Crises in Love (Zora and Jaylan)

Chapter 132

A look of loathing crossed Addrion's face as he continued, "I was the last one they targeted. Marissa

demanded I hand over my contacts for the external liaison, harbor, and the crucial players in

transportation. I was crystal clear and unwavering in my response. They couldn't interfere with any of

this because these were my personal networks. Particularly Harbor, I knew this had to be handled

meticulously. I was determined to hold the line, no matter what."

I could fully empathize with how Addrion felt at the time. It was our lifeline, after all.

"Jaylan was fairly decent to me. He didn't dispute my refusal. Instead, he valued my role. After a one-

on-one chat with me, not only did he give me a raise but also assigned me an assistant. To convince

me, he let me choose who I wanted. I picked a smart lad named Nathan."

I nodded, "I remember him!"

"This lad was exactly what I wanted, bright, competent, and hardworking. Marissa also showed me

respect, often referring to me as 'Bro Adri'. Jaylan always had Marissa contact me, saying that I could

just discuss certain matters with Secretary Marissa. I had already sensed that Marissa was no simple Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

character and wanted to warn you, but all my calls went unanswered."

"Maybe our downfall started with those unanswered calls. I was so ill at that time, barely hanging on.

Jaylan, and sometimes Marissa, controlled all the communication. I was practically a walking corpse.

Jaylan even managed to get my nanny on his side and had me under surveillance. Even my own

children started to avoid me."

"That makes sense!" Addrion said, as if a light bulb had just been turned on. He sighed and continued,

"That's when Marissa's hassles started to pile up, creating all sorts of problems for me. But what

shocked me the most was finding contraband in our shipments. They conveniently pinned all the blame

on me.

Marissa insisted she had no idea about that particular set of orders, claiming it was only signed by me

and she never saw it. The inspection procedure forms were indeed signed by me, the handwriting was

unmistakably mine!

Only Nathan and I knew about the shipment records that day. Nathan insisted that I told him to pick up

the goods and not to report to Secretary Marissa. This left me with no room to defend myself. I was

arrested."

By the time Addrion finished, his face was as pale as a ghost. Even after all these years, the memory

still haunted him. It was easy to imagine how devastated he must have felt back then.

"I had a similar experience. Somehow, I signed a power of attorney for Medsafe Liyah Inc. I had no

recollection of it! But the handwriting was definitely mine."

"There must be some trickery involved!" Addrion declared, "I absolutely do not recall signing any

shipping orders that day. But one thing is certain, Nathan was working for them."

With a look of regret and helplessness, Addrion shook his head, "I still can't believe it, the lad I thought

so highly of... I just don't understand why he would do such a thing."

"You guys can stop guessing. There is a substance called hallucinogen. You might not know about it,"

Logan interjected, "This substance can make you do anything the manipulator wants, without you

having any memory of it. Given Jerome's involvement in the black market, it wouldn't be hard for him to

get his hands on it."

"What happened after that?" I asked, my heart in my mouth. "How long were you locked up?"

"I was in for less than a year, but in that time I was constantly beaten, old injuries never had the chance

to heal before new ones were inflicted. I finally gave in. But that's when the real nightmare began."

Addrion's eyes closed, a sheen of tears visible.

Tears welled up in my eyes. I never thought I'd see the day when Addrion would cry.

Slowly, Addrion's red-rimmed eyes opened, "And so the nightmare began!"