Chapter: FIRST STRIKECHAPTER 23: I held the list in my hand.I did not let it go.Ethan and Kieran had stopped arguing.The room was quiet again.Everything had settled in.I still held the list.This was not about survival.The list was a hunt.I was done being the target.I said something finally.I broke the silence."They are not just names, " I said.Ethan leaned against the table.His arms were crossed."I know " he said.Kieran was near the window.He was watching the outside.He thought danger might walk in at any moment."They are pressure points " he said.I looked at him."Yes " I said.I turned the screen so they could see."These are the ones who are already moving " I said."They are the dangerous " I said.Ethan said something."And the most exposed " he said.I said "Exactly."There was silence.Then Kieran asked a question."Who " he said.He was straight to the point.Always.I looked at the list.I looked carefully.I looked for patterns.I looked for connections.I looked for weakness
Last Updated: 2026-04-08
Chapter: THE WORLD AFTER TRUTHCHAPTER 22: The world did not come to an end.It changed.That was even worse.I spent three days in that room.Three days of silence and recovery. Watching everything fall apart.Not just Blackwood, everything.I sat in the hospital bed with a tablet in my hands.The screen was filled with headlines.There were explosions of truth everywhere.Governments were denying everything.Companies were collapsing.Powerful people were being exposed.I scrolled through the news slowly.I was taking it all in.I was feeling it.This was what I had started.Ethan's voice brought me back."What are you looking at?" he asked.I looked up at him.He was standing by the door with his arms crossed.He was watching me carefully."Consequences " I said.He came closer."You should not be reading all that yet " he said."I need to understand what I did, " I replied.His jaw tightened a little."You exposed criminals, " he said."I messed up systems " I corrected him."Systems that needed to be broken,
Last Updated: 2026-04-08
Chapter: BETWEEN LIFE AND WARCHAPTER 21: Everything felt far away.Muted.The world was like it was wrapped in silence.Pain still found me.At first it was faint.Then it got sharper.It pulled me back. Made me feel things.It made me breathe and exist.I took a breath in and it filled my lungs.It was unsteady and heavy.My fingers moved a little.Then I heard voices.They were. Familiar.Ethan said "She is losing a lot of blood."His voice was tight and controlled. I could tell he was about to lose it.Kieran said "We need to move "His voice was low and urgent.Ethan said "No she will not survive the transfer."Kieran said "We do not have a choice."There was silence for a moment.Then Ethan said "Move her."His voice was careful and decisive.My body was. Pain flared up right away.I let out a gasp.Ethan said "She is awake."My eyelids. Everything was blurry.I saw shapes and light and movement.Ethan said "Hey, stay with me."I tried to focus on his voice.I tried to hold on to it.I said "Did it work?"H
Last Updated: 2026-04-08
Chapter: BURN IT ALL DOWNCHAPTER 20: The moment I hit enter everything changed.The screens started moving fast.Lines of code were scrolling down quickly.Systems were unlocking.Barriers were falling.Blackwood was exposed for the first time.Alarms were ringing louder than before. They were not in control anymore.The man in black shouted "Stop her".It was too late.I was moving fast my fingers were flying across the console.I knew what I was doing.One of the guards said "This is impossible".I said "No it's inevitable".Ethan was standing behind me watching my back.He called out to Kieran.Kieran said he was handling the guards.I didn't turn around. I heard the fight.It was fast and brutal.Kieran was not holding back anymore.That was good because I was not holding back either.Ethan asked me how long I needed.I said a minute.He said it was not time.I said it had to be enough.My eyes were scanning the system.Everything was open now.I could see all the names, accounts and secrets.My chest fe
Last Updated: 2026-04-06
Chapter: THE ONE WHO SET THE TRAPCHAPTER 19: Everything was dark.For a moment there was no movement. No sound. I just heard that voice. It was cold and certain. It was waiting.Someone said, "Well done, Amara."My heart was pounding against my chest. The man in black was there. He was watching or maybe both.Ethan whispered to me "Stay close." His hand found mine in the dark. It was firm and grounding.. My mind was already racing. Something did not add up.This place was supposed to be hidden and untouched. Kieran said it was off-grid. So how did they find us?Then the voice said, "Lights,". They came back on. They were dim and red. We did not control them. The system belonged to them now.There were figures stepping out from the shadows. They were armed and silent. They surrounded us and my pulse spiked.The man in black said, "Drop anything you're holding." He was calm and composed like he had already won.Ethan tensed beside me. Kieran did not move. He did not speak. He did not react.. That was when I felt it. T
Last Updated: 2026-04-06
Chapter: THE PLAN THEY WON’T SEE COMINGCHAPTER 18:I wasn’t running.I stood between them, Ethan on one side, Kieran on the other,and instead of feeling torn…I felt clear.Focused.In control.“I need a place, " I said.Both of them looked at me.“Somewhere off their grid " I continued. "No cameras. No tracking. No Blackwood reach.”Ethan nodded.“I know a place.”Kieran shook his head a bit.“Then it’s already compromised.”Ethan’s jaw got tight.“It’s not.”“It always is, " Kieran said calmly.I raised my hand.“Enough.”They both stopped talking.“We don’t have time for this, " I said. "Blackwood already knows I escaped. They’ll move fast.”“They already are, " Kieran added.My eyes snapped to him.“What do you mean?”“They’ll lock down every known contact you have " he said. "Including him.”He looked at Ethan.“. Anyone you might run to.”My chest got tight.“So nowhere is safe?”“No " Kieran said. ". Some places are… less dangerous.”That wasn’t comforting.It was honest.“Then we find one " I said.Ethan hesitated.
