Novels by Pennywise

Mark’s POVLydia was finally calm.I stood beside the bed, watching her sleep.For the first time since she had arrived at my house, the tension in her face had disappeared. Her breathing had settled into a slow, steady rhythm, and her body was finally resting after everything she had endured.I hated knowing that the peace she was experiencing now had only come after someone had nearly taken it away from her.I quietly stepped away from the bed.My fingers rested on the bedroom door before I pulled it closed with a soft click.I stood in the hallway for a moment, listening.Nothing.Lydia was still asleep.I walked downstairs.I paced back and forth several times before finally reaching for my phone.My thumb hovered over the screen.For a moment, I simply stared at it.There was a number I hadn't called in a long time.The same number that had brought me away from London a while back.The same number that, without a doubt, was responsible for what had happened to Lydia.I finally ty

Sebastian’s POVSunlight emptied itself through the windows of the study, bathing everything in a warm, continuous glow that felt completely out of place after the darkness of the previous night.I blinked several times before everything came into focus.Vincent was still there.He was curved around the laptop, holding it tightly as though it might fall from his hands at any moment. His head had tilted slightly to one side, and for a brief second I wondered if he had even slept.Then my eyes wandered around the room.Everything was exactly how I remembered it.The shattered pieces of the wine bottle from last night were still scattered across the marble floor, some of them hidden in the darker corners of the study where the sunlight couldn't reach.A dull banging had settled against the side of my head.I raised both hands to my temples, pressing gently as I tried to gain my footing.My eyes dropped to the watch still sitting around my wrist.12:45.It was already afternoon.A quiet s

Sebastian’s POVI pulled the car into the parking lot of the mansion and killed the engine.For several seconds, neither Isabelle nor I moved.She sat numb in the passenger seat, her hands intertwined with mine throughout the entire drive. Her fingers had barely loosened since we left Lydia's apartment, and I could still feel the faint tremor running through them.No doubt she was still shaken by what had happened.Anyone would be.Lydia's apartment had looked like a battlefield, and Josh had been carried away barely breathing, surrounded by machines that were now doing everything his body couldn't do for itself.Isabelle had tried several times to convince me to turn the car around and go back for Lydia.She had wanted to make sure she was safe.But Lydia had left with Mark by her own accord, and that was the only thing I could use to settle Isabelle down.“She chose to go with him,” I had reminded her.It hadn't completely satisfied her, but eventually she stopped arguing.Now, as w

Lydia's POV"You can take the bed. I'll sleep on the couch," Mark said, taking a handful of a bed cover from inside his wardrobe.I stared at him.After everything that had happened tonight, after watching Josh being carried away in an ambulance and sitting outside my ruined apartment while police officers questioned everyone, this man was seriously suggesting that I sleep alone in some enormous bedroom while he folded himself onto a couch."You have to be fucking kidding me."I leaped off the bed and immediately engaged in a tug of war with him over the bed sheet.Mark laughed as I pulled it toward myself."I've gone through a weird night and you want to leave me in this bedroom that, thinking of it, looks way too big to be just for one person."A small smile touched Mark's lips.He finally loosened his grip."Okay, okay. I'll stay with you."I shrugged."Better."I climbed back into bed and dragged one of Mark's arms with me before he could change his mind.For the first time since

Lydia's POVSebastian stumbled back a little, faltering for only a second, but it was enough for me to notice.His shoulders stiffened almost immediately, and whatever weakness had crossed his face disappeared as quickly as it came. He straightened himself, adjusted his jacket and looked at Isabelle as though nothing had happened."I was in the area when I saw the cars," he said.He lied.I knew it.And from the subtle look he gave me afterward, he knew that I knew.It was barely noticeable, a fraction of a second where our eyes met before he looked away. But I had spent enough time around Sebastian to recognize the difference between his usual expressions and the ones he used when he was hiding something.I said nothing.Not here.Not with Isabelle standing beside me and the police still moving around the street."What did they say?" Isabelle asked, gesturing toward the officer who had spent the last hour questioning Sebastian."You know what they always do. Just ask questions and no

Lydia's POVThe rushed, muffled sound of the paramedic team moving in and out of the building filled the evening air with a strange rhythm. Doors opened and closed. Shoes hurried across the pavement. Voices overlapped with one another as people tried to make sense of what had happened.The street was flooded with revolving red and blue lights, their colors reflecting against the windows of the surrounding buildings and painting everything in flashes. For a moment, it almost didn't feel real.I sat in the back of a paramedic truck parked especially for comfort, a thin nylon jacket wrapped around my shoulders, just enough to stop the cold evening air from reaching me directly.My hands were still trembling.I tried hiding them beneath the jacket, but it was useless. Every few seconds, my fingers tightened against one another as if they were trying to remind me that I was still here.Across the street, Sebastian stood in the middle of the commotion.Two police officers were questioning h

