Chapter: Chapter 39Ravenna and Soren made their way back inside, the tension between them palpable. As they entered the living room, Astrid's eyes lit up."Ravenna! Come sit by me," Astrid called, patting the spot next to her on the sofa. "I want to hear all about your business ventures."Grateful for the distraction, Ravenna settled next to Astrid. "Well, what would you like to know?"As the two women chatted, their conversation flowed easily from business to fashion to travel. Ravenna found herself genuinely enjoying Astrid's company, her wit and intelligence a refreshing change from the usual socialite crowd."You know," Astrid said, lowering her voice conspiratorially, "I haven't seen Soren this engaged with someone in years. You must be pretty special."Ravenna felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. "Oh, I don't know about that. We're just business partners."Astrid raised an eyebrow. "Mhmm. Sure you are."Across the room, Mara and Lyra were deep in conversation, their eyes occasionally darting to Ra
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2024-09-17
Chapter: Chapter 38 Ravenna pushed open the front door of her family home, the familiar scent of her mother's cooking enveloping her immediately. She followed the aroma to the kitchen, where she found her mother, Mara, bustling about in a frenzy of culinary activity."Mom?" Ravenna called out, eyeing the array of dishes spread across the countertops. "What's going on? Are we feeding an army?"Mara turned, her face flushed from the heat of the kitchen. "Oh, Ravenna! Perfect timing. We're having guests for dinner tonight."Ravenna raised an eyebrow. "Guests? Who?""The Blackthorn family," her mother replied, turning back to stir a simmering pot. "Soren Blackthorn and his parents and sister."Ravenna felt as if the ground had suddenly shifted beneath her feet. "Soren Blackthorn? As in... my business associate, Soren Blackthorn?""The very same," her father's voice came from behind her. Ravenna turned to see him entering the kitchen, a warm smile on his face. "I recently played golf with his father, Cedric.
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2024-09-16
Chapter: Chapter 37Ravenna stifled a yawn as she left the office, the weight of the day's meetings and strategic planning settling heavily on her shoulders. The sun was already setting, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. As she walked to her car, she remembered her nearly empty fridge and decided to make a quick stop at the supermarket.The fluorescent lights of the store were a stark contrast to the fading daylight outside. Ravenna grabbed a basket and began wandering the aisles, her mind still partially occupied with thoughts of Rylan, Soren, and the intricate web she was weaving.As she turned into the produce section, her attention elsewhere, she collided with someone. Apples tumbled to the floor, rolling in every direction."Watch where you're going!" a sharp voice snapped.Ravenna looked up, an apology on her lips, but it died as she recognized the young woman before her. With striking red hair and piercing green eyes, there was no mistaking Quinn, one of Lilith's twin sisters.Quickly c
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2024-09-16
Chapter: Chapter 36Ravenna's heels clicked against the pavement as she hurried to meet Soren at their usual spot, a discreet café tucked away in a quiet corner of the city. Her mind raced with the events of the past few days – the confrontation with Lilith, her calculated confession to Rylan. Everything was falling into place, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was walking a razor's edge.As she entered the café, she spotted Soren immediately, his tall frame unmistakable even in the dimly lit space. He looked up as she approached, his face an unreadable mask."Ravenna," he greeted her, gesturing to the seat across from him. "Right on time, as always."She slid into the chair, eyeing him warily. "Well, when you say you have important information, I tend to take it seriously."Soren nodded, pushing a steaming cup of coffee towards her – black, no sugar, just how she liked it. The gesture, small as it was, reminded Ravenna of how well he'd come to know her over these past months."So," she said, t
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2024-09-16
