Chapter 21: The Aftermath

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• Hate Me, Desire Me   Chapter 29: Burn The World

  TIARA MCKENZIES' POINT OF VIEWShanghai's skyline pierced the clouds like blades of steel. Towering high-rises gleamed beneath a cloudy afternoon sun as my flight descended onto the tarmac. The transition through customs had been seamless. Just another perk of flying under an alias reinforced by layers of digital camouflage and legal paperwork. A black car waited for me at the arrivals gate, sleek and spotless. I offered only a brief nod to the driver before sliding into the back seat, my silicone mask warm against my skin, topped with a silk scarf and oversized tinted glasses.The ride through the city was a blur of glass towers, neon reflections, and electric signs. My coat was crisp and belted, my gloves tight. I played the part well. Power. Authority. Intimidation. The weight of it never lessened, no matter how many times I wore the armor.We pulled up to the hotel, one of the city's most opulent, shielded behind tall hedges and tinted windows. Inside, the concierge greeted me wit

• Hate Me, Desire Me   Chapter 28: Risks and Masks

  SOLA FRITZ'S (TIARA MCKENZIE) POINT OF VIEWThe drive home was slow, the city lights of Manila blurring behind the tinted windows of the car. I sat in the backseat, my fingers tightening around the edge of my coat as thoughts spun violently in my head. I replayed every moment of the board meeting. Eli's voice still echoed in my ears. The way his gaze cut straight through the mask like a blade.How did his name escape my radar? I reviewed every board document. Every acquisition report. I signed off on every shareholder adjustment. Elijah Rivero's name had never once appeared until today. Had he hidden behind a proxy investor? Was he planted long before I even knew it? My grip on the coat twisted. That wasn't the only question clawing at me.Was he the one who left the message on Genesis's drawing? Was it a warning or a threat? And if it was him, what was he trying to do? If he was truly hunting the remaining Irenic members, what did he want with us? Closure? Revenge? Justice? Or was I

• Hate Me, Desire Me   Chapter 27: A Glimpse Of Past

  TIARA MCKENZIES' POINT OF VIEWThe Manila sunset bled gold across my office windows, spilling over the endless sea of blueprints and investment reports stacked on my desk. I sipped from my now-lukewarm mug of coffee, the bitter taste grounding me as I flipped through fabric samples, market trend reports, and investment proposals for the upcoming spring collection under Sola Fritz. Every detail needed to be perfect. The fabric texture, stitching quality, logistics partnerships, marketing rollout schedules. I cross-referenced financial statements with supplier quotes, making quick annotations with a red pen, muttering corrections under my breath. There was a steady rhythm to it: review, correct, approve, repeat. My fingers flew over the keyboard, cross-referencing supplier invoices with updated logistical contracts. Digital swatches flickered across the screen, projected beside real samples laid out meticulously across my desk. I glanced up briefly at the spreadsheet pinned on the wall,

• Hate Me, Desire Me   Chapter 26: A Chapter of Peace

  TIARA (SOLA'S) POINT OF VIEWThree years had passed.The shadows of the past still lingered, but time had carved out a peaceful life far away from the bloodshed. In a private, tucked-away neighborhood in Manila, surrounded by swaying mango trees and bougainvillea-draped fences, we found something we never thought we'd have again.Peace.It wasn't the flashy kind, or the kind that came with security details and steel walls. No, it was simpler than that. It was the smell of breakfast drifting from the kitchen. The distant laughter of children playing down the street. The soft clink of coffee mugs on ceramic tiles. The morning radio buzzing with upbeat tunes and gossiping anchors.I stood on the balcony of our modest, modern house. The sun warmed my skin, and the wind ruffled my loose white shirt as I sipped on hot tea. Behind me, I could hear the gentle hum of life inside. Somewhere, tucked into a quiet corner of the house, she was probably coloring with Cameron, her little giggles brig

• Hate Me, Desire Me   Chapter 25: The World Burned

  TIARA MCKENZIES' POINT OF VIEWI stood frozen outside his office, my fingers trembling as I clutched the folder of documents I never intended to open in front of him. The hallway felt colder than I remembered, sterile and distant, like every second I stood there chipped away at my nerve. I'd begged Eli's secretary, something I never thought I'd do, but she barely hesitated. She recognized me instantly, offered a polite smile, and buzzed me through without a word.Everyone still thought we were fine. But I was about to break whatever illusion was left.As the door clicked shut behind me, my throat dried out, and all the rehearsed words dissolved like smoke. My palms were damp, my chest tight.Eli stood by the tall office window, dark suit pristine, back straight, gaze distant as the city skyline framed him like a painting. For one agonizing second, I saw the boy I used to know. And then he turned.Now, I wasn't sure if I had the right to remember it at all.His expression didn't waver.

• Hate Me, Desire Me   Chapter 24: Unanchored

  TIARA MCKENZIE'S POINT OF VIEWThe city's skyline remained veiled in the hush of pre-dawn darkness as the final operation commenced. A dense fog pressed low to the ground, softening the sharp glint of streetlamps and casting the streets in a spectral luminescence. Silence reigned, but it was a fragile illusion. Beneath it surged a thousand synchronized heartbeats, each one tuned to urgency and resolve. Drones whispered overhead, their sensors sweeping for heat signatures. Clad in black, the operatives moved like shadows, slipping through alleyways with phantom precision. No sirens pierced the night. No warnings echoed through the air. Only silence, coiled, tense, and ready to snap.Aveline had vanished into the smoke after triggering the final wave of charges meant to scatter the Irenic. But we held our ground. Eli and I had moved as one through the chaos, until a sudden detonation collapsed a stairwell and forced us apart. I saw him vanish behind a cascade of rubble and fire, his sho