Elena turned around.Adrian was already looking like the professional image she had always pictured in her mind.He wore a dark sleeved shirt beneath a black leather jacket, the sleeves fitting neatly around his arms. A simple watch sat effortlessly on one wrist, catching a faint reflection from the light above.For a moment, Elena simply stared at him.The towel version of Adrian from a few minutes ago had already disappeared.This was the Adrian she knew.The composed doctor.The confident man.The one who somehow managed to make even standing in his own living room look professional."Ex patient, huh?"Elena repeated the words slowly, almost testing the texture of them.Adrian noticed.The faintest chuckle escaped him.He walked toward the couch and dropped heavily onto the seat beside her."How did you even know where I live?"Elena glanced at him."I've been stalking you for years, Adrian. That's how I knew."Adrian's hand stopped halfway to his mouth.The candy he had just unwra

56 Boulevard Street came around a bend and ended at a house so enormous that Elena briefly wondered if she had somehow driven to the wrong address.The place looked less like a home and more like a private storage facility disguised as a mansion. Tall walls surrounded the property, while flower arrangements decorated the garden with an almost ridiculous amount of elegance.Elena knew with absolute certainty that it was Adrian's.She parked her car at the curb and stepped out, smoothing the sides of her dress before making her way toward the entrance. Her stomach tightened with every step.She had no idea what she was doing here.Actually, she did.She had come to find Adrian.The problem was explaining why.Elena passed several flower decorations arranged along the garden path before reaching the main entrance. Just beside the door, something caught her attention.A small flyer had been pinned to the wall.IGNORE THE FLOWERS. I REALLY AM A COSMETOLOGIST.Elena stared at it for a momen

Elena brought out her phone in a hurried motion.“This can't be true. I got a text from Dr. Adrian Kane's office that today was another one of my appointments.”She shoved the phone toward Dr. Marcus, holding it close enough for him to see the pixels on the screen.Marcus looked at it for a moment before a small smile touched his face.“He said you might act this way.”Elena pulled the phone back.“What?”“Don't worry, Miss Blackwood. You're in good hands.”Elena's lips curled inward.“I don't care if I'm in good hands. I want to be in Adrian's hands.”The words left her mouth before she could stop them.Silence.A small twitch appeared on Marcus's face, almost as though he found the statement just as strange as Elena did.Elena immediately looked away.“That sounded wrong.”Marcus cleared his throat.“Anyway…”“Where's Dr. Adrian?”She put her phone back into her bag and slung it over her shoulder.Marcus sat down in the chair that once belonged to Adrian.“I'm afraid he isn't at the

Chloe wasn't much help.In fact, Elena was beginning to think her sister had somehow managed to make her even more nervous than she had been hours before.After the call ended, Elena remained in her room for a long while, staring at the ceiling while the words Chloe had said continued circling through her head.Don't make any decisions while you're confused.It sounded simple.It wasn't.Elena finally pulled herself out of bed and locked the door behind her, as though hiding from the mansion, Damien, Adrian, and everything that had happened could somehow make it disappear.Maybe if she stayed inside long enough, the embarrassment from the previous night would fade.Maybe she would wake up tomorrow and everything would feel normal again.For a few minutes, she convinced herself that hiding was the answer.Then her phone chimed.Elena's heartbeat immediately elevated.She looked at the screen from across the room, suddenly nervous and sweaty without even knowing why.She walked toward i

Later that afternoon, Damien still wasn't home.Elena had stopped checking the driveway after the third time.There was no doubt he was enjoying himself somewhere, probably at the merger dinner or wherever he had gone with Beatrice, enjoying the kind of evening he always seemed to prefer when Elena wasn't around. The thought should have angered her, but instead, she found herself sitting quietly in the kitchen, staring at her phone while slowly eating an Oreo.Her mind kept returning to the previous night.The wine.The call.Adrian.Elena groaned softly and dropped her forehead into her free hand.“What did I do?”Her phone buzzed.She lifted her head.A message from Adrian appeared on the screen.Adrian: Are you okay?Elena stared at it.Her thumb hovered over the keyboard.She typed.I'm fine.She looked at the words.Deleted them.She typed again.I'm sorry about last night.Deleted.She tried another.Did I say anything embarrassing?Deleted that too.Her fingers froze over the s

“Hello.”Adrian's voice came through the phone.Elena smiled.She wasn't sure why she was smiling. Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the sound of his voice, or maybe it was simply because she had finally done something without thinking about Damien first.“Adrian?”There was a brief pause.“Yes, Elena?”His voice sounded different from the one she had heard earlier at the museum. Softer, quieter, as though he had already realized something wasn't quite right.“You answered.”Another pause.“I did.”“I thought you wouldn't.”“It's late, but I have my phone with me.”Elena leaned against the sofa.“That was very responsible of you.”Adrian gave a small laugh.“You sound different.”“Different?”“Yes.”Elena looked down at the wine bottle still resting in her hand.“Maybe I'm just happy to hear your voice.”Silence.She could almost imagine the expression on his face.Elena smiled wider.“That sounded strange, didn't it?”“A little.”“Good.”“Good?”“I don't want to sound normal tonigh

