Novel-novel oleh Lovis.L

At a café overlooking a postcard-perfect view, Claire sat poised as if relaxed, but the two empty coffee cups on the table and her constant checking of the time betrayed the tension coiled inside her. According to schedule, the DNA report should have arrived by now. Fifteen minutes late, her assistant finally rushed in, breathless, and handed her the envelope. Claire dismissed him with a flick of her fingers and began to tear open the seal, unaware that her hands were trembling.The report slipped out inch by inch. Her eyes darted straight to the conclusion.“No biological relationship detected.”She scanned it again. There it was—bold, undeniable: 0.00% probability of kinship.Claire’s breath hitched. For a second she froze, stunned by how far this result was from what she had feared. Then her lungs finally released, and the tight wire inside her snapped loose. So she had been overthinking. Violet wasn’t Josef’s granddaughter. Claire set the report aside with a careless motion and

On the third morning of Josef’s “course,” he brought Violet and Matteo to visit an old friend—Walter, a master engraver he had known for decades.Walter spotted Josef the moment they entered and immediately launched into teasing him. “Well, well. Your legs still work? Didn’t need anyone to haul you up here?”“I’m two years younger than you, old man,” Josef shot back.Walter chuckled warmly, his eyes sliding toward Matteo. “Look at you, boy—grown this much already. A few years and I can barely recognize you.”Matteo smiled and greeted him politely.Then Walter’s gaze drifted to the side, landing on the girl standing next to Matteo. About the same age, head slightly lowered, poised and quiet. He froze mid-breath. He stepped closer, even lowered his glasses along the bridge of his nose to get a better look. “HOLY HELL… since when did you have a granddaughter this grown?”Josef laughed it off. “Your eyesight’s worse than ever. She’s Edward’s apprentice. Staying with me for a few days. Not

Matteo had just survived what might have been the hardest days of his life. He’d already been exhausted, but staring at those pin-sized watch components made his eyelids even heavier. If not for the fate of his precious toys, he would never have sat through these “lessons.” Claire had warned him: if Josef complained about his attitude or told him not to come back, the yacht was gone. His mother scared him more than anyone—his father included.The morning began exactly like the previous one. Claire dragged him off that sagging, unsupportive hotel mattress and shoved him into the car. The only difference was that today she whispered an extra instruction on the way.Inside Josef’s workshop, they sat at the long table. Josef occupied one side, while Violet and Matteo sat shoulder to shoulder across from him, both staring at the three tiny screws laid out on a white cloth. Edward was away in Geneva for business these two days.Josef leaned back slightly, arms folded, watching them with th

By eight-thirty the next morning, a half-asleep Matteo was dragged out of the hotel room by his mother. “Mom, it’s way too early. Why are you waking me up?” He squinted against the light.“TOO EARLY? Did you forget what your grandfather said? If you’re not at his door by nine, don’t bother showing up again,” Claire said, yanking the hood of his jacket straight. “We’re only fifteen minutes away,” Matteo muttered. “I wanted to sleep a little longer. Do you know how awful that bed is? I swear I maybe slept two hours total.”Claire snapped back, “STOP complaining. That’s the best room we could find.”The moment the hotel door opened, a brutal gust knifed down his collar and he shivered so hard he nearly gave up on the spot. “I’m out. Not going.”“Yes, you are,” Claire said flatly. “If you don’t, I’m selling your yacht. Someone already made an offer.”Matteo’s eyes flew open. “Fine. I’m going.” He grumbled under his breath, “Why am I the one doing this? Dad’s the one who needs Grandpa’s

Violet scanned the supplies on the utility shelf and volunteered to make a pot of winter vegetable soup. Edward handed her a bundle of fresh leeks, and she set to work—slicing them thin, then melting butter in a pot and letting the leeks slowly sweat down.Watching her chop—quick, clean, every potato and carrot cube practically identical—Edward’s brows lifted. “You’re frighteningly professional. Like an actual chef.”“It’s nothing,” Violet said with a small smile. In truth, she’d been cooking since she was little, making meals for her aunt’s household. Skills honed over months and years didn’t feel impressive—they simply felt necessary.Halfway through, she spooned out a ladleful of the softened vegetables into a large bowl, mashed them into a puree, then stirred it back into the pot.A final dusting of white pepper and a few other seasonings, and she ladled a small bowlful. “Here. Taste it, see if it needs anything.”Edward took a sip and blinked. “WHOA—did you learn this seasoning f

Josef couldn’t even bring himself to look at them. He let go of the door and strode straight through the workshop toward the back of the house, into the kitchen. With a curt flick of his hand, he signaled Violet to follow.Laurent, of course, wasn’t having a stomach ache. It was simply the excuse Claire came up with so the three of them could get inside Josef’s home. But Laurent understood perfectly; taking the hint, he slipped into the bathroom to play along.While he hid in there, Matteo wandered around, bored out of his skull. His eyes drifted briefly over the assortment of parts displayed in the front glass cabinet, then moved on—he’d been here so many times, yet he had never bothered to actually look at anything inside. Claire stepped up beside him and murmured, “DON’T forget why we’re here.”“I know, I know. Get Grandpa back in a good mood. I get it,” Matteo replied, utterly careless.Claire frowned. “I’m serious. This isn’t only about your father’s future—it’s about yours too.

