Novel-novel oleh Kaleki Grayse

The private wing of Mercy General was quieter at night, with only the soft hum of machines and the gentle footsteps of night-shift nurses. Luna and Grayson hurried down the familiar hallway, still in their formal attire from the gala. Luna's heels clicked against the polished floor, a sound that seemed too loud in the peaceful space. Dr. Martinez met them outside Elise's room, his expression cautiously optimistic. "She's been drifting in and out of consciousness," he explained in a low voice. "But when she's awake, she's remarkably lucid for someone who's been in a coma for fifteen years. Her first word was 'Luna,' and she's repeated it several times since." Luna's hands shook as she smoothed down her evening dress. She felt overdressed and unprepared for this moment she'd dreamed about for so long. "Is she... is she going to be okay?" Luna asked. "It's too early to tell the extent of her recovery," Dr. Martinez said gently. "But the fact that she's conscious and speaking is ver

Luna stared at herself in the ornate bathroom mirror, Helena's words echoing in her mind. Leave with Grace and disappear, or face public exposure. Her hands trembled as she gripped the marble countertop, trying to process everything that had happened in the span of a few hours.Her mother was awake. Grace was alive. And now Helena Chen stood between her and any chance of a normal life with Grayson.The bathroom door opened, and an older woman in a shimmering gold dress entered. Luna quickly composed herself, forcing a smile as she pretended to touch up her lipstick."Lovely event," the woman said, washing her hands at the adjacent sink. "You're Mrs. Vaughn, aren't you? Such a handsome couple.""Thank you," Luna managed, her voice steadier than she felt.The woman left, and Luna was alone again with her racing thoughts. She pulled out her phone and stared at the screen, wanting desperately to call the hospital and check on her mother. But she couldn't risk missing anything important ha

The Meridian Hotel ballroom shimmered with gold accents and soft candlelight, casting a warm glow over the gathered elite. The air smelled of expensive perfume, champagne, and power. Waiters in crisp white jackets moved swiftly between guests, offering flutes of sparkling wine and delicate hors d'oeuvres. Everything sparkled—but Luna felt like she was wearing a mask.She adjusted the emerald necklace around her neck, a gift from Grayson for tonight—trying to calm her nerves. The necklace was exquisite, its deep green stone catching the light perfectly, but it felt heavy tonight. Heavy with responsibility. Heavy with secrets.Her mother had opened her eyes that afternoon. For a moment—just a brief one—Elise’s gaze had locked with Luna’s. She hadn’t spoken, hadn’t moved again since, but the doctors said it was a good sign. Luna had wanted to stay by her bedside, to hold her hand and wait. But Grayson had gently insisted she come to the gala. They needed every appearance of strength toni

The boardroom at Vaughn Industries didn’t feel like a room for business that morning—it felt like a battlefield. The sleek glass walls, once a symbol of transparency and strength, now seemed to trap the pressure inside like a boiling kettle.Grayson sat at the head of the long, mahogany table, his knuckles pale against the armrests. His usually composed face was a mask of tension. He hadn’t slept well. He hadn’t eaten. His thoughts were split between Luna’s mother—who had miraculously begun showing signs of life after two decades—and the slow, quiet war being waged against his family’s empire.The air was thick with stress. No one reached for the complimentary water bottles or the black coffee steaming in porcelain cups. Not today.Marcus cleared his throat and slid a dark blue folder across the table. “Blackstone Capital just acquired another twelve percent of our outstanding shares.”Grayson’s eyes snapped to the document, but he didn’t touch it. His jaw tensed. “That brings them to

Luna’s hands trembled as she clutched the piece of paper, the ink slightly smudged from her sweat-damp fingers. Her eyes remained fixed on the address scrawled in elegant cursive. Mercy General Medical Center. Her breath hitched. Her pulse roared in her ears. Her mother was there. Alive. After years of mourning, after two decades of questions buried beneath grief and lies—Elise Winters was not dead. She’d been alive all this time. In a coma. Hidden. Protected? Or imprisoned? Luna couldn’t decide what was worse. Grayson watched her carefully in the back seat of the car, his hand gently resting over hers. “Are you ready for this?” he asked softly, his voice more of a caress than a question. Luna nodded, though her stomach twisted with uncertainty. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I have to be.” Because how does anyone prepare to see the face of someone they thought was lost forever? Her heart beat painfully in her chest, a thudding drum of fear and hope colliding like two st

Luna stood frozen as the elevator doors opened with a soft chime. A woman stepped out—elegant, silver-haired, wearing a tailored coat that spoke of wealth and refinement. Her face was lined with years of carefully hidden pain, and her eyes held secrets that seemed to weigh her down. "Mrs. Vaughn," the woman said, her voice steady but gentle. "My name is Eleanor Vaughn. I believe we need to talk." Grayson went rigid beside Luna. "Aunt Eleanor?" The woman's gaze shifted to him, and something flickered across her face—regret, perhaps, or sorrow. "Hello, Grayson. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to come forward." Luna's mind reeled. This was Grayson's aunt—the woman Marcus had mentioned in connection with Langley Holdings, the mysterious company tied to all their troubles. But why was she here? And why now? "You said you have information about my sister," Luna said, her voice barely above a whisper. "About Grace. And my mother." Eleanor nodded slowly. "I do. But what I have t

