Chapter: JealousyDaniel stared at the phone lying on the table with narrowed eyes.For several seconds he didn't move.Then, with reluctance that was almost visible, his hand lifted and reached for his mother's phone.Daniel's eyes dropped to the screen.His jaw hardened the moment he saw the photo of Alina with a man Daniel knew.First photo. The man was standing too close to Alina's bed, his body leaning forward.Second photo. The man's hand on Alina's shoulder—light, brief, but from the camera's angle it looked like more than just a professional gesture.Third photo. The two of them looking at each other, the distance between them too close. Too intimate for the standards of a lawyer and his client.The anger on Daniel's face froze. The muscle at his temple twitched. Daniel's hand holding the phone tensed until his knuckles turned white."Adrian Lawson," Daniel said in a low and dangerous voice.Margaret observed her son's reaction carefully, her lips curving in a thin smile. Knowing Daniel had fal
Last Updated: 2026-05-31
Chapter: Seeds Of DoubtOn the other side of the city, Margaret arrived at Blackwood Enterprises approaching noon.Her steps were quick, her heels clicking on the marble floor with an unusual rhythm—too hurried for a Margaret Blackwood who usually moved with practiced calm. But this morning, that calm was cracked.The news of Steven Walsh's death had made it impossible for her to stay still.As a woman who had for decades been immersed in the world of business and high-class socialites—a world with glittering surfaces and dark roots—Margaret knew exactly who Steven Walsh was. A hired journalist. A scandal-spreader who could be bought by anyone with sufficiently deep pockets. When photos of Alina began circulating yesterday, Margaret had immediately suspected Clarissa was the one who hired him. The pattern was too clear. Too characteristically careless of Clarissa.What Margaret hadn't expected was that everything would end with a death.And one thing kept spinning in her head throughout the journey.Daniel w
Last Updated: 2026-05-31
Chapter: Unnatural DeathThe outskirts of the city in the morning felt different from the night that had given birth to it.The empty lot was now filled with yellow police lines stretching between rusty iron posts. Several patrol cars were parked at angles, their lights blinking weakly under the newly risen sun. A gray sedan—Steven Walsh's car—was still in the place where it had been found, its door open, surrounded by forensic officers working with routine movements that were almost monotonous.Adrian stepped out of his car, adjusted his jacket, and walked closer.He hadn't come by coincidence.Last night, one of his subordinates had managed to trace who first published the article about Alina. The name Steven Walsh appeared after several hours of searching—a freelance tabloid journalist, specialist in sensational news with anonymous sources. Adrian had intended to find the man this morning to dig out who had paid him.But before he could do that, news of Steven's death had already spread.And Adrian's insti
Last Updated: 2026-05-31
Chapter: Hidden WeaknessDaniel pressed his lips hard against Alina's.Alina gathered what little strength she had left.Her thin hands lifted, pressing against Daniel's chest, trying to push him away.But Daniel didn't move.Quite the opposite—the kiss deepened. More possessive. As if Alina's resistance only made his longing more uncontrollable.Alina panicked.Her breath caught. The world felt like it was closing in. And in blinding desperation, her hands moved on their own—her fingers gripped, scratched at Daniel's arm, her nails digging into his skin through his shirt.Daniel felt that pain.Sharp. Burning.But he didn't let go.The longing he had held back too long overcame the pain. He savored Alina's lips as if it were the only thing keeping him alive—until unintentionally his teeth bit too hard.A metallic taste.Blood.Daniel stopped. Drew back slowly.Alina's lower lip was swollen, slightly wounded at the corner. A drop of blood glistened under the faint light of the monitor.Something flickered in
Last Updated: 2026-05-31
Chapter: An Unwanted PresenceAt two in the morning, Daniel's phone vibrated once on the nightstand.He hadn't slept. Couldn't.The screen lit up in the darkness, illuminating half of his face that was flat without expression.A short message. No sender name. Only a sequence of words chosen carefully so they would mean nothing to anyone who didn't know their meaning.*Done. Clean. Nothing to worry about.*Daniel stared at that screen for a few seconds.Then the corner of his lips lifted slightly—not a smile, just a kind of cold acknowledgment of something that had gone according to plan."Good," he muttered to the darkness.He typed one word as a reply, then deleted that message from his phone as if the conversation had never existed. As if a man named Steven Walsh had never existed, had never written anything, had never dared to touch something that belonged to Daniel.It was done.But that satisfaction didn't bring the peace he had hoped for.Daniel lay on his large and cold bed, staring at the dark ceiling of h
