Chapter: 119. Final Decision Don Antonio’s POV I had seen the fear behind Donald’s eyes, the same fear I'm currently feeling. He was afraid of losing, of losing the power he had spent a lifetime building. I walked back into my warehouse, the same one I heard from my intel that Alexa had just left, and the first person I saw was Xavier. He was still cleaning up the mess she'd made, the papers she had scattered across the floor. He looked up at me, his face a mix of concern and confusion. He didn't ask what had happened; he could see it in my face."Don't worry about it," I said, my voice low and a little rough. "It's all over."He straightened up and walked over to me. "What happened? The guards said it was a shouting match. We were ready to move in."I shook my head and went to my desk, my hand running over the smooth, dark wood. "We won't be needing them. Not anymore. I told him what I was going to do." I looked at Xavier, and I knew he wouldn't understand. Not yet. "I'm ending it, Xavier. The whole war. I told
Last Updated: 2025-08-14
Chapter: 118. A Desperate MoveAlexa’s POV The cold dread that had settled in my stomach had now taken root, spreading through my limbs and leaving me frozen in the middle of the studio. My mother's frantic words echoed in the silence, a low and menacing hum that was far more terrifying than a shout. A meeting. A truce. In my father and Don Antonio's world, those words were a lie, a thin veil over a much more violent reality.My mind was no longer a battlefield of conflicting emotions; it was a single, terrifying thought: I couldn't wait. I couldn't sit here, staring at a blank canvas and waiting for news that might never come. My mother was a fountain of half-truths and emotional mess, a terrified report from a security guard was hardly a reliable source of information. It could be a trap, a setup, a brutal and violent end for one of them—or both.A new kind of panic, one laced with action instead of paralysis, began to stir within me. The thought of staying away, of giving Don Antonio the space he had asked for,
Last Updated: 2025-08-13
Chapter: 117. Another StormAlexa's POV The lunch with Jeremy had been a complete and utter shock. His confession of feelings, so unexpected and earnest, had thrown my already chaotic world into even greater disarray. I had spent the past few weeks trying to convince myself that I could build a life without Don Antonio, a life where my feelings for him were just a painful memory. Then Jeremy appeared, a quiet, kind man who offered a different kind of future, a simple one without the danger.Now, sitting in my studio, I stared at a half-finished sketch, the pen clutched in my hand. My mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. Could I really consider a life with Jeremy? Was it even fair to him, when my heart still ached for another man? The thought of Don Antonio brought a familiar pang of longing and regret, a mix of anger and love that was a constant, unwelcome presence in my mind.I was so lost in my thoughts, so busy trying to decide if things could really work out with Jeremy, when my phone rang. The scr
Last Updated: 2025-08-12
Chapter: 116. SummitDon Antonio's POV The meeting with Donald was finally happening. My office, once a place of restless pacing and anxious waiting, was now a command center of quiet, controlled chaos. The fear for Alexa's safety had been replaced by a cold, sharp focus. I had a path forward, a dangerous one, but a path nonetheless. Every detail had been meticulously planned. My security team, led by a tight-lipped and grim-faced Xavier, was briefed and ready for any contingency. The location was a discreet, private restaurant, a neutral territory that was anything but. Every corner, every exit, every waiter had been vetted and double-checked. The car ride was silent. The city lights outside were a blur, a chaotic world that felt a million miles away from the quiet, tense world inside my vehicle. I was surrounded by men I trusted with my life, each of them a testament to the decades of power and violence that had shaped my world. I had lived this life for so long that the weight of it, the constant thr
Last Updated: 2025-08-12
Chapter: 115. Haunting ReminderAlexa's POVThe mood in the restaurant had soured the moment Sarah mentioned Andrew. Her well-meaning words had only served to remind me that a fleeting distraction couldn't fill the void left by Don Antonio's absence. The celebration of my new business, so full of genuine joy, had been punctured by the sharp, painful reality of my unresolved feelings. My heart, which I had believed was on the mend, still ached for him, for a life that felt a million miles away.The next day, I woke up with a familiar emptiness in my chest. The pending meeting with my dad and the fresh ache of missing Don Antonio were a heavy weight on my shoulders. I knew I needed to get out of the house, to do anything to stop the swirling thoughts in my head. A trip to the shopping mall seemed like a good idea. The hustle and bustle, the bright lights, the sheer volume of people—it all felt like a safe shield against my own quiet despair.I was in a small, elegant boutique, running my hand along a rack of silk blou
Last Updated: 2025-08-12
Chapter: 114. Glimmers of HopeAlexa's POV The aftermath of my explosive phone call with my dad left me feeling raw and exposed. The confrontation, while cathartic, had also left me more confused than ever. The anger I'd carried for weeks had finally found an outlet, but the relief was short-lived, replaced by a dull ache of despair. He had called and asked to meet, and in a moment of reckless hope, I had agreed. The thought of confronting him face-to-face, of finally getting some answers, was both terrifying and intoxicating.But before that meeting, before I could plunge myself back into the heart of the storm, my new business offered a welcome, much-needed distraction. I had poured all my energy into it, desperate for a purpose that was entirely my own, something that no one—not my mother, not my dad, not Don Antonio—could take away from me.I was hunched over a new sketch, completely lost in the intricate details of a design, when my phone chimed. It wasn't the menacing buzz of a text from my mother or the int
Last Updated: 2025-08-11
