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23. Emerald drapes, Hidden flames. 

Author: Kyra
last update publish date: 2025-11-19 20:19:37

23. Emerald drapes, Hidden flames.

Lucien didn't look away from Dahlia. And Dahlia didn't look away from him. Their eyes were locked in a silent war, the kind that crackled and stretched the air. Liam stood at the side, in the worst possible way— not physically, but painfully aware he had become a spectator to something he couldn't name, let alone break. His jaw locked, irritation bubbling into something darker.

Dahlia broke the stare first. Without a word, she reached for her handbag in Liam
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  • Her Exodus, His Regret.    77. If There's Anything Left Of Us...

    77. If There's Anything Left Of Us...The study doors opened without a knock.Mr. Vale looked up from his desk immediately.Sasha walked in. Crossed the room without hurrying. Sat down in the chair opposite him without being invited to.Fiona stayed near the door.Mr. Vale set down his pen. He looked at his daughter the way he looked at things that had stopped behaving predictably."You seem to have forgotten how doors work," he said.Sasha crossed one leg over the other. "I've decided I'll be taking over Vale Enterprises."A pause.Then he laughed. Short. Genuine in its disbelief."Is that right.""Yes."He leaned back in his chair. "On what basis exactly?""On the basis that I'm your daughter and the only person in this family who has spent the last several years actually building something.""Building something." He repeated it like it tasted wrong. "You've been chasing a Voss marriage for years, Sasha. That's not building. That's waiting.""And whose strategy was that originally?"

  • Her Exodus, His Regret.    76. Soft Clothes, Sharp Feelings

    76. Soft Clothes, Sharp Feelings"You scared half the house," Adrian said, dropping into the chair beside the bed like he owned it. "Genuinely. Camille was outside crying into her apron.""I'm fine," Lucien said."You look terrible," Damien said from the doorway, arms crossed."Thank you.""That wasn't a compliment."Lucien looked between them. "Did you come here to assess my appearance or was there something else?"Adrian leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "We came because Jace called and said you'd collapsed and we're your friends, so." He gestured vaguely. "Here we are.""I'm fine," Lucien said again."You keep saying that," Damien said, finally moving into the room. He sat on the edge of the sofa, unhurried, the way he did everything. "Nobody believes you."A short silence."The doctor cleared me," Lucien said."The doctor also said if you do it again it won't be as mild." Adrian tilted his head. "His words, not mine."Lucien said nothing to that.Damien was watching him. Not ob

  • Her Exodus, His Regret.    75. You Don't Get To Die Now

    75. You Don't Get To Die NowAfter what felt like ages, Lucien finally moved.Slowly, carefully, he lifted one leg off the bed."Don't move".The voice came soft— but firm enough to stop him instantly.Lucien froze, his leg pausing midair.His eyes shifted toward the figure beside him.Dahlia was awake now.Her hair was slightly messy from sleep, strands falling loosely around her face. Her blazer was gone, leaving only the fitted cream blouse beneath, sleeves rolled carelessly to her elbows like she had forgotten about them entirely.Their eyes met.Hers were neither warm nor cold.Just tired."Doctor's instructions", she said quietly as she pushed herself upright.Lucien said nothing.He only looked at her.And for a brief second, she looked back too.Then she broke eye contact first."I'll get the doctor". She turned toward the door."Wait".The word came out rougher than he intended. Not harsh. Not soft either. Just unfamiliar— like someone relearning how to speak after being sil

  • Her Exodus, His Regret.    74. The Only Thing Left To Give

    74. The Only Thing Left To Give"Sir, this could have been our chance," Sam said, the moment they stepped inside."We could have labeled Mr Voss unstable. Had you take over the company. Everything else follows from there."Liam stopped walking.His hands found his pockets.Right.It could have been exactly that. An opportunity handed to him without effort, without planning, without any of the careful years he had spent positioning himself for exactly this kind of moment.And he had walked away from it.His jaw pressed together."You may leave, Sam," he said. Quiet. Final.Sam opened his mouth. Thought better of it. Bowed and left.The room settled into silence.Liam walked to the mini bar. Poured a glass of whiskey. Took a sip. Then another.His mind went back to the Voss manor. To the corridor. To the shape of his brother folded against the doorframe, knees drawn up, shoulders shaking.Lucien.Calling her name in the dark like it was the only word he had left.Liam took another mouth

  • Her Exodus, His Regret.    73. Ashes and Whiskey

    73. Ashes and WhiskeyIt was morning again. Thin gray streaks of dawn spread across the sky, bleeding softly through the city as if the world itself was still deciding whether to wake up or not. Sasha stood at her window, hands resting quietly on the windowsill, eyes focused on something only her could see. Her eyes were dull, almost as if the life in them had a quietly packed up and fled overnight. A knock. Simple yet heard."Come in" Sasha said, voice hoarse. She reached for the glass of water on her bedside table. She took a sip. Fiona walked in. "Miss" she said, her eyes doing a careful sweep of the room before finally settling on Sasha. She looked...thin. Frail in a way she hadn't been a week ago. "What do you have?" Sasha asked, not sparing Fiona a glance. "I got every information about Miss Winters, including her family", she paused. "However, there's nothing that could be used against them".Sasha looked at Fiona. She didn't say anything. Fiona inhaled slowly. "Here's

  • Her Exodus, His Regret.    72. You never once looked...

    72. You never once looked..."The foundation looks stronger now," Mr. Fisher said, leaning back slightly in his chair with that particular satisfaction of a man who had bet on the right thing. "Less likely to collapse under pressure."Lucien glanced at the projection on the screen. Then, almost without thinking: "Things usually hold better when the right person is finally handling them."The room received it as a professional observation.Heads nodded. Someone from the design team made a note.Dahlia's fingers paused over the documents in front of her.Just for a second. Just long enough.She didn't look up. Didn't react visibly. She turned the page and kept going, her voice smooth when she spoke next, redirecting the conversation back to the coastal landscaping timeline with the kind of calm that took years to build.Lucien realized, about four seconds too late, exactly how that had sounded.He looked at his own notes and said nothing.The meeting ran another forty minutes.Mr. Fishe

  • Her Exodus, His Regret.    34. The smile he lost....

    34. The smile he lost....Morning came quickly. Too quickly. Dahlia stood at the veranda, a cup of her favorite coffee in hand. Her mind was everywhere, thoughts scattering in every direction no matter how hard she tried to keep them together. Her phone chimed. She sighed in relief. A distractio

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-28
  • Her Exodus, His Regret.    19. A fiancée's fury

    19. A fiancée's furyThe Voss manor was now quiet, the tension of the night's events still clinging to the air. Lucien stepped into the mansion. It was quiet as well, save for the low hum of air conditioner hanging at all corners. He settled into one of the sofas and took out a stick of cigarette.

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-21
  • Her Exodus, His Regret.    14. The man two tables away. 

    14. The man two tables away. The hand that held Sasha's waist tightened, enough for her to wince. Lucien's distracted gaze finally broke and he looked at Sasha whose face now held an aggrieved look. "My bad" came Lucien's cold apology. "Seems like you're distracted" Sasha said with a tight smile

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-19
  • Her Exodus, His Regret.    9. Just him...

    9. Just him..."What?!" Diane hissed, eyes blazing.Sasha inhaled calmly, watching the older woman unfold. "That's it mom" she said. "What an insect she is! Not dying. Not disappearing" she heaved. "Choosing now of all times to appear". "Maybe..." Sasha said standing, her face shifting to somethi

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-17
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