Chapter: EpilogueDarla's POVI watched everything unfold from a distance, quietly observing the chaos and the resolutions that followed. Richard had shocked everyone by marrying Mandy. Melanin had begged, cried, and tried everything to sway him, but he had pushed her away without a second glance, choosing Mandy and making it clear that there was no turning back. It stunned everyone,friends, family, even those who thought they knew him well. His calm, decisive choice left no room for second-guessing, and in a way, it felt like the closing of a painful chapter for everyone involved.Melanin, on the other hand, was a broken figure amidst the wreckage of her own making. She had gone back to Sam, thinking that perhaps he could be a refuge, someone to cling to for comfort or validation, but Sam’s response was colder than she had expected. He rejected her bluntly, stating that there was nothing left in her that he could respect, love, or even tolerate. That rejection hit her harder than any scandal or
Last Updated: 2025-12-30
Chapter: My DecisionRichard's POVThe hotel was quiet, discreet, exactly the kind of place no one would look twice at. I checked in, got the key, and went up to the room. Once inside, I loosened my tie and sat on the edge of the bed, my elbows resting on my knees.Everything felt like it was closing in.Too many names. Too many lies.I hadn’t even finished processing my conversation with Xavier when Mandy’s name lit up my screen again.I’m here.Less than a minute later, there was a soft knock on the door.I opened it to find Mandy standing there, dressed simply, her expression serious. No seductive smile. No playful glint in her eyes. Whatever she had come to say wasn’t about pleasure.I stepped aside to let her in.As soon as the door closed, I asked, “What’s happening?”She didn’t sit immediately. She paced once, then stopped and looked at me. “Darla knows.”I stiffened slightly. “Knows what?”“That Melanie is sleeping with Sam.”I let out a slow breath. “I figured.”She blinked. “You did?”“Xavier
Last Updated: 2025-12-30
Chapter: New PlanRichard’s POVThe glass was cold against my palm, the amber liquid inside barely moving as Vincent talked. We were seated at his private lounge, the lights dim, the kind of place where secrets felt lighter once alcohol got involved.“So,” Vincent said casually, swirling his drink. “How’s Mandy?”I didn’t answer immediately. I took a slow sip instead, letting the burn trail down my throat. My mind flashed, skin, heat, the quiet danger of her presence under my roof while Melanie slept upstairs.“To be honest?” I finally said.Vincent smirked. “I wouldn’t ask otherwise.”“She’s… great,” I admitted. “On the bed.”He raised an eyebrow. “Better than Melanie?”I laughed under my breath, shaking my head slightly. “Much better.”Vincent let out a low whistle. “Damn.”“She’s uncomplicated,” I continued, staring into my glass. “No pretending. No emotional chess. Just… release.”“And Melanie?” he asked.I clenched my jaw. “Melanie is… history I haven’t finished closing yet.”Vincent leaned back
Last Updated: 2025-12-30
Chapter: My Worse FearsMelanie’s POVI stood there long after Darla walked out, staring at the door like it might open again and tell me this was all some twisted joke.Sleeping with Sam.The words echoed in my head, sharp and poisonous.My heart was racing so hard it felt like it was trying to escape my chest. I lifted a hand to my throat, swallowing, forcing myself to breathe. I had laughed it off in front of her. I had acted calm, amused, superior.But inside?Inside, panic was clawing its way up my spine.“How did she know?” I whispered to myself.I turned sharply. “Everyone out.”The room went quiet.One of the guys frowned. “What?”“The party is over,” I snapped. “Now.”They didn’t argue. One by one, they grabbed their things, murmured awkward goodbyes, and filtered out of the house. In less than five minutes, the space felt too big, too empty.Too loud with my thoughts.I slammed the door shut and leaned against it, chest heaving.Mandy was still there, standing awkwardly by the couch, her brows dra
Last Updated: 2025-12-30
Chapter: Clap-BackDarla’s POVThe house Mandy sent me the address to was nothing like what I expected.It wasn’t loud. No blasting music. No drunken chaos spilling into the street. Just a quiet, well-furnished duplex tucked away in a gated area, the kind of place people used when they didn’t want to be noticed.Interesting.I parked, took a steadying breath, and stepped out of the car.By the time I knocked, the door opened almost immediately. Mandy stood there, glass in hand, surprise flickering briefly across her face before she masked it with a smile.“You’re early,” she said.“I said within an hour,” I replied lightly. “This counts.”She stepped aside to let me in.Inside, there were a few people scattered around, two men on the couch talking quietly, a woman leaning against the counter scrolling through her phone. Laughter drifted from somewhere deeper in the house. The atmosphere felt… contained. Controlled. Like everyone here knew discretion was part of the deal.And then I saw her. Melanie.
