Chapter: CHAPTER 26: SILENCE FROM MARCUSIts been five days without a word from her father since the letter. Five days of nothing — no call, no text, no Catherine arriving with containers of food and careful translations of what their parents couldn't say directly.Just silence.Ayana had expected it. Had told herself she was prepared for it.She was not prepared for it.It lived in her chest like a stone — not heavy enough to stop her functioning, just present enough that she was always aware of it. At the Harlow interview Thursday it had sat quietly in the back of her throat while she answered questions about youth programme design and community outreach strategy. On the drive home it had pressed against her ribs at every red light.She hadn't told Nelson how much it was costing her.He knew anyway.---"You're doing it again," he said.Friday evening. She was supposedly reading, he was supposedly reviewing consulting proposals. Neither of them was doing what they were supposedly doing."Doing what?" she said."Holding it
Last Updated: 2026-05-06
Chapter: CHAPTER 25: WHAT THE LETTER SAIDMarcus's handwriting was careful. The script of a man who had started and stopped several times before committing pen to paper._Ayana,I have been sitting with this for four days. I have prayed more in four days than I have in four months. I have asked God what a father is supposed to do when his child chooses something he doesn't understand. I have not received a clear answer. I suspect that means the answer has to come from me.I am angry. I want you to know that I am still angry. Not at you — or not only at you. I am angry at the situation. At the timing. At the fact that I had to find out the way I did instead of being trusted with it sooner. I am angry that my best friend of twenty years sat at my table and looked me in the eye and said nothing.But I am also your father.And I know my daughter. I know the difference between rebellion and conviction. I know the difference between a girl chasing something forbidden because it's forbidden and a woman who has looked at something cl
Last Updated: 2026-05-02
Chapter: CHAPTER 24: BOARD MEETING"Ana, they're going to bring up the relationship."Nelson said it without looking up from his tie. Ayana leaned against the doorframe, watching him while he's in one of the best suits, his careful hands, oh my his jaw set like a man walking into a courtroom goshhhhhhhh."Let them," she said."You keep saying that.""Because apparently that's the only answer."He finally looked at her in the mirror. Something in his expression shifted — the board meeting armour not quite fully assembled yet, still enough of him visible underneath that she could see what it was costing him."Mrs. Chen has held the line twice," he said. "There's a limit.""Then today you hold it yourself." She crossed the room and straightened his tie it was so uncallrd for though, just her hands needing something to do with the worry she wasn't going to show him. "Say it clearly, just the truth, no apology whatsoever."Okay! then the truth is?""That you fell in love with a grown woman who gave you no choice in the mat
Last Updated: 2026-05-02
Chapter: CHAPTER 23: MILLER'S DINERSara was already in the corner booth when Ayana arrived, a pastry bag on the table and the expression of someone who had been sitting on information for approximately forty-eight hours too long."Sit," Sara said. "I have things.""Good morning to you too.""Good morning. Sit. I have things."Ayana sat. Accepted the coffee the waitress brought without asking — Miller's remembered regulars, and Ayana had apparently already become one again. Three weeks home, and the diner had reclaimed her.Three weeks.So much had happened in three weeks that the person who had stepped off that Greyhound bus felt like someone she'd read about."Talk," she said to Sara.Sara leaned forward. "Okay. So. The town.""The town.""Is divided. Obviously. But here's what's interesting—" Sara pulled her coffee closer. "The divide isn't where your parents think it is. Everyone assumed it would be church people versus everybody else. Old guard versus progressives. But it's not.""What is it?""It's people who know
Last Updated: 2026-05-01
