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Chapter 15
Last Updated:
2025-02-06 22:42:27
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Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 16
[Addison]“Michael,” I take a small step back. “What is this about? Why are you home in the middle of the day?”Sitting up a bit straighter, he uncrosses his legs and places his drink on the table beside him. It settles with a heavy-handed thunk. “Why shouldn’t I be here to greet my wife?” he emphasizes the last word. “You wanted to talk, let’s talk now. What is this?”Michael throws the divorce agreement onto the floor between us, the edges crumpled from where he gripped it so tightly. Even lying curled on the ground I can see the imprint of his fingers.“Isn’t it obvious?” I reply evenly and carefully. “It’s a divorce agreement, Michael. I drafted it myself last night.”A silence stretches between us as we contemplate one another. Even though there are only a few feet between us, it feels like we are separated by an unpassable chasm of emotion and heartbreak. This man, my husband, has become somehow unknowable to me.. Before Evelyn returned, I’d have sworn that I understood him bette
Last Updated : 2025-02-07Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 17
[Addison]“This is insane, Michael! Let me out!” I shouted, rattling the locked door, my fists pounding against the painted wood. “You can’t keep me here!”“You need help, Addy!” he shouts back. “I’m calling Dr. Greene. He'll come and give you something to ease your anxiety. You're still shaken from the kidnapping. Don't worry, he'll get you fixed up."Michael's voice grows happier as he continues to speak, truly believing his own lies.""You'll see, Addy. You'll be yourself again soon." Dr. Greene is Michael’s psychiatrist. Ever since Evelyn left, Michael has been seeing Dr. Greene once a week. I don’t know him very well, having only met him once or twice during fundraisers and social functions, but he is an old-school doctor who believes in heavy medication. And who knows what Michael is going to tell him about me. Whatever it is, Evelyn will likely have a hand in it. Opening my purse, I see the contract and business card from Mr. Grant. He had said I could call him about anythin
Last Updated : 2025-02-09Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 18
[Hunter]My shoulders ache. I'm too tired to be at work, but I need to keep up appearances.The raid last night was successful. Millions of dollars of contraband were seized at the harbor because of our efforts, putting a squeeze on the local black market. But then after making a few arrests and making sure the evidence was properly locked away for the evening, I still had to make an appearance at the club. I needed a steel-clad alibi, so I switched with my double at the gym, took a shower, and reappeared in the lobby, looking as if I had finished a very good workout. Which of course I did, just not in the way anyone knows. And of course, being Hunter Grant, I had to go out to the top dance club in the city, The Rooftop Revue, which I started as soon as I moved back into town. I have a solid reputation as a playboy that I need to maintain. It also provides the perfect cover for reconnaissance. If the mobsters think you're just as dirty as they are, they'll open up. Last night my
Last Updated : 2025-02-11Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 19
[Addison]"Addy!"There are loud, rapid footsteps followed by the heavy sound of someone falling to their knees. Warm arms reach around me and cradle me to their chest, their heart beating rapidly against my ear.My husband, Michael, is shaking with fear as he looks down at me with wide, frightened eyes. "Addison! What have you done!" His voice shakes as he looks up at the open window and then back at me. "Why? Do I make you so miserable that you are trying to kill yourself?""Don't forget, you're still pregnant!" He blamed me.The sadness in his voice makes my heart skip. I scoffed in my mind. There was no child anymore.Does he really care about me underneath all of this anger and angst? Am I the one pushing him away with my jealousy?"Michael, help, I fell," I whimper pathetically. I hate how weak I sound, how defenseless I am. I don't want his help, but what choice do I have? I was foolish to think I could climb out the window to get away. In the distance, my son's small voice
Last Updated : 2025-02-13Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 20
[Addison]But does he believe me? Have I convinced him of my sincerity?Can he feel how my heart is racing, not out of love for him, but the need to escape?Gently, Michael sets me down on the couch, propping me up against some pillows that he gathers from the nearby cushions. With gentle hands, he repositions my body, laying my leg out straight in an attempt to make me comfortable.Now that he believes I want to be here, his entire mood has shifted, his brittle anger melting away. It almost feels like how things were before Evelyn came back into our lives. Walking to his lounge chair, Michael reaches down, his eyes never leaving mine as he picks up the discarded divorce agreement."We won't be needing this anymore now," he smiles at me with renewed hope as he takes my carefully prepared packet and tears it to shreds. I do my best to smile warmly back at him as I pretend that it is what I want as well even though I'm internally screaming in outrage. If he doesn't love me anymore, why
Last Updated : 2025-02-14Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 21
[Addison]When I looked up at my savior, I couldn’t believe it— it was Hunter! As if I had conjured him from my dreams, Hunter Grant appeared like a vision, too wonderful to be real, his strong arms holding me close to his chest. His touch is gentle and strong as he adjusts his grip being careful to avoid my bruises and swollen ankle as he looks me over from head to foot. Finally I settle in, my cheek against his warm wool suit, his natural, masculine scent blended with soap and a faint cologne calming me as I let myself relax in his arms."I have you now," my rescuer promises, cradling me like something precious. "You're safe with me." And I do feel safe, safer than I have in a very long time. Possibly safer than I've ever felt.Hunter looks over his shoulder to glare at my husband, who sputters curses as he stands on the front porch shaking his fist in anger, sweat rolling down his angry red face. Seeing him there with his blonde hair askew, I find myself wondering where the dashi