Chapter 142: The Watson mansion was fully alive. Streamers hung cascading off of everything they could, balloons bounced merrily around various corners, and the air swam thick with the tantalizing smell of BBQ on the back porch. Today was, after all, Ave's party – but it was more than that; today was the day Lily and James had chosen to once again pledge themselves to one another.Lily stood before the full-length mirror, straightening out her simple white sundress. At seven months, she was radiant—a perfect arc the curve of her belly was, below the flowing fabric.From the doorway, the sound of a voice declared, "You look beautiful." Lily turned to see her cousin Maggie smile at her."Thanks." Lily smoothed the dress. "I feel like a beached whale, but James insists I'm glowing."Maggie burst out laughing. "He's right, you know. You look like you're about to light up his world or something." She walked over and hugged Lily. "I can't believe how far we've come since that one crazy nig

Chapter 141: Lily woke up off. She couldn't explain it, but something just seemed… off. And when she rolled over to check the time, a wave of nausea hit her. She groaned and buried her face in her pillow."Alright?" James mumbled, still half asleep."Yeah, I just feel a little queasy," Lily replied. "Probably just something I ate."James sat up concerned. "You want me to get you something?"Lily shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. We should get up anyway; Ave has that school play today, remember?"They climbed out of bed and busied themselves getting ready for the day. James went into the bedroom to awaken Ave while Lily projectile-vomited into the toilet.James had, by this time, somehow managed to dress Ave in her costume: a huge, puffy frog outfit in bright green made for the school dress rehearsal of "The Frog Prince.""Mommy!" Ave squealed as she clumped down the stairs. "Do I look like a real frog?"Lily laughed, pushing aside her queasiness. "Why, yes, my child, the fairest fr

Chapter 140: Giggles consumed the room, and James stirred awake. He opened an eye to find a little face at the end of the bed staring in at him."Daddy! Wake up!" little Ave chirped in at him.Stepping over the landmines that were on the bed, James ran his hand through the small amount of her running down her back and picked her up, digging fingers into her tummy."Morning, princess," he said by way of splaying a kiss on her forehead.Ave giggled and squirmed. "Mommy said breakfast was ready!""Oh, yeah?" said James, sitting up but not letting go of the squirming Ave. "Am I to take it that's why Mommy sent you in here to wake me up?"Ave nodded, her bouncing brown curls saying more than she could. "Yep! She said tell you there's coffee."James laughed, and if Lily knew him at all well, it was all for her benefit. "Well then, I guess we'd better not have Mommy waiting, huh?"He climbed out of bed, Ave still in his arms, and rolled out of the room. The smell of bacon and coffee wafted

Chapter 139James lay on his back on the pristine white sand beach and took a pounding from the burning Maldivian sun. His hand reached up behind him for the coconut cocktail, tasting sweetness in his mouth as the gentle lapping of waves broke almost ten meters away from shore. It was the first time he had really been allowed to relax, barring a three-month period, since they had released the secrets of the Shadow Council onto the world."Penny for your thoughts?" The sound of Lily's voice broke through his reverie. She settled herself down on the lounger beside him. Her skin was golden against the sun.He smiled, squeezing her hand, saying, "Just thinking how surreal this all is. A year ago, I was knee-deep in conspiracies and shadow organizations. Now I'm sipping cocktails on a private island."Lily chortled; that sound always hit James in exactly the right place in his heart."Life's funny that way, isn't it?" she said, turning her head to look at him with her chin resting on her a

Chapter 138: James was pacing his living room relentlessly. Elena was with Rachel. It was all over. Well yah, anyway that was supposed to mean.Lilly squinted at him from the couch. "James, honey, you're going to wear a hole in the carpet. Come sit down."He sucked in a deep breath and sat down beside her. "I'm sorry; I just… I just can't help but feel this is too easy. After everything we've been through, this is just too easy."Lily squeezed his hand reassuringly. "James, I hardly think that anything about this has been easy. But maybe, this is the way it ends. Not really with a bang, but with a whimper."There was a pounding on the door. The teenager was on his feet before James could even open his mouth. His heart pounded in his chest. This was it.The door was thrown open. To find Rachel standing there—grimy, dirty, and obviously completely exhausted but still with the fires of determination burning behind her eyes. And past her."Hello, James," came the soft-spoken voice of Ele

Chapter 137: Rachel's hands trembled on the wheel. She drove the car towards the lighthouse. It was a full moon drooping low into a mess, ever drooping across the sky to the west, throwing a queer, sickly light over the whole demesne. She could not believe the fact that she was actually doing this, meeting secretly with her mother, Elena.She couldn't bat the feeling away that this time—this time—things were different. There was no hand in the place that could have been straightened just then, and scarcely a hand for him to take.Beside the lighthouse was her mother's car. Ray closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and felt her hand shake again, then brought it quickly up to her chest and gripped hard. "You can do this," she whispered to herself.She scrambled out of the car and up the serpentine path to the lighthouse, where waves dashed to the rocks and her feet crunched over gravel.One figure stood at the top by the railing, looking out at the water: Elena. His mother.Rachel's hea