Chapter: Chapter 216Amelia finishes the manuscript when Grace is two, staying up late after bedtime to write, waking early before Grace is up to get words down, stealing moments during naptime. I watch her work with the same determination she brought to everything else, balancing motherhood and artistry with the practi
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-27
Chapter: Chapter 215DANIEL POV Amelia begins work on her third book when Grace is fifteen months old, and watching her find her voice as an advocate while being an active mother makes me fall in love with her in new ways every single day. "It's going to be different from the novels," she tells me one evening after Gr
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-27
Chapter: Chapter 214"Can you say it again, Grace? Can you say Mama for Daddy?" She doesn't, just grins at him and pulls his hair, but that evening she says "Dada" for the first time and his face does something that makes my heart crack open all over again. First steps happen at thirteen months, Grace taking three wob
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-27
Chapter: Chapter 213AMELIA POV Grace's first year is a blur of milestones and sleepless nights and profound joy that catches me off guard at the strangest moments, like when I'm changing her diaper at three AM and she gives me a gummy smile that makes my exhausted heart expand. I learn to balance motherhood with my i
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-27
Chapter: Chapter 212DANIEL POVGrace arrives on a spring morning, three days past her due date, and she changes everything the moment she enters the world.Amelia's water breaks at two AM, soaking through the sheets and waking us both with a start. She sits up, looking down at the wet bed, and meets my eyes in the dark
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-26
Chapter: Chapter 211"Breathe, Harper," I say, laughing. "We just found out.""I'm breathing, I'm also just planning," she insists. "I'm going to throw you the best shower, Amelia. The best."Oliver becomes unexpectedly emotional when we tell him over dinner, his eyes getting suspiciously bright as he pulls Daniel into
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-26

HIRED BY THE RUTHLESS CEO
Aria Holt knows she's walking into a trap. When Damien Cross offers her a job at his tech empire, she knows exactly why eight years ago, her father's company killed his sister and destroyed his family. This is revenge.
She takes the job anyway. Her family's name is a curse everywhere else, and her father is dying. She'll endure Damien's cruelty if it means survival.
But Damien doesn't just want to humiliate her professionally. He wants to break her, piece by piece, until she feels every ounce of pain he's carried for eight years. He'll control her days, invade her thoughts, and prove that he holds all the power.
Except his plan begins to unravel. Behind closed doors, the punishment turns into obsession. The cruelty shifts into desperate need. And Aria—quiet, guilty Aria—starts pushing back in ways that shatter his carefully constructed walls.
When the truth about the accident finally surfaces, Damien faces an impossible choice: complete his revenge and destroy the woman he's fallen for, or let go of the only thing that's kept him alive for eight years.
Baca
Chapter: Chapter 60 – If She Pulls the Trigger, It Hits Me FirstDamien POVVictoria's breakdown is tragic, but I won't let her hurt Aria or David.I keep myself positioned between her and Aria, my body a shield. The gun in Victoria's hand shakes, her finger too close to the trigger for comfort."Victoria." I keep my voice calm, steady. "Let's talk about this. Just you and me.""Talk?" Her laugh is shrill, broken. "We're past talking, Damien. Way past it."Behind her, David Holt lies in the hospital bed, his face pale but his eyes alert. He's trying to stay still, not to provoke her."You're right." I take a small step forward. "We should have talked months ago. Years ago, maybe. About Cross Technologies. About your role in rebuilding it."Her eyes flicker with something—surprise, maybe. Or suspicion."What are you doing?" she asks."Telling the truth." I hold her gaze. "You did help rebuild Cross Technologies. You worked alongside me when everything was ashes. You put in the hours, made the connections, handled the finances.""I did more than help
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-27