Last Updated: 2026-05-30
Chapter: The Whisper of DoubtThe news of Steven Walsh's death spread just after dawn broke. When Clarissa opened her phone while staring at an untouched cup of coffee, the headlines had already multiplied across every gossip portal she usually followed. JOURNALIST STEVEN WALSH FOUND DEAD — SUSPECTED SUICIDE Tabloid Writer's Body Found in Car, Police Suspect Overdose Walsh Faced Career Setbacks Before Tragic End, Says Source All the articles told the same story, almost identical word for word. A journalist who had been struggling. Mounting financial pressure. A man who had finally surrendered to his own despair. Suicide inside his car on the outskirts of the city. Clean. Neat. Exactly like a narrative that left no questions. And that was precisely what made Clarissa uneasy. Even though Steven Walsh wasn't a journalist at a major company, he was quite influential due to the side work he did. His career as a journalist was fairly stable, even with the large side income like what Clarissa had given him the p
Last Updated: 2026-05-29
Mr. CEO, Your Abandoned Wife Has Powerful Brothers
Reyna Valeria was forced to marry Arvan Hargrove—CEO of Hargrove Group—after becoming pregnant from one tragic night. Arvan accused her of deliberately trapping him and hates both Reyna and their daughter. When Arvan's first love, Lara, returns, he demands a divorce. At the same time, Kirana—Arvan and Reyna's daughter—is diagnosed with a terminal illness with only a month to live.
Reyna agrees to divorce on one condition: Arvan must be a good father until Kirana's birthday. However, when Kirana faints after hearing Arvan say he never wanted her, Arvan abandons them on the roadside to go to Lara.
A stranger saves Kirana. He turns out to be Reyna's eldest brother from the Langston family, a wealthy family that has been searching for her for years.
With her protective brothers and her new identity as the heir to a conglomerate family, Reyna rises from her downfall. When Arvan discovers the truth and regrets his actions, is there still a chance to fix everything?
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Chapter: Chapter 51The beetle was small and dark green and, according to Kirana, had been attempting to climb the same section of garden wall for the better part of the morning without success."It keeps trying," she told me seriously, crouching beside me at the base of the wall. "Every time it gets to here—" she pointed to a specific stone, approximately twelve centimeters up, "—it falls back. But then it starts again."I looked at the beetle.It was, in fact, attempting the wall again with the particular persistence of something that had not been informed that the task was difficult."Maybe it likes trying," I said.Kirana considered this with the focused expression of someone genuinely evaluating a hypothesis."Maybe," she allowed. "Or maybe it just doesn't know how to stop."I looked at her.She was still watching the beetle, her chin resting on her knees, her dark hair falling slightly forward. There was something in the way she held herself — contained, attentive, entirely present in whatever she
Last Updated: 2026-05-31
Chapter: Chapter 50Friday passed without incident.I sent the revised threshold drawings to Kevin at eight in the morning as promised. His reply arrived at ten — two lines, precise and final: *This is the right choice. Moving forward with option three.* Nothing further. Nothing personal.The professional register, cleanly restored.I appreciated that. The clarity of it. The implicit understanding that the conversation yesterday evening had been what it was — honest, necessary, a thing that needed to happen — and that it existed alongside the work rather than instead of it.I spent Friday afternoon on the mansion project, walking through the updated drawings with Sera and making final decisions on the lighting plan for the north corridor. We worked well together, Sera and I. She had the particular quality of someone who was confident enough in her own expertise to disagree directly and gracious enough to change her position when the argument warranted it. By five o'clock we had resolved three outstanding
Last Updated: 2026-05-31