Chapter: CHAPTER 22: AGAINShe was in the shower again when she heard the bedroom door.Then the bathroom door.Then nothing — just the particular quality of silence that meant he was standing there watching her through the curtain the way he had yesterday, the way she was starting to suspect he would keep doing because Nelson Ward had spent twenty years not allowing himself to want anything and was now making up for lost time."You have a call," she said."It ended early.""Lucky me."The curtain moved.He stepped in behind her — fully present this time, nothing between them — and she felt the warmth of him at her back, the solid reality of his chest against her shoulders, his hands finding her waist with the deliberate certainty she was becoming completely addicted to."Hi," he said against her hair."Hi yourself."His hands moved. Unhurried. Palms sliding up her sides, learning the curve of her ribs, the dip of her waist — then filling his hands with her, cupping her breasts with a low sound in his throat th
Last Updated: 2026-05-01
Chapter: CHAPTER 21: STEAMAyana woke to the sound of rain.Not snow — actual rain, the kind that came when December couldn't decide what it wanted to be. It hit the windows in waves, grey and insistent, turning the world outside into watercolour.Nelson was already up. She could hear him in the kitchen — the particular sounds of his morning, already familiar. The coffee grinder. The specific way he closed the cabinet, not quite a click. The silence that meant he was standing at the window looking at whatever the day had brought.She lay in the warm bed and listened.Three days. She'd been here three days and already she knew the sounds of his mornings the way she'd known the sounds of her parents' house her whole life. The knowledge settled in her chest like something permanent.She got up.---The bathroom was small — everything in Nelson's house was small, scaled to a man who hadn't expected to share his space with anyone. One towel rack. One hook on the back of the door. A mirror that fogged quickly.She tu
Last Updated: 2026-05-01
My Stepbrother Substitute Bride
Ivory Finn has been in love with her boss, Axel Riggs, for five years—from the moment she spotted him in college. She worked hard to get near him, and soon became his secretary. Her heart never had anyone else.
So, when he offered her a contract marriage in exchange for paying for her mother's surgery, Ivory eagerly agreed.
But she had forgotten something: Axel Riggs does not love, and even if he did, she would never be the one his heart craves.
For two years, she did everything to make him fall in love, but nothing she did won his heart. However, after two years of heartbreak, he finally let her go.
But Ivory never told him she was carrying his heir, and he had just sent them away.
Three years later, she returns as a different person—a woman who owns multiple firms. She only wants to take care of her mother and daughters, but what happens when her mother falls in love, and the man she falls in love with turns out to be the father of her ex-husband?
Can Ivory resist his alluring charms, or will she ruin her mother's happiness due to her ex-husband's—now turned stepbrother's—relentless pursuit?
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Chapter: The truth he refused to let go “You’re my wife… aren’t you?” Axel said again, his voice lower this time.Irony slowly turned to face him.Her expression was cold.“You must be either drunk or mad because..”“You’re not… Ivory Riggs?” he cut in.She let out a small laugh.“Ivory Riggs?” she repeated, amused. “You must be joking. Like I said, I know nothing about you. You’re just my co-CEO.”“Co-CEO?” His brows furrowed. “What about our contract marriage? What about our kids?”She laughed harder this time.Sharp Almost mocking.Kids he plan to kill!!...kid he Abaddon “Our kids?” she said. “You really are funny. Ha ha ha”Axel stared at her, confusion flickering across his face.Did I get it wrong…?This is irony This is my wife!.“No,” she continued, her voice turning colder. “Maybe I look like your dead wife or whatever, but I’m not her. And trust me…”Her eyes met his, filled with quiet fire.“I could never be your wife.”Axel’s jaw tightened.She’s lying…Or worse..She’s hiding and pretending.“Then I’ll do a
Last Updated: 2026-04-12
Chapter: The Bride He Couldn't RecognizeHe froze. Is she… my Irony? he whispered under his breath. His jaw tightened.Why is she pretending not to be my wife?Memories flooded his mindThe way she slapped him so hard when he hugged her…The way she pushed him away whenever he tried to get close.His chest tightened.Did I hurt her that much?.He didn’t know. He never knew.But now, He finally understood something.His lover…Had died. And now she was back. But not the same.She came back with a different motive. His eyes darkened.Does she think I would hurt our children?His fists clenched.He wished he could get into her mind Read her thoughts and understand her.Slowly, he stood up and walked toward the bathroom.He pulled the black towel from his body, revealing his strong, sculpted frame.Then stepped into the tub. The water ran over him as he soaked himself completely...Until he had to gasp for air.“You both should take care, okay? I love you…” Irony said softly before ending the call.She turned around Axel
