•Juliet POV•All the blood in my body rushed to my feet as I stared at them in horror. Vera had a worried look on her face, and I knew at that moment it was her fear that ruined everything."Mr. Grigs, you're under arrest," one of the three cops shouted, pulling out his handcuffs. But before he could step further into the mansion, men came rushing out from nowhere, outnumbering them.Vera rushed to meet me, but one of the men dressed in black stopped her."What have you done, Vera?" I muttered, the words barely leaving my lips.Jace was pulled out of my grasp and hauled away. I tried to snatch him back, but another man grabbed me, holding me tight. Edward and Eric stepped forward, but they were stopped too, forced down on their knees in front of me."Please, give me back my son!" I cried, my voice breaking."Mommy!" Jace screamed as he was taken out of the living room and dragged up the stairs.I struggled against the man’s grip, but he was too strong. His hold hurt, and I could feel
•Juliet POV•I stared at the file in his hand, my heart beating fast as the tears in my eyes threatened to roll down my cheeks. I thought it would be easy for me to sign off my company to James, but standing there, staring at the one thing that could bring me back to square zero, I felt so much pain."What are you waiting for?" James asked, his voice laced with urgency as he stretched the file toward me. "Sign this, and I'll give you back your son."I looked at the file once more, my hand shaking slightly, the tears finally rolling down my cheeks as I reached out to collect the file from him."James, please don't make me do this. Please. I can give you anything else but not...""What are you saying?" James interrupted curtly. "Don't forget I still have your son, and if you even try to change your mind right now, I'll put a bullet through his head. I told you, there’s no way you can ever escape this. You thought I was joking.""Please don't hurt my son," I muttered.He smirked. "I won’
•Juliet POV•I spun around hastily, my eyes widening in shock. Standing behind me was an old man dressed in an oxblood suit, holding a black cane with a gold-curved handle. He took a few slow steps toward me, and I didn’t need anyone to tell me who he was.It was obvious, he was James father. He bore the same stern features and dangerous, calculating eyes.“Miss Juliet Ryder,” he said with a smirk, his voice gravelly but sharp. “What an honor it is for me to finally see you in person.” His gaze dragged over me from head to toe, the look in his eyes making my skin crawl. “I’ve heard so much about you. Your name is quite... popular in New York. What is it they call you again?”I stared at him, confused by his words. I didn’t think people talked about me that much. I wasn’t a celebrity. But then again, the name of my company had made its way through media outlets, business reports, and social blogs. I’d been so busy managing everything that I left Eric in charge of my social presence. Ma
•Juliet's POV•"That has been his plan from the start," Edward grunted. "But we won't give him the satisfaction of winning this time. I'll inform the cops about it."Edward reached into his pocket to pull out his phone, and Vera opened her mouth to say something. I watched both of them, anger bubbling inside me."No, you will not get the cops involved in this," I said, my voice laced with anger. Edward froze, his hand hovering mid-air. He looked at me in shock."Why? Did he threaten you?" Edward asked, his voice suddenly soft and calm.I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Does it matter? Isn't the situation bad enough without you making it worse?""Jules, he doesn’t understand what’s happening, that’s why—" Vera began, but I didn’t look at her. My gaze remained locked on Edward."What’s the problem?" Edward asked in a confused tone.I shot him an angry glare. "The problem here is you, Edward. The fact that you’re here pretending to care, what happened? Oh, did Raya refuse to marry you,
•Juliet's POV•“Thank you,” I muttered as I sipped the last of the warm soup. Mrs Carl smiled and collected the empty bowl, she placed it on the tray. Then handed me a glass of water. I took it and drained it in one go before giving it back.She balanced the tray carefully, and exited the room. Just as the door clicked shut behind her, Vera walked in. She was dressed casually, black pants and a white singlet, and her hair was pulled up in a neat ponytail. “How are you feeling now?” she asked, moving closer and settling into the chair beside my bed.“I’m fine,” I murmured. “I’m not feeling pains that much anymore.”She gave me a small smile. “I’m glad to hear that.” Her gaze shifted to my phone resting on the nightstand. “Any call from James?”“No… nothing. I hadn’t even touched the phone since morning." As if summoned by her words, the device buzzed to life. Vera jerked her head toward it and quickly reached out to check the screen.“It’s James,” she whispered, her eyes narrowing sli
•Edward’s POV•The soft music being sung by a woman on a small platform in the bar filled the space as I sat on a stool next to the marble-tiled counter, staring at the transparent liquid in my glass. I raised it slowly and took a mouthful, welcoming the burn as it slid down my throat. The sensation grounded me, momentarily distracting me from the one thing that refused to leave my mind, Juliet.Her face flashed behind my closed lids, the distressed look in her eyes, the weight of exhaustion on her features. She had been so strong for so long, carrying burdens no woman should ever bear alone. All she ever wanted was love. Genuine love. And the moment she thought she’d found it, he turned out to be a monster.I refilled my glass with the clear liquor, my hands steady but my heart was filled with regret and pain. How could I have been so stupid? So blind? How could I have ever compared Raya to Juliet? How could I have cheated on Juliet?Maybe James was right. Maybe if I hadn’t been so