Chapter: BOOK TWO - Chapter 22: Marcus's Seduction ~ Jessica POV ~The soft lighting of the wine bar cast shadows across Marcus's weathered face as I leaned forward, my fingers brushing against his hand wrapped around his glass. "You seem tense tonight," I murmured, letting concern color my voice as Victoria Sterling—the woman who'd never existed until I needed her to. Marcus saw beauty where Michael's loyal dog once sat. He saw a victim where a predator circled.Marcus's shoulders sagged, and I felt the familiar thrill of watching someone break exactly where I wanted them to. "Work's been... challenging lately. Michael's been making decisions that don't make sense. Risky moves that could hurt the company."*Perfect.* I tilted my head, letting my rebuilt features arrange themselves into the perfect expression of sympathy. "You've been with him for what—Twenty years? That must be heartbreaking, watching someone you respect make those kinds of choices.""Twenty three years." His voice cracked slightly, and I had to suppress a smile. T
최신 업데이트: 2025-06-19
Chapter: BOOK TWO - Chapter 21: Austin's Recovery ~ Austin POV ~"The physical therapy sessions are going well, but we need to discuss the psychological impact."Dr. Martinez's voice cuts through the sterile hospital air as she flips through my chart. I'm sitting on the edge of the bed, hospital gown hanging loose around my shoulders, and every muscle in my body screams when I try to straighten up."What kind of psychological impact?" Mom's voice is tight, controlled. She's been like this for days—wound so tight I'm afraid she might snap."Memory fragmentation is common with traumatic brain injuries. Austin may have gaps, or certain memories might feel... disconnected from reality."I watch Dad's jaw clench. He's been doing that a lot lately. "But his long-term memory is intact?""Yes, Mr. Walton. Family memories, childhood experiences—those appear unaffected. It's more about the trauma itself and the weeks leading up to it."The thing is, I remember everything about my family. I remember Alex teaching me chess when we were eight. I
최신 업데이트: 2025-06-19
Chapter: BOOK TWO - Chapter 20: Hospital Vigil ~ Micheal POV ~The ambulance doors slam shut behind us, metal echoing like a gunshot through the emergency bay. My hands shake as I watch the paramedics wheel Austin through the automatic doors, his face pale as death under the harsh fluorescent lights."Sir, you'll need to—" A nurse tries to stop me."That's my son." The words tear from my throat, raw and desperate. "Austin Walton. He's my son."She steps aside, but I can already see them disappearing around a corner. The antiseptic smell hits me like a slap—that sterile, chemical scent that means pain and fear and things going wrong.*Jessica did this, Again*The thought burns through my chest like acid. I know it in my bones, the same way I know my own name. This wasn't an accident. That bitch came back from whatever hole she crawled into and went after my boy."Michael!" Aria's voice cuts through the chaos. She's running toward me, her hair wild, mascara streaked down her cheeks. "Where is he? How bad—""They took him back." I ca
최신 업데이트: 2025-06-17
Chapter: BOOK TWO - Chapter 19: Second Blood *Few Days Later*~ Jessica POV ~The champagne bubbles tickled my throat as I watched Aria’s family through the restaurant window. Perfect. Absolutely perfect.Tina's hands had shaken when she'd handed over those delicious details about Austin's schedule. The little gambling addict had folded so beautifully at the casino—all it took was a stack of her debt receipts and a few photos of her at those high-stakes tables, and some little cash to get her going.Elizabeth had been useless, of course. The old bat's mind was gone, floating somewhere between reality and whatever medication they'd pumped into her. I'd tried working that angle first, but you can't manipulate someone who can't remember your face five minutes after you leave. Waste of perfectly good plastic surgery.But Tina? Tina was my golden ticket straight into Aria's inner circle.My phone buzzed. Right on schedule."It's done," came the gruff voice. "Kid's car will have a little... malfunction... on Riverside Drive. Brake lin
최신 업데이트: 2025-06-17
