Nobela ni Syre E.

Jonah's POV‎‎‎I got into the car, keys in the ignition. I couldn't wait till I got home. Whipping out my phone, I decided to call the blackmailer's number. It went straight to voicemail. Frustrated, I tried again. It went to voicemail again. I decided to leave a voicemail.‎‎"Look, I don't know who you are or what you're playing at. I just want you to know you won't get away with it. I'll make sure you're destroyed," I said, seething, my teeth clenched and a tight grip on my phone.‎‎A beep was heard, signaling the voicemail had been sent. I groaned in frustration and took out my anger on the steering wheel as I continued hitting it. I took a few minutes to calm down before starting the ignition and driving off.‎‎My hands tightened on the steering wheel as I drove home, my mind filled with anger and frustration and my heart beating fast. The blackmailer had crossed a line by involving my parents, and I was determined to put an end to it. Just as I pulled into my driveway, my ph

Jonah's POV‎‎My mother’s voice was icy. “Don’t play dumb with me, Jonah. It’s a recording of you and, and some girl. It’s explicit, Jonah. Explicit! What were you thinking?”‎‎I froze, my mind spinning. The blackmailer had sent the recording, but my parents thought it was a girl. Relief washed over me, but it was quickly replaced by guilt. I hated lying to my parents, but I had no choice. If they found out the truth, it would destroy them.‎‎“Mom, I… I can explain,” I stammered, my voice shaky. “It’s not what you think.”‎‎“Not what I think?” my mother snapped. “Jonah, this is unacceptable. You’re supposed to be setting an example, not, not carrying on like some reckless teenager. Who is this girl? And why would someone send us something like this?”‎‎I took a deep breath, my mind racing. “It’s, it’s complicated, Mom. It was a mistake. I didn’t mean for anyone to find out.”‎‎My mother sighed, her voice softening slightly. “Jonah, I don’t want to lecture you, but this is serio

‎Jonah's POV‎‎CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT‎‎"Oh, I'll definitely stop you. You can't get away with this," I said defiantly.‎‎"Well, the only way you can stop me is if you deliver ten thousand dollars by the end of this week," the figure said.‎‎"Ten thousand dollars?!" I exclaimed.‎‎"Yes, ten thousand dollars. Drop it off at P.O. box 5210." The figure nodded.‎‎"Well, I don't know who you are, but you're not getting my money or ruining my life," I told the figure.‎‎"Well, I don't have the energy for this back and forth with you anymore. I want my money by Friday, or else," the figure said, threatening me.‎‎Before I could respond, the figure turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving me standing alone on the pier, my mind racing with questions. I turned, thoughts flying through my mind as I slowly walked back home. I couldn't deal with this. Telling Elliot was out of the question, and if I knew anything about blackmailers, they'd continue to ask for money and run you into t

‎Elliot's POV‎‎CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN‎‎Clara's voice softened. "You don't have to thank me, Elliot. I care about you, and I want you to be happy. But we need to be smart about this. No more risks, okay? No more public outings, no more sneaking around. You and Jonah need to lay low until the wedding."‎‎I clenched my jaw, the weight of Clara's words settling heavily on my shoulders. "I know. It's just... it's hard, Clara. I hate hiding. I hate lying to everyone. Jonah is not going to like this either; it's going to destroy the little progress we just made."‎‎"I know," Clara said gently. "But it's the only way to protect yourselves right now. Once the merger is done, we can figure out a way to make this work. But for now, you have to play the part."‎‎I sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter. "You're right. I just hope we can hold out that long."‎‎"You will," Clara said firmly. "You're stronger than you think, Elliot. And you're not alone in this. I've got your back."‎‎I

‎Jonah's POV‎The door creaked open, revealing the dark expanse of the front yard. The streetlight cast long shadows across the grass, and the bushes near the window swayed slightly in the breeze. But there was no sign of anyone or anything out there.‎I let out a shaky breath, my shoulders relaxing slightly. "Maybe it was just the wind."‎Elliot nodded, though his eyes continued to scan the yard. "Yeah, maybe."‎Suddenly from the corner of my eye, I saw a black sedan pulling out from the dark end of the street and zooming off. Elliot instinctively ran towards the car, trying to reach the stalker. "Forget about it, Elliot, just come back!" I called out to him.‎I stood biting my nails nervously. Elliot, reaching the end of the street, gave up. He dropped his shoulders and walked back to the door.We stepped back inside and closed the door, neither of us could shake the feeling that we were being watched. The warmth of the evening was gone, replaced by a lingering sense of dread.‎Elli

‎Jonah's POV‎The rest of the day passed in a blur of lazy kisses and pillow talk. We stayed in bed, wrapped in each other's arms, the world outside forgotten. But as the sun began to set, its golden rays filtering into the room, reality began to creep back in.‎Elliot sighed, his fingers tracing idle patterns on my chest. "We can't stay here forever."‎I nodded, though I didn't seem eager to move. "I know. But can't we at least pretend for a little while longer?"‎Elliot smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to my lips. "As long as you want."***‎The evening air was cool as Elliot walked into the living room, a bag of snacks in one hand and a board game tucked under his arm. I turned to look at him standing behind the couch, my eyes lighting up at the sight of Elliot.‎"Hey, you are finally awake!" I said, stepping aside to let Elliot in. "I was starting to think you died."‎Elliot chuckled, setting the snacks down on the coffee table. "Nah, just had to recover properly. We tired our

