เข้าสู่ระบบThe drive to Caleb’s School was the first time in weeks I had been completely alone with my thoughts, without the constant, watchful presence of a security detail in the passenger seat. I hadn't brought myself to hire a replacement for Dex yet; the idea of someone else sitting in that driver’s seat felt like a betrayal I wasn't ready to commit. I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles white as I navigated the winding roads of the valley, the silence in the car amplified by the roaring of my own pulse.The school was a fortress of privilege, a sprawling campus designed to keep the world out and the elite safe within. As soon as I pulled into the designated parking lot and stepped out of the vehicle, the atmosphere shifted. One of the perimeter security guards spotted me immediately, his hand flying to the telecom unit on his shoulder as he spoke in a low, urgent tone.By the time I reached the grand stone archway of the main entrance, I didn't even have to reach for the door. The Vice
The cool evening air did little to cool the lingering warmth on my face as I stepped out onto the wide stone terrace. The estate grounds stretched out before me, washed in the long, golden shadows of the fading sun. Down by the primary lawn, near the wooden play set, Tyler and Caleb were throwing a football back and forth. The rhythmic, reassuring thwack of the leather hitting their palms echoed across the quiet yard. I paused near the stone pillars of the veranda, stepping into the shade of the climbing ivy to watch them. Caleb’s small face was lit up with focus, his tongue poking out slightly as he threw his entire body into a pass. Tyler caught it effortlessly, a low, encouraging laugh rolling out of his chest as he tossed it back with a gentle, practiced ease. It was a beautiful. "You going to come join us, Sarah, or just stand in the shadows and watch?" Tyler’s voice cut through the distance, clear and smooth. He hadn't even turned his head away from catching Caleb’s next th
"Rosa? Mae?"My voice bounced sharply off the grand staircase as I stormed down the steps, my slippers clicking violently against the polished wood. I was practically vibrating with sheer, mortifying embarrassment. My cheeks were still burning a deep, furious crimson from that ridiculous dream clinging to my skin.I clutched the lapels of my silk robe tightly against my chest, my knuckles turning white as I rounded the landing. The audacity of it all was making my brain spin. How on earth did Tyler just breeze past my staff, and stroll right into my room without anyone stopping him?"Rosa! Where are you?" I demanded.I followed the faint, rhythmic sound of a knife hitting a wooden cutting board, leading me straight into the expansive, sunlit estate kitchen. The air smelled of rosemary, garlic, and roasting chicken.Mae was standing by the central marble island, her back to me as she chopped a pile of fresh vegetables for dinner. At the sound of my dramatic entrance, she jumped, the kn
I could feel the rough, familiar callouses of his palms sliding slowly up my waist, his touch trailing fire over the silk of my slip. The scent of him—expensive overwhelmed my senses, grounding me and making me light headed all at once."Tyler," I whispered, my voice a broken, needy sound that I barely recognized as my own.He didn't answer instead, he pulled me closer, his strong arms anchoring me against the hard, unyielding planes of his chest. His lips found the sensitive curve of my neck, grazing the skin with a devastating precision that sent a violent shiver racing down my spine. I arched into him, my fingers tangling in the dark, thick hair at the nape of his neck, pulling him even tighter as the world around us blurred into a haze of gold and shadow. The friction of his suit jacket against my bare arms, the low, rumbling vibration of his breath against my throat—it was all so vivid, so visceral, that I could swear I felt the frantic drum of his heart matching the chaotic rhyt
Rosa didn't flinch. She looked directly into my eyes, her expression stripped of any formalities, speaking to me as the woman who had watched me bleed, watched me cry, and watched me build my armor from scratch."I mean exactly what I said, Sarah. Everyone in this household, everyone in the valley, and everyone in the Rider network knows that the ball is entirely in your court," Rosa said, her voice steady and true. "Tyler made mistakes in the past. He hurt you deeply, he broke your trust, and he broke the sacred foundation of what you two had built. No one is denying that. But he has spent the last nine years doing his penance. He has bled for this family, escaped being roasted in an explosion, he sat by your hospital bed until his own health started to fail, and he is actively trying every single day to be a better man, a better father... only if you will finally let him."I scoffed, a loud, mocking sound that vibrated with pure cynicism as I turned away from her, my fingers diggi
SARAH’S POV I paced back and forth across the thick rug, my hands tightly clenched into fists inside the pockets of my silk robe. We had been back at the Hale estate for less than an hour, but the silence of the massive house felt entirely different now. It felt heavy. Suffocating. Every single corner of the high ceilings seemed to echo with the small, piercing voices of Leena and Caleb from the park.Do we have a broken home? Children from a broken home never turn out good.The words were a physical ache in my chest, a relentless, toxic loop that made my blood run cold no matter how close I stood to the roaring hearth.Rosa sat quietly on the edge of the velvet armchair, a fresh tray of porcelain teacups resting on the mahogany table beside her. She watched me pace, her dark, maternal eyes tracking the frantic energy vibrating through my frame. She let out a long, slow sigh, reaching out to smooth down the front of her embroidered apron."You're worrying over absolutely nothing, Sar