Last Updated: 2026-04-06
The Wife He Replaced
On the day Rita Vale discovers she’s pregnant, she rushes to share the news with her husband.only to find him holding the woman who once abandoned him at the altar.
His first words?
“I want a divorce.”
Thrown out, humiliated, and nearly killed by the very woman who stole her place, Rita walks away… carrying a secret that could change everything.
His child.
But Victor Vale never thought he could miss her presence.
Not when she disappears.
No longer the obedient wife he discarded, but a powerful, untouchable woman with a child who has his eyes… and a heart he no longer has any right to claim.
Now, the man who once cast her aside is on his knees, begging for a second chance.
But Rita is no longer the woman who loved him.
And this time.
She’s the one with the power to destroy him.
Will she forgive the man who broke her… or make him regret losing her for the rest of his life?
What happens when the truth about her child finally comes to light?
And when love turns into war… who will be the one left standing?
Read
Chapter: chapter 27CHAPTER 27Rita's povAs soon as Ethan asked I looked down. He was asking about Victor."What really happened between you and Victor?" My chest started to feel tight.The question I had been trying to avoid.Not just from Ethan. From myself too.Talking about it would be like reopening wounds. Wounds I had spent years trying to bury.To be honest some days I wasn't even sure if they had fully healed. The office suddenly felt quite.I leaned back in my chair. Tried to laugh but it came out awkward."It's a long story, " I said. Ethan didn't. Even blink. He just kept watching me like he already knew the answer was important."Okay, give me the short version then, " he said softly.I looked out the window. People were moving normally on the streets. My heart was beating faster for no reason.Maybe there was a reason. Victors words from earlier were stuck in my chest."Whoring around again." I pressed my lips together tightly."He's a nightmare I don't want to remember, " I said quietly.
Last Updated: 2026-05-15
Chapter: chapter 26CHAPTER 26Rita’s POVI walked away before he could see how much his words hurt me.My heels clicked on the marble floor fast and really hard but I did not slow down. If I stopped moving I knew I would lose it there in the lobby.I did not want to cry in front of Victor Vale.Not again.Not ever again.The elevator doors. I stepped inside really quickly. The second the doors closed I could finally breathe again."What just happened..." I whispered to myself.My chest hurt a lot. It was not a little hurt.It was the kind of hurt that feels like it is inside your ribs and it spreads slowly until it is hard to breathe.Whoring around with guys like I did before.I closed my eyes tight.God. Out of all the things he could have said...He said that. My fingers shook a little at my sides.I hated that he still had this effect on me. I really hated it. It has been five years.Five whole years.I survived things other than Victor's words. I survived leaving New York by myself. I survived bein
Last Updated: 2026-05-14
Chapter: chapter 25CHAPTER 25Victor’s POVI walked out of the building. My chest felt like it was burning.Everything was getting on my nerves.The noise, the people, my own thoughts.I pressed the elevator button hard while Rita's face kept playing in my head.I remembered her smile from earlier. The way she stood beside Ethan laughing like everything was fine.Like nothing had ever happened.Like she didn't just disappear for years. Come back with another man's kid. I pressed the elevator door then stepped inside Soon as the doors closed I rubbed my face roughly."What's wrong with me?" I said to myself.I already got the answers I wanted. The kid isn't mine so why am I still so angry?I leaned my head back against the elevator wall. Closed my eyes for a second.Then I heard Rita's voice in my head again soft and calm saying " morning Mr Victor".Like we were strangers, like we never hurt each other before.My chest got tight. I cursed under my breath.I pulled out my phone. Told my driver to bring
Last Updated: 2026-05-14
