Chapter: Chapter 98Draven’s POVI changed my shirt twice before deciding that neither choice mattered.The first was a white dress shirt. Too formal.The second was a black one. Too much like I was preparing for a board meeting rather than a conversation that could permanently alter the tiny relationship between Suzan and me.Eventually, I settled on a dark navy shirt beneath a charcoal jacket. No tie. No unnecessary display of wealth. I wanted the evening to feel private, not staged.It was a ridiculous amount of thought to give an outfit.But then, I had spent most of the day thinking about the woman I was going to meet.At nine that morning, I sent her the restaurant's address and the reservation time. She replied a few minutes later.‘I'll be there.’Three words. No questions. No indication that she had spent even a fraction of the time I had worrying about what would happen when we sat across from each other.I envied her composure.The restaurant was a discreet establishment on the Upper East Side
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-11-03
Chapter: Chapter 97Suzan’s POVThe living room had become a battlefield.A colourful battlefield, admittedly, with plastic building blocks scattered across the rug, a half-finished puzzle on the coffee table, and one very determined five-year-old insisting that the adults around her were playing the game incorrectly."Edward, you can't put the blue one there!"Edward glanced up from his laptop. "And why not, Professor?""Because blue goes with blue. That's the rule.""Who made that rule?""Me."He nodded solemnly. "Well, that settles it. I wouldn't dare challenge the authority of the chief scientist."Emerald giggled, clearly pleased with herself.I sat cross-legged on the rug beside her, holding two puzzle pieces that I had been instructed not to connect until further notice. Sarah occupied the sofa with a small bowl of fruit, watching the proceedings with the amused patience of someone who had witnessed this particular brand of chaos many times before."Madam Scientist," I said, examining the pieces
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-11-02
Chapter: Chapter 96Draven’s POVThree days after the FDA's positive feedback went public officially , I visited my grandmother at the Sterling estate.Eleanor had been discharged from the hospital and returned to her suite, where a professional nurse monitored her recovery alongside enough domestic staff to make the entire east wing feel like a private medical facility. She had complained about the arrangements, the restrictions, and the nurse's insistence that she rest, but I suspected she was secretly enjoying having an entire team at her beck and call.When I entered her sitting room, she was by the windows with a book resting open on her lap."Look who has finally remembered that he has a grandmother."I bent to kiss her cheek. "I visited two days ago.""And you think that excuses your hours of absence ?""I see you're recovering well.""Don't change the subject, Draven."I smiled and settled into the armchair opposite her.We spoke briefly about her health, the staff, and the corrected drug. When
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-10-29
Chapter: Chapter 95Cassandra’s POVI should have gone home.That was the sensible thing to do after leaving Draven's office. I should have returned to my apartment, poured myself a drink, and allowed the uneasiness of the morning to settle.Instead, I instructed my driver to take me to Draven's penthouse.I still had a key. He had never asked for it back, and I had never considered giving it up. It was a small privilege, one of the few things that made me feel I belonged in his life even when he kept me at a distance.Today, I needed that privilege.I needed to know what he had found.The pendant.His questions about the engraving. The way he had watched me when I insisted I remembered nothing. His sudden interest in the girl who had saved him.I had told myself it was nothing more than a search for an old memory. But fear had a way of turning insignificant details into warnings, and I could no longer convince myself that Draven's questions were innocent.When the car stopped outside his building, I bar
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-10-27
Chapter: Chapter 94Cassandra's POV The moment I left the dinner venue, I knew something had gone wrong.I couldn't identify the exact moment it happened. Draven had been courteous throughout dinner, pulling out my chair, asking about my day, and listening when I spoke. He had even walked me to the entrance.But beneath his politeness, something had changed.He was watching me.Not the way a man watched the woman he wanted to marry. Not with affection or the familiar warmth I had spent years trying to earn.He watched me as though there were something about me he had yet to understand.And then there had been the pendant.“Do you remember what was engraved along the edge?”Such a simple question. Such an insignificant detail.Yet I had spent the rest of dinner wondering why he had asked it. And what was engraved, did I answer wrongly?My phone rang.Becky.I answered before the driver could open the door for me.“Cassandra, have you seen what's happening online?”I stopped walking. “What happened?”“The
