Novel-novel oleh Julia Rain

Brent dan rekan-rekannya berhasil mengumpulkan bukti-bukti kejahatan Natalie dalam waktu tiga hari yang singkat. Mereka menyerahkannya kepada pihak kepolisian hingga akhirnya penangkapan pun dilakukan.Beverley ikut dalam penangkapan itu. Pada awalnya Brent melarangnya, tapi dia bersikeras ingin ikut. Dia ingin melihat apakah Natalie akan mengakui kejahatannya.“Dia memiliki niat untuk mencelakaimu, Sayang,” ucap Brent saat mobil yang mereka tumpangi sampai di apartemen Natalie. Dia menatap istrinya itu dengan lembut. “Jangan sampai dia melakukannya lagi.”“Jangan khawatir, Brent. Dia tidak akan melakukannya karena kita datang bersama petugas polisi.”Brent akhirnya mencium keningnya dengan penuh cinta. “Baiklah. Ayo turun.” Dia membuka pintu lalu menuntun Beverley keluar dari mobil.Beverley tertawa kecil. Sejak mengetahui kehamilannya, sikap Brent menjadi lebih lembut padanya. Pria itu juga akan mengabulkan apa pun keinginannya. Dia begitu manis dan penuh kasih sayang.Para petugas

Kematian Chris merupakan pukulan berat untuk Brent dan Michael. Chris telah banyak merugikan mereka dan menyebabkan banyak masalah untuk keluarga. Namun, mereka sama sekali tidak menginginkan kematiannya.Berhari-hari setelah proses pemakaman dilakukan, Brent menjadi sangat sibuk. Dia berjuang untuk menyelidiki siapa yang telah mendalangi kecelakaan itu. Pihak kepolisian melakukan penyelidikan, tapi dia tidak bisa hanya mengandalkan mereka.Karena masalah itu, waktunya untuk Beverley juga berkurang banyak. Wanita itu memakluminya. Namun, dia menjadi penasaran seserius apa masalahnya.Hampir tengah malam, Brent belum naik ke kamar tidur padahal dia sudah pulang dari kantor. Beverley menuruni tangga dengan hati-hati. Tidak ada seorang pun yang terlihat di mansion itu. Para pelayan sudah beristirahat.Dia mengintip ke luar halaman dan melihat mobil Ryan parkir di sana. ‘Mereka masih ada di sini,’ batin Beverley.Dengan hati-hati dia melangkah mendekati ruang baca yang jarang digunakan. I

Air mata menetes di wajah Brent. Dia langsung berbalik lalu memeluk Beverley. Tubuhnya gemetar dan dia menangis dalam diam.Beverley memeluk pria itu dengan erat. Dia mengerti kesedihannya. Brent biasanya terlihat begitu membenci Chris. Namun, pria itu selalu melindunginya.Semarah apa pun Brent, dia tidak pernah bertindak kejam atau terlalu jauh pada Chris. Ancaman-ancaman yang keluar dari mulutnya hanya kata-kata yang tidak sungguh-sungguh dia lakukan. Pria itu diam-diam selalu menyayangi saudaranya. Atau dia tidak pernah menyadarinya.“Aku tidak buru-buru untuk berdamai dengan dia. Kupikir … masih ada banyak waktu yang tersisa,” bisik Brent dengan mata terpejam.“Seharusnya aku tidak pergi ke New York. Itu pastilah tanda-tandanya," gumamnya.Beverley mengusap punggung Brent dengan lembut. Telapak tangannya merasakan jejak kain melintang di punggungnya. Keningnya berkerut dalam. Apakah yang Chris katakan benar? Dia mencoba mengesampingkan hal itu sementara.“Brent, bahkan jika kau t

Tubuh Chris tergeletak di tengah jalan. Darah segar mengalir dari kepalanya. Wajahnya bersimbah darah. Dia berdiam dan tak bergerak.Beverley gemetaran melihat apa yang baru saja terjadi. Wajahnya pucat pasi. “Tidak. Tidak. Chris, apa kau baik-baik saja?!”Dia mencoba berdiri, tapi kakinya sakit dan lemah. Perut dan kepalanya juga sakit. Dengan panik dia merangkak mendekati pria itu.Chris tersedak dan kehabisan napas. Beverley langsung menangis setelah melihat betapa buruknya kondisinya. Dia segera memegang tangannya.“Chris, aku akan memanggil bantuan. Tolong bertahanlah,” pintanya dengan suara bergetar. Dia segera mengambil ponselnya tapi Chris mencengkeram tangannya.“Beverley ….” Chris memanggilnya dengan lemah.“Jangan katakan sesuatu dulu, kumohon.” Beverley sambil menangis mencoba mengendalikan tangannya yang gemetar. Dia menekan nomor 911 dengan panik.“Maafkan aku … Bev,” bisik Chris dengan susah payah. Dia merasa tubuhnya melayang semakin tinggi. Dadanya sesak. Rasa sakit m

