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Lucas and his team jolted at the sound of several explosions echoing from the upper part of the hill. His instincts screamed at him to run toward the chaos, to help his friends. But Maximus had given him strict orders: watch for any vehicles trying to escape. Victor was too calculating not to have an escape plan. They had already sealed off the roads heading both north and south. But then Emma’s vehicle came into view, and that’s when the woman made a terrible mistake. He and his team were caught completely unprepared. “Damn it! Fuck!” Lucas roared, fists clenched as he watched the vehicle plunge over the cliff and disappear into the churning water. In those terrifying seconds before it turned, he caught a clear glimpse of the passengers—Emma and Gazelle—both struggling as the car tumbled down the steep slope. Motorcycles and a four-wheeled vehicle screeched to a stop on the road, their riders jumping off and staring at the chaos before them. “What happened to Maximus and Ivan?
That moment, watching the explosion destroy everything we had left behind all I could think about was escaping Emma’s abduction. I just needed to get away. Tears streamed down my face as panic took over. If anything happened to Maximus, I wouldn’t survive it. I wanted to scream. I needed answers. I needed to understand why this was happening. Before I could even think straight, a car and motorcycle appeared behind us—most likely Ivan’s men. Gunfire erupted, bullets flying as Emma swerved like crazy, trying to avoid getting hit. The motorcycle was gaining fast, almost on top of us. I was terrified—terrified for my life, for my baby, for everything! The narrow mountain road twisted along the cliffs, with nothing but sharp rocks and the deep blue sea below. It was the kind of road where one wrong move meant game over. Our car sped down that death trap while my head spun with questions I couldn’t push away. My hands were tied, but I managed to wiggle my feet toward the steering whee
Emma performed a meticulous body search on Maximus while Victor kept his gun pressed against my temple. When she discovered a knife tucked in Maximus’s pocket, she extracted it carefully and tossed it far beyond his reach. The metallic clatter echoed in the tense silence. “Clear!” she announced, roughly shoving Maximus forward. “I knew you’d come,” Victor said with a twisted grin. Emma smirked. “He loves his wife so much, he’d kill for her. Does Dr. Sinclair know?” Tears welled up in my eyes. I never imagined Maximus cared for me like that. Lately, he’d been distant, his words colder than ever. But now it all made sense—he had come here alone, risking everything, just to save me. “Leave my wife alone!” Maximus roared, his eyes sharp and deadly. Victor gave a wicked smile before purposely brushing his lips against my cheek. A wave of disgust hit me like ice water. Even with chains around my legs, I thrashed as hard as I could, just trying to get away from him. My mouth, sealed w
This isn't real. It can't be real. That's what I kept telling myself as waves of anger surged through my chest. I had thought Kyros’ greatest betrayal was the infidelity—the way he cheated while pretending to be my hero. That was all I believed he had done. The trust between us had already fallen apart when I found out the truth from Maximus—when I learned it was he and his friends who rescued me on the island, from Victor’s abduction. Hearing that Kyros was the one who gave Victor the abduction idea didn’t even shock me anymore. It should’ve felt like a bombshell, but instead, it just confirmed what I was slowly starting to accept about the man I’d trusted for seven years. ‘So, that was it!’ The reason Maximus got nothing out of Kyros during the interrogation at the mansion, then their grandfather stepped in, accusing Max and his friends of bullying Kyros and defended him as if he were some helpless victim, not someone who was actually knee-deep in everything. His interference
