Alpha's Discarded Luna (Talia) novel Chapter 199

Chapter 194

Aires‘ POV

I stand by the window, my back to Richard, feeling like my

mind is in chaos. Meanwhile, Richard sips his coffee leisurely,

scrolling through the news on his phone.

“Alpha, I heard Talia’s accounts have all been unbanned,” he

says. “Every platform seems to have publicly apologized to

her.”

He pauses. “Now the whole thing about Talia standing up to

the capitalists is blowing up. Her fan count has jumped by

another twenty million. The hype just will not die down.”

My voice is calm. “After all, she spent a whole billion dollars.

If she had not even gotten this much in return, it would have

been a huge loss.” I let the words settle. “And… Talia seemed

to know Nick’s plans inside and out.”

Richard pauses mid–pour. “Oh?”

“When I spoke with her this morning, I realized she knew details even I was not aware of.”

1/7

15:25

< Chapter 194

His eyes deepen. “She probably knew she couldn’t hold onto

the money. So she decided to donate it, paving the way for herself in the process.”

He sets the pot down. “Besides, Nick’s plan was not exactly brilliant. It had plenty of holes to begin with.”

He adds, “I think we may have underestimated Talia. She is

not the black sheep we thought she was.”

If Richard and I had handled it ourselves, there wouldn’t

have been so many flaws in execution. But then again…we

wouldn’t have tried something like this at all.

I loathe such underhanded tactics, and Richard has always

disliked harming others. Neither of us was involved in whatever drama has been unfolding these past few days.

My eyes are like a cold abyss. “She is certainly clever and

resourceful. But…”

Richard looks at my tall, straight back. “But what?”

My voice is low. “Lately, she has always been one step ahead,

as if she knew what Nick was planning. No matter how smart

she is, she cannot predict the future.”

2/7

15:26

< Chapter 194

Richard catches on immediately. “Alpha, are you saying…

someone tipped her off?”

I do not respond. My expression is thoughtful.

He frowns. “If that is the case, aside from Nick, the only one

left would be Ms. Volkov, right?”

My brow twitches. “Impossible.” The word slips out reflexively.

Richard takes a sip of coffee. “This whole thing is strange. The possibility of someone leaking information is very high.”

He pauses. “Ms. Volkov would not have done it intentionally, but could she have said something inadvertently that tipped

Talia off?”

He glances at my expression. “And… Ms. Volkov is so kind.

She might have thought Nick was going too far and, unable

to persuade him, gave Talia a heads–up.”

As if struck by a thought, he pauses. A hint of doubt crosses his face. “But then again, Alpha, don’t you find it strange? What grudge does Nick have against Talia? Why is he

targeting her so relentlessly?”

3/7

15:26

< Chapter 194

I am silent for a moment. “Perhaps, because of Imema, Nick has some misunderstanding about Talia.”

Richard says, “That makes it even stranger. If it is about Ms. Volkov, you and Talia are already divorced. So why is he still targeting her?”

I catch the implication. My eyes flicker slightly. “Richard, just

say what you want to say.”

He looks at me deeply. “Alpha, the three of us have been friends since childhood. There are some things I should not

meddle in. But I really do not want us to become strangers

because of this.”

He sighs. “Alpha, don’t you think Nick has interfered too much in your marriage? He has been pushing you to divorce all along. Talia is Aeson’s mother. No matter what, things should

not have gotten this hostile between you two.”

My eyes darken. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Richard looks at me meaningfully. “Alpha, don’t you think

Nick’s attention toward Talia is… excessive? Logically, if he

likes Imema, he should be even more against your divorce

from Talia.”

4/7

15:26

< Chapter 194

I frown.

He asks, “Alpha, think about it. If Nick had not kept pushing

you, would you have divorced Talia?”

I press my lips together tightly. I remain silent.

Richard continues. “It was Nick who kept instigating you

to divorce Talia to teach her a lesson and wait for her to

come beg you. But the fact now is that Talia not only has no

intention of coming back but is getting further and further

away from you.”

His voice softens. “I know I should not say these things. But Alpha, I do not want to see brothers turn against each other. Do you understand?”

Richard has never been a talkative person. Yet he suddenly

tells me so much.

My face is gloomy. The words settle in my chest, heavy and

unwelcome.

A knock on the door breaks the silence. Imema walks in, her face serious, anxiety flickering in her eyes.

5/7

15:26

< Chapter 194

“Alpha, something really bad happened.”

She stops in front of me. “Nick… he… he was taken by the

police this morning. The lawyer wanted to bail him out, but

he couldn’t.”

She looks up at me. “Alpha, please! Think of a way to rescue

Nick.”

Imema’s POV

After saying this, I see Richard is also in the office.

“Ah, Mr. Maddock.” I keep my voice soft, polite.

He nods. “Ms. Volkov, you seem quite upset.”

Richard never calls me Imema like Aires and Nick do. He

always addresses me as Ms. Volkov. The vague sense of

distance makes it impossible for me to shamelessly call him Richard. I mentioned it to Nick before. He just shrugged.

“Richard? He is just that kind of man. He is like that with

everyone. Do not mind him.”

Aires’s clear voice cuts through my thoughts. “Why can he not

6/7

15:26

< Chapter 194

be released on bail?”

I turn back to him. “Everyone has a strong hostility towards the capitalists Talia mentioned. They said that Nick called the police to falsely slander and frame Talia. They asked the

police to punish him severely.”

I pause. “Originally, this could have been explained as a misunderstanding. But…”

I take a breath. “Just now, someone exposed Nick’s scandal

on the Internet. Saying that he was speeding and had hit

someone while drunk driving.” I meet Aires’s eyes. “Now the police have reopened the case based on these clues. If the

charges are proven…”

Coin Package: get more free bonus

B

7/7

Write your comment

X

get it

Gifts

15:26