Upacara pemakaman untuk Emma dilakukan dengan cepat. James dan Beverley sepakat untuk membuat semuanya sederhana dan tidak mencolok. Mereka juga tidak mengundang banyak orang.Pemakaman itu dilakukan sehari kemudian. Beverley berdiri di belakang ayahnya yang berjongkok di dekat batu nisan. Upacara pemakaman itu sudah selesai. Orang-orang yang datang sebagian sudah pergi.Michael menghampiri Beverley. Pria tua itu menepuk pundaknya dan berbisik, “Brent seharusnya akan segera tiba di LA. Anak itu benar-benar ….”Beverley menggeleng dan tersenyum. “Dia mengalami beberapa kendala yang membuatnya tertunda. Tidak apa-apa. Lagi pula dia berada di negara bagian lain. Perjalanan pulang akan memakan waktu berjam-jam.”Kemarin Brent bilang akan segera pulang setelah rapat selesai. Namun, pria itu mengaku menemukan masalah serius yang mustahil untuk ditinggalkan. Akhirnya dia baru bisa kembali hari ini.“Aku senang karena kau memakluminya. Setelah Brent tiba di mansion nanti, aku akan langsung me

Keesokan harinya, sesuatu yang mengejutkan tiba-tiba terjadi. Pagi itu Beverley baru sampai di kafe Katy. Ponselnya berdering. Ada panggilan masuk dari James.“Sangat jarang James meneleponku,” gumamnya. Dia segera menjawab telepon itu. “Halo, Ayah.”Suara tangisan James tiba-tiba memasuki telinga Beverley. Pria itu tidak mengatakan apa-apa dan itu membuatnya khawatir. “Ayah, ada apa? Kenapa kau menangis?”James terisak. “Emma ….”“Kenapa dengan Emma?” Beverley segera berdiri dari kursi. Perasaannya menjadi tidak tenang. Apa sesuatu yang buruk telah terjadi?“Dia mengonsumsi begitu banyak obat-obatan terlarang. Dia overdosis, Bev,” bisik James dengan suara lemah.Beverley menggeleng tidak percaya. “Bagaimana … bagaimana mungkin?”Suara isak tangis James kembali terdengar bersama dengan suara keributan beberapa orang. Ada banyak orang di tempat di mana pria itu berada. Dan itu semakin membuat Beverley khwatir.“Ayah, di mana Ayah sekarang? Aku akan segera ke sana.”“Datanglah ke rumah,

Brent and his colleagues gathered evidence of Natalie’s crimes in three days. They handed it over to the police, and an arrest was made.Beverley participated in the arrest. Brent forbade her at first, but she insisted on going. She wanted to see if Natalie would confess to her crime.“She had every intention of harming you, honey,” Brent said as they arrived at Natalie’s apartment. He looked at his wife tenderly. “Don’t let her do it again.”“Don’t worry, Brent. She won’t because we’re coming with the police officers.”Brent kissed her forehead lovingly. “All right. Let’s go out.” He opened the door and led Beverley out of the car.Beverley chuckled. Since learning of her pregnancy, Brent’s demeanor had become gentler towards her. He would also grant her whatever she wanted. He was so sweet and loving.The police officers preceded them into the apartment building. Brent and Beverley followed. Jace, Ryan, Logan, and Jax were behind them. The four men didn’t want to miss the spectacle.

