"Don't take down the video"Alex banks said surprising Kevin.
"But sir the last thing you need right now is to be involved in a scandal" "Just find whoever posted the video and deal with them"Alex concluded not wanting to talk about it anymore. **AT AVI'S PLACE** "Have you seen the video that is surging the internet?" Avi's asked Clara who seemed relaxed. "Yeah, Vivian posted it" "You mean that Jeremy's bitch that insulted you" "Yeah " "Then you should do something about it because I'm not sure Alex banks is going to do anything about it, not like this is his first or going to be his last relationship scandal "Avi said. "So what should I do Avi?"Clara asked lazily. Avi stood up,took her car keys and pulled Clara along with her. 'Where are we going,Avi"Clara asked "We're going to meet Alex banks and asked him to fucking take the video down" **AT THE BANKS COMPANY** Avi and Clara stood before the receptionist in the lobby. Immediately they entered, the employees remembered she was the girl in the video. Jeremy was walking with his friends Jayce as they got back from the coffee shop,when Jayce called out "Jeremy, isn't that your ex girlfriend who was in the video with the boss" Jayce asked. "What are you talking about? She wasn't the girl in the video"Jeremy snapped back. He thought that it wasn't possible for Clara to even meet his boss,let alone have sex with him . "Then why don't you just go and ask her yourself"Jayce suggested. Jeremy walked up to Clara. The people around saw him walking up to her and gathered closer to witness what was going on. "Clara was it you in the video?"Jeremy asked not wanting to beat around the bush as people were gathered around. "Yes, it was me, so how does that concern you?"Clara responded boldly shocking everyone. She has just confirmed everyone's doubt. "The boss wants you to come up"the receptionist said leading Avi and Clara to the elevator, leaving the shocked people there wondering. The onlookers started to gossip, "So she left the poor man for his boss, what a shameless girl" "She's such a disgrace" "If I were her I would've done the same. The boss is rich and way more handsome than her ex" Those were the words the employees kept muttering about. Jeremy couldn't take it anymore so he left the group. **IN ALEX'S OFFICE** Alex just sat on his swivel chair and looked at Clara. Kevin had to speak up"What brings you here?" "You really have no manners"Avi said to Kevin which made him angry. How dare she talk to him like this?. Clara knew the two of them would break out a quarrel,so she spoke up. "You two better shut your traps, this matter is between me and your boss so keep out of it"Clara warned Avi and Kevin. Kevin looked at Alex banks helplessly. The only person who had spoken to like this was his boss but now Clara just shut him up. "I want you to take down the video"Clara said straight to the point. Alex turned in his swivel chair playfully and looked at Clara stubborn look. "What if I say no, you can't boss me around just because we had sex just one night"Alex banks said shamelessly. Clara's face turned red from embarrassment. Why would he say such a thing openly?. "It's a pity the video was only a short version of what we did last night. I really enjoyed the video" Alex said. "Are you crazy?"Clara shouted angrily.Chapter 162 – Full Circle The morning air was crisp, filled with the scent of gardenias and warm sun. In the kitchen, Clara hummed softly as she swayed with Hope on her hip, the baby’s sleepy weight nestled against her. The doorbell rang, and when Clara opened it, she was met with a warm, familiar smile.“Anna,” she breathed, delighted.Alex’s mother stood poised as always, elegant in her tailored coat, but her hands trembled slightly as she stepped inside and caught sight of the baby.“My granddaughter,” Anna whispered.Clara gently passed Hope into her arms. Anna held her as if she were made of glass, tears welling in her eyes.“She looks like Alex,” she said softly. “But she smiles like you.”Clara blushed. “She’s named Hope. Hope Vivienne Banks.”Anna smiled through her tears. “A beautiful name. For a new beginning.”She brought out the gifts—a hand-knitted pink blanket, a gold bracelet etched with Hope’s initials, and a tiny book of fairytales. “For her dreams,” she said. “For a
