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Chapter Nineteen: The First Assignment
publish date:
2026-07-10 18:32:49
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After Midnight With Him Chapter Sixty: Isabella’s Move
Damien’s POVThe charity gala was already in full swing when I arrived.Crystal lights. Black-tie crowd. Cameras clustered near the entrance of the hotel ballroom. I stepped out of the car alone, adjusted my cuff links, and walked the short red carpet with my head down. Flashes still popped. I ignored them and kept moving.Inside, the ballroom hummed with conversation and the low thrum of a string quartet. I headed straight for the bar, ordered a whiskey neat, and turned—only to find Isabella already there.She wore black this time. Floor-length. Diamonds at her throat. She closed the distance before I could step away and slid her hand through the crook of my arm like it belonged there.“Smile,” she said under her breath. “Three photographers just turned this way.”I kept my face neutral. “Take your hand off me.”She didn’t. Instead she angled us toward the nearest cluster of cameras and raised her champagne glass in a practiced toast. Flashes fired. Someone called my name. Isabella l
After Midnight With Him Chapter Fifty-Nine: The First Crack
Sophia’s POVThe grocery store smelled like floor wax and ripe bananas.I pushed the cart with one hand and held the list Eleanor had scribbled in the other. Milk. Bread. The twins’ favorite cereal. Apples. I moved through the aisles on autopilot, dropping items in without lingering.Near the magazine rack at the front, a small digital screen mounted above the checkout lane played a silent news loop. I almost walked past it.Then Damien’s face filled the screen.Not alone.Isabella Voss stood beside him in a still photo—red dress, hand resting lightly on his arm, both of them caught mid-step outside a glass building. The headline crawled underneath in white text:Blackwood Heir and Voss Heiress — Engagement Rumors Heat UpMy fingers tightened on the cart handle. The image switched to a short clip of Isabella speaking to a reporter, smiling, while Damien stood half a step behind her, jaw tight.The nausea hit without warning.Hot. Sharp. Rising fast.I abandoned the cart between two ch
After Midnight With Him Chapter Fifty-Eight: Legal War
Damien’s POVI walked into the conference room on the twenty-second floor at 8:03 a.m. with the cream envelope still in my jacket pocket.Three lawyers already sat at the long table. Laptops open. Files stacked. The firm’s senior partner, Marcus Hale, stood when I entered. He didn’t smile.“Sit down, Damien.”I stayed standing.Marcus slid a thick folder across the table. “We verified the signatures overnight. Your father’s is genuine. The Voss family counsel confirmed their copy matches. The agreement is binding under the original terms.”I opened the folder. Pages flipped under my fingers. Dates. Clauses. Penalty structure highlighted in yellow.“Forty percent of current valuation if the marriage doesn’t happen within ninety days,” Marcus said. “That’s the number. No easy exit. Mutual consent required to cancel, and Isabella Voss has already stated in writing she will not consent.”I closed the folder hard.“Find a way out.”“We’re looking. Undue influence, lack of disclosure to the
After Midnight With Him Chapter Fifty-Seven: Eleanor’s House
Sophia’s POVI woke to small feet thumping down the hallway.The guest-room door creaked open. Milo’s head poked in first, blond hair sticking up. Wyatt followed, holding a plastic dinosaur by the tail.“Aunt Sophia, you’re still here.”I sat up slowly. The room tilted once, then settled. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and planted my feet on the floor before the dizziness could win.“I’m still here.”They climbed onto the bed without waiting for an invitation. Milo crawled into my lap. Wyatt bounced on his knees and held the dinosaur up to my face.“Roar for him.”I made a weak roar. Both boys laughed. The sound settled something tight in my chest.Eleanor’s voice floated up the stairs. “Pancakes in five. Hands washed. Both of you.”The twins scrambled off the bed and raced out. I followed more carefully, one hand on the wall until the mild wave of nausea passed. Downstairs the kitchen smelled like butter and batter. Eleanor stood at the stove in an old hoodie, flipping panc
After Midnight With Him Chapter Fifty-Six: The Empty Desk Aftermath
Damien’s POVI hit the twentieth floor at a run.The elevator doors hadn’t fully opened before I shoved through them. Jacket gone. Tie gone. Phone still in my fist from the last unanswered call. The open floor went quiet the second people saw my face.Sophia’s desk sat three rows in.I stopped in front of it.Chair pushed in. Monitor dark. Keyboard clean. The little ceramic mug Eleanor had given her still sat in the exact center of the desk like someone had staged it. No laptop. No bag. No sweater on the chair back. Drawer open and empty except for two paper clips and a single black pen.I yanked the drawer all the way out. Nothing. I slammed it shut hard enough that the monitor shook.Jenna from marketing hovered three desks away, eyes wide.“Where is she?”“She left,” Jenna said. “Right after… the woman in red. She packed her things and went downstairs.”I was already moving.Stairwell door. Two flights down. HR floor. I didn’t knock. Patricia’s door was open. I walked in and shut i
After Midnight With Him Chapter Fifty-Five: The Hospital
Sophia’s POVThe nausea hit hard at 6:12 a.m.I sat up too fast. The room spun. I slapped a hand over my mouth, threw the covers off, and ran. Bare feet hit the hardwood. Bathroom door crashed open. I dropped to my knees and heaved until nothing was left.Eleanor’s footsteps pounded up the stairs. She appeared in the doorway in an old T-shirt, eyes sharp.“That’s the third morning in a row.” She wet a cloth, pressed it to the back of my neck, and hauled me up by both arms. “You’re going to the hospital. Today. No arguments.”“It’s stress,” I managed.“Stress doesn’t make you this pale or this sick.” She steered me back to the bedroom. “Shower. Clothes. Ten minutes.”I showered fast. Gray sweater. Jeans. Downstairs Eleanor already had keys in one hand and a sleeve of crackers in the other. She shoved two at me.“Eat in the car.”She drove. I stared out the window, chewing slowly. My stomach rolled but held.At the hospital she parked, took my elbow, and walked me through the automatic
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