Last Updated: 2025-12-30
Chapter: UnbelievableDarla's POV“So all this time,” I said, more to myself than to him, “she was hiding behind Richard… judging everyone else.”“I didn’t want to tell you like this,” Xavier said. “But you deserved to know. Especially since Sam’s name keeps coming up around you.”I closed my eyes briefly. The irony was bitter. I had been fighting to prove I was innocent of something that had never existed, while the real affair was happening right under everyone’s nose.“I didn’t expect this,” I admitted. “Not at all.”“I know,” he said softly.There was a moment of silence between us, different from the tense silence in the car earlier. This one felt heavy, thoughtful.“So now you know,” he continued. “That’s the full story.”I let out a slow breath. “Thank you for telling me.”“I’m not saying this to win an argument,” he said quickly. “Or to justify what I did. I know I went about it the wrong way.”I didn’t answer immediately. My emotions were too tangled for quick responses.“I need time,” I said fin
Last Updated: 2025-12-30
Chapter: A Blind ManAdeline's POVI changed back into my jeans in the examination room cubicle with the efficiency of someone who needed to be out of this building before she had time to think about what the building now knew about her.Casual top. Jeans. Weekend clothes, chosen this morning with the intention of not looking like someone who was going to a hospital to confirm a pregnancy.The paper the doctor had handed me was folded into my bag.I was not thinking about it.I was thinking about the Devon meeting tonight, and the Cheung presentation on Tuesday, and whether Isaac had heard back from the anonymous woman.And every other thing that existed in the world that was not the folded piece of paper in my bag.Natasha waited for me in the corridor and fell into step beside me without a word, which was the correct thing to do and I was grateful for it.We walked toward the lift.The doors opened.And Mikhail stepped out.The universe, apparently, had a sense of humour.He was in a dark jacket, tablet
Last Updated: 2026-04-30
Chapter: Three WeeksAdeline's POVThe hospital gown was paper-thin and the room was cold and I had been staring at the same spot on the wall for eleven minutes.I knew it was eleven minutes because I had been watching the clock.Natasha sat in the chair beside the examination bed with her hands folded in her lap and the expression of a woman exercising a considerable amount of restraint. She had not said much since we arrived. She had held my hand in the car, squeezed it once when we checked in at reception, and then settled into the specific silence of someone who understood that talking right now would not help.I appreciated it.I could not have absorbed words right now.The strip tests had been clear enough that Natasha had not even tried to talk me out of taking the third one. She had simply handed it to me and sat on the edge of the bath and waited, and when it came back the same as the first two she had said very quietly that we should go to the hospital and get it confirmed properly because st
Last Updated: 2026-04-30
Chapter: MIKHAILMIKHAIL POV Morning arrived sharply… I was already awake when the first call came through. Not because I had slept badly. I hadn’t slept at all. Sleep was a negotiation I didn’t trust myself to enter right now. When Adeline arrived at ky door last night, I knew it wasn’t an option anymore… I had three phones stacked up at ky fesk, all active and ready… There was no second to spare. I needed to help Adeline… I started with the lawyer. “Are you awake?” I asked. A tired exhale on the other end. “I am now.” “I need you ready for emergency filing. It’s a bail motion. Defamation containment and possibly wrongful accusation defense depending on how fast this escalates.” There was a pause, then… “That’s a lot of words for morning.” “It’s not morning,” I said. It was a warning. I ended the call before he could argue. Next: security intel. I needed to know who saw her that night.. if they were CCTV cameras or not. I was about to call when a sharp knock broke through…. Fuck… I
Last Updated: 2026-04-30