Last Updated : 2025-02-16Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 22
[Michael][Earlier...]She's gone. I had been upstairs for less than 20 minutes. If I hadn't come downstairs to grab a glass of water, would I have noticed her missing? How long has she been gone?The door is wide open. Could she have made it off the front porch by herself? No. I can't imagine that...Oh gods, what if someone took her? What if she hadn't been lying about the kidnapping. I know she's wrong about Evelyn, but that doesn't mean someone else isn't trying to hurt them both. My head pounds, my ears having the hallow sound of an impending migrane as I rush outside. There is no sign of a struggle, no sign that anyone else has been here at all."ADDY!" maybe she's just sitting in the garden. "ADDISON!"She isn't on the porch, or the garden swing. She isn't sitting on any of the stumps.How could she just vanish.Running inside, my feet slip on the slick floor as they slide on the tattered shreads of our divorce agreement. She had promised to apologize for her mistakes, to make
Last Updated : 2025-02-17Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 23
[Addison][Two Months Later] When I entered the Grant Family manor, it was with the understanding that it would be temporary. “I just need to call Tracy. She’ll help me get back on my feet. I’ll find my own place and then I’ll be out of your hair.” And while I did call Tracy, and she did come over, her response was to leave me there. “Until you recover. This place is a MUCH nicer place to heal than my one bedroom apartment.” What started out as one day turned into ten, and before I knew it two months have passed. Although technically I never accepted the position as Livy’s nanny and tutor, it sorta just…happened. Every morning, the contract sits on the table with a pen waiting for me to sign. And every morning, I take the contract and recycle it, with no intention of signing it. I don’t know why I hesitate. Maybe because it will give me an official spot in their household and I'm not quite ready for that yet--to feel like I belong to this little family. My heart is still aching wi
Last Updated : 2025-02-19
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Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 81
[Michael]"Wait! Addison!" I call after her as the Debrassy's men flank me, their strong arms grabbing my shoulders. " I'm sorry I had to show you this, but it was for your own good. Please come back with me, Jayson needs you. I need you."Her beautiful, innocent face looks at me in shock and horror as she blinks between us--the man she once loved and the gangster who has stolen her heart. I expected her to run from him, to leap into my arms begging me to forgive her, to redeem her. I was ready for that. I wasn't ready for this. She turns her back from me, facing the thug like a flower turning to the sun, her hand reaching out towards him, seeing him underneath his disguise. "Let one of my brides take her," Hazardous, AKA Hunter Grant, requests of one of the most dangerous men in New York. "I want to make sure she doesn't cause any mischief." And Mr. DeBrassy agrees, nodding and smiling in Hunter's direction. Treating her like he would any mob wife--as something precious. Shaking
Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 80
[Addison]He's lying. In the little time I've known Hunter, he's done nothing to make me question who he is and where his loyalties lie. He is an upstanding man, a good leader, and an excellent uncle. Can someone who gives to his world as much as Hunter Grant be a gangster too?"If what you are saying is true, Michael," I pull my arm of his grip as the elevator door shuts. "Why go through all this to show me? You could have called or written an email. This doesn't make sense." Michael laughs, "Why can't I come to my wife's party? It seems all my friends are there. All the best firms, except for our firm, Addy? Why's that?"His expression sours from manic joy to pouting toddler in a matter of seconds. Even for Michael, this feels off balanced. "Michael, what's really going on here? This isn't like you?"Michael gives me an incredious look, his face twisted as he turns his head to stare me down. "You're one to talk! I'm not the one who ran off with a mobster because my spouse brought h
Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 80
[Hunter]In a suit and tie, my tattoos are invisible, allowing me to be the person the investors expect me to be while I run the day to day workings of a fortune 100 company. As far as the upstanding part of NYC business is aware, Hazardous and Hunter Grant are not the same person. I work hard to keep my two lives separate. Just like DeBrassy does with his identity, Mr. D., we both know who the other man is, but in the boardroom, we pretend not to be criminals, and in spaces like these, we are done pretending. Here, we get to be the beasts we truly are.In some ways, this criminal underworld is more real than reality. It's more visceral, sensual, and alive. Nothing is off limits. Everything is possible. For some, it can be paradise. For others, Hell. And as far as I'm concerned, it's the furthest place I ever want Addy or Livy to be. I never want them to know this side of me, to see the gutters I need to swim in to preserve their safe world.Because tonight I dance with the devil to
Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 79