Chris’s death was a heavy blow to Brent and Michael. Chris had harmed them greatly and caused much trouble for the Oliver family. However, they didn’t want him to die at all.In the days following the funeral, Brent became very busy. He struggled to investigate who had masterminded the accident. The police were investigating, but he couldn’t rely solely on them.That problem caused a significant reduction in his time with Beverley. She understood that. However, she wondered how serious the matter was.It was almost midnight, and Brent hadn’t gone upstairs to bed even though he was home from work. Beverley stepped down the stairs carefully. No one seemed to be hanging around the mansion. The servants had already rested.Beverley peered out into the courtyard and saw Ryan’s car parked there. ‘They’re still here,’ she thought.She cautiously stepped closer to the rarely used reading room. It was on the west side of the mansion. Lately, Brent often gathered with some strangers there until

Tears fell on Brent’s face. He immediately turned around and hugged Beverley. His body trembled, and he cried silently.Beverley hugged him tightly. She understood his grief. Brent usually seemed to hate Chris so much. However, he had always protected him.As angry as Brent was, he never went cruel or too far with Chris. The threats that came out of his mouth were just words he didn’t mean. The man had always secretly loved Chris. Or he never realized it.“All this time, I was in no hurry to reconcile with him. I thought... we had more time,” Brent whispered with his eyes closed.“I shouldn’t have gone to New York. That should have been a sign.”Beverley stroked Brent’s back. Her palm felt the traces of fabric across his back. Her brow furrowed deeply. Was what Chris said true? She tried to put that aside for the moment.“Brent, even if you don’t go to New York, you can’t change fate,” Beverley whispered. “You have to let him go.”Brent said nothing. He let go of his embrace and then

Chris’ body was lying in the middle of the road. Fresh blood was flowing from his head. His face was covered in blood. He was silent and motionless.Beverley trembled at what had just happened. Her face was deathly pale. “No, no, no. Chris, are you okay?!”She tried to stand up, but her legs were sore and weak. Her stomach and head hurt, too. Frantically, she crawled over to the man.Chris was choking and out of breath. Beverley burst into tears immediately after seeing how bad his condition was. She immediately held his hand.“Chris, I’ll call for help. Please hold on,” she pleaded in a trembling voice. She quickly grabbed her cell phone, but Chris gripped her hand.“Beverley...” Chris called out weakly.“Don’t say anything, please!” Beverley tearfully tried to control her trembling hands. She dialed 911 in a panic.“I’m sorry... Bev,” Chris whispered with difficulty. He felt his body floating higher and higher. His chest was tight. Pain shot from his head to his toes.“No, Chris. Do

Emma’s funeral was a quick affair. James and Beverley agreed to keep things simple and inconspicuous. They didn’t invite many people either.The funeral took place a day later. At the cemetery, Beverley stood behind her father, who crouched by the tombstone. The funeral ceremony was over. Some people who had come had left.Michael approached Beverley. The old man tapped her shoulder and whispered, “Brent should be arriving in Los Angeles soon. That boy is really...”Beverley shook her head and smiled. “He ran into some obstacles that delayed him. That’s okay. He’s in another state, after all. Going home will take hours.”Yesterday, Brent had said he would return home as soon as the meeting was over. However, the man admitted that he found a serious problem that was impossible to leave behind. In the end, he could only return today.“I’m glad that you understand. After Brent arrives at the mansion later, I’ll immediately ask him to come to James’ house.”“Thank you, Dad.”Michael smile

The next day, something surprising happened. Beverley had just arrived at Katy’s cafe that morning. Her cell phone suddenly rang. There was an incoming call from James.“It’s so rare that James calls me,” she muttered and answered the phone immediately. “Hello, Dad.”The sound of James crying suddenly entered Beverley’s ears. The man didn’t say anything, and that worried her. “Dad, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”James sobbed. “Emma....”“What about Emma?” Beverley immediately stood up from the chair. She felt uneasy. Did something bad happen?“She’s taken so many drugs. She overdosed, Bev,” James whispered in a weak voice.Beverley widened her eyes in disbelief. “How... how is that possible?”The sound of James’ sobs could be heard again, along with the noise of several people. There were many people in the place where the man was. And that worried Beverley even more.“Dad, where are you right now? I’ll be right there.”“Come to the house, Bev. They’re taking care of her body,” Ja

Natalie didn’t expect Dante to reveal his feelings right then and there. She was silent for a moment, still trying to figure out whether Dante had said it consciously or if it was just the effect of his confusion as he was still recovering.“I’m serious.” Dante looked at Natalie earnestly. He was fully aware of what he was saying.“Why?” Natalie asked, feeling touched. “Do you really not mind if Nicolo ever...”Dante sighed deeply. He knew what Natalie meant, but he also didn’t understand his own heart. Somehow, he had always been able to accept and tolerate Natalie, no matter what the situation or circumstances. He just didn’t want to lose her again.So, Dante concluded that he loved Natalie because he had never felt that way about any other woman. He could lose anything as long as it wasn’t Natalie.“I believe you don’t want anything that ever happened there. Isn’t that right?” Dante whispered as he hugged Natalie. He rested his head on Natalie’s shoulder and closed his eyes.Natali

