Chapter 147

Laila’s POV

I sat there, the glass of cold water in my hand, but the chill did little to calm the boiling frustration inside me. Nolan’s words echoed in my head, each one a harsh reminder that nothing in my life had been normal for weeks now. I could hardly believe what had just happened—Mara, of all people, was free. How had it all happened so fast?

I had thought that her actions, her betrayal, would cost her everything. After all, how could anyone possibly let her off the hook after she had taken a loan worth billions, used it to impersonate my father’s company, and run away with her mother? It didn’t make sense. She had admitted everything, gone to the police, confessed her guilt. And yet here I was, sitting in the parlor, still reeling from the news that she was out there, breathing, planning her next move as if nothing had happened.

I clenched my fist around the glass, the water sloshing slightly. I could feel my pulse quickening, my chest tightening wi