[Hunter]Addison shines like a gem tonight, an elegant professional speaking with other like-minded people passionate about the same type of work. She was born to this. She might not realize it yet, but this is where she was always meant to be. She's standing next to the professor, laughing at something another legal guru from one of the finest firms in NYC said, meeting his verbal jabs with equal skill. Seeing her like this makes my heart feel lighter. After everything she's been through to get to this point, she deserves to be the bright star of this evening. I wish I could spend it with her. But I need to take care of business--dark dealings with the type of sinister low-lifes I plan to keep her from ever encountering. I would never want this filth to tarnish her shine. Silently signaling my lieutenant, I pretend to take a work call and excuse myself, leaving Addison in Charley's careful care. "I might not be back," I apologize. "This is a big deal, we can...""We can check in la
Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 78
[Michael]The grim armed woman takes a step forward, blocking me from Addison's view."It's time for you to go, Mr. Stone," she repeats. "Now." Standing my ground, I refuse to move. She won't shoot me, not in front of all these people, all these lawyers. She'd be thrown behind bars. "Grant Group has a restraining order placed against you, Mr. Stone, and if you do not leave the premises immediately, I am authorized to use force if necessary." The woman tilts her head, watching, waiting for an excuse to follow through on her promise. Hundreds of eyes are watching us, hearing everything as we spill our family secrets on the floor of this grand ballroom, our words flying to smash into one another.Addison is angrier than I've ever seen her, an avenging angel, glaring at me with eyes of burning steel. Next to her is a tall, dark-skinned woman who, unlike the rest of those gathered, wears a no-nonsense suit, her hand hovering over a gun.She means business. And her business, from her sta
Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 77
[Addison]“Oh, it looks like I’m late,” my ex-husband laughs, his hands in his pockets as he surveys the scene. “And with so many of my friends here, too. Hi Steve,” Michael waves to a man standing by the bar. "How's Cheryl?" Swaggering into the room, my ex parts the crowd until he's standing only a few feet away. Looking above my head, he sees the sign saying "Happy Divorce Day," and he smirks, his eyes flashing with sarcastic mirth. "Really, Addy? Just come home already. This game is getting old." Reaching forward, Michael holds out his hand to take mine. Taking a step back, I glare as I look around the room. Hunter is gone, Carter is now missing, and Charley is doing her best to make it to my side without causing an even bigger scene. I'm alone. "Michael, this isn't a game," I try to keep my voice low, even though this has already drawn the attention of most of the people in the room. "And I have a restraining order. You shouldn't be here right now. Why are you here?"Michael
Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 76
[Michael][Earlier that evening]I can't wait to get the heck out of this office. Jayson's at my mother's for the weekend. I couldn't bear to be around my son after receiving the note from my attorney telling me that not only was my evidence rejected, but that my wife, MY WIFE, has been granted her divorce appeal without making any of the concessions I requested.Not only that, but her nosy old law professor, Dr. McCannon, filed a restraining order against me on her behalf. I was shocked to learn that tough old lizard is still alive. He's got to be what, like 102?Evelyn is out tonight, something about needing to see Mr. D, so I'm here, trying to see if there isn't some way I can contest the divorce. I mean, it can't be over, can it? Not really. Addy wouldn't leave me. She promised she'd stay with me forever. Until death do us part. "Sir," my new secretary, Cindy, saunters in. Mr. D sent her over, said my last one was "offensive." She places a whiskey sour next to my mousepad, and I
Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 75
[Addison]The sharply-dressed young man holding me in his arms has a swoonworthy smile warm enough to melt hearts. Pretty like a model, his features are an exotic blend of cultures with full, soft lips, high, sharp cheekbones, and wide, cola-colored eyes that sparkle with amusement as he glances at me through a curtain of straight auburn brown hair. “It’s a good thing I was here to catch you,” he grins slyly, although his voice is bright with concern. “Are you okay, Miss…?"“Ms. Archer,” I hold out my hand to shake. “Addison Archer,” I nod in the direction of the congratulations sign. “The new divorcee.” “Ah,” his grin brightens. "Perfect, you're just the person I was sent to look for." Helping me stand, he takes my hand and bows over it in a very formal gesture of respect. "On behalf of my law firm, I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Adam. Adam Wright. I work for CCRP Law Group, and we heard you have potential." He pulls a card from the inner pocket
Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 74
[Addison]Mr. Carter introduced me to his fiancée, Kate, and we hit it off immediately. She’s classy, smart, and has a knack for noticing the small things that others miss and pointing them out to me with no small amount of hilarity. “So you see how she’s walking with a slight hesitation on her left leg,” my new friend points out a beautiful red head with hair with bright blue eyes, and a tight white gown. “Her date, Mr. Danvers, has a thing for dancers. Likes his girls…flexible,” she smirks. Realising her implications, I gasp. “But he’s at least 80!” “Well, love knows no age.” The edge of her lip twists upward as a demure eyebrow lifts just slightly. “Look again, see how broad the shoulders are on his suit? When he was a young man, he was a star polo player and rugby champion. It was 50 years ago, but I bet he still keeps fit.”Blushing, I struggle to NOT think about what she is suggesting as she leads me towards the entrance, where I am surprised to see another friendly face. “Tr