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-10-25
Chapter: Chapter 93Suzan’s POVThe comments kept flooding, some made me smile while some made me want to explain myself ,there were few that made me question myself because a part of me isn’t completely denying the accussations. Of course Cassandra had been dragged into it.A reply appeared beneath the comment.‘Maybe this isn't about winning Draven. Maybe it's entirely about her winning, creating a name for herself and nothing more.’For some reason, that one stayed with me.I locked my phone and placed it face down on the sofa.The internet had turned a complicated corporate recovery into a story about an ex-wife returning to reclaim a billionaire. It was an easy narrative, neat enough to fit into a few lines and entertaining enough to keep people talking.It was also wrong in ways none of them could understand.I hadn't returned to Sterling to win Draven.I had returned because the company needed someone who could identify the problem, because the drug's integrity mattered, and because I had the expe
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-10-24
Chapter: Chapter 25Laurel’s POVI stayed in the bedroom for several minutes after Amanda left.The cream dress hung loosely from my fingers, its delicate fabric slipping against my skin as though even it had forgotten what it was supposed to do.My mind kept circling the same thought.There’s nothing going on.The lie sat heavily inside me.Perhaps it wasn't the kind of lie that could destroy a marriage on its own.But it was still a lie.Something had happened with Julian.Something I had promised myself would never happen again.Something I was still trying desperately to understand.I placed the dress carefully on the bed.Then I looked at myself in the mirror.For a moment, I barely recognized the woman staring back.My hair was still perfectly arranged from Amanda's earlier fussing. My makeup was soft, understated, expensive enough to look effortless. The woman in the mirror looked composed.Elegant.Controlled.Exactly the woman everyone expected Professor Laurel Leonard to be.But beneath all of
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-09-29
Chapter: Chapter 24Laurel’s POVBy two in the afternoon, the penthouse had been transformed into a temporary luxury showroom. Garment bags hung draped over the backs of dining chairs, the sofa, and the high bar stools. Italian leather heels lined the marble trim beneath the console table, designer handbags were arranged across the island, and velvet jewelry boxes sat stacked beside the crystal fruit bowl.I turned slowly toward Amanda. "Did you rob a department store?""I curated," she replied, not looking the least bit apologetic."You brought enough clothes to dress in a small country.""You're welcome." Amanda was thirty-eight and possessed the rare ability to enter any room and immediately behave as though she owned the floor beneath her feet. A high-end stylist by profession, fashion was less a career for her and more an uncompromising religion. Today, she wore wide-legged cream trousers, a fitted black bodysuit, chunky gold hoops, and enough effortless posture to make the entire ensemble look li
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-08-28
Chapter: Chapter 23Laurel’s POVIt was a lecture-free day for me.I had no classes scheduled, and any administrative loose ends could easily be handled from my home office. Yet, despite having nowhere to be, I woke up unusually early. By six-thirty, I was already in the kitchen, driven by habit, motherhood, or perhaps just the quiet necessity of keeping my hands occupied so my mind wouldn't drift.I opened the refrigerator and began taking stock of its contents. vegetables that needed replacing, milk nearing its expiration, a container of strawberries that had seen better days. I made a mental grocery list, tossed the spoiled fruit into the trash, and crouched down to check the lower cabinets.There was a quiet, grounding comfort in these domestic routines. For a few stolen minutes, I wasn't Professor Laurel Leonard. I wasn't a woman trapped in a marriage she no longer recognized, nor the woman who still woke up breathless from nightmares about a baby lost months ago. I was simply a wife and a mother
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-08-24
