Rebirth Of The Heiress And The Tycoon's Lover (Alina) novel Chapter 219

Chapter 219

AUTHOR’S POV.

By the time Lucian returned to the living room, he had already changed into something more comfortable. His shoulders carried the weight of what had just happened, but his face remained composed. His usual sharp control could be felt wrapping tightly around his emotions.

Ace sat on the far side of the couch, his eyes sharp and watchful, while Talia was perched at the edge of an armchair, visibly calmer than before, though her hands kept clenching and unclenching nervously around the glass of cold water she was nursing.

The moment she saw Lucian, her eyes darted up anxiously. “How’s She?” She asked, her voice quiet but desperate as she kept the now half–empty glass on the table.

Lucian stopped in front of them, his gaze steady. “She’s resting,” he said firmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt. Then he looked directly at Talia, his expression softening just a fraction. “Can you talk about what happened now or do you need more time?”

Although he was desperate to hear Talia’s side of the story, he didn’t want to seem insensitive by pushing her if she wasn’t ready to talk about it.

“No, I want to talk.” Talia swallowed hard, then nodded as if in conviction. Talia swallowed hard, her fingers twisting in her lap. “I was just… sitting there, talking, when I heard this muffled sound. At first, I thought maybe you…maybe Alina dropped something,” she said, her voice trembling. “Then I heard the thud. It was loud, and I panicked.”

She drew in a shaky breath, eyes glistening as she went on. “I rushed to open the stall, and… and she was just lying there unconscious, there was nobody else there and nothing seemed out of the ordinary either. I didn’t know what to do, I thought she had merely just fainted out of stress until I saw the writing on the mirror and I…I just screamed.”

By the time the words left her lips, guilt had settled heavy in her eyes, making them gloss with unshed tears.

“I’m so sorry, Lucian. I should’ve…I don’t know, I should’ve done something-”

Lucian lifted a hand gently, cutting her off. His voice was calm but weighted. “Don’t blame yourself. This isn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known.”

Her lips quivered, but she nodded, still hugging herself.

Lucian, however, wasn’t nearly as forgiving with himself. A muscle ticked in his jaw as his thoughts turned inward. He knew he had been careful, calculated. His decision to expand into Raveinne had been exactly for this reason, to prepare for the enemies hiding in the shadows.

Yet, his mistake had been clear. He hadn’t taken enough precautions when it came to Alina. And now she had paid the price.

The double doors squeaked open, and Lee stepped in, his usual stoic face darker than usual. He gave a sharp bow of his head. “Boss. There’s no surveillance inside the restroom. And the one outside the building…it had been tampered with.”

Lucian’s eyes narrowed, a quiet storm brewing behind them.

Before he could respond, Talia sat up straighter, determination flashing across her features. “Give me a laptop.”

Lucian arched a brow, but Ace signaled one of the staff, and within moments, a sleek system was set before

her.

Talia pushed her hair back, her fingers already flying furiously across the keyboard.

Ace leaned in slightly, suspicion and curiosity mingling in his tone. “What are you doing?”

Without looking up, her voice was clipped, focused. “Hacking into all the CCTV within a twenty–mile radius of the venue. Whoever did this probably destroyed the surrounding cameras, but they couldn’t have disabled every single one on the route they took.”

Lucian’s eyes narrowed in quiet approval.

The room grew silent, all eyes on the furious speed of her typing. Her face was lit by the glow of the screen, her brows drawn together in concentration.

It took her less than five minutes, faster than most hackers could have managed. “There.” She breathed, stabbing the enter key before zooming in on a frame.

On the footage, a figure in a hoodie appeared, moving through the shadows. Then another angle caught them again.

Talia pointed, her lips pressing into a grim line. “That’s our culprit.”

Everyone leaned closer. The image was grainy, unclear, but the movements, the gait, were noticeable.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify