Novels by Allura.Shaletta

"Are you serious? You’re sure you didn’t see it wrong?"William’s words directly contradicted everything Serena had believed all this time. She lifted her head again, meeting the man’s gaze, then finally lowered it when he handed her an old photograph, its edges visibly worn and damaged."At first, I thought the same thing," William said while staring at the photo now in Serena’s hands. "I thought it might just be a business tactic, but... that photo changed my assumptions."Serena narrowed her eyes, trying to recognize the woman standing between her biological father and William’s grandfather. At first, she thought it was her mother, but it wasn’t. The woman’s gaze and the curve of her smile were very different, even though her height was almost the same as her mother’s."Who is this woman?" Serena asked, looking back at William. "She seems very close to your grandfather and my father.""That’s what I still don’t know," William replied, his eyes returning to the photo. "I accidentall

"What? Why are you only telling me this now?!"Serena immediately straightened her back when she heard the words of one of her father’s most trusted men that afternoon. She had just begun to feel a little calmer as, one by one, the people who had destroyed her life and William’s were finally being exposed. But now, she was confronted with shocking news she had never expected."I’m sorry, Miss," Martin said again, lowering his head. "I was only carrying out your father’s orders. He told me to inform you if his condition was still unstable after five days.""Just tell me the name of the hospital where he is," Serena cut in quickly, unwilling to waste any more time. "I’ll talk to him myself. I want to see his condition with my own eyes. And I want to ask him what happened to him before, what made him end up like this.""I’m sorry, Miss."Serena frowned when her father’s trusted subordinate only repeated his apology and said nothing more. She let out a shallow breath before finally closin

Serena couldn’t bring herself to say everything yet, fear still tangled tightly around all the things she worried about. She looked at William, whispering an apology only in her heart. As if answering it, William nodded, then gently rested his forehead against hers.Serena gasped, completely unprepared for the movement. Yet once again, she couldn’t step back or push him away. Every part of her felt frozen, held in place by emotions she had been desperately trying to bury deep inside her chest."Thank you," William whispered, his hand closing over hers, which was still cupping his face.Only then did Serena realize it. Her touch against William’s cheek slowly weakened, trembling so noticeably that William instinctively tightened his grip, grounding her before she could slip away.Serena’s hand lingered against William’s cheek longer than it should have.She felt the warmth of his skin beneath her fingers, felt the way his breath stuttered almost imperceptibly at the contact. He didn’t

"Did she really throw me out?"William glanced back, staring at the door that was now firmly shut between them. He drew in a slow breath, steadying himself, then cast a brief look around to make sure no one had witnessed Serena pushing him out of her office.Behind the glass window, Serena watched him leave. Only then did she release a quiet breath and sink back into her chair. She closed eyes for a moment, then reached for the tablet on her desk, forcing herself back into work."At least he’s gone," she whispered, though a strange, uncomfortable feeling still pressed against her chest.Numbers, charts, meeting notes, she clung to them desperately, letting them crowd her thoughts until there was barely any room left for William’s face, which refused to leave her mind."God! Is it already this late?"Serena frowned when she checked the time on her phone. She stood up at once. She should have gone home an hour ago, but she had been forced to replace her father in an internal meeting for

"So they’re back together?"The words slipped from Serena’s lips just like that, her chest tightening painfully. Her eyes blinked rapidly as moisture began to pool, and she quickly lifted her head just before a tear could fall, fanning her suddenly overheated face with her hand."How stupid of me to ever hope for anything with him," she muttered, lowering her head again as the ache in her heart deepened."He never really changed, did he? Yeah, I should’ve known better!"Letting out a shallow breath, Serena wiped her face, trying to steady herself. She looked back at her phone screen and picked it up to open the online news notification that had popped up.A photo of William and Cassandra together was clearly displayed amid the dim lighting, making her heartbeat spiral out of rhythm. The two of them were touching affectionately, with not the slightest distance between them.Serena shook her head as she recalled the fact that the man had indeed gone to a bar last night after meeting her

William closed his eyes as he felt Cassandra’s touch again. That woman truly knew exactly how to tempt him. He really couldn’t push her away anymore, especially when she shifted her position on his lap."Don’t hold it back, Will," Cassandra whispered more sensually. "Just do it. Do it the way you used to do it to me."Before William could react, Cassandra suddenly leaned forward and kissed his neck. She guided his hand, which was already resting on her thigh, to move higher, sliding over her very short black dress until it brushed against the thin, triangular piece of fabric she was wearing underneath."You’re still free to touch me even though our relationship is over, Will," Cassandra whispered again, right in front of his lips. "You’re still free to do whatever you want to me so all the weight on your mind can disappear."Kissing William again, Cassandra deliberately began to move seductively against something that had grown fully tense beneath her. When she met no real resistance,