Chapter: Chapter 35Ravenna's heels clicked against the polished marble floor as she strode through the lobby of Rylan's office building. Her heart raced, but she kept her expression calm and confident. As she approached the security desk, she plastered on her most charming smile."Good afternoon," she greeted the guard. "I'm Ravenna Thorn, here to see Rylan Matthews."The guard checked his list and nodded. "Of course, Ms. Thorn. Mr. Matthews is expecting you. Please take the elevator to the 30th floor."As the elevator ascended, Ravenna took deep breaths, steadying her nerves. The doors opened, revealing a sleek, modern reception area. Rylan's assistant, a petite blonde woman, looked up with a bright smile."Ms. Thorn, welcome. Mr. Matthews is just finishing up a call. Please, go right in."Ravenna nodded her thanks and pushed open the heavy oak door to Rylan's office. The room was impressive – floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the city, while tasteful artwork adorned the walls. Rylan
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2024-09-16
Chapter: Chapter 34The morning sun cast long shadows as Ravenna crouched behind a parked car, her eyes fixed on Rylan's office building. She'd been there for hours, hoping to catch a glimpse of something—anything—that might give her an edge. But so far, all she'd seen was the usual parade of suited executives and harried assistants.Just as she was about to call it quits, a flicker of movement caught her eye. A man dressed in black, his face obscured by dark sunglasses, slipped out of an alley across the street. There was something off about him—the way he moved, the constant scanning of his surroundings. Ravenna's instincts screamed danger.Heart racing, she ducked out from behind the car and began walking briskly in the opposite direction. She could feel the man's eyes on her back, hear his footsteps echoing her own. Panic threatened to overwhelm her, but she forced it down. She wasn't some helpless victim—not anymore.Spotting a busy coffee shop ahead, Ravenna ducked inside and wove through the crowd
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2024-09-16
Chapter: ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 40: ʜᴇ ᴄᴀʟʟᴇᴅ ᴏꜰꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴɢᴀɢᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴠɪᴀ ᴛᴇxᴛ?! ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴅᴀᴄɪᴛʏ!Deja remembered what the angel had said and brought out her phone: Three missed calls from Ren. Seven text messages.Deja blinked, then whispered to no one: “Oh no. Oh hell no. I do not have the bandwidth to emotionally process this man right now.”Ren: We need to talk about us.Ren: I know you’re avoiding me.Ren: Deja, please. This is important.Ren: I’ve called off the engagement.Deja sat bolt upright, staring at the last message in shock. I know this man did not just cancel our engagement via text message.Ren: Not because I don’t want to marry you.Ren: But because I want you to choose me, not feel forced into this.Deja stared at the phone like it owed her money. “You’re telling me I spent all this time being a chaotic menace, threatening to burn this fake rich lady life to the ground, and now you—you—wanna hit me with emotional growth and healthy relationship dynamics?! The disrespect!”She glanced back at the diary lying open beside her, then at her phone with Ren’s messages
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-07-26
Chapter: ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 39: ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ's ᴍʏ ᴜɴɪᴏɴ ʀᴇᴘ? ɪ ᴅɪᴅ ɴᴏᴛ sɪɢɴ ᴜᴘ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜɪs ᴘʟᴏᴛ ᴛᴡɪsᴛ!Deja stumbled through the front door of the Moreau mansion, her body running purely on leftover adrenaline from the board meeting showdown. The house was mercifully empty—her family had gone to celebrate their victory with champagne brunch, but Deja had begged off, claiming exhaustion. In reality, her mind was churning with too many thoughts to process, most of them revolving around a certain frustrating fiancé.“I need a nap, a drink, or to be launched into the sun,” she muttered, kicking off her heels with the grace of a hungover velociraptor. One shoe slammed into a wall and the other pinged off a marble column.A tiny, stupidly expensive vase teetered on its pedestal like it was considering ending it all. Deja paused and whispered, “Same, bestie,” as it miraculously settled back in place.Her bedroom—or rather, Original Deja’s bedroom—was a sanctuary of silk and luxury that she had gradually started to think of as her own. Deja face-planted onto the plush comforter, letting out a
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-07-26
