Novels by Tory

I never thought I’d end up hiding inside Alexander’s house. But that’s exactly what it had become for me. The footage Sloane released had spread like wildfire, and even though Alexander had scrambled immediately to pull every string he could to erase it from the campus blog, the damage was done. But Alexander wasn’t letting me fight this alone. He had gathered everything. Sever logs, hidden IP traces, timestamps. I sat on the edge of his couch, hugging my knees while he worked at his multiple monitors. His face was illuminated by the cold blue light. “She didn’t even bother to mask her trail,” he muttered, pulling up another window. “That’s arrogance for you. She thought no one would touch her. She must’ve forgotten who I am.” “Can we really prove it’s her?” Alexander swiveled in his chair, meeting my eyes. “Kim... we already did. Look.” He turned the screen toward me. A string of numbers and letters I didn’t understand glared back at me. “That’s her login. Her device. The files w

I walked past Sloane as I entered the living room. My hands tightened at my sides. “Sloane,” I said again. “What are you doing here? How do you even know where she lives? Why are you here, Sloane?” She flinched slightly, her hand brushing over her arm. “Kim, it’s not that deep—” “Not that deep?” I cut her off, my voice pitching louder. “You’re in my sister's apartment. And I don’t even know you were close enough to her to be here.” My chest rose and fell in shaky bursts. “When exactly did that happen, huh? When did you get close to her behind my back?” Her eyes flicked away, and she let out a nervous laugh. “It’s not... Look, it’s complicated.” “Complicated?” I repeated, stepping closer. “How long have you two been—whatever this is? Friends? How long have you been going behind my back?” She sighed dramatically, like I was exhausting her. “Kim, don’t make this bigger than it is—” “Bigger than it is?” My throat burned. “This is my sister. And none of this makes sense! You kept thi

Alexander was on me instantly. His arm swept around my shoulders, pulling me tightly against him. “Don’t look at it. Don’t, please.” “My sister...” The words barely broke past my lips. “Everyone... the whole school.” Alexander pressed my face into his chest, his palm shielding my head. “Don’t look,” he repeated. Across from us, Adrian still hadn’t moved. His eyes were locked on this phone. “Adrian,” Alexander barked, but there was no response. Adrian’s lips moved, muttering curses under his breath, but he didn’t look up. He was transfixed, as though the footage had him nailed to the couch. I was trembling, tears streaming freely down my face as I clung to Alexander’s shirt. Alexander shifted, keeping me shielded as he bent to pick my phone up from the floor with his free hand. He locked it without glancing at the screen and shoved it into his pocket. “We’re leaving,” Alexander said flatly as he turned to Adrian. Adrian didn’t move. His gaze was still glued to his phone screen,

I blinked, the room spinning slightly. “What did you say?” Adrian nodded. “Genevieve is the anonymous mailer. That’s what we were fighting about today in the lot.” He exhaled harshly, dragging a hand through his hair. “She found out. And then she—” His voice faltered. “She broke up with me.” I stood there, frozen, every nerve in my body ringing with shock. I slowly went back to Alexander and sat down beside him. Adrian sank into the couch opposite us, his hands dragging down his face. He looked tired. He leaned back, staring at the ceiling, then exhaled sharply. “Fine,” he finally said. “I won’t lie about it. Yes, the mail came from my house. From my network and probably from my own computer.” My heart lurched, and I gripped the edge of the couch where Alexander and I sat, my nails digging into the fabric. But before I could form words, Adrian tilted his head back toward me, his expression almost pleading. “But it wasn’t me,” he continued, voice breaking through my panic. “Believ

“Kim,” Alexander said slowly. “With Tessa’s cooperation, I managed to narrow everything down. I traced the mail. Every IP, every reroute. It wasn’t easy, but I got the exact place it was sent from.” My chest tightened. “And?” He turned his head toward me, then his eyes got dark, almost apologetic. “Promise me you won’t overreact to what I’m about to say.” “I’ll be calm. Just tell me.” He inhaled deeply. “The mail was sent from Adrian’s address, his apartment.” I froze in place. My body went still, and I could barely breathe. He kept talking, watching me carefully. “I know it’s his place since I’ve been there. When we were at his apartment, I tapped on his network for this particular purpose. And this mail came from that network. I recognize it. I triple checked it before I even called you down here. It wasn’t some mistake, Kim. It came from his house, so it’s him.” My ears rang. I stared at Alexander, but my mind was somewhere else. I couldn’t believe Adrian could betray me lik

As we entered our dorm room, I dropped my bag on the floor and exhaled sharply, pressing my back against the wall for a second as though I needed it to hold me up. Sloane stretched lazily, kicking off her shoes as if she hadn’t just witnessed me nearly bolt out of the car to my sister’s defense. She ran her finger through her hair, and she spoke in a light tone. “I hope you’re not worried about your sister and her relationship.” I turned my head toward her, narrowing my eyes. “I’m not even thinking about that,” I said flatly. She paused, one eyebrow arching as she was clearly intrigued. “Oh?” She took a few steps closer, folding her arms across her chest. “Then, what are you thinking about, Kim?” I pushed off the wall and walked toward my desk, sliding into the chair just to put some space between us. I fiddled with a pen, my eyes on it instead of her. “I met with Tessa.” Sloane’s body stilled. “You what?” she asked. “I met with her,” I repeated, still not meeting her eyes. Sh