Chapter: Chapter 49The drive back to the villa that evening felt longer than usual.Damian had offered to pick me up. I had said yes without thinking, then spent the entire ride staring out the window while he filled the silence with a story about a stunt wire that had malfunctioned on set and how he had improvised mid-fall and the director had loved it so much they kept the take.He was talking more than normal.I noticed that. Damian always talked a lot, but this was different—the kind of talking that fills space deliberately, that leaves no room for questions. He glanced at me twice in the rearview mirror and both times found me looking out the window with an expression he apparently decided not to ask about.We pulled through the villa gate at half past six.The garden lights were already on. Warm amber dots strung between the trees, the same ones that had blinked softly the night they threw me a party for winning the competition. The night I had cried in Seraphina's arms because no one had ever cel
Last Updated: 2026-05-31
Chapter: Chapter 48The week did not pass slowly.That surprised me — I had expected it to drag, the way time dragged when you were waiting for something that carried consequence. But it didn't. It moved with the particular momentum of a period that contains too much work to allow for prolonged contemplation, and I was grateful for that in the practical, unsentimental way I had learned to be grateful for things that made difficult weeks survivable.Monday: the revised east wing documentation, sent to Kevin's address as agreed. A materials review that ran long. A site visit to the mansion property in the afternoon with Sera and Marcus, where we spent two hours walking the north corridor and arguing productively about ceiling height and the placement of a structural beam that the original drawings had not adequately accounted for.Tuesday: the Whitmore estate manager called with three new requests from Mrs. Whitmore herself, each one reasonable in isolation and collectively requiring a significant rethink
Last Updated: 2026-05-31
Chapter: chapter 47I sat alone in the nearly empty meeting room.The last few stragglers filed out without looking at me. Their footsteps faded down the corridor until the only sound left was the hum of the air conditioning and the faint noise of the city forty floors below.Twelve o'clock.Less than three hours.I pressed my palms flat against the table and stared at the grain of the wood. Trying to organize the thoughts crowding my head into something manageable.Arvan would be there.After last night—the car, the dark road, his hand on my jaw—I would have to sit across from him in a formal setting and behave as if none of it had happened. As if he hadn't driven at dangerous speed to frighten me. As if I hadn't walked alone in the dark with trembling hands because getting out of his car felt safer than staying inside it.I was good at pretending. Four years of marriage had made sure of that.But the other thought—the one I kept pushing aside and kept coming back anyway—was louder now.CEO of Ashford C
Last Updated: 2026-05-31
Chapter: Chapter 46Arvan left twenty minutes later.Not because the conversation was finished. It wasn't finished — it was barely begun, in the way that some conversations are only the first layer of something with many layers beneath it, each one requiring its own time and its own courage.He left because I asked him to.And because, to his credit, he went.Not without effort. I could see the effort in the set of his jaw, in the way he picked up his jacket from the chair where he had set it and held it for a moment before putting it on. In the way he stopped at the door and didn't turn around, just stood with his back to me and one hand on the frame."Soon," he said.Not a question. Not quite an ultimatum. Something in between."Yes," I said.He left.I stood in the middle of the room for a long time after the sound of his footsteps had faded down the corridor.Then I sat down on the floor.Not dramatically. Not in collapse. Just — the chair felt too intentional, the sofa too comfortable, and the floor
Last Updated: 2026-05-31
Pengkhianatan Suami & Ibu Tiri
"Mamah ... Carlos? APA YANG KALIAN LAKUKAN?!"
Mata Alea terbeliak melihat tubuh polos Fiona, ibu Alea, sedang menunggangi tubuh polos Carlos, suami Alea, menantu Fiona sendiri.
Hati Alea bertambah pilu saat tatapannya menangkap sosok pria tua yang duduk pada kursi roda sedang menyaksikan perbuatan bejat mereka dari pojok ruangan.
Dengan teganya, Carlos dan Fiona membiarkan Andrean, ayah Fiona yang cacat dan tidak bisa apa-apa, menyaksikan pergumulan panas mereka.
Alea Rahardja, istri dari Carlos Renandra, setelah mendapati suaminya berselingkuh dengan ibu tirinya, Alea harus menerima kenyataan bahwa selama ini, dirinya hanya di manfaatkan oleh suaminya. Carlos hanya mengincar hartanya dan pria itu bahkan tidak segan melenyapkan bayi mereka.
