The Heiress He Underestimated novel Chapter 160

The Heiress He Underestimated

Chapter 160 A Gold Digger

Finished

Lyra Vex was already in the sunroom when Drakonius entered. She stood by the floor–to- ceiling windows, her back to him, looking out at the stormy sea. She was tall and slender, dressed in a stylish, severe pantsuit the color of charcoal. Her dark hair was cut in a sharp bob that still looked expensive. She didn’t turn around.

“You changed the art,” she said, her voice cool and carrying the faint, polished accent of someone who’d spent too much time in European boarding schools. “The Hockney is gone.”

“I sold it,” Drakonius said, closing the door behind him. “I needed the liquid assets for the medical research. The Hockney wasn’t helping me live.”

“Ah, yes. The research.” Lyra finally turned. She was beautiful in a sharp, chilly way. Her eyes, the same storm–gray as his, swept over him, assessing. “You look better than I expected. The rumors of your imminent demise seem exaggerated.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“Don’t be. A living brother is marginally more useful than a dead one.” Her smile was thin, humorless. “May I sit? Or are we going to have this conversation like two gunslingers at high noon?”

“Please.” He gestured to the seating area.

She sat on the edge of a cream–colored sofa, back straight, knees together, hands folded in her lap. Perfect posture. It was how their mother had taught them to sit. Drakonius took the armchair opposite, deliberately slouching just to annoy her.

“Why are you here, Lyra? The takeover isn’t going well, so you decided to try the personal touch?”

“Always so direct,” she sighed. “Fine. I’m here to make you an offer. A least a sensible offer before you burn everything we’ve built to the ground for a woman you barely know.”

“Here we go again,” Drakonius muttered.

“Listen to me, Drakonius. She’s going to get you killed. Maybe not literally, though with her father’s tendencies, that’s not off the table. But financially and reputationally, she is a disaster. She’s a gold digger with a better–than–average mask. She saw a dying man with a fortune and saw her opportunity. She’s using you for your money, your resources, your name, and when you’re gone, she’ll take it all and leave your company in ruins.”

Drakonius just looked at her for a long moment. He felt a familiar cocktail of frustration and pity. “You really believe that, don’t you?”

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“I’m not a fool. I’ve seen her type a hundred times. Pretty, clever and very manipulative. She even wrote a book about it, for god’s sake, she understands the history. She’s crafting one where she’s the brilliant savior and you’re the tragic hero. It’s very compelling and very profitable.”

“You’re wrong,” he said, his voice low. “About everything. She didn’t need my money. She has more of her own than you can imagine. She didn’t need my resources. She built her own. She didn’t even need my name. She had half a dozen better ones already.”

Lyra’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“Raven Shadowmere. Dr. Elera Mystral. The CEO of Nethys Medical. The founder of Celestine Fashion. That’s your gold digger, Lyra. That’s the woman you think is after my money. She’s worth twenty billion dollars, most of which she made herself, in secret, while everyone like you was underestimating her.”

For the first time, Lyra looked genuinely thrown. Her perfect composure cracked. She blinked. “That’s… that’s not possible.”

“It’s not only possible, it’s true. The press hasn’t connected all the dots yet, but they will And when they do, the story won’t be a ‘gold digger marries a dying billionaire. It will be ‘two of the most powerful, private people in the world joined forces.”

Lyra recovered quickly, her skepticism returning. “Even if that’s true, which I highly doubt, it doesn’t change the fact that she’s brought nothing but chaos. She’s turned you against your own family. She’s made you a target for her father and that Valdris creature. She’s distracted you from the Vex Industries at a critical time. The board is nervous, Drakonius. They see you spending company resources on her pet projects and on her wars. They see you dying and leaving everything to a stranger. They’re beginning to talk.”

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