Mistakenly Yours: Contract Marriage With The Billionaire-Chapter 144: Chasing his vision

"It’s me, Asher. Have you forgotten my voice already?"

The voice on the other end sent a jolt of cold through Sara’s veins. She pulled the phone away from her ear, glaring at the screen as if she could burn him with her gaze. Without a word, she hung up and immediately added the number to her blocklist, her heart hammering against her ribs.

"What happened? Is someone troubling you?" Adam inquired, his sharp eyes catching the sudden tension in her shoulders.

"Just a wrong number," Sara lied, forcing her voice to remain steady. "I should go, Dad."

She turned on her heels, ready to escape the suffocating air of the office, but Adam’s voice stopped her. "Sara."

She turned swiftly, meeting her father’s gaze.

"Do you really not want to join Falcone Industries?" Adam questioned, his tone no longer that of a CEO, but of a father trying to understand his child.

"No," Sara replied firmly.

"So, all these years you only worked to impress me and did nothing for yourself?" Adam asked, a hint of sadness in his voice. "You never saw yourself as the one to carry this family’s legacy forward. I suppose now, since we have cleared our differences, you should return to your rightful place. This is your birthright, Sara."

"Dad, are you sure? I did break your trust. I couldn’t even see what was happening right under my nose within the company," Sara stated with the memory of her perceived failures. "If not for Luca, the true culprits would never have confessed. We wouldn’t even be standing here today."

"It was a trial, Sara. A phase where we were all tested," Adam asserted, his gaze softening. "And I, as your father, was the one who broke down instead of holding this family together. I failed you long before you could ever fail me."

He stepped closer. "But I need to know the truth. Did you do everything just to please me? Was none of it for yourself? You mentioned it during our argument, and as a father, I haven’t been able to get those words out of my head."

Sara looked at him, the weight of years of silent pressure finally manifesting in her eyes. "Yes," she admitted. "Every move I made, every deal I closed... I did it because I was terrified you would abandon me one day if I wasn’t perfect."

"And I did exactly that," Adam murmured to himself, the realization hitting him.

"Dad, I must go. I’ve an important meeting," Sara said and walked out of his sight.

Adam slumped down on the leather chair in the large office space. He stared blankly at the wall, then at the file in his hand.

~~~~~

Sara pulled her car to a stop directly in front of the De Augustino headquarters and stepped out. She handed her keys to the waiting valet in the lobby and headed straight for the executive floor. When she pushed open the heavy doors to the CEO’s office, her eyes fell upon Luca, who was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window with his back toward her.

"When did you get back? I thought you’d be with Remo the entire day," Sara said.

Luca turned around slowly. "What would I have done with him all day? Fabio mentioned you went to see your father. I imagine Adam was eager for you to return as CEO, his eyes were screaming for it last night."

"Yeah, well... I refused," Sara replied simply. She picked up a proposal from the desk and lowered her head, pretending to focus on the contents to avoid his gaze.

Luca tilted his head, watching her closely, trying to read the nuances of her face. "Why did you refuse? Did you never actually want to be a CEO, Sara?"

"It was always a burden," she murmured, the words feeling heavy in the quiet room. "I told my father the truth during our argument that everything I did, every success I had, was only ever to impress him."

"I see," Luca said, a dark amusement dancing in his eyes. "And here I thought you were born to lead the Falcone legacy. It’s a pity you left it all behind in the middle," he added, a soft chuckle escaping his lips.

Sara lifted her head sharply, glaring at him with a fire that hadn’t been there a moment ago. "It isn’t a pity to finally breathe, Luca. Or do you find it funny that I spent my whole life being a puppet for someone else’s expectations?"

Sara licked her lips, her voice dropping to a vulnerable whisper. "You should know that better than anyone else."

"Yes, I know," Luca stated. His voice had lost its playful edge, replaced by a low, grounding hum. He reached out, his fingers grazing her skin as he gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I’m not finding it funny, Sara. Truly."

"Actually, I’m still hurting," Sara admitted, taking a brave step into his personal space. "I couldn’t stand to see my father broken, so I had to make things right. Someone had to step up, didn’t they?"

Seeing the shimmer of unshed tears in her eyes, Luca reached out and pulled her into a firm hug. He held her against his chest, a rare moment of softness in his otherwise guarded world. "You are so considerate, Sara, of the people around you. Your father hurt you deeply. Even I... I’ve hurt you with the things I’ve said."

"You only showed me the truth and reality," Sara whispered, finally pulling back from his embrace to look him in the eye. "I only ever wanted to be a CEO because my father saw that version of me. I was chasing his vision, not mine."

"And what about now? I forced you to be a secretary," Luca said, his voice carrying a trace of guilt he rarely allowed himself to show.

"In the beginning, yes, you did," Sara admitted with a small shrug. "But later, you gave me a choice. For now, I actually love it. I haven’t found my ultimate goal yet, maybe in the future, I’ll want to move in a completely different direction, but for this moment, I’m exactly where I want to be."

"Well, I’ll support you in whatever path you choose," Luca replied, a genuine smile softening his sharp features.

"I know you will," Sara said, her expression shifting as she transitioned back to the gravity of their situation. "So, what plan have you made? How exactly do you intend to catch Martin?"

Luca leaned back against the mahogany desk, his eyes darkening with strategic focus. "I’m sending a specialized team to his primary base to draw him out rather than a full-scale war." He spent the next few minutes detailing the tactical movements and the perimeter security.

"That sounds incredibly risky," Sara noted, her brow furrowing. "I hope you know exactly what you’re stepping into. Also..." She hesitated for a second before the thought tumbled out. "Do you think Martin might know who poisoned your grandfather? Since you mentioned that he was once an ally to your grandfather, later he turned his enemy?"

"No. He would have told me the last time he and I were in direct confrontation," Luca answered, his voice flat. "Martin isn’t the type to keep a secret if it could be used as a weapon to mock me."

Sara hummed, a lingering sense of unease settling in her chest. "Just... don’t let any of your men get hurt or caught. I don’t know much about that side of the world, but I know it’s full of risks you can’t always calculate."

"It won’t happen," Luca assured her, his tone brimming with the confidence of a man who controlled every variable.

"And what if it does?" Sara challenged.

"It won’t," Luca affirmed, his gaze unwavering.

Sara peered into his eyes for longer than a moment, her expression shifting from concern to a fierce, protective authority. "You better not get hurt, Luca. I mean it. If you get even a single scratch, you’re done. You will never step foot into this side of the business again. You’ll stay away from the syndicates and the mafias forever. Do you understand?"

It was a bold ultimatum, one that no one on earth would dare give him a warning like this, except for his wife. Before Luca could respond a sharp knock echoed through the room. Fabio walked in with a grim look.

"Sir, Asher is here," Fabio informed him immediately. He stopped short as he noticed Sara standing right there, his eyes flickering with a momentary hesitation.

"Why is he here?" Luca’s expression hardened instantly.

"He was shouting at the reception and demanded to call Sara out," Fabio said.

"What the fuck? That bastard has invited his death himself," Luca said, already brushing past Sara. She followed him along with Fabio and reached the first floor, where Asher had created a chaos.

"Oh, so, you’re finally here!" Asher turned to Sara as he yanked the hands of the security that had held him. He marched toward her when Luca grabbed him by the collar.