Chapter: Chapter 59 – Room 412Aria POVVictoria's disappearance terrifies me more than her presence ever did.At least when I could see her, I knew what I was dealing with. But now she's a ghost, invisible and everywhere at once.I pack a bag and move back to my parents' house in Glendale. The security team Damien arranged follows me, two men in a black SUV who park outside and change shifts every twelve hours.Mom thinks it's excessive."Sweetheart, this seems like too much," she says, watching through the kitchen window as one of the guards walks the perimeter. "Are you sure this is necessary?""It's necessary." I don't tell her about the threatening text. Don't explain that Victoria has emptied her accounts and vanished. "Just until things settle down."Dad's still at the hospital, recovering slowly but steadily. The security there is even tighter—two guards outside his room at all times, ID checks for every visitor, even nurses.It makes me feel safer and more anxious at the same time.***Sophie shows up the
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-27
Chapter: Chapter 58 - Code Red: She Chose the HospitalDamien POVVictoria's threat against David Holt is the line I won't let her cross.Back at my penthouse, I pace while my legal team assembles on an emergency conference call. My lawyer, sounds exhausted but alert."We can petition to revoke her bail based on the threatening message," he says. "But we need to prove it came from her.""Then prove it." I stop at the window, staring out at the city lights. "Whatever resources you need, whatever it costs. I want her back in custody by tomorrow.""Damien, these things take time…""We don't have time." I cut him off. "She's escalating. The next message might not be a threat. It might be action.""I'll file the emergency motion first thing in the morning." His keyboard clicks in the background. "In the meantime, the security arrangements you've made are smart. Keep the family protected, document everything, and if Victoria makes contact again, call the police immediately."After I hang up, I call my head of IT."Jake, I need you to trace a te
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-25
Chapter: Chapter 57 - Choosing BetterDamien POVFacing David Holt is harder than any board meeting I've ever attended.The man lying in this hospital bed is the person I blamed for eight years. The person I built my entire existence around destroying. And now I'm sitting beside him, knowing I was wrong about everything."Mr. Cross." David's voice is weak but steady. "Thank you for coming.""Mr. Holt." I force the words past the tightness in my throat. "I don't deserve your time.""Maybe not." He shifts slightly, wincing. "But we're past what anyone deserves, aren't we?"I don't know how to respond to that.David studies me for a long moment. "My wife tells me you paid for my surgery.""It was the least I could do." Shame burns through me. "After everything I put your family through…""But was it because you made my daughter pay for my mistakes.""Worse." I meet his eyes. "I made her pay for mistakes you didn't even make. I've seen the evidence now, Mr. Holt. The sabotage. The frame job. You took the blame to protect your
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-24
Chapter: Chapter 56 –Starting with Your Father Aria POVBefore I can respond to Damien's confession, my phone rings.Mom's name flashes across the screen. My heart drops into my stomach."I need to take this." I don't wait for permission. "Mom?""Aria, your father is awake." Relief floods her voice, tinged with exhaustion. "He's asking for you. And he wants to see Damien too, if he's nearby."I lower the phone slightly, looking at Damien across the café table. His expression shifts immediately—concern replacing the vulnerability from moments ago."It's my dad," I tell him. "He's awake. He wants to see both of us."Damien stands without hesitation. "Let's go."I bring the phone back to my ear. "Mom, we're coming. Twenty minutes."****The drive is silent except for the hum of the engine and the occasional direction I give. Damien grips the steering wheel like it's the only thing keeping him grounded.I want to say something. Want to acknowledge what just happened at the café. But everything feels suspended, waiting.At the hospita
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-24
Chapter: Chapter 55 - Admission Damien POVI stare at the screen until my vision blurs. We need to talk. Four simple words that could mean everything or nothing. Forgiveness or final goodbye.I forward the text to Dr. Talia immediately.My therapist calls within minutes. "Damien. I saw your message.""She wants to meet." My voice sounds foreign. "Tomorrow. What do I say? How do I…" I stop, overwhelmed."Let's work through this." Her tone is calm, grounding. "What are you most afraid of?""That she'll look at me and see exactly what I am. A monster who destroyed her for something she didn't do." The words feels uncomfortable. "That she'll confirm what I already know—that I'm irredeemable.""And what do you hope for?"I close my eyes. "That somehow, impossibly, there's a version of this where she doesn't hate me. Where I can show her I'm trying to be better. Not for her. For myself. But…" My throat tightens. "I want her to see that I'm trying.""Then that's what you tell her." Dr. Talia’s voice is firm. "No grand gest
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-10