Se connecter____ ~CHAPTER 15~~~[•WHITE•HALL,LONDON•]The palace rose sleek and modern against the London skyline, glass and stone reflecting the city lights. Inside, soft hums and warm light replaced old echoes of chandeliers. Everything was minimal, polished, and purposeful, yet carried a subtle warmth in private corners.The doors to the private wing slid open. President Adrian Whitmore stepped in, shoulders heavy with the day’s weight. His tailored suit was flawless, but fatigue clung to him like a shadow.A pair of soft arms wrapped around him from behind.“Adrian.” Clara muttered,her voice soft but still sharp.“Clara… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—” He quickly said,leaning into her warmth.“Don’t mean to?” she interrupted, spinning him gently to face her, eyes bright but rimmed with frustration. “You’ve been gone all week. Barely a glance. Barely a word. And now you think a ‘sorry’ will fix everything?”“It’s been relentless, Clara. Meetings, briefings, the press… it n
____ ~CHAPTER 22&23~~~~[•LEWISTON’S•APARTMENT• SAME•TIME•]Lewiston’s penthouse was dim—only the soft glow of a single lamp lit the room. The place was quiet, too quiet, except for the faint hum of the city far below.He sat on the edge of his couch, phone in hand, one leg crossed over the other. His expression was unreadable that cold, calm look he always carried like a second skin.The screen showed the message he’d just sent.Her name. Her number. Her reaction he could already imagine.He leaned back slowly, exhaling.“She read it,” he murmured to himself.A small smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth—slow, dark, dangerous.He dropped the phone beside him, fingers tapping lightly against the armrest as he stared out the huge window, watching the city lights flicker like dying stars.“I want to see how long she pretends she doesn’t know it’s me,” he whispered, almost amused.He wasn’t rushing. He wasn’t chasing. He was waiting.He always waited— and watch
Chapter 13He stepped closer, crouched, and lifted her chin with one gloved finger, forcing her to meet his dead-calm eyes.“You’re too useful to rot here,” he murmured. “And too troublesome to leave in the government’s hands.”Ruth shivered violently.“Stand her up,” Herbert ordered.The guards obeyed instantly, terrified of crossing him.Ruth sagged in their grip. “W-Why… help me…Herbert’s expression didn’t change. Not an inch.“Help you?” he repeated quietly, almost amused. “Ruth… you still think this is help?”Her stomach tightened.His gloved hand slid from her chin to her jaw, holding her face steady. His voice dropped to a whisper meant only for her:“According to death’s order, you must be saved. So I’m not helping you at all, rather I wish you’d die”A chill colder than the concrete floor shot through her entire body.Ruth’s laugh was a harsh, rasping sound, more like a hiss than a laugh. Blood coated her lips, but her eyes blazed with something feral.“Die?” she spa
Chapter 12Her voice cracked a little.“He’s my best friend. My… Silas. And now I’ve gone and caught feelings I shouldn’t even have.”She rolled onto her side, hugging a pillow like it might keep the ache away.“He doesn’t care,” she whispered again, trying to convince herself.“He doesn’t. He’ll never care.”She pressed her face into her pillow, voice muffled and shaky.“It’s stupid. I’m stupid. He’s my best friend. I was supposed to protect him, not—not fall for him. And he doesn’t care. He never—not when he has another girl—” She continued to say bitterly.“Who said I don’t care?” A voice cut her off.Her whole body jerked.That voice, it better not be who she thought it was, maybe she was just hallucinating.“Who said I don’t care, Mel?” Silas said again.She turned slowly, dread and shock rising together.There he was, sitting on her window frame.Right there.Listening.Tears filled her eyes instantly.“I— what are you doing here?” She asked the first question that came
Chapter 11Naomi's Mansion"What's that look NAMI, are you scared of me?" Lewiston's voice came out cold and restrained.Naomi scoffed and gazed at him."Scared—of you? That's not the right word to use lewis, I'm not scared of you, I want to kill you, I want to see your corpse, I want so many bad things to happen to you." She lied through clenched teeth."Too bad none of them would happen anytime soon—," Lewiston paused as his cigarette dropped on the floor, his shoes pressing it down.He suddenly started moving towards her, steps slow and dangerously calculating. She moved back with each step he took, she had even forgotten she didn't close the door, so she was unknowingly going outsideBefore she her legs could move out, lewiston held her with an hand and closed the door with the other.Naomi tried to move away from him, but Lewiston was faster.He grabbed her waist and pulled her back, his breath warm against her neck.“Don’t run,” he said quietly, deadly calm.“You know
CHAPTER 10~~~[•ONE•WEEK•LATER~GERARD’S MANSION•]One week after the chaos at the NMC Library, things seemed calmer on the surface… but underneath, tension ran like electric current.Lewiston hadn’t shown up or contacted anyone.Not a call.Not a message.Not a shadow.And that silence was what kept Naomi pacing her living room like a restless ghost.She wasn’t scared—no, Naomi was never scared of Lewiston.But his silence? That was unnatural.And unnatural things never ended well.Gerard walked in fresh from a shower, the scent of his cologne filling the room,he stared at Naomi who was sitting on the couch. He dropped beside her, his arm naturally sliding behind her shoulders.“Still thinking about him?” he asked quietly.Naomi stiffened. “Gerard, don’t start.”He exhaled. “You haven’t been yourself all week.”“I’m fine,” she muttered.“No, you’re not.” He shifted closer. “You flinch when your phone vibrates. You stare off when you think no one is watching. And