The mystery still sat heavily with Claire.She had tried to put it out of her mind.She had tried to focus on ordinary things, on Adrian, on the house, on the life she was supposed to be living.But every time she closed her eyes, she saw the same thing.That name.The name that wasn't Doyle.The name buried inside paperwork connected to the stamp.Someone had been there.Someone who had existed behind the scenes while everything around her seemed to fall apart.And Claire still didn't know who.“Are you listening to me?”Adrian's voice pulled her back.Claire looked at him.They were standing in the foyer, preparing to leave for the merger event between Calloway Enterprise and Doyle Group.“I am.”Adrian adjusted the cuff of his shirt.“Then listen carefully.”Claire said nothing.“Tonight is important.”“I know.”“Calloway Enterprise isn't a small company. Neither is Doyle Group. There will be investors, partners, lawyers, board members, and people from the press.”Claire nodded.Ad

Claire couldn't stop staring at the documents.The coffee in front of her had gone untouched for several minutes, but she barely noticed.Her attention remained fixed on the old Doyle business ledger Lucy had placed between them.The stamp was there.The same one from her marriage documents.The same seal that had appeared on paperwork connected to the illegal seaport.But now that Claire knew where Lucy had first seen it, something else bothered her.Why had it been hidden so deeply?She pointed at the ledger.“You said this was buried inside their business records.”“Yes.”“Where exactly?”Lucy turned the folder toward herself.“It was in a section containing old transaction records.”“Transactions involving what?”“Several businesses. Some legitimate. Some that raised questions.”Claire's eyes narrowed.“And Patrick Doyle's name was on them?”“His name appeared on plenty of documents.”“That isn't what I asked.”Lucy looked at her.“His name was there.”Claire leaned back.The answ

Claire chose the coffee shop because it was far enough away from town that she wouldn't have to worry about prying eyes.It was nearly forty minutes from home, tucked away on a quiet street where nobody would recognize her.That was exactly what she wanted.Lately, she had felt a strange crawl beneath her skin whenever Adrian looked at her.His manner toward her had changed.The questions were becoming more frequent.The pauses were becoming longer.Sometimes she caught him watching her when he thought she wasn't paying attention.It was as though he was waiting for her to make a mistake.Claire didn't know if Adrian suspected anything.But she wasn't willing to find out.She parked across the street from the café and remained inside her car for a moment.Her hands rested on the steering wheel.She glanced at the building.Then at the rearview mirror.Nothing.No familiar cars.No one watching.At least, no one she could see.Claire grabbed her bag and stepped out.The café looked ord

By the time Claire pulled into the driveway, the sky had already begun to darken.She sat behind the wheel for a few seconds, staring at the house.Home.At least, that was what she had always called it.But lately, the word felt strange.The house looked exactly as it always had. The perfectly trimmed hedges. The tall windows reflecting the fading evening light. The expensive car parked near the entrance.Everything looked normal.That was the problem.Her life had looked normal too.Until she started looking closer.Claire picked up her bag from the passenger seat and stepped out of the car.The moment she entered the house, she knew Adrian was home.His jacket was draped over the back of the sofa.She stopped.Adrian rarely left his things lying around.Claire heard movement from the dining room.Then his voice.“Where have you been?”She turned.Adrian stood near the doorway, his sleeves rolled up, his expression unreadable.Claire tightened her grip on her bag.“Out.”His eyes na

Theo’s eyes flickered toward Claire, then back to DA Lucy.“What are you doing here?” Claire asked.She quickly began gathering the papers spread across the table, stacking them together with nervous hands before stuffing them into her bag.Theo’s eyebrows rose with curiosity.“I was supposed to ask you the same thing,” he said. “I have an appointment.”Claire glanced at Lucy.“With her?”“Yes, Mr. Stone,” Lucy said. “Please come in.”Her voice carried something that made Claire pause.Familiarity.Claire’s eyes narrowed as she looked between them.It seemed like they had known each other before.Could it be...Before the thought could fully form, Theo spoke.“See, Claire, Lucy has been helping me with my parking tickets. I can’t seem to not get one anytime I drive.”Claire slowly turned toward him.“Your parking tickets?”Theo nodded.His hand came down on top of her head.Claire immediately shook it off.“Don’t touch me.”Theo chuckled.Lucy looked between them, but Claire ignored h

Claire watched Lucy's face as she held the marriage certificate, waiting for some kind of explanation to come from her. Instead, the woman remained completely still, her eyes moving slowly across the document as though she were reading something written between the lines rather than the words printed directly in front of her.“What is it?” Claire asked quietly.Lucy didn't answer.She turned the certificate slightly, bringing it closer to the light coming through the window. Her fingers traced the edge of the paper, careful not to damage it, while her eyes remained fixed on the official markings at the bottom.Claire leaned forward.“You said you remembered it.”“I remember something.”Lucy's voice sounded distant.She turned the document over, studying the back before bringing it around again.“The names aren't what caught my attention.”Claire's stomach tightened.“Then what did?”Lucy pointed toward the bottom corner.“The stamp.”Claire looked at it.At first, it seemed completely