Chapter: 37. One Night of ComfortAvery’s POVI don’t know how long we stayed like that—curled into each other on his couch, hearts racing, skin buzzing from too much emotion and not enough air.After I told him I might be falling in love, the room felt quieter. Still, but not heavy. Caspian didn’t move away, didn’t rush to say something dramatic. Instead, he just stayed there—his arm around me, his thumb gently tracing slow circles on my arm.It was enough.No man had ever made me feel like that—seen, held, steady. Not Hector, with all his slick charm and empty promises. Caspian didn’t have to say anything more. He made me feel safe, like I didn’t have to prove myself, or pretend I was okay when I wasn’t.After a while, he broke the silence.“You haven’t eaten dinner, have you?”I blinked, slowly pulling away from the crook of his shoulder. “No. Not really hungry.”“That’s not an option,” he said, standing and offering me his hand. “You’re not going to let some greedy blackmailer starve you.”I smiled faintly and let
Last Updated: 2025-07-24
Chapter: 36. A Safe PlaceAvery’s POVI couldn’t concentrate at work. Every time I looked up from my computer screen, Debby’s smug face flashed through my mind, her voice replaying that awful ultimatum—twenty-four hours, or she’d blow everything up.It felt like my world was on a time bomb.I tapped my pen against the desk, my thoughts drifting back to Hector and the way he’d ripped up the divorce papers like they were trash. If Debby went ahead and spilled what she saw, Hector could use it against me. He could twist everything to make it seem like I was the unfaithful one. The irony wasn’t lost on me—he cheated, he lied, but a single kiss with Caspian could suddenly become ammunition in court.And Debby knew that.She didn’t care about me or what I was going through. To her, this was an opportunity to cash out, to line her pockets with my silence.I stared at my phone, hesitating for a moment before pressing Caspian’s contact. My fingers trembled slightly, not because I was scared of him, but because I knew h
Last Updated: 2025-07-21
Chapter: 35. Her Price for SilenceAvery’s POV I didn’t want to go.I didn’t want to see her face, sit across from her fake-smiling lips, or listen to whatever disgusting offer she was about to throw on the table. But I had no choice. Not when she held a ticking bomb over my head, ready to blow up everything I had just started to rebuild.When Debby waved me over to the small restaurant across the street from the office, I followed stiffly, feeling like a prisoner walking toward her own execution.The moment we sat down, she skipped all formalities."I’m not going to waste your time, Avery," she said, leaning forward with that smirk I was beginning to hate with my entire soul. "You know what I saw. I know what I saw. And I’m guessing you know what it would mean if someone else saw it too. Most especially your dear loving husband, Hector."I clenched my jaw. "You said this wasn’t about ruining lives, just business. So say what you want to say and get it over with."Debby chuckled like I amused her. "Right. Business. Le
Last Updated: 2025-07-20
Chapter: 34. Dangerous Distractions Caspian’s POVI’d never been the type to look forward to going into the office. Work was work—something I had mastered, something that kept my revenge plan moving, something I controlled with precision. But today… today felt different.I checked my reflection in the mirror again, straightening my already perfect tie. My hair was in place, my cologne subtle but sharp. Everything looked normal on the outside, but inside?My chest buzzed with anticipation.I knew exactly why.The very thought of Avery waiting somewhere in the building, her soft green eyes, the way she bit her lip when she was thinking, the way her voice lowered just a little when she was talking to me alone—it drove me absolutely mad.I wasn’t even trying to fight it anymore. I had fallen. Deep.And now, all I wanted was to see her again. Not in the way I saw most people. I wanted to study her—every look, every movement, every reaction. I wanted to soak her in like she was the only source of light left in my dark, reven
Last Updated: 2025-07-18
Chapter: 33. Unspoken StormsAvery’s POVThe soft clinking of glasses and the low hum of music filled the dimly lit bar. It was early evening, and the place wasn’t too crowded—just the way I liked it. The amber lighting wrapped around the space like a quiet embrace, but nothing could still the restlessness inside me.I wrapped my fingers around the rim of my untouched drink, stirring the melting ice with the straw. I had texted Desmond a few hours ago, needing to talk to someone who wasn’t tangled in the drama of my life—someone who didn’t want anything from me.Desmond walked in just as I was about to check my phone again. He wore his usual dark jeans and a black T-shirt, his brown hair a little messy like he’d run his fingers through it too many times. When his eyes found mine, he gave a half-smile and made his way over.“Avery,” he said, sliding into the booth across from me. “You know how I have this weird habit of reading a tone into a text, right?”“Yeah, and?”“Your text sounded like you have been so worri
Last Updated: 2025-07-16
Chapter: 32. Midnight ConfessionsAvery's POVI thought handing Hector the divorce papers would be the end of something—the final nail in the coffin of a toxic, broken marriage.But I was wrong.He didn’t even read them. He tore them in half right in front of me. No hesitation. No emotion. Just a sharp rip that echoed in the silence like a gunshot.And then he walked away, leaving the pieces fluttering to the floor, and me standing there stunned—humiliated all over again.That night, I couldn’t sleep.I tossed and turned, my mind spinning, heart aching. The image of those torn pages haunted me. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his smug face, heard the sound of paper ripping, felt the heavy weight of powerlessness settle over me like a shroud.He had the upper hand again.Legally, emotionally, symbolically—he was still trying to own me.I stared at the ceiling, my thoughts bouncing like angry wasps in my head. My room felt suffocating. Juliet was probably in her room, already spinning this into another power play. An
Last Updated: 2025-07-16
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