LOGINThe atmosphere inside the apartment's living room felt so silent, leaving only the faint, heavy sound of Zane's breathing. The handsome man who was usually adored on the screen was now sitting rigidly on the marble floor, his shoulders raised as he held back an overwhelming surge of emotion. The entire truth he had just read shattered the foundation of the life he had believed in since he was ten years old.Lucas looked at his broken only son with eyes filled with a father's tenderness. Disregarding his pride or his authoritative aura as a powerful businessman, Lucas stepped forward slowly, then knelt right in front of Zane. His two large hands reached out, encircling Zane's shoulders and pulling the young man's body into a warm, tight embrace.Zane froze for a moment in that embrace. The scent of mahogany wood and subtle masculine perfume wafting from Lucas's body instantly brought back faint fragments of his childhood memories from before he turned ten—memories of a father figure wh
The dark-tinted SUV engine rumbled softly in front of the luxurious apartment building in the city’s elite district. Lucas stepped out of the car with long, firm strides, followed by Rian, who was carrying a thick black folder. Lucas’s gaze was straight ahead, radiating an overwhelming mixture of emotions—more than a decade of suppressed longing, guilt, and the determination of a father who wanted to reclaim his rights.Inside his apartment, Zane was standing near the floor-to-ceiling glass window. His hair was disheveled, his shirt was improperly buttoned, and his eyes were red. The harshness and sense of loss caused by Emma’s disappearance still burned within his chest.The loud chime of the doorbell rang repeatedly, breaking the silence of the apartment. Zane clicked his tongue in annoyance. Without even looking through the peephole, he yanked his apartment door wide open.“Violet, I already told you never to—”Zane’s sentence abruptly stopped. The person standing in front of his d
Emma's footsteps echoed softly yet firmly as she walked along the marble hallway of the Blackwood family's main residence. Mrs. Lusi Monalisa walked gracefully ahead of her, leading the way toward the main family lounge. The walls of the luxurious mansion were adorned with classical paintings and crystal ornaments that reflected the morning sunlight. Yet none of the grandeur intimidated Emma. She had already made up her mind. This was the only way to completely sever the shadows of her painful past and begin a new life with absolute security.She did not care who the forty-six-year-old man destined to become her husband was. To Emma, this marriage was nothing more than a legal partnership."Come in, Emma," Lusi said gently as she pushed open the towering double teak doors.Emma stepped into the remarkably spacious room. The rich aroma of black coffee and mahogany immediately greeted her senses. Standing in the center of the room, near the large floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the
Morning arrived all too quickly. Emma was already standing in front of the door of her modest rented apartment, holding a handbag containing her important documents. A luxurious black sedan with a special license plate was neatly parked along the narrow street where she lived.A chauffeur dressed in a neat suit stepped out of the car and respectfully opened the rear door for Emma."Please get in, Miss Reed. Mrs. Lusi is already waiting for you at the main residence."Emma gave a slight nod. She stepped into the cool, pleasantly scented vehicle. There was no hesitation in her eyes; her decision to enter this partnership marriage was the best way to seal away her past forever and begin a truly new chapter in her life.Meanwhile, inside a magnificent classical-style mansion in the city's elite district, the atmosphere in Mrs. Lusi's private study was extremely tense.Lucas walked in without knocking, radiating the anger that had been building inside him since the previous night. The matu
A suffocating silence settled over the semi-VIP area after Lucas and his entourage disappeared into the private room. Inside the elegantly dim lounge, Lucas leaned back against the leather sofa. The glass of whiskey in his hand was merely swirled without a single sip. His gaze remained fixed on the table, while his thoughts were still completely anchored to the image of Emma walking past him earlier with an indifferent expression.His personal secretary, Rian, stood attentively beside the sofa, reviewing several financial reports from the club on his digital tablet. However, sensing the increasingly oppressive chill radiating from his boss, Rian stopped what he was doing."Call this club's manager here. Now," Lucas ordered in a low, icy voice without taking his eyes off the table."Yes, Mr. Blackwood."It took less than three minutes for the club manager to knock on the door and step inside with a respectful bow, feeling uneasy at the sight of the majority shareholder's expression."H
Three days had passed since the night of the chaos at the club and Emma’s sudden departure from the apartment. Yet, even now, there was absolutely no sign of the woman’s presence. The apartment door, which usually gave off the familiar jingle of keys in the afternoon, remained firmly locked. There were no incoming messages, no phone calls, and no indication whatsoever that Emma would come crawling back to beg for forgiveness, just as Zane had always believed she would.The situation pushed Zane’s emotions to the brink of frustration. The man roughly raked his fingers through his hair, pacing back and forth across the living room of his apartment with a flushed face as he struggled to contain his anger. His dirty clothes were piled up in the laundry basket, his training schedule was a mess, and the messages from his agency asking about his work schedule were left unanswered, one after another, without any clear response from him.“Damn it! Why hasn’t she come back yet?!” Zane exploded,







