Chapter thirty- six: Plagiarism
After Cindy left, Shane went over to check on Alissa, but she wasn't in her room. So, he headed to his grandfather's.
The door was cracked open, and he could see them. His eyes scanned Alissa's face, landing on the bandage that now covered the bruise. A flicker of guilt passed through him, but he also felt relieved she was healing. He turned to leave quietly.
"Shane? Is that you?" Martin's voice called out.
Shane hesitated, then pushed the door open and stepped inside. His gaze briefly met Alissa's, but she quickly looked away, her expression laced with anger.
"How are you feeling today?" Shane asked, addressing his grandfather.
"I'm fine," Martin said with a proud smile. "I have my daughter-in-law by my side."
Chapter thirty-seven While in her office, Cindy sat with her legs crossed on the desk, watching makeup tutorials on Instagram. A smile played on her lips as she focused on the screen. There was a knock at the door. A loud sigh escaped her lips. She groaned. "Who is it?" she called out irritably. "It's me, Linda," came the voice of her secretary. The door opened, and Linda walked in, clutching a large iPad. Her eyes scanned the room—there were chocolate wrappers scattered on the desk and an empty Dachey bottle beside them. Cindy still had her legs propped up on the table, her blouse unbuttoned low enough to reveal a generous cleavage. She hardly lo
Chapter thirty- six: Plagiarism After Cindy left, Shane went over to check on Alissa, but she wasn't in her room. So, he headed to his grandfather's. The door was cracked open, and he could see them. His eyes scanned Alissa's face, landing on the bandage that now covered the bruise. A flicker of guilt passed through him, but he also felt relieved she was healing. He turned to leave quietly. "Shane? Is that you?" Martin's voice called out. Shane hesitated, then pushed the door open and stepped inside. His gaze briefly met Alissa's, but she quickly looked away, her expression laced with anger. "How are you feeling today?" Shane asked, addressing his grandfather. "I'm fine," Martin said with a proud smile. "I have my daughter-in-law by my side."
Chapter Thirty-Five: I hate her The next morning, a heavy silence hovered in the mansion. Sunlight spilled through the long windows, casting golden streaks across the marble floors. Alissa walked into the kitchen early, tying her robe tighter around her waist. Her hair was still damp from the shower, her face bare of any makeup. What she didn’t expect was Shane standing by the stove, cooking something. He was reading a cookbook on the counter as he went along. Alissa recognized the book right away—it was the one Shane had given her as part of her birthday gift three years ago, when she’d started cooking classes so she could cook for him and, occasionally, his grandfather. A sharp p
Chapter thirty-four The next day, the ground was still wet from the rain that had fallen through the night. A cold breeze rustled the leaves—perfect weather to stay indoors. But Cindy had other plans. Wearing a black blazer over jeans, she drove back to the mystery man’s house. This was her first assignment as COO—and failure was not an option. Never. As she pulled into the driveway, a sleek black car passed her, heading out of the estate. Its windows were tinted, but she knew who it was. Mystery. Her eyes narrowed. “Where is he going?” she muttered to herself.
Chapter thirty-three: You don’t dig into his pain The next morning, sunlight spilled gently through the sheer curtains of the guest room, casting golden streaks across the floor. The house, though still quiet, no longer felt empty. Alissa stirred awake, her limbs heavy from exhaustion. Her eyes drifted to the familiar ceiling before she sat up slowly, remembering where she was. Shane’s house. She got out of bed and made her way downstairs. The soft hum of a distant vacuum cleaner and the clinking of dishes in the kitchen suggested someone was already up. As she entered the kitchen, she found the housekeeper cleaning up the dishes from last night. Alissa gave her a polite smile and walked to the pot she had left on the stove. It was empty. She paused, lifting the lid with a hint of surprise. Someone had eaten the soup. Her brows drew together briefly, but she said nothing. “Bonjour madame” Alissa turned. Asher stood by the entrance of the kitchen
Chapter thirty-two As Shane stood there, staring at her back, a deep emotion stirred in his chest. He wanted to walk over and wrap his arms around her. To confess that he had fallen in love with her. With a woman who had an evil heart? A woman who tried to kill her own sister? How could he love someone who showed no remorse? And now, she surrounded herself with men for money. Perhaps, he reasoned bitterly, that’s why she stayed with me. For what I could offer her. But if that was true, then why… why did his heart ache like this? Why couldn’t he forget her?&