Novel-novel oleh Julia-Cee

Emily hurried down the street, her mind clouded with anger and hurt. She had no particular destination in mind. All she wanted was somewhere quiet, somewhere she could be alone without having to explain herself to anybody. Just then, her phone began to ring. She pulled it out of her bag and glanced at the screen. Alicia. Emily let out an irritated breath. She wasn't ready to talk to her, not after everything that had happened between them. When the call ended and Alicia's name appeared on the screen again, she shook her head and switched off her phone. “Not now, Alicia,” she muttered, slipping it back into her bag and blinking back the tears gathering in her eyes. She continued walking, her steps slowing as she searched her mind for somewhere to go. Then, a memory suddenly came to her. Her grandmother's old warehouse. It had been her hiding place long before her grandmother passed away. Whenever she was upset as a child, she would sneak in there, curl up in a corner, and cry un

Alicia got home later than usual, her body already feeling the weight of the day.The moment she dropped her bag, her phone buzzed.She picked it up.Miss Marie:“Please, Alicia, I'm so sorry for the way I reacted to your complaint earlier today. Please, let's meet privately at the office tomorrow.”Alicia stared at the screen as she read through it slowly.An apology and a request to meet privately tomorrow at the office.Her lips pressed together.Then she hissed under her breath and kissed her teeth in irritation, dropping the phone onto the couch beside her.Emily, who had been watching her from across the room, raised a brow.“What happened?”Alicia ran a hand through her hair, already feeling drained.“I can’t say anything right now,” she muttered. “I’ll tell you later… after I’ve rested. I’m not in the mood.”Emily studied her for a moment, then nodded slightly.“Okay.”Alicia sank into the chair, leaning back.“Where’s Vanessa?” she asked after a few seconds.Emily adjusted sl

Nathan’s POVI stepped out of Marie’s office with something I hadn’t felt in a while.Hope.It didn’t feel solid yet, more like something fragile I wasn’t sure I should trust, but it was there. The plan she suggested kept replaying in my head as I walked out. It made sense. It gave me a way to get close to Alicia again without forcing anything on her.Maybe… just maybe, what we had wasn’t completely gone.Outside, Mark was already waiting by the car. The moment he saw me, he opened the door.I got in without saying anything, still lost in my thoughts. The door shut behind me and a few seconds later, the engine came alive as he pulled out.For a while, neither of us spoke. I leaned back slightly, staring ahead, but my mind was somewhere else entirely.Then Mark finally broke the silence.“The private investigator has something from the search you instructed I should look into.”That pulled me back immediately.“What did he find?”Mark glanced at me through the mirror before focusing ba

Alicia let out a sudden laugh. “Ha ha ha ha ha…” But it wasn’t warm. It was hollow, mocking laughter.The sound faded just as quickly as it came, and her face changed immediately.“Nathan, the audacity for you to show up again in my office,” she said, her brows furrowing.Nathan stood there, watching her carefully. “Alicia… can we at least sit down and talk? Please.”“Talk?” she scoffed, tilting her head slightly. “With who? Me?”She gave a short, unbelieving laugh again.“Please…”“Leave now.” She directed her hand toward the door.“What?” Nathan blinked slightly.“I said leave now,” Alicia snapped, her voice rising. “Or I’ll call security on you. Who even let you into my office in the first place?”“Nathan stepped forward slightly. “Please Alic—”“I’m seeing someone else,” she cut in quickly, rolling her eyes as if the words meant nothing. “So you can’t have me back anymore.”Nathan gave a small, dry scoff. “Alicia… you know that’s not true. Please, let’s just talk this through.”Al

Vanessa studied her for a brief moment, as if weighing whether to continue, then she nodded. “Alright,” she said quietly. “But just know… this isn’t small.”The room grew still, then Vanessa took a breath. “I found out that Vin is a part of the Garfield family, Thompson and Sarian Garfield from El Vallejo. Although he is not actually a biological member, he was adopted into it, when his only surviving parent, Sir Romano Moretti, was assasinated in cold blood a very long time ago.”Alicia’s brows drew together slightly. “Thompson and Sarian Garfield are Andrea's parents.”“The Garfield family?” Emily repeated.Vanessa nodded. “Yes. And that family is connected to Adeline’s extended family. It’s all tied together. Also Sir Romano was a very close friend to Sir Thompson Garfield hence that's why he adopted Vin.”Alicia leaned back slowly, her mind already trying to connect the dots.“But that’s not even the main part,” Vanessa continued.Alicia’s fingers tightened slightly on her lap. “T

As he reached the table Alicia's expression instantly hardened. Every trace of surprise vanished, replaced by something sharper. Anger.“Nathan?”His name left her lips again like an accusation.Her chest rose and fell quickly as the realization settled in.“I can’t believe Miss Marie would set me up like this…” she muttered under her breath, her voice tight with frustration.Without waiting for him to say a word, Alicia grabbed her bag aggressively from the table. The chair scraped loudly against the floor as she pushed it back.Then she turned and stormed out of the restaurant, her steps fast and furious. She didn’t look back.Nathan stood there for a moment, completely caught off guard. Confusion flickered across his face before frustration quickly followed.He exhaled sharply and sank into the chair Alicia had just left behind.“What the hell…” he muttered under his breath.He rubbed his face slowly, dragging his palm down as if trying to process what had just happened.The restau