Taking care of Dante was the most relaxing thing Natalie had done since her life had been turned upside down over the past few months. No one was tormenting her, no one was making her feel depressed and cry, and no one was making her tremble with fear. She also believed that Dante would definitely wake up.For nearly two months, Natalie kept waiting. She made sure Dante’s condition didn’t worsen and always helped him regularly by wiping his body, shaving his beard, and cutting his nails. She wanted Dante to stay neat and handsome even in a coma.That afternoon, Natalie noticed Dante’s nails were long, so she cut them. She chuckled. “Dante, did you ever imagine this day would come? When you couldn’t cut your own nails and I had to help you.”She smiled. “You’ll have to pay for everything once you wake up,” she whispered.Natalie suddenly sneezed and accidentally cut Dante’s nails too short. His finger twitched as if startled, which surprised Natalie. She immediately looked at his face.

“Miss, you haven’t rested properly since yesterday. I’ll take you to the hotel,” Alex said from behind, interrupting the sound of the monitor in the ICU room.Natalie shook her head as she looked at Dante, who was lying pale on the hospital bed. She gently touched his hand and whispered, “I want to wait for him to wake up.”“You need to take care of yourself first so you can take care of him.”Natalie remained silent. Seeing Dante’s current condition was breaking her heart. The strong and resilient man was still unconscious. His body was connected to tubes and wires linked to various medical devices.“Didn’t you say Nicolo only used a small knife? Why hasn’t Dante woken up yet? Is his wound that severe?”“A small knife, if the stab is precise, can also cause internal organs to bleed,” Alex replied. “Luckily, it didn’t damage his heart. If it had… we might only be looking at his corpse.”“You idiot…” Natalie looked at Dante with a sad expression. “If you want to kill your enemy, at lea

Everything happened so suddenly and quickly. Natalie couldn’t think straight when Pablo and Raul took her out of the hotel. She just followed them without asking many questions.“Get in!” Raul ordered Natalie as he opened the back door of the car.Natalie quickly got into the car. After that, Pablo and Raul also got in through the front door. They didn’t immediately drive the car away but sat quietly waiting for something.Raul’s phone suddenly rang, and he answered it immediately. “What’s going on?”“Oh God! Hurry up and bring him to the car! I’ll handle the rest of the issues at the venue.” Raul hung up the phone quickly. He rushed out, looking very anxious.“Dante is seriously injured and needs emergency treatment. Take him to the hospital immediately!” Raul ordered Pablo.The news shocked and worried Natalie. Before she could ask, Raul had already closed the door and run into the hotel. She bit her lip, feeling uncertain. “How come?”Pablo started the car engine. He glanced at Nat

The sound of gunfire in the venue caused the guests who were still there to panic and quickly move aside to avoid the conflict. There weren’t many of them, which made it easy for anyone to move around.“Go after them!” Nicolo shouted, not wanting to let Natalie get away.The men in black, who had previously slipped in and hidden among the guests, suddenly appeared. There were ten of them. Five approached Dante while the other five moved to chase after Natalie.Dante smirked. He nodded to the two men guarding the venue’s entrance, and they immediately closed the door before the five pursuing Natalie could exit.“Damn it! It seems you’ve planned everything well,” Nicolo hissed angrily. He thought he had been sufficiently vigilant, but his preparations were still inadequate.“I’ve been waiting for this moment, Nicolo.” Dante smiled coldly.Nicolo looked around and realized that all the remaining guests in the room were just watching without wanting to get involved in what was happening.

“Damn it!” Dante muttered softly as he walked out of the bathroom corridor. He was trying to avoid Natalie and hadn’t expected to see her in the corridor.He gripped his phone tightly while his other hand clenched into a fist. He still had a call connected, but he was no longer focused on the conversation.“Bro, did you hear me?” Laura’s voice came through the phone.“No!” Dante replied, holding back his emotions.“Come on, help me! Who else but you can investigate my boyfriend? Do you want your beloved little sister to date just anyone?” Laura whined like a teenager.“I’m busy, Laura. Don’t bother me!” Feeling annoyed, Dante hung up the phone and returned to his desk. His unhappy expression made Alex curious.“What’s wrong?” Alex asked.Dante frowned, not answering the question. Alex finally turned to look in the direction Dante had come from. A moment later, he saw Natalie appear, and instantly he understood.“Did you meet her?” Alex whispered, and Dante just snorted.Alex chuckled