Novel-novel oleh Allura.Shaletta

"Let me go! I’ll make you regret what you’ve done to me!"Elsewhere, Roland had been taken by several of Martin’s men to a secluded place. Instead of handing him over to the police right away, Martin ultimately ordered his men to lock Roland up first.Yes, he did all of this because he didn’t want his time divided while his child was still missing and not yet found. An old warehouse he owned was finally put to use to imprison his archenemy. His other men stood guard tightly around the place, so no one could enter without his permission."You’re all just wasting your time!" Roland protested again. "Once I get out of here, I can pay you and make you do whatever I want!""Too bad you’re still in here right now," one of Martin’s men replied with a mocking chuckle. "So save your words until you can actually walk out of this place."Snorting, Roland glanced at an old clock hanging nearby. His lips curled into a smirk as he remembered what would happen in three hours. He finally stopped stru

"Will..."Serena felt as though she were standing on the edge of darkness. Cold wind lashed against her face. The scent of damp earth filled her lungs. Every inch of her body throbbed, as if she had been shattered into pieces and stitched back together again."William..."Her lips moved weakly as she tried to sense her surroundings. The strong arms wrapped around her, protective and warm. Slowly, she forced her eyes open. Her breath catching when she realized just how steep and high the ravine was where she had fallen."William!" she cried, her voice trembling as she noticed the man beside her still had his eyes tightly shut.Serena struggled to sit up despite the pain coursing through her body. She gently patted the man’s cheek, trying to wake him. Her heart pounded as worry tightened around her chest. Tears spilled freely down her face when he failed to respond to her touch or her voice."Will... please, wake up!" she sobbed softly, her body shaking.Serena clutched the fabric of hi

"Mommy!"Caelric’s hysterical scream tore through the air. Tears streamed down his small face as he saw his mother standing at the very edge of the cliff. His tiny legs kicked frantically, begging his father to put him down. But William only tightened his hold around him."Please, don’t be insane," William hissed at his father.Roland responded with a soft, amused chuckle. He ignored William completely and forced Serena another step backward."She has absolutely nothing to do with our feud!" Martin shouted. "Let my daughter go, or I swear I’ll destroy every part of your life!"Roland laughed louder, his grip on Serena’s wrist tightening."If she has nothing to do with it, then Evelyn didn’t either," he sneered. "Bring her back to life first. Then maybe I won’t push this one over the edge.""You..." Martin dragged a hand down his face in frustration. He glanced between his daughter and grandson. "This is exactly what I meant. Negotiating with a devil like him is pointless!""So you’re

"You..."Roland’s fist tightened after hearing William’s words. His eyes sharpened, his breath quickening, before he finally signaled his men to move in.Chaos erupted.Martin immediately ordered his men to retaliate against Roland’s forces. Not only that, he commanded them to protect Serena and Caelric and bring them to him. He refused to let them fall into his enemy’s hands. To him, that would mean defeat."Hiyaakk!"Serena and William fought side by side, doing everything they could to hold their ground. They protected each other even while facing overwhelming numbers. As much as possible, they outmaneuvered and took down their opponents one by one until sweat dripped down their faces."Want to switch and carry Caelric?" Serena asked, slightly out of breath after blocking a punch from one of Roland’s men."It’s daddy’s time to protect his son, darling. Just enjoy your turn first."Serena couldn’t hold back her smile when William winked at her. And that word "darling" made her heart

"What?"William followed Serena’s line of sight. The moment he saw who was sitting in the front seat of the approaching car, his breath caught. His eyes widened. His heart slammed violently against his ribs.Without thinking, William pulled Serena closer, his arm wrapping around her waist. But when he looked down at her, his gaze softened."At least he can keep you safe.""Keep me safe?" Serena let out a quiet, almost hollow laugh and faced forward again. "Unfortunately, I never really knew the true meaning of safety.""What do you mean, Mommy?" Caelric’s small voice broke through the tension.Serena crouched slightly and stroked his chubby cheek. "It means you’ll always be safe as long as you stay with Mommy. That’s all you need to know, sweetheart."Seeing Serena’s smile, William fell silent. Guilt once again crept into his chest. If he could turn back time, he would never have made her feel this way. But the circumstances were different now. Everything had already happened, and the

Martin’s body stiffened when he heard his granddaughter’s words. He quickly put on his reading glasses and looked at the nanny’s phone in her hand. Then he briefly glanced at one of his men, as if silently issuing a short command."Graddy," Caelia called again. "What does that message mean? I accidentally read it when my nanny went to get me some milk. I don’t want Mommy to be in danger!"Gently stroking his granddaughter’s head, Martin lowered his gaze for a moment before lifting her up and sitting her on his lap. He took a slow breath, trying to find the right words, something simple enough for her to understand."Your mommy was just telling your nanny to take better care of you," he finally explained, making Caelia’s round eyes blink rapidly."But why do I feel like there’s something else behind that message? Mommy didn’t send it because Graddy didn’t bring her home earlier, right?"Shaking his head briefly, Martin stole another glance at his subordinate. "Your mommy will be home s

"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