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CHAPTER 14: His Associates
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-04-09 04:59:06
Bab terkait
Desperate Measures CHAPTER 15: Warning Signs
Liya stared at her phone screen, the message blinking in the dim light of the SUV. Her heartbeat drummed in her ears. Be careful. You don't know who you married. The words wrapped around her thoughts, suffocating her brief moment of calm.She tilted the phone, hoping the message would somehow vanish, like it had been a mistake. No such luck."Something wrong?" Aldo's voice was calm, but that subtle undertone of control sent chills down her spine.She quickly turned off her phone screen. "No, just... spam. You know how it is."His eyes flicked to her for half a second, and though he didn’t press, she knew he’d sensed the tension. He always did. The rest of the ride passed in a heavy silence. Not awkward, not forced but anticipatory, like the universe itself was holding its breath.When they arrived at the mansion, Aldo’s guards resumed their posts like shadows. Liya stepped into the large space, but it felt smaller tonight. Like the walls had secrets. Like the floors remembered footste
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-19Desperate Measures CHAPTER 16: Smoke and Mirrors
Liya stood on the balcony, barefoot, the silk hem of her nightgown brushing her ankles as the moonlight painted shifting shadows across the marble floor inside, but her gaze stayed fixed on the darkness far below. Her thoughts were too loud to be silenced by the muffled sounds of insects. The house was very quiet as she decided to wait for Aldo.Her phone vibrated on the table behind her, the sound loud in the otherwise silent house. She turned, grabbed it, and stared at the screen which showed another message that left her confused.Unknown Number. “They’re watching.”That was the third message that week. All anonymous. All vague. But every one of them had made her feel like she was drowning in unseen eyes. She locked the screen and stared at her reflection in the glass door. The woman staring back didn’t look like her anymore.The sharp sound of unlocking behind her startled her. She turned quickly, heart in her throat, but it was only Aldo. He looked like he’d fought a war and lost
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-21Desperate Measures CHAPTER 17: Strange delivery
Liya didn’t realize she’d fallen asleep until knocking on the door shook her. It wasn’t loud, more like a soft tap meant to disturb without causing alarm. Still, in the dead silence of the early morning, it was deafening.She sat up, the blanket slipping off her shoulders. She glanced at the clock. 5:42 a.m. Odd. Too early for housekeeping or whoever it was.A moment passed, and then the knock came again. This time, a single tap. Then silence. She rose cautiously, wrapping her robe around her body as she approached the door. “Who is it?” she asked, her voice firmer than she felt.No response.She opened the door just a crack, peeking into the hallway. Empty. No sound, no movement. Just the numerous paintings on the wall. Her room was at a good distance from the main quarters. No one wandered here unless they had a reason.Her eyes dropped to the floor. A small parcel lay at the foot of her door. Wrapped in plain brown paper, no ribbons, no stamps. No handwriting on the outside. Like a
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-21Desperate Measures CHAPTER 18: Brother in the rain
The rain hadn’t stopped since dawn as Liya sat in the library, a blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders. The fireplace crackled low, adding warmth but not comfort. There was a stillness to the house today, the kind that makes silence feel louder. Outside, the guards were posted under the arches of the front gate, unmoving, rain dotting their coats. No one came in. No one left. Not that anyone could, not without Aldo’s permission.The message still haunted her. Two of them now, from the same anonymous number. Military-grade encryption, Mason had said. The kind of thing that could get someone killed just by tracing it. But what haunted her more was that lingering sense that the sender wasn’t a stranger.The way they wrote… it felt personal.She hadn’t spoken to Aldo since after their walk in the garden. He’d disappeared again. His absence left the mansion hollow in a way that didn’t make sense, considering it had always been too large for two people.Liya tucked her legs under her
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-21Desperate Measures CHAPTER 19: Partial Truth
Liya walked back to the mansion as she wrung her hands together. She still couldn’t make sense of the fact that Liam was there, trying to talk to her and then he was gone in a flash. The fear was obvious in his voice. Maybe if he hadn’t shown her how stupid he was, she might have believed him and trusted him to take care of himself. She was fighting a silent battle, trying to see if she wanted to tell Aldo about everything that Liam had just told her. But he specifically asked her not to trust Aldo. Not yet at least. Just as she was about to walk into the mansion, a blaring sound went off immediately, making her flinch and panic. It was the alarm. She hurried inside before any of the guards could come and see her outside. She looked around as she made her way up the stairs. She waited for Aldo to show up at any minute. Things were extremely unpredictable when it came to the man.Liya hurried to her room, changing her clothes which were now soaking wet. Just as she tied the comfortabl
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-22Desperate Measures CHAPTER 20: An attack
