Chapter: Chapter 151: The EndThe lighthouse beam swept across the cliffs one final time before the mechanism groaned to a halt. Maya stood at the edge where it had all begun—where she'd first seen the Tidewater Inn rising from the fog like a ghost, where she'd first locked eyes with Elijah across the harbor, where she'd learned that running away and coming home could somehow be the same thing.Behind her, the inn glowed with warm light from every window. Inside, the town had gathered—not for a funeral this time, but for a wedding. Her wedding. The dress she'd chosen was simple, cream-colored linen that moved like water, so different from the suffocating white gown she'd almost worn ten years ago to a man who'd confused possession with love. That girl was gone. The woman who stood here now had salt in her veins and steel in her spine.But the past had one final card to play."You always did have a flair for the dramatic, Maya." The voice came from the shadows near the cliff's edge, and every nerve in her body igni
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-28
Chapter: Chapter 150: Forever ChosenThe wedding dress hung in the turret room like a ghost of every future Maya had once thought impossible. Ivory silk caught the dawn light streaming through the windows of the Tidewater Inn, and she stood before it with trembling hands, unable to believe this moment was real. Six months ago, she'd arrived here broken, running from a man who'd taught her that love meant pain. Now she was hours away from marrying a man who'd shown her that love could mean healing.But the knock on her door at 6 AM wasn't the gentle tap of her bridesmaids or the excited chatter of wedding day preparations.It was the sharp, authoritative rap of someone who meant business.Maya's blood turned to ice. She knew that knock—the kind that came before everything fell apart. Her hand froze on the dress fabric as Simone appeared in the doorway, her face pale despite the carefully applied makeup."Maya," she said quietly. "There's a detective downstairs. He says he needs to speak with you before the ceremony."The
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-28
Chapter: Chapter 149: His Darkest Desire TransformedThe confession hung between them like a blade suspended by thread—sharp, dangerous, and inevitable in its fall. Ethan stood in the doorway of the Tidewater's master suite, his shoulders rigid with a tension that had nothing to do with the storm raging outside and everything to do with the words he'd just spoken."I wanted you from the moment you arrived. But wanting you terrified me more than anything I've ever faced."Maya's heart hammered against her ribs as she watched him, this man who'd spent months building walls only to tear them down with brutal honesty. The lightning outside cast his face in stark relief—all sharp angles and shadows, the scar above his eyebrow more pronounced in the flickering light. He looked like a man standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting to either fall or fly."Terrified?" she whispered, taking a step closer. "You don't strike me as someone who's afraid of much, Ethan Cross."His laugh was bitter, self-deprecating. "That's because you didn't know me be
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-28
Chapter: Chapter 148: The Angel No Longer BrokenMaya stood in the wreckage of what had been the Tidewater Inn's north wing, dust motes dancing in the afternoon light like tiny prayers answered. Six months had passed since that terrified woman arrived in Moonlight Cove with nothing but a duffel bag and a bruise fading on her cheekbone. Six months since she'd inherited a broken-down inn and a town full of secrets. Now, as she surveyed the newly restored ballroom—crown molding gleaming, chandelier sparkling like captured starlight—she barely recognized the person she'd been.The woman staring back at her from the antique mirror wasn't invisible anymore. She wasn't small. She wasn't apologizing for taking up space.She was Maya Reeves, and she had learned how to fly."You're doing it again." Ethan's voice was warm honey and sea salt, sliding across her skin like a caress. She felt his presence before his arms wrapped around her waist from behind, his chin settling on her shoulder as they both looked at their reflection. "That thing whe
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-28
Chapter: Chapter 147: A Home Filled With LightMaya stood in the doorway of the Tidewater Inn's newly renovated great room and felt something she hadn't felt in years: complete. The afternoon sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows she and Ethan had installed last month, casting golden rectangles across the restored hardwood floors. Where there had once been darkness and decay, there was now light. So much light.But the envelope in her hand threatened to shatter everything she'd built."You've been standing there for ten minutes." Ethan's voice came from behind her, warm and concerned. His arms wrapped around her waist, chin resting on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"She turned in his embrace, holding up the certified letter that had arrived that morning. "It's from him. From him, Ethan. After all this time."She felt his body go rigid, saw his jaw clench in that way that meant he was fighting to stay calm. Ethan—the handyman who'd become so much more, who'd helped her uncover her grandmother's secrets, who'd stood beside h
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-28
Chapter: Chapter 146: Happiness Feels RealMaya woke to the sound of waves and the warmth of sunlight streaming through lace curtains she'd chosen herself. For the first time in longer than she could remember, she didn't wake with dread coiling in her stomach. She woke to the smell of coffee brewing downstairs—coffee that Ethan was making because he'd noticed she loved those quiet morning moments before the inn came alive with guests. She woke to happiness, and the terrifying part was that it felt real.Too real. Real enough to lose.She pressed her hand to her chest, feeling her heartbeat steady and strong beneath her palm. Six months ago, she'd arrived in Moonlight Cove with nothing but a duffel bag and a lifetime of survival instincts. Now she had a thriving inn, a town that felt like home, and a man downstairs who looked at her like she hung the moon. The transformation should have felt like a fairy tale, but fairy tales didn't prepare you for the fear that came with having something worth losing."Stop it," she whispered
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-28
Billionaire by Day, Protector by Night
By day, he's Chicago's most powerful billionaire. By night, he's the city's most dangerous protector.
Elena Moretti has spent years fighting for the forgotten—rescuing at-risk youth from the violence that claimed her brother's life. She doesn't trust wealth, power, or the men who wield them. So when enigmatic billionaire Dante Salvatore walks into her struggling community center with a check that could change everything, she knows there's a catch. Men like him don't save neighborhoods out of the goodness of their hearts.
