LOGINAmber POV Amber sighed and looked from John Stait to Emory Watson with visible disbelief.“How,” she asked calmly, “is the evidence I just handed over not enough to keep them behind bars?”Neither man answered immediately.So she continued.“I presented one of the bombs that was placed at the university. The one I deactivated in the warehouse where I was forced to play their little game.”Her voice remained level, but every word carried weight.“I gave you videos and digital footprints placing the entire Becker leadership, including Emilian, in locations where top-secret information was sold to foreign countries.”Emory’s expression did not change, though his attention sharpened.“I proved corporate espionage committed against multiple companies on their estate. I traced what they stole, what they copied, and which secrets they sold.”Amber stepped closer.“I also included a list of men and women, heirs from minor houses, who were taken hostage by the Beckers. Children used as levera
Amber POVThe courtroom doors opened again.This time, no one whispered.No one moved.The entire room seemed to understand instinctively that whatever entered next would change everything.The judge stepped inside.He was not alone.Several high-ranking military officials accompanied him, their uniforms immaculate, their expressions unreadable.The atmosphere shifted so sharply it felt like the air itself had tightened.As he passed our row, the judge glanced at me and gave the smallest nod.Recognition.Confirmation.Then he continued toward the bench.Behind me, chairs creaked.Someone from the Becker table stood halfway before sitting again.The Vinny family had gone completely still.Even Jason, beside me, grew quieter.The judge took his place.Set down the file before him.Looked across the packed courtroom.Then removed his glasses with deliberate calm.“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.”His voice carried easily through the room.Measured.Final.“I am afraid this case wi
Jason POVAmber was late to the trial.That alone was enough to unsettle me.Amber was many things—brilliant, reckless, impossible, dangerous—but rarely late when something mattered.And this mattered.The courtroom was already filling.The Becker family sat at their table looking far too pleased with themselves.Relaxed.Comfortable.As if they had already won before a word had been spoken.The Vinny family was there as well.Of course they were.Watching from the gallery with carefully neutral expressions that fooled no one.No one attended a trial like this out of idle curiosity.They were there for the outcome.Or to protect their interests in it.But what concerned me most was not them.It was the state attorney.He looked anxious.Not the ordinary tension of a major case.Something sharper.The look of a man who knew time was slipping away.I checked my phone again.No message from Amber.No call.Nothing.Then Lucas Bowman, the lead prosecutor, broke from his table and walked d
The next three weeks went amazingly well.For the first time in what felt like forever, life settled into something almost peaceful. There were still businesses to run, statements to manage, and enemies who had not entirely disappeared, but none of it reached the fairy house with the same force as before.The children returned to school. Alice and Alex left each morning full of opinions, stories, and endless questions, then came back each afternoon with new ones. Their days quickly filled with lessons, friends, and the kind of small dramas only children could treat as world-ending.Iris stayed behind at the house. After everything she had been through, forcing her into a classroom too soon had never felt right. Instead, a private tutor came each day.To everyone’s surprise except perhaps my own, Iris learned at an astonishing pace. She absorbed information like dry ground taking rain, hungry for everything she had once been denied. Reading improved by the day. Writing became smoother.
Amber POV“You terrify me,” he admitted.The words erased every trace of teasing. Because beneath the tension, beneath the heat, beneath the control, there it was. Fear. Real and raw. The fear of losing something he could no longer imagine living without.My expression softened. I lifted both hands to his face.“I came back,” I whispered.His eyes closed briefly.“You always need to,” he said.Then he kissed me properly. Deep, demanding, like he needed proof I was there. Like he needed to feel me breathe. Like the whole impossible night had led only to this moment.When he finally broke the kiss, his forehead rested against mine. He still trapped me against the door, still holding on, as if letting go was no longer an option.Amber answered him the only way that felt right. She grabbed the front of his shirt and kissed him fiercely, all heat and challenge, demanding a response from him instead of more carefully chosen words.Jason laughed against her mouth, but the sound came out stra
Amber POVBy the time we arrived at the fairy house, the night had gone deep and quiet.The gates opened in silence.The gardens were lit softly.The towers glowed against the dark like something out of a dream.After the base, after the alarms, the screens, the gunfire, and the politics—Home felt unreal.The front door opened before we reached it.Alice, Rose, and Iris were waiting inside.Still awake.Still dressed.Still entirely too alert for the hour.The moment they saw us, they rushed forward.Questions collided instantly.“Did you save them?”“Was there a helicopter?”“Did Alex do spy things?”“Did anyone get arrested?”Alex, for once, looked openly excited.No aloof expression.No careful calm.Just bright-eyed pride.“Yes,” he said, already stepping into the center of attention.And then he told them everything.Or at least his version of everything.Which somehow involved him finding the clue, helping with computers, meeting important people, and nearly becoming responsibl
We drifted into lighter topics after that — Molly’s upcoming clothing line debut, fabric choices, venue rumors, guest lists. It felt almost normal. Almost. Then another call came through. Grandfather. “Molly, I’m sorry — I have to take this. I’ll call you back.” Her teasing hum was the la
High above them, the balcony doors remained slightly open. Madam Sun stood in the shadows, one hand resting lightly against the carved stone railing. She had not meant to watch. And yet— There they were. Jason, bare-chested, having clearly abandoned formality the moment he stepped upstair
The door swung open.Oscar didn’t hesitate.He shoved forward immediately, trying to push past Jason.“Where is she?” he demanded.Jason didn’t move.Didn’t stumble.He absorbed the force like it was expected and blocked him with one arm.Oscar was furious.Not irritated.Furious.His eyes were wil
I stepped into the room but remained near the door. Jason removed his jacket, placing it carefully over the back of a chair. His movements were precise, as if control over small things kept the larger chaos at bay. “Jason,” I said quietly. He glanced at me. “Yes?” I hesitated for only a s