Gazelle When I opened my eyes, I found myself tied to a chair, my hands bound tightly behind my back. A dull ache throbbed in my neck, and my mind was hazy. The warehouse—wherever I was—was dark and have pungent smell. The memory of what had happened crashed into my consciousness, and panic surged through me like an electric current. “Ahhh! Help!” I screamed, my voice cracking painfully as it tore through my dry throat. From the shadows emerged the last person I ever wanted to see—Victor. And behind him... Emma. My breath caught. “W-Why are you together?” I stammered, my lips trembling. Victor didn’t even acknowledge my question. Emma stood there, completely unfazed, her expression unreadable. Maximus’s assistant stared at me with a cold, serious look. The betrayal hit harder than any slap. Why the hell is she doing this? Ivan’s warning kept replaying in my head: Don’t just trust anyone. But my mind had been all over the place, especially after discovering she’s Lucas’s wife. T
“To the hospital!” I told Ivan, my voice tight and urgent. “Are you certain that’s where they’re headed?” “Yes, because I know Gazelle,” I replied, anxiety churning in my stomach. “She wouldn’t follow my instructions to rest at the villa. She’d rather spend her time at the hospital.” Ivan shook his head; eyes fixed on the road. “You knew that about her, yet you still saw fit to disregard her?” I gritted my teeth. His words stung because they were true. No response came to my lips. I’d been careless, and there was no denying it. If something happened to Gazelle or her pregnancy because of my negligence, I would never forgive myself. And Gazelle has every right to hate me. Ivan pressed the accelerator, the engine roaring in response. Dante followed close behind in another car with Lucas and bodyguards in another. We overtook a slower car, swerving dangerously before nearly colliding with an oncoming vehicle. Ivan’s sports car lurched back into the proper lane at the last moment.
Maximus “What happened? Why is Gazelle crying?” Dante asked, concern etched on his face. I looked at him, my face tense from everything going on. “Dante... I’m a mess. Gazelle’s hurting because she feels so alone,” I said. Dante let out a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. “Gazelle did everything she could, man—tried to hold it all together—but it was too much. I saw how you kept pushing her away. Even I couldn’t stand to watch it. She’s exhausted, and she’s pregnant—she shouldn’t be going through this alone. Especially not today. This is when she needs you the most.” He paused, his voice softening. “I’ve told you before—whatever’s going on, it’s in your head. I know you. We’ve been friends for years, and I know hurting her isn’t who you really are, and never your intention.” Before I could formulate a response, his phone rang, cutting through the tension. “It’s the hospital,” he said, his tone shifting to something more professional. He answered on speaker, allowi
It’s not because I’m concerned about Kyros that I’m interested in what I heard. My lips parted slightly, my thoughts still catching up, as Gianna eyed me with concern. “Okay… uh, I’ll inform his family,” The words tumbled out awkwardly as I finished my conversation with Dr. Smith. “Did something happen?” Gianna asked gently. I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Kyros was in the hospital…” I explained everything—how he’d been rushed to the emergency room, how he was now fighting for his life. Gianna’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Does anyone else find this whole situation suspicious and insane?” I said, running my fingers through my hair. Just then, I noticed Lucas standing stiffly in the doorway, his face like a storm cloud. “Why didn’t you tell me you needed money?” he snapped, eyes locked on Maximus’s assistant. Maximus’s assistant froze, then looked down, clearly trying to avoid his gaze. Her shoulders tensed like she was bracing for something. Without a word, Luca
“Emma?” I asked, referring to Maximus’s assistant—the one who’s always by his side. “Between the two, Emma’s the one with direct access to Maximus. That makes her our main suspect,” Ivan replied. “Does Maximus know what’s going on?” I asked. But what was the point in asking? These men are his friends. Of course, they’ve spoken to my husband already. “Yes. Lucas was there,” Dante confirmed. “I need to understand this for myself. Can you send me to Max’s office?” I asked. Ivan offered a slight shrug, a silent gesture of permission. “You think Emma didn’t do it to Maximus?” Dante asked, studying me. I shook my head, struggling to make sense of everything. “It doesn’t add up. I’ve known Emma for months—she’s always the one who reaches out to me whenever Max’s mood shifts or when something feels off with him. She might be within reach for him, but she doesn’t have a reason to hurt him. “What would she possibly gain by hurting or killing him? That’s what I’m trying to figure out. A