But Elena doesn't know Dante's secret: by night, he becomes The Sentinel, a masked vigilante dismantling the criminal empire that murdered his sister. As their worlds collide and attraction ignites between them, Elena begins investigating the vigilante whose methods both terrify and fascinate her—never suspecting the man she's falling for and the man she's hunting are one and the same.
When a ruthless crime syndicate discovers The Sentinel's identity, Elena becomes the bait in a deadly trap. Dante must risk everything to save her, but when Elena uncovers the truth about the man behind the mask, she's forced to decide: Can she love someone who lives in shadows? And can a man who's spent years seeking vengeance ever truly step into the light?
In a pulse-pounding tale of passion, danger, and redemption, two wounded souls discover that the most dangerous risk isn't fighting for justice—it's fighting for love.
Baca
Chapter: Chapter 23: A Dangerous AttractionElena knew she was in trouble the moment Dante walked into her apartment without knocking.She'd been pacing for the past hour, wearing a path in the threadbare carpet between her kitchenette and the window overlooking the street. The fundraiser was in three days. Three days until she'd have to stand in a room full of Chicago's elite and pretend she belonged there. Three days until she'd have to watch Dante charm donors and smile for cameras while she tried to ignore the way her heart raced every time he looked at her.But now he was here, in her space, and the apartment suddenly felt impossibly small."You gave Marcus a key?" She crossed her arms, trying to summon indignation instead of the heat that was spreading through her chest."I told him to knock first." Dante cl
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-12
Chapter: Chapter 22: Dante's Double LifeElena woke to the sound of her phone vibrating against the nightstand, the insistent buzz pulling her from dreams she couldn't quite remember. She reached for it blindly, squinting at the screen through sleep-heavy eyes.3:47 AM.Her heart lurched. Early morning calls were never good news. She sat up, suddenly wide awake, and saw Marcus's name flashing across the display."Hello?" Her voice came out rough, uncertain."Miss Moretti." Marcus's tone was clipped, professional, but she could hear something underneath it. Worry. "I apologize for the hour. Have you heard from Dante tonight?"Elena's stomach dropped. "No. Why? What's wrong?"A pause. Too long. "He left the office around e
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-11
Chapter: Chapter 21: Elena's Investigation BeginsElena stared at the grainy photograph on her laptop screen, her coffee growing cold in the mug beside her. Three in the morning, and sleep was impossible. The image showed a figure in black, face obscured by shadows, standing over two unconscious men in an alley she recognized from the south side. The timestamp was read two nights ago. The same night Dante had claimed he was in meetings until midnight.She clicked to the next tab. Another article. Another incident. The Sentinel, they called him. Chicago's ghost. A vigilante who'd been operating in the shadows for the past three years, dismantling gang operations, destroying drug shipments, leaving criminals tied up for police like grim presents.Three years. The same amount of time Dante had been making regular visits to her community center.Coincidence?Elena rubbed her eyes, willing herself to think rationally. This was insane. Dante Salvatore was a billionaire CEO, not some masked vigilante prowling the streets at night. He wore t
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-10
Chapter: Chapter 20: The Community Center ProjectElena stared at the architectural renderings spread across the conference table, her heart hammering against her ribs. This couldn't be real."You want to do what?" Her voice came out sharper than intended, but she didn't care. The past three weeks had been a whirlwind of breakfast meetings and late-night phone calls, of Dante showing up at the center unannounced and staying for hours, of her carefully constructed walls crumbling piece by piece. And now this.Dante stood at the head of the table in his office on the forty-second floor of Salvatore Tower, looking infuriatingly calm in his tailored charcoal suit. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, Chicago sprawled beneath them like a kingdom waiting to be claimed. "I want to rebuild it. Completely. New structure, expanded facilities, state-of-the-art equipment.""That's not what we agreed to." Elena's fingers curled into fists at her sides. "You said a donation. Funding for programs. Not... not this.""The building is falling apart,
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-08
Chapter: Chapter 19: Marcus's WarningElena found Marcus Chen waiting outside her apartment building at seven in the morning, leaning against a black Mercedes with the casual confidence of someone who owned the entire street.She stopped on the bottom step, her coffee growing cold in her hand. "Are you following me now?""Protecting you," Marcus corrected, pushing off the car. His expression was unreadable behind dark sunglasses. "There's a difference.""I didn't ask for protection." Elena descended the last few steps, intending to walk past him to her own car. She had a meeting with the community board in an hour, and she refused to be late because Dante's security detail decided she needed a babysitter.Marcus moved smoothly into her path. Not threatening, but undeniably blocking her way. "Miss Moretti, we need to talk.""About what? How does your boss think he can just insert himself into my life? How he shows up at my center with his checkbook and his perfect smile and expects me to fall in line like everyone else?""
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-08
Chapter: Chapter 18: Breakfast and BarriersElena woke to the smell of coffee and the unsettling realization that she wasn't alone.Her eyes flew open, and for a disorienting moment, she didn't recognize the ceiling above her. Then memory crashed back: the penthouse, the wine, the hours spent talking with Dante until exhaustion had finally claimed her on his impossibly comfortable couch.She sat up too quickly, her head spinning slightly, and found Dante standing in the kitchen area, his back to her as he worked at the stove. He'd changed into dark jeans and a charcoal sweater that hugged his shoulders in a way that made her mouth go dry. Sunlight streamed through the floor to ceiling windows, turning the city beyond into a watercolor of gold and glass."You're awake," he said without turning around. "I was beginning to think I'd have to carry you to the car."Elena's face burned. She'd fallen asleep. Actually I fell asleep in Dante Salvatore's penthouse like some naive girl who couldn't handle a glass of wine and good conversa
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-08
Masuk
