To Love a Shadow, To Be the Sun novel Chapter 287

Ryan gave her a gentlemanly nudge. “This is a restricted area. You really shouldn’t be wandering around. Maybe your brother should keep you on a leash.”

Lina couldn’t care less about his sarcasm. She brushed past him, waving a hand dismissively. “Something’s burning in here. What happened to the people inside?”

Even as the words left her lips, the crowd she’d attracted rounded the corner—and immediately caught sight of the twisted, battered door behind Ryan.

Lina’s eyes lit up.

Even if nothing actually happened between Elara and Zane, as long as they came stumbling out of there with their clothes in disarray, Brian would be humiliated. There was no way Brian could swallow that kind of public shame. If she could use this to provoke him into turning on the Lawrences, it would weaken him—making him a man who needed her, caught between her machinations and Ellis Vincent’s attacks. In the end, he’d have no choice but to lean on her. The plan was perfect—two birds with one stone. She couldn’t afford for anything to go wrong today.

But as everyone gathered at the entrance to the demonstration room, all they saw was the chaos from a small explosion—a mess of wires, scorched panels, the smell of burnt plastic. There wasn’t a soul in sight.

“Mr. Lawrence, is there a problem with your company’s smart home system?” one executive asked Ryan, his tone edged with skepticism. “It seems Blackstar’s products aren’t quite as reliable as the marketing claims.”

Before Jason could respond, Elara’s voice carried through the commotion, growing louder as she approached. “There’s nothing wrong with Blackstar’s smart home system.”

She had changed into a fresh set of clothes. No one else noticed, but Brian’s sharp eyes caught the detail instantly—something was off.

Lina, smoothing her expression into a smile, jumped right in. “Elara, what were you and Mr. Lawrence doing in there?”

Elara arched an eyebrow. “You’ve been insisting all along that I was in there with Mr. Lawrence. You seem pretty sure of yourself. Mind telling me which eye of yours saw that?”

The color drained from Lina’s face.

Impossible. Did they really get away that fast?

She opened her mouth to retort, but Elara was done entertaining her.

He looked immaculate as ever, his suit pristine, not a hair out of place—just as he was before entering the demonstration hall. The look he gave Lina was so cold and distant, it was as though she barely existed.

Lina forced a brittle smile. “Mr. Lawrence, surely you wouldn’t search me just to side with Elara? We’re both women—singling me out like that doesn’t seem fair. Besides, I doubt you even have the right.”

Zane didn’t bother responding.

Quincy Shelton, standing nearby, stepped in smoothly. “It’s not us requesting the search. The police have determined it’s necessary.”

He nodded toward two officers approaching from the hallway.

Lina’s eyes widened in disbelief.

One of the officers—a woman—stepped forward, gave her a quick once-over, then reached into the pocket of Lina’s tailored jacket and pulled out a USB drive.