Chapter: Chapter 22Laurel’s POVThe knocking came again, three soft, rhythmic taps against the wood. I quickly turned my phone face down on the marble counter, as though hiding Leonard's cold text message could somehow dull its sting."Come in."The door swung open slowly, and Lilibeth peeked inside. She was draped in an oversized university sweatshirt and loose pajama pants, her dark hair tossed into a chaotic bun. A pair of headphones rested loosely around her neck, her phone clutched in one hand. Her dark eyes swept over the room, tracking from the cooling gel patch stuck to my forehead, to the sleek black package sitting beside the basin, and finally landing on my face."You look terrible," she said bluntly.I raised an eyebrow. "Thank you."A small grin tugged at her lips. "You know what I mean."Despite the heavy, suffocating weight in my chest, a faint smile broke through. "Come here."She stepped inside and let the door click shut behind her. Instead of sitting beside me."Why are you on the fl
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-08-19
Chapter: Chapter 21Julian's POVI didn't open my notebook. I didn't click my pen.Around me, forty upper-level students were frantically scribbling down every word that left her mouth, treating her slides like holy scripture. In the rows behind me, I could hear the quiet, intimidated whispers of the regulars. “Did you see how Vance handled her the last time?” “He’s terrifyingly smart.” “I heard the upstate department tried to fast-track his thesis.”I ignored them entirely. I didn't care about their assessment of my intelligence. My intellect was a tool, a weapon engineered for a single, devastating purpose, and right now, the only validation I required was the frantic rhythm of the vein pulsing at the base of Laurel’s throat.While the rest of the room stared blindly at the projection screen, I just watched her eyes.I knew exactly what I was doing to her. Every time I shifted my weight in the tiered desk, every time I let my dark, gold-flecked gaze slow-burn across her mouth, I was intentionally pu
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-08-04
Chapter: Chapter 20Laurel’s POVBy Friday afternoon, the relentless Manhattan rain had finally given way to a crisp, brilliant autumn sunshine that flooded the campus with long, amber shadows. I stood before the small mirror in my office vanity, smoothing down the lapels of my charcoal-gray blazer and ensuring not a single strand of hair had escaped my flawless, tightly pinned low bun.I looked exactly as the head of the Behavioral Psychology Department should, composed, untouchable, and firmly in control.But as I gathered my lecture notes for the 2:00 PM seminar, my fingers were laced with a fine, persistent tension. The memory of Wednesday’s encounter in the hallway, the effortless, flirty audacity Julian had displayed right in front of Amanda, had left a humming electricity beneath my skin that I hadn't been able to shake for forty-eight hours.I took a deep, steadying breath, picked up my briefcase, and walked down the corridor toward the Lecture Hall.When I pushed the double doors open, the roo
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-07-26
Chapter: Chapter 80Jacqueline’s POVAbout a month later, the door swung open and Allison walked in, luggage in one hand and sunglasses perched dramatically on her head like some Hollywood diva. Only Allison could pull off airport chic with that level of arrogance and charm.“My God, Jac,” she said, dropping her bag and striding toward me. “I leave you for two weeks and you don’t even look like a heartbroken woman anymore. What did I miss?”I laughed, standing to hug her, inhaling the faint trace of her perfume mixed with airplane scent. God, I missed her. She’d been gone for what felt like forever, off being the face of a luxury brand campaign in Milan while my life flipped upside down in the best way possible.“You missed… everything,” I said with a grin, tugging her into the living room. “Sit. We need to talk.”She raised a brow and flopped on the couch like a queen returning to her throne. “Well, spill. Judging by the smile on your face, I’m guessing this has something to do with a certain broody jud
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-06-12
Chapter: Chapter 79Jacqueline’s POVAs I walked to my office, my legs felt weak, my heels barely making a sound over the pounding in my ears. Whispers rippled through the hallway like wildfire, fragments of disbelief and awe clinging to every word.Blackwood. The president. All along.“You know, I always suspected,” someone murmured as I passed.I shut my office door and leaned against it, trying to steady my breath. My mind spun in circles. The president of Phoenix Group. He’s been sitting behind the curtain this entire time… and I never saw it.First, the son Allison mentioned, the nursery, the eight-month-old boy he never told me about, and now this? How many versions of Henson Blackwood exist that I’ve never met? How much more is buried beneath that perfect suit and calm, commanding tone?Clara. Of course. She wasn’t just some intern with charm and wit. That confidence, that subtle edge of authority… She was always in on it. Playing her role. Helping me. Watching me.My stomach twisted as the softer
