Novels by Astraea

"Guess what I'm gonna do at the press conference?" Jason said, a sly edge to his voice.Claire turned to him, brows furrowed. "What?"Jason pressed his lips together, then said each word slow and cold, "Gabriel’s taking the fall for this. No matter what."Claire stiffened. "What are you talking about?""He's the reason this mess started," Jason snapped. "He used my wife's name to stir things up. You think I'm just gonna let that slide?""It’s not clear yet who's really behind it," Claire argued, her voice sharp. "You can’t just accuse people without proof."Jason’s hands curled into fists. "I don’t care. As far as I’m concerned, he’s guilty.""Jason ...""Get out."Claire glared at him, hurt flashing in her eyes, but she spun around and walked out without another word.Behind her, glass shattered against the wall. She paused for half a second, heart racing... but didn’t look back.Jason had lost it. Completely. No matter how much she did for him, it was never enough.What else did he

"What’s your plan for the press conference later, sir?" Paul asked.Jason frowned and stayed quiet for a moment. "I’m going to tell everyone that Chloe is my wife. Claire has been using Chloe’s name.""You can’t do that," Mandy cut in. "Your rivals have been waiting for a chance to drag your name — and the company — through the mud. If you admit she’s your wife, they’ll jump at the chance to call her a cheater with Gabriel."Paul didn’t agree either, but he stayed silent.Jason let out a low grunt. "I want to make Claire’s identity clear so nobody dares to spread baseless rumors anymore.""Even if the press holds back, people will still gossip," Mandy said sharply. "You should say that Chloe did this for Gabriel, that she was just lying — pretending to be Claire because they look alike. Besides, you already told everyone she was just a maid. If you suddenly claim she’s your wife, it’ll sound like you’re contradicting yourself. The media will tear you — and DA Group — apart.""Stay out

Jason immediately signaled his servant not to make a sound, but Claire woke up anyway. She sat up half-conscious and didn't notice that Jason was holding her hand. She asked Jason curiously, "What's wrong?" Jason pulled his hand away from Claire and looked away, "Nothing." Claire looked at her own hand, then at Jason's cold expression, then stood up, "Hey, listen, it's not me holding your hand, it's you. You think of me as Alice again." Jason was not satisfied with her explanation. He snorted, but didn't speak, and Claire didn't want to explain any more. Looking toward the door, Claire noticed that the waiter had just put breakfast on the coffee table, and she suddenly felt very hungry and wanted breakfast. "I'll change the bandage after breakfast," she said, then took Jason's breakfast and put it on the nightstand while she ate it on the coffee table. Jason looked at the breakfast, which was the same every day, and thought about the pasta Claire had made for Theo yesterda

"Where are the maids at home? Why did you make the noodles?"Claire scoffed. "I didn't bother calling the maid, it was easy anyway."Jason narrowed his eyes. "You can't seduce Theo, he already has a girlfriend and he won't love you."Claire laughed affectionately, and her hands gripped the newspaper as tightly as if she were squeezing the neck of the man in front of her.Why did he think she was seducing Theo? It was just a plate of pasta.Thinking that her priority now was to treat her wound, Claire didn't want to engage him, but to Jason, her silence seemed like consent.Jason's tone became worse, "You should listen to my advice, he loves someone and he would do anything for this woman, then you won't be able to get close to him. So you better give up."Claire was silent, holding back her anger, but all she could do was roll her eyes uncontrollably while maintaining her silence.Sometimes this man's imagination really was as big as the universe.Claire threw down the newspaper and w

Jason unconsciously raised his hand to touch Claire's head, but he suddenly realized that Theo was standing at the door, and the man was so startled that he reflexively pushed Claire's head away from him.Claire, who had been concentrating on applying the medicine, fell to the bed in a daze. "What the hell?" she asked irritably, holding her head as she tried to get up."Looks like I came at a bad time." Theo, who was standing in the doorway, saw the incident and couldn't help but laugh."At least close the door!" Jason said to Claire. He really didn't notice that the door to his room was not closed. "And you, couldn't you have knocked before coming in?" he said to Theo.Theo came in with medical equipment: "The door was open, so I didn't have to knock."Jason looked at him angrily. "Who told you to come? I didn't call you today.""She told me to come." Theo pointed at Claire. "She called me last night and said you had a high fever. But I couldn't come last night, so I came today."Cla

Calvin came out of his room, probably because he heard Claire's scream, while the others knew they could not interfere."Dad?" Calvin greeted his father. "What happened? Why is Aunt Claire screaming?""I had a quarrel with her," Jason answered honestly. "You don't want her to leave, do you? So don't try to help her out of the room this time!"Calvin hesitated for a moment before nodding."Good. Go back to your room," his father ordered, and Calvin went back to his room without saying anything more.Claire's screams could no longer be heard as she collapsed exhausted on the floor next to the bed. She hugged herself as she shivered and cried. She looked around. What if there was another fire? What if she couldn't get out of here while the fire consumed the entire building?Just then, someone opened the door and walked in. It was Jason.Claire ran to him immediately. "Jason, please... don't lock me in. Don't keep the door locked. I promise... I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going anywhe

