Chapter 158: Caught . Julia sat at the corner booth of the quiet restaurant, her fingers drumming against the polished wooden table as she glanced toward the entrance for the tenth time. Across from her, Calvin sipped his water with a calm that Julia couldn’t understand, and Jeremy looked restless, checking his watch every other minute, The detective they hired was observing from the other table , they didn’t tell the person they were waiting for about the private investigator so it was best that he didn’t sit at the table with them “Are you sure he’s coming?” Julia finally askedCalvin leaned back in his chair. “He’ll come. He knows what’s at stake.”Jeremy smirked, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “If he doesn’t, we’ll have to drag him in next time. I’m not sitting through another suspense movie like this.”Julia shot him a look. “This isn’t a movie, Jeremy. This is Rue and Vicky’s safety.”Before Jeremy could reply, the door creaked open. Reed stepped in, wearing a dark hoodie and
Chapter157: Postponed WilliamsThe phone rang for the fifth damn time before Barth finally picked up. I’d been pacing the suite like a wild animal, jaw clenched so hard I thought my teeth would crack. Every second that man ignored my calls felt like a slap to the face, He was doing it intentionally and i knew it . When I finally heard his voice, I didn’t waste time pretending to be polite.“Barth,” I snapped, my tone sharp enough to cut glass. “What’s the date for the election? Don’t tell me you’re still dragging this nonsense because of that idiot Vicky”There was a pause. Too calm. Too calculated. I knew that kind of pause. It meant he was about to say something I didn’t want to hear.“The election has been postponed,” he said, his voice steady.For a second, I swear I forgot how to breathe. My whole body froze mid-step, the words echoing in my head like an explosion.“What the hell did you just say?” I demanded, my voice rising.“I said the election won’t be holding tomorrow. It’
Chapter 156 : By your side. VICKY I sat by his bed, watching him open his eyes slowly like someone waking up from a heavy dream. The relief that washed over me was so overwhelming I couldn’t stop the tears that came.“Hey baby …” Rue’s voice was soft, weak, but it made my heart leap.I moved closer, holding his hand tightly. “Rue,” I whispered, tears spilling. “You scared me. You really scared me.”He gave me a faint smile, trying to pull his hand up to wipe my face, but he was too weak. “Don’t cry… I’m here now.”I let out a shaky laugh and shook my head. “Do you know how worried I’ve been for two whole days? Two days, Rue! I haven’t closed my eyes for a second. I couldn’t leave your side because I was so scared something would happen.”He looked at me quietly, guilt written all over his face. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice low. “I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to make you scared.”“You didn’t mean to get shot either,” I sniffled, trying to wipe my tears with my sleeve. “But you
Chapter 155: What Do You Know ? VICKYThe doctors rushed into the room, and everything around me felt like a blur. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would burst out of my chest. The beeping sound from Rue’s machine was going crazy, and he was jerking uncontrollably.“No! No! No!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, holding his hand tightly like that would keep him alive. “Doctor! Somebody, please help him!”Bella grabbed my shoulders, trying to pull me back, but I refused to let go. My hands were trembling so much, but I couldn’t release him.“Vicky, you need to move back. Let them work on him,” Bella said with tears rolling down her cheeks. She was shaking too.“I can’t! I can’t leave him!” My voice broke. “Rue! Stay with me, please. God, please don’t let anything happen to him.”Julia ran out of the room, shouting for the senior doctor. Nurses rushed in with more equipment, and one of them looked at me firmly.“Ma’am, please, you need to step outside,” she said.“No!” I scr
Chapter 154: The After Tea. VICKY . The door opened slowly, and Julia walked in with Bella behind her. I was lying on the bed with Rue sitting quietly on the chair beside me, scrolling through something on his phone. My body still felt sore, but seeing him there was the only thing keeping me calm.Julia smiled the moment she saw me. “You look better today,” she said, walking closer.I smiled faintly. “I feel a little better. What’s up?”Bella dragged a chair and sat at the edge of my bed like someone about to spill gossip. “We came to give you tea,” she said with that mischievous look on her face.Rue raised a brow and looked at them. “What tea?”“Not your type of tea,” Julia replied with a smirk before turning back to me. “You missed a lot today.”I adjusted on the bed, already curious. “What happened? Don’t keep me waiting, Julia.”Bella chuckled and clapped her hands. “Girl, you should have seen me. I swear, Williams had it coming.”The moment she mentioned his name, my brows pu
Chapter153: The MeetingThe conference room was quiet when Julia and Bella walked in. Barth was already seated at the head of the long polished table, adjusting his glasses and scrolling through something on his tablet. His expression was calm, but Julia could see the tension in the way his jaw tightened.“Barth,” Julia greeted politely, taking a seat across from him. Bella sat beside her, crossing one leg over the other.“Julia. Bella.” Barth’s voice was steady. “I assume this is about tomorrow’s election.”“Yes,” Julia said, her tone firm. “We need to postpone it.”Barth’s brows shot up. “Postpone?” He set the tablet down slowly, as if to give her his full attention. “That election has been anticipated for months. The board is ready. The shareholders are ready. And now you want to cancel it a day before?”“Not cancel,” Bella cut in smoothly. “Just postpone.”Barth shook his head. “That’s not how it works. Do you know what kind of backlash this will cause?”Julia leaned forward. “Ba