Chapter: An incident (II)Adeline POV Mikhail did not ask another question until the front door was locked behind him… Then he turned and faced me fully now…. I could see the alarm and the worry in his eyes. I didn’t blame him… I would react the same way if I saw him stroll up to my house nearly midnight shaking and wuth traces of blood around his cloth… “Come.” My legs obeyed before my mind did. He guided me into a sitting room. “Sit down.” I sat on the edge of the sofa because it was all I could manage. He disappeared through an adjoining doorway and returned moments later carrying a folded wool blanket over one arm and a tray in the other hand. It had coffee, water and clean clothes there.. He set the tray down, unfolded the blanket, and draped it around my shoulders himself. The gesture felt so warming…. Then he crouched in front of me, forearms resting on his knees. “Drink.” I lifted the mug with both hands because I was sure if I used only one, I would spill it with all my shaking. The he
Last Updated: 2026-04-30
Chapter: An incidentAdeline POV I stood in the doorway and forgot how to breathe. For one suspended second my mind refused to understand what my eyes were seeing. No.. no… this couldn’t be right? This was some sort of mistake…right? Devon. The name tore through me so sharply I lurched forward before thought could intervene. “Devon.” My voice came out thin and broken. I dropped to my knees beside her so hard pain shot through them, but I barely felt it. Her face was so cold and pale… her body was soaked in her own blood. “No. No, no…” I grabbed her arms, they were lifeless and cold. “Devon, wake up.” I shook her again.. harder this time, then again… “Wake up.” Nothing. “Devon!” She was.. she…. I pulled back so violently I nearly fell backward. “No…” Just then, I heard loud footsteps charging right into this room… “Ms. Royce!” Daren’s voice. He entered the room quickly… taking one sweeping glance took in the scene: the body, the blood, me kneeling beside it with my now bloodied hands…
Last Updated: 2026-04-30
Chapter: Target(II)Adeline’s POV I stood in the kitchen with the dead phone still pressed to my ear long after the line had gone silent. The kettle hissed softly behind me… but I didn’t hear it anymore… not really. My mind was still on the call. I lowered the phone and looked at the screen. Unknown number. Call ended. That was all. There was no record of who had spoken, no added explanation. I couldn’t even recognize the voice there…just that broken tone. Not make it... dead... watch... back... go... now. I replayed it in my head and hated how uncertain every word became the moment I tried to pin it down. Was it Devon? It had sounded like that.. a femal voice, probably somewhere that didn’t allow calls. It could have been her? Or maybe Jovian..? Or somebody else entirely like a wrong number… Coincidences lile that never happened around my life..not anymore. Maybe it could have been some stupid prank by someone who had found my number and thought my life was public entertainment now. But
Last Updated: 2026-04-30
Chapter: The Real DevilsMaya's POV"What do you mean?" I whispered.He hesitated. "Regan, he got arrested."I was stunned. "What? Why?""I don't know," he stuttered, shivering. "They just showed up, handcuffed him, and drove away. I asked them what they were doing, but they weren't telling me anything. Maya, I really have to go. My flight is an hour. I just wanted you to know."I was going to question her when the line disconnected.I stood there with my phone, panting. My head spun so quickly that it hurt.Theresa's voice broke in. "Maya, what's wrong?"I spoke to her, my trembling hands. "Regan's been arrested."She gasped, her hand in front of her mouth. "What? Why?""I don't know," I whispered, shaking my head. "Andrew said nothing. He had to go."We just looked at one another, stunned. We couldn't even consider it at all.We have to know what is going on," I blurted out.Theresa agreed. "Let's go to the station."I ran to my closet and grabbed the first things that lay within reach, my fingers fumbling
Last Updated: 2025-10-17
Chapter: ButterfliesMaya's POVMy cheeks grew hot with embarrassment, and I tried to play dumb. "It was… fine.""Fine?" She mocked me with laughter. "No, no, no. You're not going to give me one-word answer. Something did happen. I noticed the way you and Andrew were making eyes at each other before Andrew's phone cut you short. Spill the beans, Maya."I pressed my lips together, considering whether to dodge or just confess. But the excitement in her eyes left me with little alternative.Finally, I sighed and drew breath, "We're… officially dating."Theresa's jaw fell wide open, then a scream so high I had to shush her before Mom would burst in. "Are you kidding me?!"I nodded, a goofy smile splitting my lips. "Yes. He asked me this morning, and… I said yes."She clapped her hands over her face, still shrieking through them. "Oh my God, oh my God! I knew it! I knew something was going on. You've been glowing all day.""I have not," I protested weakly, though my cheeks betrayed me with their warmth."Yes,