Chapter: ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 38: ɴᴀɪ ɴᴀɪ ʀᴀᴛᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ᴅʀᴀᴍᴀ: ꜰɪᴠᴇ sᴛᴀʀs, ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅ!They entered to find the room already half-full. Board members murmured among themselves, falling silent as the Moreau family took their designated seats. Dominique was already present, looking smugly triumphant in a pristine white suit that Deja immediately fantasized about spilling coffee on.The Zuo family entered moments later—Mr. and Mrs. Zuo looking grave, Ming professionally neutral, and Lily shooting Deja a subtle thumbs-up. Nai Nai trailed behind, wearing an expression that suggested she was attending an entertaining show rather than a serious business meeting.Ren was the last to arrive, striding in with a stack of folders and his tablet. He nodded politely to everyone but avoided making eye contact with Deja.Stick to the plan, she reminded herself, even as she imagined hurling a chair.The board chairman, Mr. Yao, called the meeting to order. “We are gathered today to address serious concerns regarding the Sandersen project, which has reportedly experienced catastrophic fa
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-07-26
Chapter: ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 37: ᴍʀ. ɪ-ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅ-ᴍʏ-sᴘɪɴᴇ-ᴛᴡᴇʟᴠᴇ-ʜᴏᴜʀs-ᴛᴏᴏ-ʟᴀᴛᴇThe next morning, the Moreau dining table looked less like a place for breakfast and more like the war room from Scandal. Laptop cords tangled like spaghetti, coffee cups balanced precariously next to evidence piles (a.k.a. pink Post-it notes with “GUILTY AF” scrawled in glitter pen), and Deja—still in her robe and one sock—was vibrating with the kind of manic energy usually reserved for startup founders and people who live in haunted houses.“FOUND SOMETHING!” Nico yelped, nearly knocking over his cold brew. “Damnn, Dominique is either incredibly devious or incredibly stupid.”“Why not both?” Trevor suggested, abandoning his spreadsheets to peer over Nico’s shoulder.“What?” Deja demanded, scrambling off the bed to join them. “What did you find?”Nico turned his laptop screen toward her. “The files on this flash drive? They’re all dated from three days after you supposedly signed off on them. And get this—they were all created on Dominique’s personal laptop. The device identifier is
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-07-26
Chapter: ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 36: ᴡᴇ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ (sᴀɪᴅ ᴍʏ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ, sʜᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢʟʏ).Back at the Moreau mansion, Deja headed straight to her room, ignoring her parents’ concerned phone calls. She threw herself onto her bed, staring at the ceiling.She should be laughing. Her reputation was finally in ruins, her fake fiancé hadn’t swooped in to play hero, and the crowd had eaten up every ounce of chaos. It was exactly what she wanted.But somehow, it didn’t sit right.Not because she cared what they thought—please. But because Dominique looked good by comparison. That wasn’t the plan.Deja wasn’t devastated. She wasfurious.Not at the failure—at theoptics. If they wanted a villain, she’d give them one. But next time, she’d make sure no one mistook Dominique for the better woman.Not even for a second. All of a sudden, Nico and Trevor burst into her room without knocking, both talking over each other.“That was a setup—”“Dominique must have—”“We’ll clear your name—”“Guys,” Deja interrupted, sitting up. “It’s okay.”They stared at her in confusion.“It’s okay?” Trevor
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-07-26
Chapter: ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 35: ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴀᴍɴ ꜰʟᴀsʜ ᴅʀɪᴠᴇ: ᴅᴏᴍɪɴɪǫᴜᴇ's ʙᴏᴏᴛʟᴇɢ ʙᴏɴᴅ ᴠɪʟʟᴀɪɴ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛAs Deja arranged her truffles, she spotted Dominique entering the event space, looking impeccable in a white pantsuit that probably cost more than most people’s monthly rent. Their eyes met briefly before Dominique’s lips curved into a calculating smile. She made her way toward Deja with determined steps.“Well, well,” Dominique purred, eyeing the truffles. “Playing chef now? How... domestic of you.”“I contain multitudes,” she said sweetly. “Crisis management, sarcasm, felony-level frosting skills—you know, the usual.”“Ren personally invited me after our delightful conversations during the beach weekend.” Dominique said, her smile not reaching her eyes.Before Deja could respond, Dominique leaned in and pretended to straighten Deja’s collar. In the process, she slipped something into the small clutch purse hanging from Deja’s wrist.“For luck,” Dominique whispered with a wink before gliding away to greet other guests.A flash drive.Not a lipstick. Not a Tic Tac. A whole damn USB. W
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-07-26
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