“Tell me son,” Scott sighed, finally relaxing his shoulders and returning back to the chair. “This relationship between you two... has it been consummated?” “Consummated?” Ace repeated. “What—what does that even mean?” Scott exhaled softly. “I mean... have you guys had sex?” “Oh, my goodness,” Ace rolled his eyes. “Then just say that then—” “Ace,’ Scott snapped, interrupting Ace mid-sentence. But then he sighed again and shook his head. “Yes, you’re right. I should have said that.” Watching Scott and Ace go back and forth while I stayed frozen in my seat was nothing less exhausting. They had bonded before but my decision to reveal my secret affair with his son had reopened an old wound. But I couldn’t stay silent for long. “Well, actually,” I said quietly. The two of them went quiet as their heads turned to me in a timely order. “Yes, Sabrina?” Scott muttered. “We’ve had sex,” I answered. “Not once, not twice.” Ace jumped in. “You remember the dream you told Sabrina... the

I had said it. I had finally said it out loud that I loved someone else. But saying that wasn’t enough. I swallowed, my throat burning. “There’s more,” I said quietly. Scott didn’t speak. He just looked at me, his jaw tight, his eyes were dark. “I love Ace,” I said. The words landed harder than anything before them. A sharp sound escaped Scott’s chest—half a breath, half a laugh that held no humor. He turned his head slowly, almost mechanically, toward his son. Ace stayed frozen, his shoulders tense, his fists clenched at his sides. “Can you explain to me what Sabrina is saying?” Scott said. My heart slammed painfully against my ribs. “No. I will.” Scott’s gaze snapped back to me. “I loved him before I ever married you,” I continued, my voice trembling now but refusing to break. “Before I even knew he was your son. Before I knew anything about you.” Scott’s brow furrowed. “You already know that we go to the same school,” I said quietly. “I crushed on him. Hard. I knew his

“Vasectomy?” I whispered to myself. But I wasn’t the only one who kept repeating that word over and over and over again. My mum, Ace, Mary, and some of the other staffs in the room kept saying it. “What do you mean,” I asked, my voice cutting through the soft murmurs of everyone, “you had a vasectomy?” Scott turned to me slowly, his expression calm. “Yes, Sabrina. Exactly what it means, dear.” “When?” I pressed. “How long ago?” Ace leaned forward in his chair, eyes fixed on his father. Even the staff along the walls seemed to be interested in the answers to the question I had asked. Scott inhaled, then said quietly, “It’s something I did long ago. After my wife died.” The room shifted. “After Elsie passed away, giving birth to Ace,” he continued, his voice calm but unmistakably heavy. “I had it done not long after the funeral.” My heart clenched. “I loved her,” he said simply. “I still do. And I knew without any doubt that I never wanted another woman to carry my child. Not

Scott didn’t say anything for a while. He just watched me while I finished with my last boxes. That’s when he walked toward me slowly, like he was afraid that one wrong movement would make me disappear or even more angry than I already was. I stood by the bed, one hand resting on the zipper of a half-packed suitcase, bracing myself for another argument, or another plea I didn’t have the energy for. When he reached me, he didn’t grab my arms or block my way like I had expected. Instead, his hands settled gently at my waist. The touch startled me. I really wasn’t expecting that to happen. “Sabrina,” he said quietly, his forehead almost touching mine. “If I can prove to you that I’m not responsible for the baby your mother claims she’s carrying... would you stay?” I froze as I thought about it for a few quick seconds. My first instinct was to pull away, to snap back with something sharp and defensive. But the way he said it softly, stripped of arrogance, made my throat tighten. I

A few hours later... Scott returned. I hadn’t told anyone he was coming back. I didn’t tell Ace, or Mary, or any of the other staffs in the house, not after what I’d heard that morning, after the way their voices had curled around my name like something rotten, I hadn’t felt generous enough to offer them preparation. Let them be caught exactly as they were. I stood near the foyer when the front door opened. The staff were scattered. Some in the back halls, some near the kitchen, some lazily moving about as if the day were ordinary. But it wasn’t. Scott stepped inside, travel-worn but unmistakably imposing, his presence filling the space instantly. His gaze swept the room, sharp and assessing, and I watched disappointment flicker across his face when he realized no one had rushed forward to greet him. There was no orderly welcome. No, nothing at all. Just silence. I walked toward him anyway. “Welcome home,” I said. I said those words only out of respect and respect alone. Sco

It’s the next morning, and Scott texted me just after dawn. “I’m on my jet. Wheels up. I’ll be home in a couple of hours.” I stared at the message longer than necessary, my thumb hovering over the screen before I typed back a simple... Okay. My chest felt tight, not relief, not dread exactly, but the heavy middle ground where both lived together. I got out of bed quietly. Ace was gone when I woke up, which was a blessing I hadn’t asked for but accepted anyway. The house felt strange in the morning. It was too quiet, like everyone had suddenly disappeared, leaving me alone in the house. I showered, dressed, and tied my hair back, trying to look like someone who had control over her life. Scott was coming home. And that meant the house needed to be ready. That meant everyone needed to be ready. I headed toward the back of the house where the staff usually gathered in the mornings, planning to let Mary know Scott would be arriving soon so preparations could start. I didn’t even ge