Chapter: Chapter 127: A Father's RegretValduz Ryker's Point of ViewThe word mine should have made me happy.Instead...It feels like someone's hand is wrapped around my throat."She said that?"My voice comes out rough."She said the children are mine?""Yes."My mother stays calm.Too calm."And she has every right to protect them, Valduz Ryker."She drops a stack of magazines onto the table.They slide toward me.Every cover has my face on it.Headlines.Scandals.Rumors.Mistakes I can never take back."This is all she knows about you."My mother's voice is quiet."Look at them.""Then tell me...""Would you trust a man like this around your children?"I don't answer.Because I wouldn't.Not after everything tied to my name."I've looked into her."Her voice softens.But the tension in the room doesn't."That girl worked for everything she has.""Nobody handed her a thing."She pauses."She raised those children on her own."My chest tightens.On her own."She's scared," my mother says."And after everything that's hap
Last Updated: 2026-08-06
Chapter: Chapter 126: Nowhere to HideHope Elara's Point of ViewI'm not used to this.Not kindness.Not comfort.Not having someone hold me together when I'm falling apart.Maybe that's why I break so easily.The tears come before I can stop them.Because I don't believe her.I've seen enough.Heard enough.Read enough.The broken engagement.The scandals.The endless women linked to his name.I made my choice for a reason.I was protecting my children.From him."Then tell him to forget all of this."I pull away from her embrace.My voice trembles."I don't want him anywhere near my children."Pain flashes across her face."You don't know my son," she says quietly.A bitter laugh slips from my lips."I know enough."My voice turns sharp."I know what he did.""I know the mess he left behind.""My children don't need a man like that."I struggle to catch my breath."They don't need someone reckless destroying the future I built for them."My voice cracks."I worked too hard for this life.""Too hard to give them somethin
Last Updated: 2026-08-06
Chapter: Chapter 125: Yes, They're YoursHope Elara’s Point of ViewHe was not supposed to be here.Not in this city.Not inside my office.Not standing this close to the life I rebuilt without him.The meeting with the school had already gone badly enough. They did not approve of what I did in Paris. According to them, I crossed a line over what happened with Zoey.Too far.I almost laughed when they said it.Zoey is a child. Sweet. Innocent.I am not.And if I do not protect my children, who will?…Working with Sullivan and the staff has been… easy. Too easy, sometimes.Warm smiles.Open doors.No whispered conversations that suddenly stop when I walk in.If they judge me, they do it quietly.I can live with that.At least here, nobody tries to steal my work. Nobody watches my sketches like they are already planning to claim them as their own. I no longer sleep wondering who will stab me in the back next.For the first time in years… I can breathe.“Your two thirty is here.”Marlon steps into my office and hands me my tab
Last Updated: 2026-08-05
Chapter: Chapter 124: Someone Betrayed UsHope Elara’s Point of View“Mom, I have a proper… sit-on.”I blinked.“Proposition,” I corrected gently.Zoey rolled his eyes.“That’s what I said.”I pressed my lips together.Don’t laugh.Don’t ruin this.Stay serious.“Wait, I’m coming!”Zenep rushed in, dragging her little pink laptop behind her.The cord trailed across the floor, one bad step away from disaster.Somehow, she didn’t trip.She dropped everything on the table.Coat still on.Plastic heels clicking.Completely serious.I almost lost it right there.“I told you to hurry,” Zoey said, already trying to fix her hair.“I was getting pretty,” she shot back.“That’s impossible.”She pushed him lightly.He barely reacted.Focused.Always focused.They took their time setting up.Very serious.Very organized.In their own way.The toy laptop opened with a tiny chime.Zenep pulled out her “supplies.”A banana.A tomato.Crayons.Of course.All necessary.“Where’s the mouse?” she asked.“I got it,” Zoey said, jumping up.He ha
Last Updated: 2026-08-05
Chapter: Chapter 123: Secret ChildrenHe had to know.The thought wouldn't leave him.It kept pushing.Harder.Until he finally gave in.Valduz opened his messages.His fingers moved quickly.No hesitation.Valduz: I need the number of the new CEO of Royal Threads. Hope Elara.The reply came almost at once.Remart: You know her?Valduz: Yes.A pause.Too long.His heartbeat quickened.Remart: Give me a second.Valduz leaned forward.His eyes stayed on the screen.Then another message appeared.Remart: The best I can do is arrange a meeting. Wednesday afternoon.It wasn't enough.Not even close.But it was better than nothing.Valduz: Fine. I'll take it.Remart: Can I ask why? You never ask for favors.Valduz stared at the message.Then he typed.Valduz: I'll tell you after I talk to her.Remart: Got it.Wednesday.It felt too far away.But at least he had a chance.He opened Hope's page again.Found the photo.The little boy.This time, he studied it longer.Looking closer.Comparing every detail.Then he sent the picture
Last Updated: 2026-08-05
Chapter: Chapter 122: Dates Don't LieValduz Ryker’s Point of ViewI never thought I would see her again.Hope Elara.Some people pass through your life and disappear.She didn’t.She stayed.Six years later… and she’s still there.In my head.In my chest.In places I don’t talk about.I told myself it was just one night.Just a moment.But it never felt like that.It felt like something I wasn’t supposed to lose.And I did.Seeing her again…It messed me up.Bad.She looked the same.No.Better.Stronger.Like life tried to break her, and failed.And then I saw them.The kids.Two of them.That hit harder than anything.I didn’t expect that.Not even close.“You made a scene at the airport.”Remart dropped into the chair across from me like this was just another day.Like I wasn’t still trying to breathe right.“I ran into someone,” I said.David shoved my leg off his table.“Then talk,” he said.Pamela looked at me, already curious.“Who was it?”I leaned back slowly.“Do you remember the girl… from six years ago?”Sil
Last Updated: 2026-08-04
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