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157. Good Spirits Don’t Last
Last Updated:
2025-09-25 03:53:51
Anotida MandemwaI tend to feel it when the ball is slipping from my fingers. I feel that it is happening now even though I can almost taste to the next major arch. Anyway... I've come this far. I won't drop it. See you in the next chapter!
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Condemned Wife's Compliance 157. Good Spirits Don’t Last
The soft buzz of her phone woke Sofia before she was ready. She had been luxuriating in the kind of dreamless sleep that followed an evening of mild amusement, too much sun, and just enough wine to coax relaxation without consequence. With a groan, she rolled onto her side, blinking against the early light spilling through the sheer curtains.Her phone glowed on the nightstand. A new message.She stretched for it, swiping the screen open with still-heavy eyes.It was a message from Liam Smith.I hope fate didn’t work so hard just for you to block me the first chance you got.Sofia blinked once, twice, and then laughed, pressing the phone to her lips as if that would stifle the sound. He wasted no time. Of course he didn’t.Her fingers hovered over the keyboard before she typed back:Bold assumption that I haven’t already.The reply came almost instantly, as though he had been waiting.Then either fate gave me your number for nothing, or you’re bluffing. And I don’t take you for a bluf
Condemned Wife's Compliance 156. What Fate Wants
The lobby was quiet when Sofia crossed it, her heels clicking faintly against the marble. Most of the guests had either gone out for late dinners or were tucked away in their rooms, leaving the echo of the fountain in the centre to dominate the space. She pressed the elevator button and folded her arms, still faintly amused by the sight of Aris and Adrea disappearing hand in hand toward the beach.Amused, but also something else.She wasn’t blind. She had seen the way her brother looked at Adrea, how much weight he carried in his eyes when he thought no one was watching. It wasn’t a casual fling, no matter how much he teased and flirted. Sofia had wondered—worried, even—what it would mean for both of them if they ever got caught and it became another tabloid bid. But she supposed that was Aris’s problem to handle, not hers.The elevator dinged. She stepped inside, leaned against the mirrored wall, and pressed the button for her floor. The doors were just about to slide shut when a han
Condemned Wife's Compliance 155. Sea, Sand, & Moon
The night air was cool and salt-laced, carrying the faint crash of the waves against the shore. The hotel restaurant behind them was still alive with murmurs and laughter, but once Aris tugged Adrea gently by the hand and led her outside, the noise faded into the background.The beach stretched before them, quiet and silvered under the moonlight. The sand was soft and pale, the tide frothing forward and retreating with rhythmic certainty. Adrea felt her chest loosen as the first touch of sea breeze brushed her face. Here, there was space to breathe, away from cameras, dealers, and calculating eyes.“Walk with me?” Aris asked, though his tone made it less of a question and more of an invitation he knew she wouldn’t refuse.She smiled faintly, slipping off her heels and carrying them in one hand. “I am already. Try to keep up.”“That sounds like a challenge,” Aris chuckled as he was loosening the cuffs of his shirt and rolling them up to his elbows, “Should I sprint ahead or carry you t
Condemned Wife's Compliance 154. Milk That Storm
The room was humming with tension. Chips clattered, cards snapped against the felt, and the air carried the sharp tang of nerves mixed with ambition. By now, the poker tournament had whittled down to just ten tables.Adrea leaned back in her chair, her eyes hooded, her fingers drumming lightly against her remaining stack of chips. She was in a comfortable position, steady yet dangerous. She could afford to bide her time.The dealer slid out the flop: two eights and a king.Across the table, one of the more aggressive players, a man in a sharp navy blazer who had already made a name for himself with wild plays, pushed forward a large stack of chips. His expression was carefully neutral, but Adrea caught the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth. He wanted her to believe he had the king.Adrea glanced down at her hand again, though she didn’t need to. Twin eights nestled in her palm, warm with possibility. Four of a kind.Her lips curved.The woman to her left folded immediately. A
Condemned Wife's Compliance 153. The Audacious Stranger
The hotel room curtains let in just enough light to nudge Sofia awake. For once, she hadn’t bolted upright in panic at the sound of waves or the memory of a rocking yacht. The night’s sleep had been deep, restful, the kind of slumber she hadn’t realised she’d been craving until she surrendered to it.She stretched beneath the crisp sheets, then rolled over to check the time on her phone. Just past nine. For her, that was a decadent lie-in. She smiled faintly, propped herself up against the headboard, and debated whether to order breakfast in bed or head down to the hotel restaurant.Eventually, she opted for the latter, throwing on a soft sundress and slipping into sandals. The dining room overlooked the ocean, and she chose a table near the glass, letting the view soothe her even as she scrolled idly through messages.By the time a waiter set down her breakfast—a plate of fresh fruit, warm pastries, and a steaming cup of coffee—she felt more human than she had in days.Halfway throug
Condemned Wife's Compliance 152. The Calm After The Storm
The storm had passed as suddenly as it had come. The boat, moments ago a wild beast beneath them, settled into a restless but calmer rhythm. Rain still trickled down the portholes in thin silver streams, and thunder rolled away into the distance like a defeated army retreating across the horizon. The air was damp, carrying the tang of salt and ozone, the scent of a sea that had momentarily shown its might.Sofia still clung to Adrea like a frightened child. Her fingers were curled tightly into the fabric of Adrea’s top, her knuckles pale, her breaths coming quick and uneven. She buried her face against Adrea’s shoulder as though she could hide from the ocean itself if she pressed hard enough. Adrea stroked her back in slow, calming circles, murmuring reassurances that she herself had once been given during her first storms at sea.“It’s over,” Adrea whispered softly, tilting her head so her lips almost brushed against Sofia’s temple. “The worst has passed. You’re safe.”Aris, who had
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