"Reyna—""You think you can take him from me? After everything I’ve done? I won’t let you, bitch!"Reyna kept getting closer, forcing Arthur—who had only just realized her presence—to instinctively shield Athena behind him. His eyes widened, just as shocked as Athena. He never imagined that someone he had always treated like a sister would do something so dangerous to the woman he loved."You’re not a killer, Reyna. Put the gun down!" he said, trying to bring her back to her senses, even though he was still torn between belief and disbelief."I won’t let her take you away from me again!" Reyna just gave a faint smile before her gaze turned sharp again. "I can’t lose you! Not after everything I’ve done for you!""Reyna—""Stay out of this!" she screamed. Her face was twisted in hatred and desperation. "You kept ignoring me while I kept falling more in love with you, Arthur! And now she’s pregnant, you’re just going to go back to her like nothing ever happened?!""Reyna, please..." Arth

"Wh–what?"Athena froze. Reyna’s words rang through the hallway like a bullet to the chest. Her breath caught. Her legs trembled. Her heart? Of course, shattered.Athena stared at Arthur, hoping—no, praying—that he’d deny it. That he’d scream it was a lie. But all she saw was confusion. Horror and silence."You... you really did this?" she whispered, barely able to form the words. "How could you—""I didn’t know what happened, dear. I swear! I don’t remember anything. She just..." Arthur stepped forward, reaching for her, but she pulled away.Athena’s tears, the ones she had tried so desperately to hold back, finally poured down her cheeks in torrents. Her body trembled with grief. Reyna, witnessing her pain, sneered with cruelty. Folding her arms across her chest, she stepped closer, her gaze sharp and arrogant."Believe it or not, but your perfect Arthur and I are closer than you think!""Reyna, stop it!""What? I’m just telling her the truth," she replied without a hint of guilt. "

"Hey!"Feeling the gentle caress on his strong jawline, Arthur tried to open his eyes. Still overwhelmed by sleepiness, he reached for the slender waist of the woman who seemed to be resting against his chest—only for his eyes to suddenly narrow sharply as he realized who was actually with him."What the hell is this?!"His heart stopped in an instant. Arthur woke with a pounding head and a mouth dry as ash. He blinked blearily, only to see Reyna lying beside him beneath the sheets, smiling like a cat that had just devoured the canary."You were amazing last night," she said casually, brushing her fingers through her hair. "I didn’t think you had it in you. I like it!"Shaking his head, Arthur then changed his position. With no clothes clinging to his body and the body of the woman beside him, he had expected it. But he quickly tried to deny it. "I don't understand. What are you talking about? How did you get here? And where are we now?!""You don’t remember?" Reyna asked with a tilt

Hearing those words, Arthur shook his head as if denying a truth too painful to accept. He took a step forward, reaching out to grab the wrist of the woman standing before him, but Athena had already stepped back, her eyes silently pleading with him—don’t."We’re over, Arthur. I’m sorry I never got to say goodbye back then. I just… I couldn’t bear to see you hurting and—""And falling apart!" Arthur cut her off sharply, running a hand over his face, overwhelmed. "Goodbye or not, I still felt it! Every inch of it! Don’t you see that?""I’m sorry. I just…""Why?" His voice cracked, raw with pain, as she struggled to find her words. "Why him? Why choose him over me? Hasn’t he done enough? Hasn’t he already broken you, made your life hell, and—""Enough! Please!"Arthur shook his head again, this time more desperately. His eyes locked onto the woman in front of him, her body trembling as she sobbed—just like him, if not even more heartbreakingly.How did it come to this? What made her giv

Throughout the ride, Arthur couldn’t shake his assistant’s words from his mind. Every part of them rang true. No matter how much time passed, Leon, Crystal, and Caroline would never let him or Athena live their lives in peace. They would never be satisfied, not even now when he and the woman he loved were already suffering under the weight of their cruelty.If they truly had joined forces to weave this trap around him, especially with Reyna relentlessly working to tear him away from Athena, he genuinely didn’t know what else he could do. If Athena were still by his side, none of this would feel so overwhelming. He wouldn’t be lost like this, drifting without direction, weak and broken, like a man abandoned for days in a barren, merciless desert."Sir... it seems your persistence has finally paid off."His assistant’s voice pulled him back from the chaos in his mind. Arthur snapped his gaze forward, eyes narrowing slightly at the sight of a woman stepping out of a taxi. Her face was h

"Mr. James! Did you just meet with Mrs. Athena inside? Has she returned? What’s your response to the rumors claiming that Mrs. Athena intentionally dropped her charges against Mr. Leon to reunite with her ex-husband?""Yes, Mr. James! As the person closest to her these past few months, surely you have something to say. Is the news true? Please, Mr. James, we've been struggling to reach her!""Yes, is your visit today connected to all this? Are you planning to cut ties and cancel your company's collaborations with hers out of disappointment? Rumor has it you only pursued the partnership to get close to her. Do you now feel betrayed, Mr. James? Played for a fool?"The flood of questions rained down without pause, each word sharpened by the blinding flash of camera lights. Stepping out of the Athena family’s corporate building, Arthur James hadn't anticipated the swarm of reporters that awaited him, hungry for a headline.Who had tipped them off? And how had the rumors spiraled so viciou