"Bayiku, tolong selamatkan bayiku. Bawa bayiku bersamamu!"
Demi menghindari kejahatan suami dan ibu tirinya, Alea terpaksa menitipkan bayinya pada orang tak dikenal.
Akankah bayi Alea selamat? Bagaimana jika bayi Alea dinyatakan meninggal, mampukah Alea membalas dendam?
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Chapter: Saling Mengancam"Nyonya Alea?" Kening Alea mengernyit. Mendengar seseorang memanggil namanya. Dia perlahan membuka mata, kemudian memutar sedikit kepala untuk melihat orang yang memanggilnya. Alea terkesiap melihat sosok pria yang semalam ditemuinya. Bibir Alea seketika tersenyum, lalu mengedarkan pandangan. Mencari keberadaan anak laki-laki yang semalam sudah berhasil mencuri hatinya. 'Akhirnya, kamu datang juga,' batin Alea. Tanpa mengindahkan keberadaan Liam.Liam mengeratkan rahang begitu melihat senyum di bibir Alea. Reaksi Alea yang tiba-tiba terlihat senang memberitahu Liam tentang Alea yang ingin kembali bertemu Ansel. Liam pun mendengus. Merutuki perbuatan licik yang Alea lakukan. Liam yakin, Alea memang sudah mengambil gantungan kalung milik putranya. "Anda tidak akan mendapatkan apa yang anda inginkan dengan mudah, nyonya," tutur Liam dengan nada dingin. Senyum di wajah Alea memudar. Tatapannya tertuju pada liam yang menatap datar dirinya. Alea sadar, anak laki-laki yang dari semalam
Last Updated: 2023-06-12
Chapter: Perasaan Iri"Siapkan pesawat! Kita pergi menyusul mereka." "Apa?!" Darvin tercengang mendengar perintah atasannya. Tidak menyangka Liam akan repot-repot menyusul Alea dan keluarganya. Padahal, pekerjaan pria itu sangat banyak. Dan tidak biasanya Liam pergi meninggalkan pekerjaannya."Maaf tuan, apa maksud anda kita akan pergi menyusul Nyonya Alea?" tanya Darvin dengan hati-hati. Memastikan perintah yang baru saja didengarnya. Liam melayangkan tatapan dinginnya. "Apa perintahku kurang jelas? Aku tidak suka mengulang perintah." "Ma-maaf Tuan! Saya akan segera menyiapkan pesawat," sahut Darvin seraya menegakkan badan. Gugup mendapatkan tatapan dingin dari Liam. Meski atasannya tersebut tidak terlihat marah, tapi Darvin tahu Liam bukan pria yang banyak berkata. Dia tidak suka menunggu atau mengulang perintah. Pria itu lebih baik kehilangan bawahan dari pada harus mengulang perkataannya. Tidak mau kehilangan pekerjaan yang sudah lima tahun ini dijabatnya, Darvin pun segera undur diri dari hadapa
Last Updated: 2023-06-10
Chapter: Jalan untuk Bertemu "Tangisanmu tidak akan berpengaruh pada papah, Ansel. Jangan harap Papah akan memaafkanmu begitu saja." Liam menolak permohonan putranya dengan tegas. Ansel merapatkan bibir. Menahan isakannya agar tidak keluar. Takut Liam akan semakin marah. Aliana menatap kakak dan keponakannya bergantian. Merasa iba pada Ansel. Dia ingin membela keponakannya, namun takut Liam akan berbalik marah padanya. Aliana pun hanya diam tanpa mampu berbuat apa-apa. "Sekarang katakan! Kenapa semalam kamu membuat masalah?" Liam mempertanyakan alasan Ansel kabur dari pesta. Dengan tangan bergetar, Ansel mengambil buku tulisnya dari tangan Liam, lalu mengambil pulpen dari Aliana. Ansel menuliskan sesuatu pada kertas yang terbuka dihadapannya. 'Maaf!' Ansel menunduk seraya memperlihatkan tulisan tersebut. Liam menatap putranya dalam-dalam, jika kata maaf sudah keluar, artinya Ansel tidak akan memberikan penjelasan apapun. "Papah khawatir!" Ansel mendongak mendengar dua kata yang ayahnya ucapkan. Matanya be