Last Updated: 2025-10-17
Chapter: FarewellMaya's POVAndrew nodded gravely. "She could, yeah. If she thinks you're still recovering."Theresa rolled her eyes theatrically. "Don't tell me you're going over to his side now."I shrugged, not wanting to grin. "I just don't think it's the worst idea."Regan grinned smugly, clearly happy. "Finally. Someone makes sense."Theresa tossed a pillow at him, which he expertly caught. "Don't get too big for your britches. I still say beach.""Let's make a list," Andrew said, trying to remain the voice of reason. "Beach, camping, or something else altogether. We'll decide tonight."I breathed slowly out, my heart still pounding quicker than it should be. "As long as we're together, I don't care. I just want us to go do something we'll remember."Andrew's expression softened. "Then that's what we'll do."We brainstormed the next half hour spewing out other ideas, movies, amusement parks, even karaoke night, but none of them stayed like the first two.Theresa would not sleep in the dirt, and
Last Updated: 2025-10-07
Chapter: Failed PlanMaya's POVI let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, my hand reflexively clenching the blanket wrapped around my waist. "I'm better too. A bit exhausted, but nothing like yesterday."He tilted his head to the side, eyes flashing with something cunning. "Your body's healing quick. Strong. I knew you weren't as fragile as you attempted to lead me to believe."I rolled my eyes, though the heat that crept up my neck betrayed me. “Don’t make it sound weird. I’m still recovering, remember?”He chuckled, low and smooth. “I remember. Doesn’t stop me from noticing you.”Before I could even formulate a response, a loud knock came at the door. I jumped involuntarily, my stomach churning. Regan stood up immediately, his eyes roaming in the direction of the door as though he hadn't expected anyone so early.There was another knock, and it was followed by Theresa's familiar voice. "Maya? Awake?"I exchanged a hurried glance with Regan before answering, "Yeah!The door creaked open and The
Last Updated: 2025-10-07
Chapter: Confessed AffectionMaya's POVI hesitated, my heart thudding in my chest. My mouth parted, but the words stuck in my throat, shivering under the weight of all they meant.Regan's gaze held mine, steady, holding back. He wasn't forcing me, but the intensity of his stare left no room to sidestep the truth any longer.Finally, I exhaled and barely managed a whisper, "I… I can be yours."The relief that moved across his face was immediate.A creeping smile inched across his lips, lighting up his face in a manner that made my stomach turn.He leaned in close, the heat of his breath on my skin, and before I could even register it, his lips were on mine.The kiss was hesitant at first, tender, inquiry-like, as if he required assurance that I would not send him away.I didn't. I moved closer and let myself melt into his lips.The tenderness soon gave way to something more demanding, more forceful.His hand came to the back of my neck, pulling me towards him, and with every kiss of his lips on mine, the fire in
Last Updated: 2025-10-07
Chapter: Alone With HimMaya's POVI adjusted my shoulders a bit square, gritting determination into my voice. "I'm fine. The problem is, my mom. I don't think she'll let me go if she's not absolutely sure I'm all right. But don't worry, I'll figure out how to get around her."Andrew sighed and glanced down at his phone. "My friend isn't answering my call. I'm going over there so I can tell him about the yacht in person.""I'll go with you," Regan offered on impulse."I want to go too," Theresa said, then paused, looking at me. "But Maya can't stay home alone."Regan shook his head again. "Then I'll stay with Maya if you do plan to leave."Andrew smiled reassuringly at me. "I'll be right back, okay?"Theresa touched my shoulder lightly, her tone teasing but restrained. "Take care of my best friend when I'm not around," she said to Regan.Regan nodded, his gaze for an instant met hers. "Don't worry. I'll take care of her."And that was it, Theresa and Andrew were both gone, with only the two of us- me and Reg
Last Updated: 2025-09-04
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