because if it did...
Lucas had already decided.
That bastard’s life was about to become very, very difficult.