MasukShare
51 The Villain
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-10-29 20:51:08
Bab terbaru
Tempting the Wrong Prince 110 The Line I Will Not Cross 4
Arden’s POVEven him, the king, the man who ruled a nation with an iron hand, could not trust the woman seated beside him on the throne. His own queen. His partner. His supposed closest ally in all matters of the realm.And yet he expected Cassandra, gentle, unguarded, soft-hearted Cassandra, to withstand the very same venom he could barely tolerate for an afternoon?“You expect Cassandra to tolerate what you can barely endure,” I said quietly. “Is that reasonable?”His jaw flexed, a muscle ticking in frustration. But for once, he had no immediate argument. No lecture. No polished royal retort waiting on his tongue. He simply stared at me, throat tight, eyes darkening with truths he didn’t want to acknowledge.“Her parents,” I continued, “were your wife’s closest friends. Your queen used them to get exactly what she wanted, your court’s favour, the Crown Prince title secured for Richard, and once she’d taken everything she needed, she crushed that family without mercy. You know this.
Tempting the Wrong Prince 109 The Line I Will Not Cross 3
Arden’s POVThe king stared at me as though he no longer recognised the son standing before him, as though the outrage, the defiance, the refusal simmering beneath my skin had carved me into a stranger he’d never imagined raising. His eyes moved over my face slowly, as if waiting for the illusion to crack, for the real, obedient Arden to return.But obedience had died months ago. And whatever version of me he thought he owned had died with it.Shock rippled across his expression in delayed, painful waves, disbelief giving way to confusion, confusion collapsing into something tight and wounded. He had expected resistance, yes, but not this, never this. He had always believed I was the son who would bend. Break. Yield for the greater good. Yield for the crown. Yield for him.But there I stood, entirely unbroken.For a moment he merely blinked at me, as though trying to steady himself, trying to gather the tatters of royal authority that were slipping through his fingers like water thro
Tempting the Wrong Prince 108 The Line I Will Not Cross 2
Arden’s POVWhen I arrived at the palace, the tension in the air was thick enough to taste, an acrid blend of fear, agitation, and desperation. Even the walls felt taut, as if they were bracing for the next blow. Guards rushed through the corridors with clipped urgency, attendants whispered in frantic clusters, and the distant thrum of unrest outside the palace walls seemed to vibrate through the marble floors.It was chaos disguised as order. A kingdom pretending it was not already on its knees.I didn’t greet anyone. Didn’t slow down. Didn’t pretend to care about the formalities expected of me.I went straight to my father’s wing, pushed through the double doors without knocking, let them slam against the wall behind me, and found him pacing behind his desk like a caged animal forced to confront the limits of its power.The moment he saw me, his face tightened, hardening into something between fury and relief, though he’d sooner die than admit the latter.“Where have you been?
Tempting the Wrong Prince 107 The Line I Will Not Cross
Arden’s POVThe king had been trying to reach me all day.His name flashed on my screen relentlessly, missed call after missed call, each one a knock against my patience, a reminder of the strings he thought he still owned. A lesser man might have answered out of duty, fear, obligation.But I didn’t answer. I let the phone ring out every single time.I wasn’t going to be summoned like a pawn on a chessboard. Not today. Not by a man who believed the title father still held authority after years of wielding his power like a weapon.If it weren’t for Cassandra…If it weren’t for the fact that she was trapped in that palace, isolated, ridiculed, cut open by whispers meant to bleed her slowly…If it weren’t for the reality that leaving Eldenwald now would mean abandoning her in the hands of those who hated her most……I would have left without hesitation.Without explanation. Without witnesses. Without looking back.My loyalty to Eldenwald had never been romantic or sentimental. It wa
Tempting the Wrong Prince 106 The Silence Between What Was and What Hurts Now 2
Richard’s POVWhen I reached the press hall, it was already packed, journalists shoulder to shoulder, cameras raised like rifles, microphones jutting forward like spears. The heat of the crowd was palpable. Officials were sweating through their suits despite the air-conditioning. Security stood rigid, eyes scanning the room as if expecting violence rather than questions.The tension was a living thing, thick, electric, crackling across the air like static before a lightning strike.As I stepped up to the podium, the barrage began instantly, like gunfire.“What does the palace advise the people to do while waiting for concrete action?”“Are you aware there have already been riots across several districts? What is your plan to prevent escalation?”“Have the reserves been released or not, Your Highness?”“Who will oversee them? Will the public be informed?”“What accountability measures, ”I lifted a hand and microphones surged closer.My jaw tightened, but my tone remained steady. “His M
Tempting the Wrong Prince 105 The Silence Between What Was and What Hurts Now
Richard’s POVThe walk back down the corridor felt like moving through molasses, every step heavy, every breath thick, every sound warped around the pounding in my skull. The overhead lights seemed too bright, the floor too reflective, the air too sterile. My vision swam with each step, but I kept moving because stopping meant thinking, and thinking meant facing a truth I wasn’t ready for.I had just spoken to my father about famine, revolt, political collapse, about my brother being hunted, cornered, pressured into an engagement that could very well destroy him. I had spoken about riots, shortages, deceit, and a kingdom buckling under the weight of decades of mismanagement.But none of it, none of it, felt as suffocating as the single truth consuming me:My son might die if I was too late.That reality gnawed at me with a ferocity that threatened to rip me open from the inside.When I reached them, my mother, Rachel, Diana, and the doctor, they all looked up at once. Four faces, four
Anda juga akan menyukai
Twins in Her Womb: Sir President, Please be Gentle
Heap Heap1.8M DibacaAccidentally Yours
Shayla HArt1.8M DibacaMaster Odell’s Secret Ex-wife
Eggsoup1.2M DibacaMy Marriage Is A Contract
Marvy503.8K DibacaHockey Boyfriend For Pay
Nao Solano161 DibacaThe Queen's Second Life
Money Angel299 DibacaThe Beautiful Wife Of Mr Rowland
Ogwu kosiso 101.0K DibacaMarried To The Alpha I Hate
Goodness Chiamaka 258 Dibaca