Last Updated: 2026-04-12
Chapter: The father they never knewAxel stood there, hand in his pocket, his gaze sharp, unreadable.Irony’s eyes met his, a flicker of tension passing between them.“Dad…” Esme’s voice rang out again, small but determined. She ran toward him.Irony clutched her shirt tightly, managing to escape just enough to step forward.“Come back here, .esme” she started, but Esme didn’t listen.The little girl ran full speed and leapt into Axel’s arms, wrapping herself around his leg, her face buried against his knee.“Daddy…” she whispered.“She is not your daddy,” Irony said quickly, her voice firm.Axel bent down, squatting to Esme’s height, and lifted her gently into a hug. His hands were strong yet comforting, holding her as if he had been meant to protect her all along.“Daddy…” Esme repeated, her voice soft but pleading.He ran his fingers through her hair, brushing her back with tender patience. Irony watched, feeling a strange mix of anger, awe, and something she didn’t dare name.Esme lifted her head, her small eyes gli
Last Updated: 2026-04-06
Chapter: Daddy“Uhm… I...” she stammered, her voice failing her. Her throat felt tight. “I wasn’t staring,” she added quickly, though the words came out softer than she intended. Axel didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he took a slow step closer. The air shifted. Her heartbeat quickened. “What exactly were you looking at, then?” he asked, his voice low, almost dangerous. She opened her mouth to reply.... But before she could say anything “Mommy!” A small voice broke the tension. Both of them turned instantly. Esme came running into view, her little face dull . “…Daddy!” The word hung in the air like a shockwave. Ivory froze While Axel stiffened For a split second No one moved. Then both adults coughed awkwardly, stepping away from each other. Ivory quickly bent down, pulling Esme into her arms. “No, sweetheart,” she said gently, forcing a smile. “He’s not your dad…” Her voice softened. “He’s going to be your… uncle.” Esme blinked, confused. “But Daddy...” “Daddy
Last Updated: 2026-04-06
Chapter: My worst nightmare“Ivory…” her mother called, her voice edged with quiet displeasure. Ivory turned slowly, her gaze lifting to meet his. For a moment, the world stilled. His eyes confused, searching locked onto hers as if trying to pull a memory from her soul. There was something unsettling about the way he looked at her. Not just recognitions but something deeper. Something broken. “It’s okay… I’m sorry, Miss Ivory, for my behavior,” he said, his voice low, controlled but strained beneath the surface. Ivory said nothing. Her fingers curled slightly at her sides. Maybe… she wasn’t the person he thought she was. Or maybe it was a double gangger Or He was seeing a ghost. Because whoever this “Irony” was to him… she clearly wasn’t someone who would slap him. The irony he knows would have hug him instead. Maybe… his Ivory is dead. “I mistook you for someone else,” he added, clearing his throat as if trying to erase the tension between them. Ivory only stared at him, her expression
Last Updated: 2026-04-06
Chapter: Chapter Five: Collision of Worlds"Have you been taking your medicine?"Mother's worried voice startled Ivory. She flinched, only regaining her thoughts when she saw her worried face. "Ivory, are you okay?"She didn't meet her gaze. "I-I am fine, just a little tired from the flight."She didn't look convinced. Mother went to the refrigerator and brought out a glass of water. Ivory reckoned she must have followed her after noticing her shakiness."I am not having another episode," she grumbled as Mother handed her the water."You look worse than that. Did you get hit by a trailer or were you mauled by a dying carcass?" Her brows puckered. "You look very ugly.""Mother!" Ivory chided, quickly bringing out the mirror to check her face. Her heart was beating loudly from anxiety. Did she get uglier?"Relax, I am just saying that your expression looks ugly. My precious is the most beautiful woman in all of America."Despite her reassurance, Ivory still quickly checked herself in the mirror. Her face was entirely different t
Last Updated: 2025-12-23
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