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Chapter 34 - The door needs a lock.
publish date:
2026-09-06 11:07:51
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His Hidden Devotion. Chapter 35 - That version of Teresa.
Teresa sat in the passenger seat of Natalie's car, watching the city lights blur past the window. The evening had started with laughter and old stories, but the weight of the week had settled back onto her shoulders the moment they stepped into the restaurant. She had tried to push it away, to be the woman she used to be, but the effort had drained her more than she expected.Natalie glanced over at her. "You look like you're already planning your escape.""I'm not planning anything. I'm just tired.""You're always tired." Natalie's voice softened. "That's exactly why I brought you out. You don't have to have fun. You just have to leave the house and forget about the whole custody exchange saga that is becoming too repetitive." Teresa laughed despite herself. "That's a very low bar.""It's a bar you've been missing for weeks."The restaurant was stylish and warm, filled with the comfortable hum of conversation. Natalie had invited a small group of women Teresa knew from before her mar
His Hidden Devotion. Chapter 34 - The door needs a lock.
Teresa stood in her office, still processing Priya's words. Asher had stood outside her studio for nearly ten minutes, staring at the sign, making a phone call. She told herself it could have been anyone. He could have been calling his assistant, his driver, anyone. She refused to become the kind of person who saw danger in every ordinary action but Priya didn't agree. She stood in the doorway, her arms crossed, her expression firm. "He came without warning, Teresa. After you specifically told him to communicate through Natalie. That's not ordinary."Teresa felt herself becoming defensive. "I don't want security guards standing outside the studio. I don't want clients wondering whether I'm involved in some scandal. I don't want my employees looking at me like I'm fragile."Priya's voice softened slightly. "Needing a boundary doesn't make you fragile. It makes you smart."The sentence stayed with Teresa. Priya continued, her tone practical. "I'm not suggesting heavy security. I'm sugge
His Hidden Devotion. Chapter 33 - The family portraits.
Teresa arrived at the studio the following morning determined to reclaim something of herself. The custody changes had left her feeling unmoored, but she refused to let Asher's strategy destroy her ability to work. She had built this business from nothing, piece by piece, and she would not let him take that away too.She threw herself into a residential design project, spending the morning reviewing floor plans with Priya. The work gave her something solid to focus on, measurements and materials and the satisfying puzzle of making a space feel like home. "That wall needs to come down," Teresa said, tracing the line on the blueprint. "The family wants an open kitchen, and the current layout makes that impossible without structural changes."Priya leaned over the table. "We'll need an engineer to confirm the load-bearing walls.""Already arranged. He's coming tomorrow morning."Priya smiled slightly. "You think of everything."The work continued. Teresa lost herself in the details, and
His Hidden Devotion. Chapter 32 - Still letting your brother win?
Lucas stood across from his father's desk, the mediation report lying between them like an accusation. The room was quiet except for the faint hum of the city outside. Victor did not look angry. He looked composed, the same way he always did when he was about to dismantle someone's position without raising his voice.Victor spoke first. "Asher has created unnecessary complications. You should understand better than anyone what happens when family matters become public."Lucas kept his voice level. "How did you obtain that report?"Victor's expression did not change. "I have people who keep me informed."The answer told Lucas enough. His father had been watching for longer than he had realized. The mediation report was not public. Someone inside the legal process had been feeding Victor information.Victor continued, his tone measured and deliberate. "Teresa's custody problems are no longer separate from the family's reputation. Your involvement is making things worse for everyone, esp
His Hidden Devotion. Chapter 31 - She already knows.
Lucas arrived at the hotel alone, his car handed off to the valet before he had fully stepped out. The building rose above him, all glass and warm light, the kind of place where business deals were made over champagne and family dynasties were quietly arranged. He had been here before, many times, but never with this specific weight pressing against his chest.Victor was using business as the respectable reason for forcing him into this meeting. The expansion project, the strategic partnership, the family interests—all of it was carefully constructed to make refusal look unreasonable. Lucas understood that. He had agreed to come not because he wanted to, but because refusing outright would create another battle before he had even decided how to deal with the custody situation.He needed to know what Victor was scheming. That was the only way to fight it.The lobby was elegant and busy, filled with senior executives, investors, and members of several wealthy families who had gathered f
His Hidden Devotion. Chapter 30 - The distance he chose.
Luca sat alone in his office, the mediation report open in front of him. He had stopped reading it twenty minutes ago, but his eyes kept returning to the same section, the part that recommended his contact with Emma be reduced. The words blurred together, but their meaning remained clear and sharp.He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. The building was quiet around him, the workday long over, the staff gone home. He had stayed deliberately, not because he had work to finish, but because he didn't want to go home to an empty apartment where the silence would feel heavier.He had expected Asher to use Teresa against him eventually. That part was not surprising. But seeing Emma's name attached to the recommendation affected him differently. She was a child. She had done nothing wrong. She had simply loved someone who loved her back, and now that love was being presented as evidence of instability.Luca closed the report and rubbed his face with both hands. He thought abo
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