Chapter: BOOK TWO - Chapter 18: Tina's Betrayal~ Tina POV ~"Ma'am, another drink?" The cocktail waitress leaned over my shoulder, her voice cutting through the casino's relentless chiming and clicking.I didn't look up from the blackjack table. Couldn't. My hands were shaking too badly, and I needed them steady for the next hand. "Whiskey. Double."The cards blurred in front of me. Twenty-three thousand down in two hours. Jesus Christ, Tina. What are you doing?"Rough night?" The woman beside me spoke with practiced sympathy, the kind dealers and bartenders perfected. I glanced sideways—elegant, late thirties maybe, perfectly styled hair that caught the casino lights. She looked expensive. Out of place next to my wrinkled blouse and mascara-streaked cheeks."You could say that." I tried to keep my voice steady, but it cracked anyway. The dealer slid another card across the felt. Bust. Again.Another five hundred gone.The blonde woman made a soft tsking sound. "Money troubles?"I laughed, but it came out bitter and hollow. "Somet
최신 업데이트: 2025-06-16
Chapter: BOOK TWO - Chapter 17: Interrogation The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead like angry wasps. I smoothed my navy blazer—Victoria Sterling always dressed impeccably—and crossed my legs at the ankle. The metal chair was cold against my back, but I kept my expression serene. Concerned. The perfect picture of a philanthropist wrongly accused.Detective Morrison looked tired. Dark circles under his eyes, coffee stains on his white shirt. Good. Tired cops made mistakes."Ms. Sterling, thank you for coming in voluntarily." He set a manila folder on the scratched table between us. "I know this is... inconvenient.""Of course, Detective." I folded my hands in my lap. "Anything I can do to help clear up this terrible misunderstanding about the Children's Future Foundation. It breaks my heart to see Aria Campbell's charity dragged through the mud like this."His pen clicked. Once. Twice. "You've been quite generous with your donations. Twenty-five thousand just last month.""Children are our future." I let my voice catch slightly.
최신 업데이트: 2025-06-15
UNSPOKEN BOND
- MY FIRST BOOK - - A LOT OF GRAMMATICAL ERRORS- - AND THE STORY LINE MESSED UP - - SO YOU CAN READ MY SECOND BOOK WHICH IS AVAILABLE NOW - #ADVICE FROM THE AUTHOR Lila Emerson walks through the crowded corridors of Willow Creek High School in silence, a persistent target of criticism and mockery due to her inability to communicate properly. Among her tormentors is Caleb Matthews, the embodiment of popularity and arrogance, whose vicious remarks echo through the halls. However, fate intervenes when they are unhappily assigned to the same study group.
Caleb's initial hatred for Lila's perceived vulnerability begins to fade as they are forced together. Despite his initial resistance, he begins to see past her silence, uncovering perseverance and inner power that defy his assumptions. Each meeting creates a tenuous bond between them, forcing Caleb to examine his own biases and beliefs. understanding that could change their lives forever.
Caleb and Lila must decide whether to give in to the opinions of their peers or to accept the deeper understanding that brings them together.
읽기
Chapter: 76The library had settled into its usual afternoon lull, the air thick with the musty scent of aging paper and the soft rustle of turning pages. Lila sat hunched over her laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard as she transcribed her latest research notes. So engrossed was she in her work that she failed to notice the looming presence approaching her table until a shadow fell across her screen.Glancing up with a start, Lila found herself face to face with Caleb's towering bulk. Her muscles tensed instinctively, body coiling as if readying for fight or flight. The last encounter with this lumbering bully still burned fresh in her memory - his sneering disdain, the casual cruelty as he'd snatched away her notebook filled with painstaking calculations and schematics.But something was... off. Instead of the usual sneer twisting his features, Caleb's expression seemed almost sheepish. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, hands shoved deep in the pockets of his varsity jacket as he r
최신 업데이트: 2024-07-15
Chapter: 75The echoing silence stretched unbearably as Caleb's hulking form loomed over Lila. She remained frozen, muscles coiled tightly, awaiting the inevitable belittling remark or physical intimidation tactic from the lumbering brute.Instead of lashing out verbally, Caleb simply stared her down, pale eyes drilling into her with an intense, unblinking glare. The seconds ticked by agonizingly until Lila had to fight the urge to squirm under his domineering scrutiny. Finally, he broke the oppressive silence by jutting his thick neck forward, the cords of muscle straining beneath his skin as he fixed her with a callous sneer."Give it here," he growled, the gravelly timbre of his voice reverberating through the stillness.Lila's brow furrowed slightly as she met his imperious glare, refusing to be cowed so easily despite her growing trepidation. She tilted her head in an exaggerated questioning expression.Caleb responded by leaning down until his meaty face filled her field of vision, hot bur
