تسجيل الدخولFive years ago, Nina Hale lost everything… her family, her reputation, and the man she once loved. Betrayed by her own sister and abandoned by those she trusted most, she disappeared without a trace. Now she’s back. With a new identity and a burning determination, Nina is ready to reclaim her life and chase the dream she once gave up: becoming a star actress. But her return awakens old enemies, and her scheming sister Lydia is determined to ruin her again. Just when Nina thinks things can’t get worse, she’s caught in another trap… and unexpectedly crosses paths with a quiet, lonely little boy. Ethan Grant hasn’t spoken in years. Feeling responsible for him, Nina agrees to stay and help the child come out of his shell. But she didn’t expect Ethan’s dangerously charming father, Lucas Grant, to enter the picture. Cold, powerful, and impossible to read, Lucas slowly finds himself drawn to the woman who brightens his son’s world. What begins as a simple act of kindness soon turns into something far more complicated, because Nina came back for revenge. She never planned to fall in love. ********** “I saw you with him,” Lucas said quietly, but the tension in his jaw gave him away. Nina exhaled, crossing her arms. “You don’t get to care.” “Don’t I?” He stepped in, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. “This is just a contract.” “Then why does it bother me?” His hand hovered near her waist, not touching—yet. “It shouldn’t.” Her breath faltered. His gaze darkened, “And yet it does.”
عرض المزيدLucas's question hung in the air, unanswered."…Where's Ethan?"For the first time since the chaos began, the room stilled.Bianca blinked, her expression shifting almost instantly from mild amusement to something closer to concern."Oh…"Her gaze drifted around the dining area as if Ethan might suddenly materialize from behind one of the tall doors or emerge from the shadows near the windows. "That's true," she murmured, her voice softening with a mother's instinctive worry. "He's usually here by now…"A small crease formed between her brows as she glanced toward the hallway, then back at the empty chair that should have been occupied."He hasn't come down yet."That alone wasn't unusual. Ethan had always been the quieter one, the one who preferred solitude to the bustling energy of family meals. But today, everything felt different. The morning carried an undercurrent of tension that made even small absences feel significant.Bianca turned slightly, her posture straightening with de
Lucas's fingers tightened slightly around his cup, the porcelain warming against his palm. Axel didn't miss it. He never did. "Oh, Mom," he said with a laugh that held far too much amusement, "who else would it be?"Bianca's mouth fell open, her fork clattering against her plate. "Wait… wait—"She looked between both her sons, searching their faces for confirmation of what she'd just heard. "Lucas, you were serious? When you said there was someone?"Axel rested his chin on his hand, watching the scene unfold like it was his favorite show. The corner of his mouth twitched with barely suppressed delight. "Oh, he was very serious," he added, nodding slowly for emphasis. "Very invested too, if you ask me."Sebastian, now recovered from his initial surprise, glanced between them with quiet interest. His expression remained neutral, but there was a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes that hadn't been there moments before."Axel."Lucas's voice was low. Measured.A warning.But Axel just grinne
Lucas didn't rush.He never rushed. Even after that strange, unexplainable morning, he moved through his routine with his usual precision. The memory of what had happened clung to him like morning fog, refusing to dissipate entirely.A faint distraction at the back of his mind, persistent and unwelcome. A pair of sleepy eyes staring at him through a screen, unguarded and vulnerable in a way that had caught him completely off guard. A flustered voice, breathless with surprise. A scream that still echoed faintly in his ears.He adjusted his cufflinks, his jaw tightening slightly. The motion was automatic, practiced, a physical anchor to pull himself back to the present.Focus.The hallway outside Lucas' room was already alive with the sounds of a household in motion. Soft footsteps echoed against polished floors. Muted voices drifted from distant rooms. The distant clink of porcelain against glass signaled breakfast preparations underway.Morning had settled into the house with the kind
Lucas stood motionless, the phone resting lightly in his palm as though it might shatter under too much pressure.The screen glowed faintly in the dim room, casting a soft reflection across his otherwise unreadable expression. Shadows played across the sharp angles of his face, softening features that were usually set in careful control.He exhaled… slow and measured, then gave a small shake of his head, almost as if trying to dislodge something invisible that had taken root there."This has to stop," he murmured under his breath, the words barely audible in the stillness.It wasn't like him. None of this was. He prided himself on discipline, on the ability to compartmentalize every aspect of his life into neat, manageable sections.Yet here he was, holding onto a call he had no reason to continue, watching a woman sleep on the other side of a screen as if her presence somehow anchored him to something he couldn't name.It was irrational. Unnecessary. A disruption to the carefully con
The moment the storage room door swung open, the air seemed to shift. Everyone crowded in the hallway stared at the unconscious woman sprawled on the cold concrete floor. But Lucas Grant wasn't looking at the crowd.His gaze had already moved past them… straight to her. For several seconds, he simp
The private lounge of The Velvet Crown nightclub was suffocatingly silent.Dozens of people stood in a tense line across the room. Managers. Security guards. Bartenders. Even the club's owner himself. No one dared move. No one dared speak. The most powerful man in the room had not said a word since
For a long moment, the boy didn't move. His wide eyes remained fixed on Nina, tracking her every movement with the careful caution only frightened children possess. The wariness in his gaze spoke of experiences no child should have. He looked ready to bolt at the slightest provocation.Nina noticed
Time possessed a peculiar ability to smooth over scars, though never quite erasing them completely. From the outside, Nina Hale appeared to have recovered from the disaster that once nearly destroyed her life. She smiled for cameras with practiced ease. She attended events, playing the part expec












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