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-06-12
Chapter: Chapter 78Jacqueline's POV Allison raised an eyebrow, reading the flicker of determination on my face. “You’re going back to work?”“Yes,” I said, grabbing the phone and scrolling through the email like it was a lifeline. “I have to. This… this changes everything.”“Jac,” Allison said, her tone heavy with caution, “don’t use work as a way to avoid dealing with this.”I paused, fingers trembling over the glass screen. She wasn’t wrong, but what choice did I have? Sitting here drowning in questions about Blackwood wouldn’t give me answers. Facing Monday, facing the Phoenix president, at least that was something I could control.“I’m not avoiding it,” I lied, forcing a tight smile. “I just… I need a distraction.”Her gaze softened with sympathy, but she didn’t push further. Instead, she glanced toward the untouched mug of coffee on my table, then back at me. “Fine. But promise me you’ll think about what I said.”I nodded, though the weight of her words sat heavy on my chest. Eight months. A baby
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-06-12
Chapter: Chapter 77Blackwood’s POV I stared at my phone for the third time in an hour, her name glowing on the screen like an accusation. Jacqueline.I had typed and deleted half a dozen messages already. Everything sounded wrong. Too formal. Too desperate. Too… heavy.Finally, I settled on:We need to talk. Please.Simple. Direct. No pressure.I hit send. Then waited.Nothing.Minutes dragged into an hour. Then two. I called once, twice, letting it ring long enough for hope to flicker before voicemail cut through like cold steel.Her voice on the recording was calm, warm, how it had sounded just days ago when she was here, in this house, in my arms. That memory was now a blade.I tried again the next day. This time, I softened it.Jacqueline… I owe you an explanation. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll come to you.Read. No reply.The silence was worse than anger. Anger, I could work with. Silence meant walls were being built brick by brick, higher every hour I didn’t reach her.I found myself pacing the stu
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-06-12
Chapter: Chapter 76Jacqueline's POVThe drive to Allison’s place was quiet. I let the city blur past the windshield, each red light and honking horn echoing the chaos in my chest. By the time I pulled up in front of her building, my emotions had settled into a tense, simmering mix. I wasn’t crying, not yet, but I felt fragile, like a vase just narrowly held together by thin threads.Allison opened the door before I even knocked, a knowing look on her face. “Hey,” she said softly, pulling me inside. “Coffee? You look like you need it.”I nodded, handing her my bag. “Yeah… thanks.” My voice sounded foreign even to me, hushed and uncertain.We settled into the kitchen, steaming mugs in hand. The aroma of roasted coffee beans and the quiet hum of her apartment were grounding. I wanted to tell her everything, to spill out the whirlwind of emotions, but even as I started, the words felt heavy. I finally exhaled, leaning back in my chair.“Alli… Blackwood…” I began, swallowing hard. “He… he has a son.”Her eye
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-06-12
Chapter: Chapter 75Jacqueline’s POV Sunlight filtered gently through the curtains, painting the room in soft golds and warm shadows. I stirred beneath the sheets, stretching lazily, still wrapped in the lingering warmth of Blackwood’s arms. The apartment was quiet, too quiet, except for the subtle sound of his steady breathing.I shifted slightly, careful not to wake him, but he stirred anyway, pressing his forehead lightly against mine. “Morning,” he murmured, voice rough with sleep.“Morning,” I whispered back, a soft smile tugging at my lips. The events of last night felt both surreal and grounding at once. We had reclaimed a piece of ourselves, of us, that the chaos of the past weeks had tried to take away.He pressed a gentle kiss to my temple, his fingers tracing lazy patterns along my arm. “Sleep well?” he asked.“I did,” I admitted, letting my hand find his. “Better than I expected.”We lay there for a while, wrapped in the safety of one another, letting the quiet intimacy speak. No words were
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-06-12
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