Chapter: chapter 24CHAPTER 24Rita's POVI woke up feeling really tired. Not a little tired. The kind that feels heavy in your chest and won't go away.My head hurt from not sleeping and my eyes still felt sore from staying up late talking to Aria on video call.She talked nonstop at night. About school.About her cartoon. About how she misses me already even though we talk every day.Me?I spent the call pretending everything was okay.Pretending New York wasn't overwhelming me.Pretending Victor Vale wasn't getting harder to deal with every day.I gripped the steering wheel as traffic moved slowly ahead of me.The city looked the same. I hated how quickly old memories came here.Every street reminded me of something.Every building felt familiar. I shouldn't have come back. It was too late now.By the time I reached the office building I was already running late.People moved in and out of the lobby while security greeted employees near the entrance.I adjusted my blazer. Headed inside.The second I s
Last Updated: 2026-05-14
Chapter: chapter 23CHAPTER 23Kate's povI did not sleep at all. Not for one minute.Every time I close my eyes I hear his voice again.“Yes make sure the results comes out soon”Those words kept going over and over in my head like they were poison.I sat on the edge of the bed staring into the darkness while Victor slept beside me like nothing was wrong.His breathing was calm and steady but mine was not.My heart would not slow down as I was thinking, what if Victor knew?What if somebody talked? What if the lab made a mistake?I grabbed my phone. I checked the time.It was 2:43 a.m. I had already called Anna four times. She did not answer.That scared me more than anything. Anna always answered my calls. Always.I got up quietly. walked to the bathroom before Victor could notice that I was shaking.The second the door shut behind me I dialed Anna's number again.It. Rang, but she did not answer. It went to voicemail. "Damn it.". I called again. She still did not answer.My chest felt tight. "Pick
Last Updated: 2026-05-13
Chapter: chapter 22CHAPTER 22Kate's povI had a feeling the moment Victor stopped paying attention to me upstairs.Victor Vale never ignored me, not completely.On his bad days he would always come back to me.He would touch my waist. Ask me a question and I could see it in his eyes when I spoke.Lately his mind was somewhere else.Rather it was with someone else.Rita.Just thinking about her name made me angry.It had been five years. She still had this effect on him.It was not right.I walked out of Victor's office with my purse on my shoulder, my heels clicking on the marble floor.The building was quiet now most staff had gone home.Victor was not inside.I frowned."Where did he go now?" I said to myself.I pulled out my phone to text him. Something told me not to.So I went to the parking area downstairs.Then I saw his car and the engine was off. The headlights were off.Victor was sitting inside alone still.I slowed down my steps.From where I stood I could see the side of his face through t
Last Updated: 2026-05-13
Chapter: chapter 43Chapter 43Kayla's PovTime was of the essence.Without telling anyone, Tiana and I left the house. Not Dante, not Nolan. Nobody.The driver didn't inquire.He simply drove us to the nearby pharmacy.We requested potent sleeping pills when we arrived. The kind that quickly knocks someone out.The pharmacist arched an eyebrow. "How quickly?" "Two minutes," Tiana replied.Before speaking, the pharmacist gave both of us a quick glance.Just a drop will do. Only one. It will function quickly. Don't exceed the dosage, though. It might be risky.Then he hesitated. "May I ask? For what purpose do you require it?Tiana chuckled briefly. "No, we just have restless nights. That's all."Be careful," he said, nodding despite his uncertain expression. One drop. That's all.After thanking him, we departed.Tiana turned to face me after we returned to the house and said, "I need to go get something." "A gown. Something that will work with the plan.I stared at her, perplexed. "A dress?She gave a
Last Updated: 2026-05-15
Chapter: chapter 42Chapter 42Kayla's Pov As soon as I stepped out of Jake's's house, a driver stood quietlyat the side, waiting. No questions. No comments. Just a silent nod before heopened the car door for me. I slipped inside and watched as the streetlights stretched across the windows in gold streaks. I didn't say a word. Not on the ride. Not when I stepped out. Not even whenI stood in front of our--his-house.The familiar walls wrapped around me the second I walked in, and yet they didn't feel familiar at all.Maybe because everything inside his house held a trace of Dante.Even the air felt heavier around His name.As I walked up the stairs, my mind wandered to earlier. To the way he rejected my painting like it was nothing. Like I was nothing.And then to the laughter I shared with Jake. I hated how light it made me feel.How easy. How free. Dante and Jake... they were both masters of words when they chose to be. But Jake carried softness in his silence. And Dante... he carried a war.Was he h