Liya woke up and she could instantly tell that something was wrong before she even properly opened her eyes. Her blanket slowly slipped off her shoulders as she stood up. She hurried downstairs to check where Melinda and Aldo were but everywhere was quiet. She didn’t want to panic. She hurried back to her room, bracing herself to call him and ask where he was. She didn't know why but she had a strong feeling of danger.Liya walked into the room just in time to hear the phone ping. Cautiously, she picked it up. She was slightly relieved when she saw that it was just a text from Melinda. That meant they were fine, right?Stay inside today. It’s not safe. The text said.Liya had to roll her eyes. Like it was ever safe at the house. They were always assuring her that the estate was safe and secure but somehow, someone always managed to breach the security. Going past the gates, going past the guards, making it through the alarm sensor, and sometimes, even crossing the electric fence. The
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-22Desperate Measures CHAPTER 21: Just In Time
Aldo was going through some of the files that had been sitting at his table for the longest time. It was time that he focused on work properly, at least to take his mind off all the things that had been happening at home. His phone suddenly rang, and he rushed to pick it up. Melinda’s name flashed on the screen, and he frowned. He hurried to answer, hoping that there was nothing wrong happening at home. “What’s wrong?” he asked, with a sense of urgency in his tone.“Sir,” Melinda answered, panting. “The warehouse at the harbor is on fire.”“What?” he asked, hoping that he didn’t hear her properly, but she repeated the same statement. That alone made anger fill his body immediately. He managed to regain himself. He couldn’t be caught slipping. He hurried out of the office, into his car, and drove to the harbor.On his way there, Aldo hoped to God that Melinda was playing some kind of joke. He promised himself that he wasn’t going to react negatively if it turned out that she was telli
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-24Desperate Measures CHAPTER 22: Meeting
Aldo walked down to the basement. He could finally breathe after so long. After making sure that his girls were okay, he could finally pay attention to things that were a threat to their safety. His men pushed the iron door aside, and he walked in, inspecting the room. He noticed the man they had captured sitting in a corner, tied to the chair. Aldo felt his hands ball into fists as he walked up to the guy immediately. His head was cocked to the side, as blood flowed from the sides of his mouth. Aldo looked over to the men who were standing behind the attacker. “Has he said anything?” he asked, and they shook their heads. “He just kept saying that he won't say a word until his boss feels like he is worth saving.”Aldo tried his best to hold back his laughter at the mention of that. The attacker obviously didn’t know the kind of person he worked for. He was just going to be one of the countless souls who lost their lives all because they were sent on missions that they couldn’t retu
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-24
Bab terbaru
Desperate Measures CHAPTER 36: Hurt and Flee
“Thank you very much,” Liya said, with a proper smile on her face as she bid the other people at the dinner table goodbye. They were not done with dinner, but Aldo wanted to go home for some reason. Liya felt a shiver run through her spine when he said he was ready to go home. Out here, he couldn't do anything, but she couldn't say the same when they were home. She felt scared of him because she had the feeling that he wanted to deal with her. If he wanted to, he would have done that already. Xavier was pretending to be an obsessed lover throughout the night. He was constantly gushing over her in a way that every other person at the table noticed, and Aldo didn't seem to take that well. “Hold on!” Liana called out just as they were about to step outside the building. She handed Liya a little box. “Xavier asked me to give this to you.”Liya looked up at Aldo just in time to see his hands turn into fists. “Thank you so much,” Liya said, and Liana hugged her again. “I love your brac
Desperate Measures CHAPTER 35: Sent to Kill
Liya felt herself being dragged to a corner. She was about to scream when she saw that it was Aldo who had grabbed her to stay behind him. “What do you think you are doing?” he asked the man who had pointed the gun at Liya.“My boss asked me to end her,” the man said, and Aldo couldn’t help but let out a sad laugh. “Is she the new target?” he asked, and the assassin frowned, cocking his head to the side. “Your boss couldn’t face me, and he sent you to kill her? The weaker person?”Liya wanted to argue that she wasn’t weak. But then, she knew not to speak. There was no way she would have gotten rid of the assassin. If Aldo weren’t there, she would have been lying on the floor in her pool of blood. “He just asked me to get rid of her. And that is what I’m going to do.”The assassin cocked the gun again and within the blink of an eye, the gun was in Aldo’s hands. Liya had no idea how he did it. Aldo didn’t even give the man a chance to react before he pulled the trigger. They heard th
Desperate Measures CHAPTER 34: Dangerous Party
Liya plastered a smile on her lips as she walked through the crowd of people with Aldo’s hands firmly around her waist the whole time. It was almost as if he was never going to let her go, and she knew exactly what it looked like to the people who were staring. They were the perfect couple. He was the man who would always protect his wife. And of course, she was the trophy wife at least. “If it isn’t Mr. Aldo Marino,” someone called out, and Aldo turned in that direction with a bigger smile on his face. “Xavier Sinclair,” he said so smoothly, that Liya already knew that they had something more than just business. The man with well-gelled hair and sharp features walked over to both of them. He had charming blue eyes, and he never seemed to take his eyes off Liya. He looked at her from head to toe, and she felt small in her dress. Aldo noticed how uncomfortable she was getting, and he pulled her slightly behind him, with his hand never leaving hers. He cleared his throat. A sign for
Desperate Measures CHAPTER 33: Trying
