Se connecterNova-Beep. Beep. Beep.My eyes slowly opened.Warm amber lights glowed above me. The sharp scent of disinfectant filled my nose, and somewhere beside me, a machine hummed softly between the steady beeping of a monitor.The hospital. I was in a hospital. My eyes widened as I tried to piece together what happened. And then...Oh no! The baby!I shot upright.“Ah!”Pain tore through my right side, but I ignored it as both hands flew toward my stomach.“No...no, no—”The door flew open.“Nova!” Nicolai rushed inside with a doctor and two nurses. “Baby, lay back!”“My baby!” I frantically grabbed his arm. “Nicolai, the baby! Is the baby okay?!”“Mrs. Moreau, please lie down—”“Tell me!”The doctor quickly stepped forward.“Mrs. Moreau, your baby is fine.”I froze.“What?”“Your baby is perfectly fine. We’ve monitored the heartbeat continuously. There are no signs of fetal distress. So please, lay back and rest.”My lips parted. Then I broke.“Oh God...”Sobs tore from my chest. Nicolai im
Chapter 64: Why Do You Pretend!Nicolai-“Have a seat.”My eyes remained on Nova.“I’ll stand.”Gabriel laughed.“Of course you will.”He slowly dragged the barrel of the gun along Nova’s cheek. My entire body tensed as his lips hovered beside her right cheek.“You always have to be the one in control, don’t you, Moreau?” His voice hardened. “But you’re not the one in control today...so sit the fuck down.”My jaw clenched. Every instinct inside me screamed to kill him. One move...that was all I needed. One fucking opening...but the barrel against Nova’s head kept my feet planted.Think, Nicolai.I moved toward the chair. Nova’s tear-filled eyes remained locked onto mine.I’m getting you out of here, baby.I sat and Gabriel grinned.“There we go.”Using his foot, he dragged another chair toward himself before guiding Nova into it. He sat directly behind her, his arm still wrapped around her neck as he leaned forward, the gun pressed firmly against her temple.“Now,” he said lighthearte
Nicolai POV — Three Hours Earlier“Pull every property.”Aaron looked up from his laptop.“Already on it. I think he may have setup properties in his shell names too.”I nodded.“Then pull that as well. Houses. Condos. Warehouses. Medical buildings. Investment properties. Shell companies. I don’t give a fuck if his name is buried beneath twenty corporations. Find it.”The Moreau Estate had transformed into a command center.Laptops covered the dining table. Phones rang nonstop. Security personnel moved throughout the room while my father’s investigators worked alongside my own.Nate sat across from me, searching traffic footage. My phone rang...Agent Cole.“Moreau.”“We have another problem. Sinclair’s missing.”I froze.“What?”“Kieran Sinclair. No one’s been able to locate him.”My eyes slowly lifted toward Aaron. Kieran. Gabriel. Both missing.“They’re working together.”“Mr. Moreau—”“They’re fucking working together!”Aaron immediately understood.“Pull Sinclair’s properties too.
Nova-Kieran was dead.Oh God. Kieran was fucking dead! I couldn't stop staring at his body.Blood spread beneath him, dark and horrifying against the warehouse floor. My heart hammered so violently it hurt. Tears blurred my vision as my mind desperately tried to process what I'd just witnessed.Gabriel had killed him. Two shots. No hesitation. No remorse, and now...he was sitting across from me. I slowly lifted my eyes. Gabriel glanced over his shoulder at Kieran's body before looking back at me, his lips curling into a dark, sardonic smile.“Oh, don't worry about him. He wasn't exactly a decent quality of life...there won't be much of a loss.”He leaned closer.“Besides...I'm sure all those lower-class women will rejoice knowing he's dead.”My eyes darkened. He tilted his head before reaching toward my face. I flinched. Gabriel paused, then chuckled. Without warning, he ripped the tape from my mouth.“Ah!”Pain burned across my skin. For several seconds, neither of us spoke. My tear
Third Person POV-“Kieran Sinclair…and Gabriel Castillo.”The names settled over the room like a bomb. Several agents exchanged stunned glances. Two of South-Bay's most prominent men.One, the heir to the Sinclair empire. The other, a renowned surgeon from one of the region's most influential medical families. Who also recently partnered WITH Moreau, and now, both were potential suspects in the abduction of Nova Moreau.Special Agent Darren Cole slowly lowered his notepad.“If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Moreau...what makes you think either of these men are involved? How long have you suspected them of this type of behavior?”“Recently,” Nicolai answered.Aaron stepped forward carrying a small case.“CEO Moreau became concerned about both men's behavior towards his wife which launched an investigation into the two men.”“Concerned how?”“Obsessed,” Nicolai said coldly. “Both of them.”And then, he told them everything. About the Lottery and how the Pierces deliberately placed Nova i
Nicolai-Husband: How did it go?I stared at the message for a few seconds after sending it. The delivered mark quickly appearing followed by read. Still, no response.My brows lifted slightly. That was unusual.Nova normally responded almost immediately, especially when she knew I was waiting to hear from her. Then again, she was visiting Tanya, and considering their history, I imagined the conversation wasn't exactly simple.Maybe they were still talking. I placed my phone on my desk. Give her time. Just then, a knock sounded against my office door.“Come in.”Aaron stepped inside.“The board is ready. Everyone's in the conference room.”I glanced at my phone one last time...still nothing, I placed my phone back onto my desk and stood.“Alright.”Applause greeted me the second I entered the conference room causing me to stop in my steps.“What's all of this?”Several board members laughed.“Recognition, Moreau,” Charles Whitmore said, standing from his chair. “Something you should p