Chapter 161 – RebuildingThe nursery was quiet except for the soft creaking of the rocking chair and the content sighs of the infant bundled in Clara’s arms. Pale morning light filtered through the gauzy curtains, casting the room in a warm, golden hue. Clara’s gaze was fixed on the tiny face resting against her chest. Hope’s eyelids fluttered as she dreamed, her fingers curled into miniature fists. Each breath she took was a quiet miracle.Alex stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t speak right away. He didn’t need to. His expression—full of awe, love, and something that felt like peace—spoke volumes.Clara looked up and smiled when she caught him watching. “She’s finally asleep,” she whispered, brushing a fingertip across Hope’s downy cheek.Alex crossed the room in a few slow strides and knelt beside them, his hand resting lightly on Clara’s knee. “You’re incredible,” he said softly. “Both of you.”Clara’s smile deepened. “You say th
Chapter 160 – Quiet After the StormThe morning was unusually still, as though the world itself was pausing to breathe.Sunlight bathed the Banks estate in gold, and the air carried the scent of new beginnings—lavender from the front garden, the faint perfume of fresh laundry from the windowsill, and something softer, more sacred: the warmth of home.Clara stepped through the doorway of their home with a soft gasp. In her arms, swaddled in a pale pink blanket, was their daughter, Hope Vivienne Banks.Alex followed closely behind, one hand steadying Clara’s back, the other carrying the diaper bag that weighed far less than the emotions he carried.They paused in the foyer, surrounded by a silence that was suddenly alive with purpose.“This is it,” Clara whispered, her voice breaking slightly. “She’s home.”Alex wrapped an arm around her shoulders, staring down at the tiny bundle. Hope stirred slightly, letting out a gurgle, her fingers curling into miniature fists.“She’s perfect,” he
Chapter 159 – Hope Is BornThe wheels of the gurney screeched against the polished marble floors of the hospital corridor, their sharp echoes bouncing off sterile white walls and fluorescent lights that flickered too brightly. Every overhead lamp Clara passed under was a blinding reminder of time slipping through her fingers—seconds stretching and folding like waves crashing onto a shore. Her grip on Alex’s hand was desperate, nails digging into his skin, as if the anchor of his touch could ground her in the eye of the storm tearing through her body.“Keep breathing, Clara,” one of the nurses urged, jogging alongside the gurney. “Almost there.”But breathing was impossible. Every breath was fire. Every contraction stole the air from her lungs. Her body was no longer her own—it was a battlefield, muscles locking and spasming with pain so raw it pulled a scream from her throat.Alex ran beside her, panting as much from the adrenaline as from trying to keep up. His right arm, still wrapp
Chapter 158 – The Final Madness The early light of dawn filtered through the hospital’s large glass windows, casting streaks of pale gold onto the cold tile floors. The antiseptic scent was sharp and sterile, almost offensive in its cleanness, but after what Clara had just survived, it was oddly comforting. She sat curled up on the hospital bed, dressed in a gown that hung loosely around her frame. Her skin was pale, her body sore, her mind a storm of everything that had just happened. But she was alive. And Alex was near. He stood by the window, speaking with Kevin in hushed tones. His right arm was in a sling, his shoulder heavily bandaged. Clara watched him silently, memorizing the way the light cut across his jaw, the worry lining his face. Everything had led to this moment—lies, betrayal, love twisted and burned into something unrecognizable. Maya was gone. Dead. Shot by the very sister she once manipulated. But the world hadn’t stopped. It never did. The door creaked ope
Chapter 157 – The ConfrontationThe night air was thick with fog, a ghostly shroud that clung to the trees and muffled every sound. It was nearly midnight when Alex crouched in the underbrush just beyond the estate’s perimeter, a black silhouette blending with the forest’s shadows. His breath came in shallow bursts. The pain in his left shoulder was worsening—he’d wrapped it tightly to slow the bleeding from the earlier gunshot—but adrenaline was overriding most of it.Beside him, Kevin watched through binoculars, his voice barely above a whisper."East wing. Same light on. She's still in there."Alex nodded. The house loomed ahead, dimly lit from within. The place had been resecured after their earlier breach, new guards stationed outside, more vigilant this time. Maya had tightened her defenses. Clara was now confined to an upstairs bedroom—cleaner than the basement, but no less a prison.Alex reached for the earpiece tucked behind his right ear."Move in when you hear the second sh