Last Updated: 2026-05-15
Chapter: chapter 4 1Chapter 41I said, "Thank you so much. You are a true lifesaver."Already on her way to the highway, she smiled slightly and said, "I'll see you around."Perhaps too abruptly, I asked, "Are you already leaving?" "Are you not going to sample the pancakes you prepared?She pivoted a little. "Oh, I'm not sure if that would be feasible. Are you working on anything at the moment?"No," she said, pausing before shaking her head.Then come to the sitting room with me. Just a little taste.Both mine and yours. That's all.She nodded after a moment of hesitation.Yes, all right.After getting a few plates and filling them with juice, i guided her to the couch. Through the windows, the sun was gentle. I handed her the dish and added, "You should try it first because the room felt warmer than usual." Mine or yours.She chopped off a tiny piece from hers, bit on it, and grinned. "It tastes exactly like my typical pancakes.She chewed slowly. Her eyes then slightly expanded. "Oh my god, this is am
Last Updated: 2026-05-11
Chapter: chapter 40Chapter 40: Jake's PovI was shocked that it worked.I knew I had to force Kayla to stay as soon as I saw her enter the house with Tiana. Around this moment, Tiana always vanishes. I anticipated that. All I needed was an excuse to prevent Kayla from going.And good fortune? It had a role to perform.tiana departed. Kayla remained. And I turned the kitchen into my stage.I'm a skilled cook. I always have.In the kitchen, I've always been superior to Dante.However, today? I intentionally burned a pancake to the ground. as I knew she would volunteer to assist. Something like that was too much for her to simply stroll by."How do we start this?" I inquired as she stood next to me, apron in hand, immediately berating me with those piercing eyes."Do you have an extra apron?" she said. "I don't want to ruin my outfit.I gave her one and nodded. On her, it draped loosely. In it, she appeared very little. So gentle. Absolutely flawless.I just looked as she wrapped it behind her back. her t
Last Updated: 2026-05-11
Chapter: chapter 39Chapter 39: Kayla's Pov Blackmail ? Tiana, a sex tape? I simply gazed at her. I opened my mouth a little, but nothing came out. Nothing could be put together by my brain. "I don't understand what you're saying," I finally said. "You have to understand, Kayla," she added, her voice quivering. This had to be a joke, right? "The first person I've told this to is you. That man will release everything if news gets out. I beg you, swear to me that you won't tell anything. "I swear," I muttered. It was heavy in my chest. I tried to breathe properly as I sat there, but my thoughts were racing. "What will you do? This is a severe matter. "I know," she blurted out, "if Jake discovers you're cheating. "I'm being cautious because of this. I have a scheme in the works. I simply don't know how things will work out yet. I bent over. "Jake, why don't you simply tell me? He is the owner of a whole security firm. You could get assistance from him and Dante. They have people. They are capable o
Last Updated: 2026-05-11
Chapter: chapter 38Chapter 38: I blinked. It was one thing to refuse the meal. Rejecting my painting, though? My work of art? I even spent hours on those days. drawing, color mixing, and shading. It was audacious, unvarnished, and authentic. And he simply banished it. Alright. I gritted my teeth and muttered, "Okay." Grabbing the painting like a wounded soldier raising their flag, I turned to walk away. "Is that the painting thing you made for Dante?" I turned as I heard a voice behind me as I entered the corridor. Jake. I sighed. Yes, but regrettably, His Majesty didn't Accept it. Jake grinned. "I would." "What?" "I would agree. Tiana and I are returning home today; the renovations are finished. I would be honored to hang it. I gave him a blink. "Really? I started laughing as soon as he nodded. Not much to chuckle at. But a genuine one. "Then it's yours," I responded, presenting it as if it were an offering. I handed the painting to Jake who nodded and smiled slightly before taking it from m
Last Updated: 2026-05-11
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