MasukLIAM I stood beside the high-tech gurney in the VIP ICU unit, checking the digital readouts on the central cardiac monitor. The room was bathed in a soft, dim blue light, cut only by the steady green line tracing across the screen. The mechanical hum of the ventilator pushed bursts of air into Eliana's lungs, keeping her chest rising and falling in a slow, unnatural pattern.I pulled back the white sheet to inspect her surgical dressing. The thick white pad over her side was clean, dry, and free of fresh blood. The internal packing had held, and her blood pressure was holding steady at a safe level.I picked up her digital chart, tapping a few notes into her post-operative recovery log.She looked so peaceful lying under the harsh fluorescent lights, her blonde hair spread neatly over the white pillow. She was fully sedated, kept under a drip of pain medication to prevent any sudden movement from tearing her internal stitches. She was stable, out of danger, and utterly unaware of the
IRISThe morning light crept slowly through my bedroom window at the Cooper estate, casting long shadows across my bed. I sat pulled up against the headboard, my tablet resting on my lap as I stared at the screen in complete disbelief.The news outlets were exploding with emergency alerts. Bold red banners flashed across every major gossip blog and business financial network.SAVANNAH HAWTHORNE STRIPPED OF ALL CORPORATE BOARD POSITIONS AND MARITAL ASSETS.EMERGENCY DIVORCE FILED BY PATRIARCH ELI HAWTHORNE AMID MASSIVE FRAUD AUDIT.I read the headlines over and over, my thumb hovering over the screen. My mind spun in a chaotic blur, trying to piece together the sudden collapse of the woman who had ruled the city's high society for two decades. Only hours ago, Eli had sent me that text message about a bigger revelation involving Savannah. Now, the entire city was watching her world burn down in real time.My phone vibrated sharply against the mattress, making me jump.It was a message c
ELISavannah’s nails scraped uselessly against the polished wooden table as she slid downward, falling heavily onto her knees on the cold marble floor. Her silk dress bunched up around her legs, her golden hair spilling wildly over her face. She reached out with trembling, hands, trying to grab my trousers, trying to touch my shoes, weeping hysterically."Eli! Please, look at me!" Savannah sobbed, her voice high, shrill, and harsh with panic. "Think about Eliana! Think about our daughter! Think about the eighteen years we spent raising her in this house! You can't just throw me away like this over a piece of paper!"I pulled my legs back with cold disgust, stepping away from her grasping fingers. The sight of her kneeling on the floor, pathetic and groveling, didn't move a single muscle in my heart."Do not speak her name," I said, my deep voice cutting through her hysterical crying. "I tolerated your wasteful, bitter existence for twenty years because I believed I owed that girl a co
ELI"You look tired from your shopping, Savannah," I said, my voice cutting through the silent room.I sat motionless at the head of the long table, my hands resting flat against the polished wood. The six lawyers on my left and right didn't utter a word. Across from me, my mother sat like a statue in her velvet chair, her blue eyes fixed on Savannah with an unforgiving glare.Savannah stood frozen in the open doorway for three long seconds. Then, she forced a dry mocking laugh and stepped into the room, her high heels clicking sharply against the floor."What is all this theater, Eli?" Savannah asked, tossing her mink coat over an empty chair. She adjusted the cuffs of her silk dress, looking around the table at the rows of legal binders and laptops. "Did you really call six corporate lawyers to the breakfast table just to lecture me about my Paris trip? This is absurd. And where is the tea I asked for?"She pulled out a chair near the middle of the table, sitting down with a dramati
ELIMoney couldn't buy class, but it could buy enough high-fashion luggage to cover up a guilty conscience.Outside the grand front doors of the mansion, the morning rain had washed the long gravel driveway clean. The sky overhead was a dull gray, and the cold air carried the soothing scent of damp earth. Through the towering glass windows of the upper floor, I watched the long black car pull up to the front steps, its tires crunching softly against the wet stone.The back door opened, and Savannah stepped out.She wore a mink coat over a silk designer dress, her golden hair styled in soft, perfect waves. She didn't look like a woman who had just flown across the ocean, she looked like a queen returning to her castle. Flanking her were two private footmen, their arms loaded high with stacks of bright, colorful shopping bags from the most expensive boutiques in Paris."Watch the leather on those bags!" Savannah snapped at one of the footmen, her voice cutting through the air outside. S
ELIAt four in the morning, the top floor of my private city office was eerily quiet, save for the low hum of the air conditioner and the rustle of papers. Outside the glass windows, the city skyline was shrouded in deep, pre-dawn shadows. Rain tapped softly against the high panes, but inside the war, the atmosphere was thick with tension.I sat at the head of the long wooden table, my hands folded together over the dark wood. My black tuxedo jacket hung over the back of my chair, my white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar, my sleeves rolled up past my forearms. Flanking me on both sides were Senior Partner My vice president and three of my top business investigators.Spread out across the table were twenty years of hidden bank statements, offshore wire transfers, encrypted email logs, and forged medical documents."We pulled the complete financial audit across all secondary accounts, Mr. Hawthorne," my vice president said, pushing a thick black binder toward me. He adjusted his si
IRISI try so hard to blink my facial features to normal as an elegant woman walked into the parlor. She wore a tailored, expensive emerald dress that hugged her curves perfectly, her diamond jewelry catching the light. Her beautiful face twisted into immediate disgust the moment her eyes landed on
IRISThe heavy iron gates of St. Luke’s Orphanage screeched as they swung open. For twenty years, that sound meant someone else was leaving. Today, it was for me.I clutched my small canvas bag against my chest, the fabric rough against my palms. Inside were three plain dresses, two pairs of worn s
IRISA loud, aggressive banging on the door jarred me out of sleep. I groaned, dragging myself up to sit as Agatha’s sharp voice cut straight through the wood."Get up! Come out here right now, Iris!"My mind scrambled for a second before reality hit me. I wasn't at the orphanage anymore. I jumped
ELII swore under my breath as the new girl practically fled the dining room. I had to shift my weight in my chair, trying to adjust myself for the second time that morning without my mother or wife noticing. It was pathetic. I was Eli Hawthorne. I didn't get flustered, and I certainly didn't lose







