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Author: PINKMama
last update publish date: 2026-03-26 01:19:27

The board was a graveyard of wasted millions and broken alliances.

Logan’s hands tightened around the edge of the mahogany desk until the wood groaned. Every move he’d made to bury the truth, every offshore account drained to keep the past silenced—all of it had vaporized. Nathan hadn’t just survived; he’d claimed the boy. He’d branded Zack.

The power dynamic in the city had shifted on its axis. Nathan wouldn’t be a grieving widower anymore. He had a bloodline to cement. He had a reason to burn
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  • Divorce Clause: Heir Included   94

    Madeline’s face drained of color as she stared at the high-definition monitor in the corner of the safehouse. On the screen, Zack and that small, dark-haired kid were walking across a stage in Havenfall. The boy waved at a sea of cameras with a practiced, hauntingly familiar charm."Goddamn it," Madeline hissed, the words catching in her throat.Nathan had been glued to the television for days, pacing the small living room like a predator in a cage. He’d been oscillating between staring at the screen and tearing through every newspaper Madeline allowed into the house. She’d been fastidious, burning the morning posts and hiding the remote, but this was a tactical disaster. Zack was too polished, too believable. And the kid—Lucas—was a mirror image of Nathan. Even through the grainy broadcast, the boy’s cadence, the way he tilted his head while speaking to the reporters, was pure Durand.Her entire play depended on Nathan seeing Zack as a traitor—a cold, calculating opportunist who had

  • Divorce Clause: Heir Included   93

    The grease and grime on the men across from me didn't bother me; it was the sheer lack of originality. They looked like they’d been plucked straight from a low-budget mafia flick—all scarred knuckles, faded ink, and cheap leather. A collection of bottom-feeders and back-alley muscle.Exactly what I needed to burn Havenfall to the ground.With Nathan deep in the trenches elsewhere, the city was a wounded animal. I’d be a payout-chaser myself if I didn't exploit the gap."You're positive the boss is out of play?" The leader grunted. He ran a whetstone over a jagged blade, a pathetic attempt at a power move.I didn't blink. "It’s been the only headline for seventy-two hours. Nathan Durand is gone. The keys are with his underbosses, and believe me, Lucas and Marcus couldn't hold a candle to the man if they were soaked in gasoline. The city is a buffet. Help yourselves."The man spat on the floor, sliding the paper I’d thrown toward him with a muddy boot. "What’s your angle?""Chaos is a l

  • Divorce Clause: Heir Included   92

    The medical monitor’s rhythmic chirp sliced through the silence of the VIP suite, a persistent, jagged sound that matched the erratic thumping in Zack’s chest. He bolted upright, his hospital gown damp with a cold sweat that smelled of copper and fear. The air in the room felt too thin, as if the shadows in the corners were breathing it all in.He wasn’t in Havenfall anymore. He was back in that lightless basement, the sound of Nathan’s suppressed pistol coughing in the dark while Ethan Cole’s men closed in."Zack! Breathe, damn it."Dr. Kane was suddenly there, his silhouette sharp against the sterile fluorescent hum of the hallway. He didn't look like a healer; he looked like a weary soldier. His eyes darted from Zack’s frantic expression to the spiking jagged lines on the heart monitor."Going to be sick?" Kane’s voice was low, devoid of the usual clinical fluff.Zack couldn't even manage a nod. He lunged for the plastic bin, his fingers cramping around the rim. Kane was a blur of

  • Divorce Clause: Heir Included   91

    Eliza’s voice was a low rasp, thick with a jagged edge as she cornered the medic in the sterile hallway. "He’s going to be okay, right? Give it to me straight, Kane."The doctor adjusted his glasses, his eyes lingering on a clipboard of digital readouts. "Zack is stable, but he’s running on empty. Dehydration, acute stress, and whatever that fever was... he needs a hard reset. He stays here until those labs come back, and he eats whatever we put in front of him, whether he wants to choke it down or not.""He’s barely keeping water down as it is," Eliza bit out, her knuckles white as she gripped the strap of her bag."Doesn't matter. It’s a net gain game now. We pump it in, he retains what he can. If we don't stabilize his vitals, this pregnancy will strip him bare." Kane’s face softened with a grim sort of pity. "Take care of him, Eliza. He’s young, but the weight he’s carrying would buckle a veteran."Eliza watched him walk away before spinning around to find Lucas and Marcus lurking

  • Divorce Clause: Heir Included   90

    Zack’s POV"Why the hell would you want to sit across from a shark like Ivy?" I cut in, the rasp in my voice betraying the dry ache in my throat. "Nathan, that’s suicide. If he figures out the Cocolink throne is empty for even a second, he’ll tear Havenfall apart just to see it bleed."Nathan let out a low, dangerous rumble, his fingers trailing over the scars on his knuckles. "I need muscle, Zack. Real weight. Ivy is the only one in the Ivy District who isn't bought and paid for by Ethan Cole."Madeline stepped between us, her face a mask of calculated terror. "Nathan, don't. Ivy doesn't do 'allies.' He does 'subjects.' If you walk into that den without your full detail, you’re handing him the keys to the city.""I'm not a child, Madeline. I know the risks.""Then act like it!" she snapped, her eyes flashing. "You’re frustrated, I get it. But you can't just throw yourself into a meat grinder because you're bored of waiting."Nathan's jaw tightened, a muscle jumping in his cheek. He l

  • Divorce Clause: Heir Included   89

    Nathan, Lucas, and Julian tore through the industrial wasteland of the lower Havenfall docks, the neon lights of the city flickering off the hoods of their blacked-out sedans. They weren't shifting into wolves; they were shifting gears. This was a different kind of hunt. They were sixteen, fueled by adrenaline and the reckless arrogance of heirs to the Cocolink throne, chasing a rival courier’s bike that had strayed into their territory.The thrill was a drug. They moved in a synchronized formation, black steel cutting through the midnight fog. Julian and Lucas flanked the perimeter, funneling the biker toward the dead-end alley where Nathan waited. The target’s tires screeched, rubber burning against the wet asphalt as he realized he was boxed in. He laid the bike down, sliding toward Nathan’s boots, his eyes wide behind a cracked visor.Nathan stepped out of the shadows, the silver rings on his knuckles catching the dim light. He didn't need a weapon; his presence was the threat. Bu

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