Alex's POVI couldn't help but stare at her peaceful beautiful expression. She had her eyes closed as she leaned towards me. The moment felt so real, so calm and yet so beautiful.My fingers trailed her smooth skin as I got lost in the warmth of her body. For a moment, I forgot the weight that had rested on me a while ago. My duties and everything in between that had once bothered me, now felt light, like they all vanished. My face lingered inches away from hers, I could feel her breath against mine. The woods, the birds, the noise—everything around us seemed to still, like they no longer existed. My breath matched hers, heavy, like we both knew what was coming. But instead of closing the gap, I leaned to the side at the last second. “We’re still in the woods, you know,” I whispered mischievously into her ear.Eleanor pulled back almost too quickly, her eyes fluttered open instantly. Her cheeks burned read instantly. “Right,” she said, quickly pulling back and cleaning her hands on

Nick's POVI don't know how long I sat there, but I knew very well that I dreaded hearing that voice. Just when I asked for a little peace of mind. The universe can't just give me a break."Earth to Nick?" The voice snapped me out of my thoughts. It was smooth and laced with amusement."Already drunk this early in the day?" She added.I froze. I knew that voice very well.It was familiar, too familiar. I searched my mind, running through my memory to try to place it. Then it came to me gently. It was a voice I hadn't heard in five years. The last time I heard from her, she left town, never to return but that was five years ago.Catherine.I turned to finally respond to her but she had already slotted into the space across from me in the booth. I stared at her as her legs crossed, her expression smug like she owned the room.I kept my gaze on her, my jaw tightening. "What are you doing here?"She smiled, not skipping a beat. "Wow, it’s been a while, Nick. I’m doing good, thanks for ask

Alex's POV Her voice lingered in my mind long after she said it. "Are you truly happy, Alex?"I blinked. My thoughts had trailed off. A simple answer couldn't be easily given as I fought with reality. Eleanor was still kneeling, her fingers stroked my hand calmly. The movement soothed me as her eyes locked on mine with more gentleness than I deserved."I never thought of it that way," I murmured, my voice lower than usual. "I never imagined how a simple question could make me challenge everything I’ve ever known."She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "It’s normal to forget yourself when you carry the kind of weight we carry.""Do you?" I asked, surprising myself with the bluntness of my question. "Do you forget yourself too?"Eleanor looked taken aback, her lips parted slightly. She took a moment, adjusted herself on her knees, and nodded. "Yes," she admitted. "I do. Most of the time, especially when growing up.""Your parents?""Nope," she swallowed. "My aunt... she had a way o

Alex's POV I felt the strong pull to reach over and run my hand through her hair, through her perfect skin. I fought the desire to know how it felt.By the time I had recovered myself, she had neatly tied her hair in a perfect bun, pulled up her sleeves cleanly and had gone down a few inches with her heels kept aside. She reached over and took the trap from my hands while I stood still. A little laugh escaped her lips before she proceeded to kneel gently on the warm grass. I didn't know when I got lost watching her perfectly composed demeanor. I had to speak to avoid making things awkward."Never knew you were the kind to hunt?"She chuckled. "I guess you aren't doing a good job at getting to know me." I couldn't laugh. She was right. I suck at the little things."For your information, Your Highness," she paused, giving me a funny look. I loved the way she called it tho. "I started hunting when I was young, my dad took my brothers and me out hunting and till today, we still go out

Nick's POV "Some people need to talk about it. I can be a great listener." Her words stung my ears. The last time I shared how I felt, I ended up in a mess, worse than how I was before sharing. I can't imagine doing that again.So I gave a small chuckle, trying to keep things casual. "Is that in the package too?""Depends on how generous you are."The side flirtish tone didn’t go unnoticed. Her hands moved slower, with intent, lingering too long at the base of my spine, then sliding slowly over my lower back.I felt her lean forward as she pressed her body over mine. She whispered into my ear. "You have a beautiful body."I didn't respond. I wasn’t in the mood for this, but I didn’t stop her either.She leaned in further. I could feel her breasts pressing against my back. Her breath brushed my ear as she spoke. "I could help you forget whatever’s bothering you."Then she flipped the towel slightly to reach my hip. I stiffened. I felt uncomfortable, far from pleasure.I sat up abrupt

Nick's POVThe screeching of the tires pulled me from my annoyance. The car rolled over the marbled courtyard of my father's mansion. The bright sunlight bounced off the polished hood of my sleek black Jaguar. The world outside looked buzzy. The neighborhood still maintained its clean calm essence, just the way he liked it. Just the way he believed everything should be. But inside me, it was anything but perfect. My jaw clenched as I turned out of the block and onto the sleek road.I hated everything here.I hated the expectations, the scripts that were written for us long before we could even form sentences. Why do our fathers think they had the right to dictate our lives? Why does his father keep shoving royalty and legacy down Alex's throat like it was the only reason he had him? Why does mine keep trying to mold me into a man I can barely recognize? The perfect son. The future president.They didn't know us.At least, mine never really did. I exhaled, shaking my head. There was