“Bye, kids!” Valeria called out, waving at them as they ran toward the school gate. They paused to wave back before continuing on. Once they were safely inside, Ben started the car and they headed toward the café. “You know, you don’t have to do this every day. I can get my own car,” Valeria said, staring out the window, fully aware of Ben glancing her way as they stopped at a red light. “So I’m supposed to risk losing you again? No thanks,” Ben replied as the light turned green and they drove on. This time, Valeria turned to look at him. “Come on, Ben. That happened months ago. I’m fine now, totally capable of driving myself. You can’t babysit me forever, you know?” she added, turning her gaze back outside. “I can, and I will,” Ben said firmly. The rest of the ride was quiet. When they reached the café, Valeria got out without saying a word and headed straight inside. He didn’t seriously expect her to never drive again, right? She let out a deep sigh, dropped her bag behind t

Ben walked up to her, smiling. She smiled back until she bumped into someone. She looked down and found the same little boy from the cafe. “Oh, it’s you!” she said, crouching. “Mom?” Oliver said with a big smile. The word made Valeria uncomfortable, and she glanced at everyone—especially Alexa. Alexa was right there, so why was the kid calling her “mom”? “Oh! You live here?” Valeria asked. The boy grinned, his missing front teeth making him look even cuter. “I went to Colorado with my dad,” he said simply. Valeria’s eyes moved to the little girl next to him. “And this?” “I’m Oliver,” the boy said with a proud smile. “And this is my sister, Olivia.” Valeria chuckled, remembering how adorable Emily and Ethan could be. “You can call me Val,” she told them. Oliver’s eyes shifted to Ben, who was standing beside her. “This is Ben,” Valeria added. Ben crouched beside her with a mock scowl. “Hey, bro,” he said, then winked at Valeria, making her heart race. Ben chuck

A woman walked, pulling her jacket tighter around her small frame as the cold wind hit her. The click of her boots on the floor was the only sound echoing through the space. She still couldn’t believe her eyes when she found out Jenna was alive. A year ago, she had felt so relieved, thinking she’d finally gotten rid of her. But now the girl was back— that annoying little thing who once clung to their lives like a parasite. The woman turned sharply left and stepped into a dark alley. The path was narrow barely enough for one person to walk through without brushing against the brick walls on both sides. The alley was long and pitch black, forcing her to squint and step carefully. Part of her grumbled at how she couldn’t see a thing, but another part was glad the darkness was hiding whatever creepy crawlies were on those walls. She shivered and almost screamed when something scurried across her $26,000 boots. A flickering bulb at the end of the alley gave her a target, and she ran to

Valeria walked into her apartment, struggling to carry Emily and Ethan who were fast asleep in her arms. "Thanks so much, Mrs. Smith," she said with a grateful smile to her neighbor, a woman in her mid-fifties who lived alone. "It's no problem, dear. You look a little busy," Mrs. Smith said, nodding toward the two kids. Valeria chuckled softly and nodded. "Good night, sweetie. If you need anything, just knock. I'm only a few steps away," Mrs. Smith added with a wink before heading back to her place. That was just the kind of woman. Mrs. Smith was the type who’d open the door with a baseball bat raised high, day or night, always cautious. But deep down, she was the kindest, most caring soul. Valeria smiled, remembering the night Mrs. Smith almost whacked Ben with her bat because Valeria had been late answering the door after a shower, and forgetful Ben had left his keys. Mrs. Smith thought he was a thief. Carefully, Valeria tucked Emily and Ethan into their beds. "Good

When she opened her eyes, she found Ben leaning against the balcony wall, arms crossed, smiling at her so softly it made her blush. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Ben chuckled, walked over, and gently lifted her chin, kissing the tip of her nose. "Because you’re the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen... after those two little monsters," he teased just as Emily and Ethan’s voices called out his name. Ben groaned while Valeria tried not to laugh. Ever since Ben had confessed his feelings, he never missed a chance to shower Valeria with affection. They spent the morning playing, filling the apartment with laughter that felt like music to Valeria’s ears. "Alright, kids, time to brush your teeth," she said, herding them away as she carried dirty plates to the kitchen. As she started prepping food for the kids, Ben leaned casually against the counter. "Who was on the phone?" Valeria asked. "Mr. Anderson. He invited us to dinner with hi

A man in a white Armani suit got up from behind his desk and stepped forward to shake their hands. "Welcome, Mr. Anderson and Mrs. Karen. I'm Ben McKenzie," he greeted them with a friendly smile. Sean raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by the man's cheerfulness, but shook his hand politely anyway. He sat down in the chair across from Ben, while Karen took the seat next to him. "We should start the presentation soon," Karen said, looking at her watch. Ben smiled wider and nodded. At first, nervousness showed on his face, but as the presentation progressed, his confidence grew. Sean was quite impressed with Ben's presentation, but he didn't find much to like. In his heart, he had already decided to decline the offer. Ben was busy organizing his files when his secretary called and someone knocked on the door. Ben looked up from his work and his face instantly lit up. Sean and Karen didn't turn around, assuming it was none of their business. "Valeria, are you here?" said Ben,