Aldo stood downstairs, with his hands behind his back. After that little talk with Aria, taking Liya to a party just for her to unwind was the only thing he could think of. His mind was clouded as well. They both needed to socialize. So it was a good idea for them. He wanted to plan a dinner date with her, but he knew that she wasn't going to be comfortable sitting alone with him at a table, so the party was his best option at that point. There was going to be a party and then a little dinner afterwards. It would give him a chance to teach her as well. It was going to be a win-win for both of them. He wondered why she was taking so long. Maybe she didn't want to go join him for the party, but he was prepared to head upstairs and dress her up himself if that was what it took. He was ready to carry her over his shoulders and take her to the party. It was going to be awkward between both of them, but he didn't care. It wasn't like he was going to outrightly apologize to her. Another t
Desperate Measures CHAPTER 32: Finding Trust
“Maybe she is worthy of being trusted,” Melinda said, looking up at Aldo as he went through his files. He was tired of keeping things to himself and she seemed like the only person he could talk to at that point. The only thing he could do was hope that Melinda wasn't going to be one of the next people to betray him. That would mean everyone around him was a snake. He knew it would somehow affect his empire so moving forward he had to be careful.“I don't know anymore,” he said, going through all the routes that she had changed. He was going through the new passwords. After Liya had given the passwords away, he felt the need to change them again. “She was just scared, trying to save her brother. You might have done the same thing if Aria was in trouble.”Aldo paused, looking up at her and she apologized immediately. “It's fine,” he said stiffly. He might have done the same thing if it was Aria but the case was different here. Liya was constantly trying to be independent. She didn't
Desperate Measures CHAPTER 31: Opened Eyes
Liya waited for Aldo to tell her to continue walking away, but he didn't. He grabbed her hand instead and pushed her back into the car. He was mad at her, and she knew that much. It was mostly her fault and she couldn't even blame him. He got into his side and drove so fast like he couldn't wait to be out of the same car with her. It hurt her because things were finally starting to make sense between both of them and she had ruined things with one text. Even in her head, she was starting to compare herself with Franco. The one thing she didn't think she’d ever do. But it was the truth. She had betrayed Aldo as well. Giving the same information that Franco had given. Aldo parked the car in the garage and got out without her. She watched him as he walked out of the garage, and into the mansion. Liya couldn't bring herself to come out of the car. She sat there and allowed the tears to flow. She bent her head to her chest and cried even more. She reached into her purse, bringing out her
Desperate Measures CHAPTER 30: No Trust
The door to the warehouse slammed shut, but Aldo didn’t seem to care as he started the car. Liya felt pale. She could feel her throat contract from time to time, but she didn’t even have anything to come up her throat, which she was thankful for. She didn’t want to throw up in the car and annoy Aldo more. He drove off, barely looking at her and she couldn’t bring herself to say anything either. She had chosen Aldo back there, and it should have been enough for him. But obviously, it wasn’t enough for him. He suddenly turned to her. “Why did you choose the note?” It wasn't the question that she expected him to ask, but she was willing to answer him because she knew why. “I just couldn't pull the trigger.” The words were barely out of her mouth when he interrupted her. “I knew you couldn't,” he said, slamming his hand against the wheel, making her flinch. She bit her lower lip so hard she was sure it would bleed if she added any more pressure. Aldo grabbed the steering wheel until
Desperate Measures CHAPTER 29: Test of Loyalty
Liya couldn’t hold back her tears as she ran back to her room. She was thankful that there were none of the maids or guards present in the hallways.As soon as she shut the door, she allowed the tears to flow freely as she sank to the floor. Aldo was betrayed barely twenty-four hours ago, and she had just done the same thing. How could she be so stupid?What if it was just a test from Damian? She wished that she didn't have to face Aldo ever again but she knew that it was going to be impossible. They practically lived in the same house. She was Mrs. Marino. Aldo’s fucking wife. What kind of wife betrayed her husband?She pushed the thought out of her head. She buried her face in her knees as she sobbed. She didn’t even know when she fell asleep on the floor. As she woke up the next morning, Liya hurried to the bathroom. She could barely see clearly as she stared at herself in the mirror. She couldn't recognize the woman that stared back at her. Her eyes were swollen, and her cheeks
Desperate Measures CHAPTER 28: Betrayal
Liya paced around the library. She couldn't even go back to her room to sleep. It wasn't just the fact that she had seen Damian that managed to shake her but the message that she had gotten right after he had left her in the greenhouse but not without slipping a burner phone between the flowers. Damian had sent her a text that he had her brother in his custody and that she needed to act fast. Liya tried not to cry. It wasn't the first or second time that she was in such a difficult situation just because of Liam. She rubbed her sweaty palms against her jeans. She couldn't even call Liam to confirm if it was true, because his phone was switched off and she hadn't seen or heard from him since the day he came to warn her about trusting Aldo. Liya stared at the burner phone in her hand. The phone that she was supposed to send the codes that Damian needed. She shook her head, trying not to do it. But there was only one thought in her head and that was saving Liam. She knew she should l
