"Mr. and Mrs. Houston," Lara greeted, inviting them to take seats. "I know you two rushed here by ne. The food is ready. Let''s eat and talk."

    "Sounds good," they replied.

    A maid came downstairs and handed a file to Lara. "Miss, here are the files you asked for."

    Lara nodded and handed the file to Debra.

    "This is the batch of files you mentioned on the phone. I picked out what I thought you''d need."

    "Thanks."

    "No worries. If it weren''t for you, I''d still be a maid in the Lowe family. You taught me how to take control of my destiny. I''ll always remember that."

    "You made your own choices."

    "True, but without you, I wouldn''t be the head of the Sharp family now."

    Lara had learned a lot from Drake, which helped her manage the Sharp family so well. Now that Drake was in trouble, she couldn''t just sit by.

    Debra opened the file. It contained records of the Sharp family''s financial dealings over the years, including some shady businesses and the favors they had done for the Lowe family.

    Conrad was cunning and kept meticulous records of everything.

    Unfortunately, these records couldn''t threaten Drake and instead brought trouble upon himself. It was a ssic case of being too clever for one''s own good.

    "Over the years, he gave so much to the Lowes," Debra mused. "What was Conrad after?"

    "The Lowe family hasplex connections, Lara exined. "I think he must have had something on them, or he was after power. You''ve spent some time in Orkgate. You know there''s no shortage of rich

    Kple here, but real power is hard

    toe by. My family is second only to the Lowe family."

    She remembered something and added, "While going through the ounts noticed many people have been bribing my family to get favors from the Lowes. Conrad took a lot of bribes, enough to keep the Lowes happy."

    "No wonder," Debra said. "He gave so much to the Lowes and still ended up filthy

    rich. Turns out he had cash cows."

    Lara nodded, "It''s quitemon. People spend a lot on buying invitations to events. In Orkgate,

    money isn''t as valuable as po

    Those with money but no influence would like to trade what they have for what they need. Without powerful backers, they could go

    broke overnight."

    Lara paused and continued, "You know, ever since the power struggle in the Lowe Group, Orkgate has be even more chaotic. Everyone''s fighting to grab

    power. If it weren''t Mr. Loweing back recently..."

    Debra interrupted, "Drake came back recently? When?"