Novel-novel oleh Philip Victoria

"Lauren!" Ethan called out, his voice thick with urgency.Tears streamed down Lauren’s face as she backed away from them. "How long?" she choked. "How long will you all keep doing this to me? Lying to me. Hiding things from me!"Amy’s eyes welled up. "Lauren, please... I’m so sorry."Lauren let out a hollow laugh, full of disbelief. "Sorry? Amy, we’ve been best friends for ten years. Ten years! I told you everything — even the darkest parts of me, even the mess with Caleb. And you—" Her voice cracked. "You kept this from me?"Amy’s voice was barely a whisper. "I saw them... the men who started the fire. I saw their faces. And they saw me too."Lauren’s expression twisted in confusion, trying to piece together the horror unraveling in front of her.Ethan stepped forward, his voice low but steady. "Amy was the one who pulled me and my father out of that fire. If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t be alive."The words hit Lauren like a blow to the chest.Her breath caught. Her knees wobbled

Caleb froze the moment he saw her.Lauren stood in the doorway, pale and trembling, her eyes wide with disbelief. The moment stretched like an eternity.He fumbled to pull his underwear back up, shame crashing over him like a wave. She staggered backward—her heel slipping on the marble floor—then turned and bolted out of the house.“Lauren!” Caleb grabbed his robe and chased after her, bare feet pounding against the stone tiles. He caught her just before she reached her car, his voice cracking.“Lauren, please—don’t go. Not like this. If you walk away without hearing me out, I swear I’ll hurt myself. I really will.”Tears shimmered in his eyes. She spun to face him, rage flaming through her expression.“How dare you, Caleb! How dare you!”“I did it because of Madeline!” he shouted, broken. “I did it because I thought I was protecting you—because of what she did to you!”“Stop lying to yourself!” she screamed, voice shaking. “You didn’t do this for me—you did it for your yourself...yo

Charlotte walked into the guest room with a tray of warm tea, but the sight that met her eyes made her hands go numb. The porcelain cup slipped and shattered against the marble floor."Lauren!" she gasped, rushing forward. Lauren lay unconscious on the floor beside the bed, her face pale, her body limp.No response.Her breath caught. She checked for a pulse. It was faint—but there.“Emma!” she called sharply. “Get me the landline. Now!”Minutes later, the Whitmore estate’s private physician, Dr. Harris, arrived—sharp in his charcoal coat, glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, and his medical bag in hand.He was slightly older than Ethan, composed and professional, though the sight of an unconscious Lauren raised one of his brows. He had treated Ethan, his sisters, Taylor and Viola and Raymond Whitmore many times—but this was his first time meeting the woman everyone had been whispering about.Charlotte met him at the doorway.“She fainted,” she said quickly. “I found her on the

She snatched the letter from his hand and tore it to shreds, the pieces fluttering to the floor like broken promises.He didn’t flinch. Calmly, he met her eyes.“What was in the letter?”She looked away, avoiding his gaze, then climbed onto the bed, drawing her knees to her chest.“It’s just another one of Madeline’s threats,” she muttered.He joined her, the bed sinking slightly under his weight.“Threatening you about what exactly?”“Nothing special,” she said, too quickly. “Just you. And everything else.”He watched her closely, then smiled—though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I can help you get your revenge on Madeline... without you getting involved.”Her voice was firm.“This is my fight, Ethan.”There was a flicker of something raw in his eyes. Pain. Regret. Love.Tears brimmed but didn’t fall.“You can leave when it’s over, Lauren,” he said quietly. “I won’t hold you back anymore. This time... I promise.”And without waiting for a response, he stood and walked out.She sat frozen,

Caleb’s grip tightened on the phone. Across the room, Jonathan Monroe stopped pacing, his sharp eyes narrowing.“What happened?” Caleb asked, voice clipped and low.Miss Jones—his ever-efficient, never-rattled executive secretary—let out a frustrated breath. “There’s a diplomatic issue. The Monaco delegation dropped out of the virtual summit... ten minutes in.”Caleb frowned. “That’s it?”“They were offended by your virtual background during the opening remarks. The artwork displayed behind you—it triggered political tension. Apparently, the AI-generated image resembled an old sovereignty emblem banned in their region.”Caleb blinked at the glowing whiskey in his glass. “You’re saying Monroe Holdings is trending on European media because of... a background?”“Technically,” she said, “it was an image you signed off on from our visual content AI. Their media’s calling it a veiled insult. It's blowing up online.”Jonathan muttered, “Damn delicate nations.”Caleb rubbed his temples. “So t

Lauren woke up to the smell of food.She stirred beneath the duvet, momentarily forgetting where she was. The sheets still held the warmth of another body, but the space beside her was empty now.A soft aroma drifted up the staircase—eggs, maybe… something buttery and warm. Her stomach fluttered with hunger, but more than that, curiosity.She slipped out of bed, wrapping herself in the oversized robe hanging from the door, and padded barefoot down the hallway. As she descended the stairs, the scent grew stronger—eggs, toast, and something distinctly peppery.Ethan was in the kitchen, standing over the stove in grey joggers and a plain black T-shirt, barefoot, hair slightly tousled like he’d been running his fingers through it all morning.He didn’t notice her at first.He was plating scrambled eggs—soft, creamy, perfectly golden—next to two slices of buttered sourdough toast, crisp turkey bacon, and a small pile of rosemary-dusted breakfast potatoes. There were also fresh strawber