최신 업데이트: 2024-07-15
Chapter: 74The library had settled into an industrious hush, the only sounds the occasional creak of chair legs against tile or the muffled clacking of Lila's fingers flying across her laptop's keyboard. Dylan pored over a sheaf of printouts, lips pursing in concentration as he made notations in the margins with a stubby pencil.Mia broke the silence with a jaw-cracking yawn, slumping back in her chair as she stretched her arms overhead. "Well, I don't know about you two, but my brain feels like an overstuffed piñata about to burst after cramming in all those thermospheric equilibrium models."Lila shot her a sidelong glance, the ghost of a smirk playing about her lips as her hands articulated a response. Dylan watched the deft weaving of her fingers with a hint of envy, wishing he could fully grasp the nuanced expressiveness of that rich, silent language.Mia snorted, translating Lila's gestures with a rakish grin. "She says no one ever claimed saving the world would be easy, especially when th
최신 업데이트: 2024-07-15
Chapter: CHAPTER 73CHAPTER 73Mia studied a stack of printouts and sketchy diagrams, her brow wrinkled with concentration. Lila's fingers flew across the screen of her laptop with fluid ease, signing a complicated stream of gestures interspersed by brief bursts of typing. Dylan watched the spectacle with a genuine sense of pleasure and satisfaction. Just a short time ago, this ragged company was on the verge of implosion, split between petty power battles and pointless outbursts of ideological grandstanding. However, once their focus moved to actual, concrete goals in pursuit of the Scholsemann Sustainability Scholarship, a perceptible rebirth of synergy emerged.Dylan felt the same explosive spark that had first attracted them together rekindle as he assessed his co-conspirators' single-minded focus on the mission at hand. He cleared his throat, the gravelly rasp cutting through the charged silence like a tuning fork vibration. "Alright, people - I think it's time we regroup and see what kind of big-
최신 업데이트: 2024-05-31
Chapter: CHAPTER 72CHAPTER 72***NEXT DAY AT SCHOOL ***The library's hushed ambiance felt like a taut wire, barely containing the simmering tensions that crackled between them. Lila swept her gaze across the secluded study nook, taking stock of her unlikely crew bound together by shared trauma and a singular purpose.Mia radiated tightly-coiled fury, her lithe frame tensed like a spring awaiting release. Though defiant fire still burned in those dark eyes, the mottled bruises marring her skin served as a visceral reminder of the price they'd paid for resistance. Beside her, Dylan settled into his chair with measured movements, as if afraid any sudden gestures might rekindle the powderkeg hostilities. His jaw was clenched, eyes tracking the others with a wariness born of recent betrayals.The heavy tread of boots against tile announced Caleb's arrival. The towering jock swaggered in exuding nonchalant arrogance, but the corded muscles bunching along his thick neck betrayed the menacing undercurrent sim
최신 업데이트: 2024-05-15
Chapter: CHAPTER 71CHAPTER 71The front door let out a deep, familiar groan of protest as Lila shouldered it open and stepped across the threshold into the Hawthorne home. The entrance stretched out in front of her, tiny but neat, a true reflection of her father's practical principles and workmanlike pride.She scuffed her trainers against the bristly welcome mat, releasing the grit and debris that had gathered throughout the day on their rubber soles. The regular shucking noises resonated hollowly along the front hall, as Lila went about her daily practice of making herself at home.Her backpack thudded on the floor with a muffled whump, spreading its contents in a tangled sprawl of notebooks, textbooks and stray pens. She'd worry about resolving that issue later; for now, the enticing draw of escape into the digital ether called with its siren song of consequence-free distraction.Lila retrieved her smartphone from the chaos, flicking her thumb across the lockscreen in a single practiced flick. The sc
최신 업데이트: 2024-05-13
로그인
