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26. The Keynote Speaker
Tanggal publikasi:
2026-06-22 13:39:43
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Don’t Beg for Love 177. Leaving
Annalise’s POVAt the Sterling MansionThe dining table stretched long enough to seat the entire family comfortably, every inch of it covered tonight in celebration. Roast duck glazed dark and glossy sat at the center, flanked by steaming bowls of truffle risotto, a whole grilled fish dressed in herbs, platters of dumplings stacked in careful towers, and a cake waiting on the sideboard with “Welcome Home, Amy” piped across it in delicate gold icing. Candles flickered along the centerpiece, their light catching the crystal glasses Mom had pulled out specifically for the occasion, and somewhere in the background, soft music played low enough to let conversation carry over it without competing.Laughter kept rising and falling around the table, Xander teasing Dad about some golf game, Mom fussing over whether Cassandra had eaten enough protein, the whole scene stitched together with an ease that felt, on any other night, like something worth savoring.None of it reached me tonight, no ma
Don’t Beg for Love 176. His Resolve
I was drowning myself again in the exact thing I’d once sworn I’d never touch.Alcohol.If anyone had told me years ago that I’d end up like this, wasting away on an island with a bottle for company instead of actually running the company that bore my family’s name, I’d have laughed the suggestion right out of the room.For the past few weeks, I hadn’t done much of anything beyond drinking, picking at food I barely tasted, wandering the shoreline kicking loose pebbles into the surf until my feet ached, and spending entire nights thinking about everything except how to actually pull myself back together.I shouldn’t have let her unravel me this badly. I shouldn’t have let myself get this attached again, not after everything that had already happened between us once before.Ten years ago, she’d walked away without so much as a word of explanation, leaving me to spend an entire decade waiting, hoping, suffering through a loneliness I’d never fully admitted to anyone.She’d even had the h
Don’t Beg for Love 175. Cursed
Shock hit me so hard my breath caught somewhere in my throat.I’d been certain, absolutely certain, that whatever alcohol had been running through his system earlier had worked its way out by now. His voice had sounded clear, controlled, nothing slurred about it at all.Send me back?Had I actually heard that right?“Excuse me?” The word came out thinner than I wanted it to.He turned to look at me directly this time, his expression unreadable. “The helicopter is already on its way. You should get ready to head back to the city.”I sat there stunned for the second time within the same five minutes, unable to find a single word to push past the lump forming in my throat.He’d already turned his attention back to the television by the time I managed to process what he’d said, his face impassive, completely unbothered, like he hadn’t just upended everything between us with a single sentence. I found myself studying his profile, searching for some trace of the man who’d carried me out of
Don’t Beg for Love 174. Get Ready
His tone had come out so flat, so cold, that for a second I wondered if I’d imagined some edge to it that wasn’t actually there.I turned around with a bright smile anyway, and my eyes caught on him properly for the first time since he’d stepped into the kitchen. He’d changed out of whatever he’d been wearing in that smoke-filled room, now dressed in a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms, dark trousers fitted clean against his frame, his hair still slightly damp and pushed back from the shower. It was almost disorienting, how easily he could transform from the broken man I’d found curled against a wall surrounded by empty bottles into this, composed, put together, every inch the Andrew Hale the rest of the world knew. Whatever had wrecked him an hour ago, he’d scrubbed most of the visible evidence away, though something in his eyes still carried the weight of it, a tightness around them that no amount of showering could wash off.“I’m cooking for you,” I s
Don’t Beg for Love 173. Enjoy The Moment
His rigid body eased against mine, slowly, like something inside him had finally let go of whatever had been holding it so tightly in place for the past however many hours he’d spent curled up in that corner. Relief washed through me at the small, unmistakable shift, my own shoulders dropping an inch I hadn’t realized I’d been holding them up against.Then he stood, scooping me straight up into his arms without a word of warning, no hesitation in the motion at all despite everything his body should have been fighting against.He carried me out of that smoke-filled room, down the hallway, into another bedroom entirely, one that smelled faintly of clean linen instead of liquor and cigarettes, the contrast sharp enough that I actually felt my lungs loosen the moment we crossed the threshold. I couldn’t help the small flicker of surprise at how steady he managed to stay through all of it, given the state he was in. I would have expected him to stumble at least once, to clip a shoulder aga
Don’t Beg for Love 172. The PentHouse
I stood frozen at the edge of the landing pad, staring up at the penthouse rising above the tree line, its glass walls catching the late morning sun in a way that made the whole structure look like it was glowing from somewhere deep inside. I remembered that glow. I remembered standing in almost this exact spot ten years ago, giddy and breathless, watching Andrew point up at the top floor and promise me the view from the master bedroom would make me forget every other sunset I’d ever seen. He hadn’t been wrong. For two weeks, that view had belonged entirely to us, mornings tangled in white sheets with the ocean stretched out gold beneath the windows, evenings spent on the terrace tracing shapes into a sky neither of us had any real interest in naming correctly. I remembered laughing so hard one night I’d nearly fallen off the lounge chair, and him catching me, and both of us laughing even harder because of it.The same building. The same light. And somehow it felt like staring at t
Don’t Beg for Love 3. Mr. Harrison!
Cassandra pointed at me, her soft voice echoing in the hallway. That was when Aiden peeled his gaze from her, and the tender look on his face was instantly gone.But instead of appearing confused, only fear and frustration flashed in his eyes.He quickly let go of Cassandra, While Cassandra tremb
Don’t Beg for Love 2. Big Sis, Please Come Home
The next day, I discharged myself from the hospital.Standing across the bustling street outside the hospital’s skyscraper, my eyes squinted at the burning sun.For thirty minutes, not a single taxi stopped.Then, suddenly, a convoy of black luxury cars swept onto the street, instantly drawing ever
Don’t Beg for Love 1. The Twentieth Time He Chose Her
“We are sorry, Miss. We tried our best, but the fetus was gone. We had to evacuate it to prevent damage to your womb.”The word “it” echoed through my mind, cutting through my last strand of hope.Yet, the doctor’s words, along with the beeping of the heart’s monitor and every noise inside the hosp
Don’t Beg for Love 5. The Place I Swore to Leave
I only glanced at the device once then went about my morning routine.After I was done, I picked up my phone to find several messages piled up.[Annalise, where are you? Why aren't you answering my calls?][Where did you sleep last night, Annalise?][What is going on between you and Alexander Sterl
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