The first week of being locked in, I tried every damn way I could think of to get out of the house. But the security was airtight. Even the house staff had been swapped out for a whole new batch. The butler who’d been with me for years? Fired—thanks to my mother.I was pissed. I trashed stuff. Let all my rage fly.But no matter what I did, the staff and the guards were like robots—zero response, just cleaned up the mess expressionless, like nothing happened. Every time I woke up, the house looked exactly the same. Like nothing had ever been broken.I hated it. It felt like being dragged back to the days when I was powerless under her control. I’d worked so hard for years to get out from under her thumb. And now? She "politely removed" me from the CEO position, andI was right back where I started.The frustration and anxiety were constant. I tried not to think about how I’d lost everything in just a few short months—everything I thought was mine. My wife who used to love me, the baby w

I couldn’t bear seeing her like that. My heart was breaking. I didn’t want to give up. I begged her, "Then tell me. Tell me what to do. Anything. Just… anything to make this right."Her brow eased slightly, and she said, "Then bring that woman here,"I froze. What was she planning? Honestly, I didn’t want more drama. If Amelia had done all those horrible things, she should be handed straight to the police. But I could tell Emily was burning with rage—and if this helped her vent, even just a little, I’d do it. I promised her I’d bring Amelia to her within the day.Once outside, I called Leo over. "That update you mentioned about Amelia—what was it? Do you know where she is?"Leo blinked, then said, "Yes. Miss Amelia called, told us to send someone to pick her up. She called from a tiny store down south."He paused. "She also said she hasn’t eaten a proper meal in two days… told us to let you know. Said you’d know what to do."I scoffed. She actually thinks I’d pretend nothing ever happ

She panicked—said she didn’t want my money, just the studio. Said it was her life’s work, her passion. Then she tried to play the feelings card, told me how obvious her love for me was, and that there’s no way I hadn’t felt it.When I told her to shut it, she dropped a fucking bomb—said she was pregnant with my child.My first instinct? I laughed it off. No way. But then… my eyes couldn’t stop flicking back to the report in her hand. She’s… actually pregnant?My brain went to war with itself. Logically, I knew the odds of that kid being mine were low. Unless she did something insane—what, stole my sperm somehow? My mind started spiraling through the most far-fetched, messed-up possibilities.Right then, my mother, Sadie, barged in. As if things weren’t chaotic enough already. I glared—who the hell let her in?And just like that, she went off—on both me and Amelia. I wasn’t even thinking about the paternity issue anymore. All I could focus on was how pale Amelia suddenly looked, how sh

I was in the worst mood imaginable. For the first time, I realized all the power and money I had didn’t do jack when it really mattered.My head was splitting from the stress, and there was some noise outside the door. I snapped, “Who’s outside?”A glamorous face peeked through the door gap—Amelia. The second she saw my dark expression, that smile on her face faded fast.I wasn’t in the mood to talk to her, but then I remembered what Frank told me—Amelia’s ex had shown up in town and started harassing her.Screw it. I gave her a silent nod to come in.She looked miserable, stumbling over her words as she told me she came home last night and found signs someone had broken in. She was freaking out—thought it might be Noah.My jaw clenched. That bastard Noah—gutsy as hell. His family’s got a known fashion house name, and he’s out here using connections to play these shady games?She said she had no proof, so she didn’t dare report it. Honestly, she was probably scared making a fuss would

That damn Theo. Just 'cause he’s standing next to Emily, he suddenly thinks he’s got the right to tell me what to do? He had the audacity to warn me—said if I really cared about her, I should back off.Bullshit. Emily and I were finally talking, really talking, and he had to stick his nose in. Obviously, he doesn’t wanna see us patch things up. He's got his own agenda.I clenched my jaw, veins pulsing in my forehead, holding back my rage, “I just want to talk to Emily. I’ve got zero interest in what anyone else has to say.”Emily stayed silent, just let that guy run his mouth—calling me irresponsible, saying I couldn’t even handle my ex properly, and that I should be ashamed of myself.Emily, fine—she can say that. But him? Who the hell is he? And the way she just stood there, not saying a word to stop him—I lost it.I stared at her. “Did you ever believe me, even once? ”She brought up Amelia again—said we were too close, said I was still lying to myself, letting Amelia stir shit in