Last Updated: 2022-12-22
Chapter: Bibi Berbaju MerahKeesokan harinya, terjadi kerusuhan di rumah keluarga Abraham. Ansel, cucu tunggal keluarga Abraham, mogok makan dan tidak mau membuka mulut sedikit pun. Aliana yang sudah Liam percaya untuk menjaga Ansel pun bingung. Dia tidak mau Liam menjauhkan Ansel darinya. "Ansel, tolong jangan membuatku susah. Ayahmu sudah marah padaku karena kejadian semalam, buka mulutmu dan makanlah!" pinta Aliana setengah memelas. Takut kondisi Ansel kembali drop hingga Liam menyalahkannya. Selama ini, Liam sangat protektif pada putranya. Dia tidak membiarkan siapapun berdekatan dengan Ansel, termasuk orangtua dan adiknya. Liam tidak mempercayakan pengawasan Ansel pada orang lain. Namun dua tahun lalu, setelah Aliana membujuk Liam dengan menjanjikan akan membuat Ansel sembuh dari speech delaynya dan tidak akan membiarkan Ansel kekurangan kasih sayang seorang ibu, Liam pun akhirnya mempercayakan pengawasan Ansel pada adiknya, mengingat dirinya yang memang tidak bisa berceloteh banyak seperti yang Aliana l
Last Updated: 2022-12-21
Chapter: Saling Menginginkan Beberapa jam berlalu. Begitu Calros dan Fiona pergi ke kamar mandi, Alea membuka mata. Tadi, dia hanya berpura-pura tidur untuk menghindari Carlos. Alea tidak sudi melayani suaminya. Selama empat tahun ini, Alea harus bertahan dengan Calros dan Fiona yang tidak punya malu berhubung badan dihadapannya. Alea muak. Dia ingin menghentikan mereka, namun tidak ada yang bisa Alea lakukan selain menghindar. Biasanya, Alea pura-pura tidur atau mengamuk histeris untuk menghindari sentuhan Carlos. Namun, hal itu kadang tidak berguna jika Carlos ataupun Fiona menggunakan obat perangsang untuk membuatnya terlibat dalam percintaan. Air mata Alea menetes. Menangis tanpa suara. Tidak mudah bertahan hidup dalam kebobrokan moral yang dilakukan oleh suaminya. Carlos sebagai suami tidak memikirkan perasaan Alea yang harus melihat percintaannya dengan wanita lain. Alea sadar, dirinya mulai gila. Bahkan mungkin sudah gila seperti yang sering Fiona katakan. Tapi sayang, sejak empat tahun lalu, kesadara
Last Updated: 2022-10-08
Chapter: Kegemparan Saat Pesta Alea berjalan menuju rumah dengan langkah anggun. Senyum manis terukir di wajahnya. Tidak dipedulikannya sepatu dan ujung gaunnya yang kotor terkena lumpur, bahkan pakaiannya pun basah karena air hujan."Alea dari mana saja kamu?"Carlos menghampiri Alea dengan wajah cemas. Dia menilik penampilan istrinya. Carlos terkesiap melihat luka di pergelangan tangan Alea."Alea kamu melukai diri sendiri lagi?" Alea menarik tangannya dari genggaman Carlos. Dia menatapnya dengan tatapan dingin. "Jangan sentuh!" Alea menyembunyikan luka di tangannya.Plak! Tiba-tiba, sebuah tamparan mendarat di wajah Alea. Nampak, Fiona berdiri dihadapannya dengan wajah geram."Dasar wanita gila! Bisa-bisanya kamu pergi di tengah pesta. Kamu hampir menghancurkan pesta ulang tahun putraku," teriak Fiona. Dia hendak melayangkan kembali pukulannya, namun Carlos lebih dulu menahan laju tangannya. "Cukup!" cegah Carlos dengan tegas. "Jangan berlebihan!" Fiona mendelik. "Berlebihan? Dia–." "Oma, aku mengangtuk."
Last Updated: 2022-10-08
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