The moment I learned the truth, it felt like something cracked open in my lead-heavy brain—shattering all that weight into pieces.Relief rushed in, wiping out everything else. We have a kid. Our kid. Sixteen weeks old, growing inside Emily.What the hell was I doing all this time? I felt sick with guilt. She dropped hints—twice—and I didn’t take them seriously. She must’ve been devastated, especially during pregnancy, when emotions run wild. And I, her husband, gave her nothing. No comfort, no support.So yesterday when she purposely didn’t tell me the baby was mine, I get it. She has every right to be mad. If she still feels anything enough to be pissed at me… that means she still cares.And if there’s even a little chance she does, I’ll give her everything I’ve got. Whatever punishment she thinks I deserve—I’ll take it.Thank God I found out before our divorce hearing. I still have a chance to make this right.I rushed over to her office building. This time, I didn’t go in—I just w

Lena’s dress was made of pure white satin, its smooth fabric reflecting a delicate sheen under the lights, exuding an aura of elegance and sophistication.The minimalist design featured thin straps and a square neckline, perfectly outlining the graceful curve of her shoulders and collarbones.The highlight of the dress was the double thigh-high slits on both sides, adorned with delicate pearl and metal buttons. Paired with a shimmering silver ankle-tie stiletto, the entire look was effortlessly stunning.This time, Elise didn’t overload her with extravagant jewelry, said that simplicity and elegance suited the occasion best.Elise dragged Lena to a commercial high-rise that looked strikingly similar to the one they had visited months ago. Lena frowned in confusion. "Are you sure he’s here?"The "he" she referred to was Elise’s boyfriend—the owner of the nightclub they had gone to last time."Yes," Elise pointed upward. "One of his bars is on the top floor."Lena was taken aback. If he

A month and a half later, Alaric’s injuries had completely healed.Just in time for Lena’s court case against her adoptive parents. He was by her side through it all.The trial officially began in mid-January. When Lena once again faced her family in court, she felt none of the past longing or hesitation—only a detached sense of calm.Her brother wore his usual arrogant expression, looking down on her even from the defendant’s seat, his gaze filled with disdain. Her father’s face was unreadable.As for her mother… she looked far more haggard than before. The once-radiant woman was nowhere to be seen. When their eyes met, Lena thought she caught a flicker of guilt, perhaps even regret.

Lena stayed at Alaric’s home for a few days, spending a surprisingly pleasant Christmas and New Year with his family.Since Alaric was still recovering from his injuries and couldn’t go out much, they welcomed the last night of the year in his garden—counting down to midnight while setting off fireworks.The garden was adorned with golden string lights wrapped around the trees, gently swaying in the night breeze. The twinkling lights resembled scattered stars, casting a warm glow over the flower beds, where vibrant hellebores were still in full bloom, bringing life to the winter night.As the countdown on the television echoed through the air, Lena clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and silently made a New Year’s wish.She ho

Twelve hours on a plane had taken them from the sweltering heat back to a city blanketed in snow.Alaric had already received a reply from his grandmother, Isla, telling them to head straight to the house."Your house? Won't your mom not want to see me?" Lena asked, skeptical.Alaric shrugged. "No idea. Whatever method Grandma used to convince her, it worked."After landing, the family driver picked them up."But if you don’t feel comfortable going, I can ask the driver to bring Grandma out instead. I booked a restaurant before, and I haven’t canceled it yet.""

On Christmas Eve night, this country, surrounded by the sea, welcomed the festive cheer. The sound of church bells and street carols intertwined as the moist evening breeze drifted in.Before the shops closed, Lena stepped out to buy some essentials nearby. Alaric said he’d take care of dinner, so she didn’t have to worry.But while passing a charming boutique, she decided to get into the holiday spirit and bought some gingerbread along with two treats—a pair of Christmas Santas made from strawberries.Clutching her treats, she headed back to the hospital. Remembering the call with Elise and the report that had just come out, she asked Alaric as she entered his room, "You must be happy now, right?"She didn’t notice the dimmed lights inside.

"Whoa! Lena, you’re crazy—this is true love!" Elise didn’t care that she was in the middle of a date on Christmas Eve; as soon as she saw the trending news, she immediately made an international call to Lena."The whole world knows now—you and Alaric are officially the ‘golden couple’!"Her tone was so exaggerated, as if she had never heard of this before.In reality, when Lena was waiting to board her flight to Singapore, she had a feeling that she might be spotted by reporters. So, to be ahead of the news, she had proactively told Elise that she and Alaric were officially together.Elise had always suspected that there was something going on between them, so back then, her reac