LOGINRoss was in his office sitting behind his desk. His eyes were fixed on the streaks of red that still seemed to stain his hands even though he had washed them a dozen times. His chest was heavy, and every few seconds, he would rub his palms together as if friction could erase the guilt that was crawling under his skin.He barely heard the sound of footsteps until the door slammed open. Harris barged in without knocking, holding a brown envelope in his hand. His face was flushed. “Ross,” he barked, his voice trembling, “what is the meaning of this?”Ross froze. His fingers began to twitch again. He tucked his right hand under the table to hide the tremors, trying to steady it with the other. “Meaning of what, Harris?” he asked quietly, his voice almost breaking.Harris took a step closer, his shoes scraping against the polished floor. “Don’t play dumb with me,” he snapped. “I haven’t been able to get in touch with Randall. I called, I texted, I even went by his place—nothing. And now I
Cassidy and Arden were in the living room of Arden’s penthouse, and the whole place felt alive with their laughter. Music played low in the background, but their voices were louder. Cassidy ran across the couch, squealing as Arden chased her, both of them moving like little kids with no care in the world. Arlene caught her from behind, arms wrapping tight around her waist, and they both fell into the couch cushions, laughing so hard they could barely breathe.Cassidy twisted around, trying to escape, but Arden only held her tighter, peppering soft kisses along her neck. Cassidy giggled, her hair falling into her face, and she pushed at him weakly, still laughing.“Stop, Arden!” she said between laughs, her voice playful and breathless.“Not until you admit defeat,” he teased, brushing his nose against her cheek, smiling the way he always did when he had her cornered.Cassidy tilted her head back, eyes shining with amusement. “You play dirty.”“I learned from the best,” he replied, fi
The night Harris confronted Ross began with rain — sharp, slanting drops slicing through the city skyline, making the glass towers bleed gold and blue. The roof of Silverwood Holdings’ headquarters glistened like obsidian under the storm.Harris stood there, one hand on his cane, the other gripping the envelope Randall had left behind. Inside were documents — bank records, transfer codes, blackmail notes. The truth. The evidence that Silverwood’s empire had been built, and rebuilt, on lies.Ross stepped out from the elevator, trench coat flapping against the wind. The rooftop doors shut behind him with a hiss.“You’re early,” Ross said, voice calm. Too calm.Harris turned. “I wanted to hear it from you.”Ross smiled thinly. “And what did dear Randall tell you this time?”“That you killed him,” Harris said. His knuckles whitened around the envelope. “That you buried the truth under shell companies and blood. You were laundering money through the Silverwood trust.”Ross walked closer, h
Payne’s breathing had turned shallow. He pushed himself up from the chair, clutching his chest. “Cassie—please… she didn’t mean it…”Cassie turned away sharply. “You people disgust me.”And that was when Payne’s chair screeched back.He gasped. A sharp sound, small and strange — like air escaping from a balloon. His hand clutched his blazer where his heart should be.“Payne?” Bridget’s voice cracked. “Payne!”He tried to speak — only a strangled noise came out — then collapsed forward, smashing his glass on the table before hitting the floor.“Call an ambulance!” Bridget screamed, falling to her knees beside him.Cassie froze, eyes wide. Arden fumbled for his phone, dialing emergency as Bridget pressed her trembling hands to her husband’s chest.“Payne! Payne, stay with me—please!”---The wail of sirens filled the street ten minutes later.Neighbors gathered at the gate, whispering. The once-proud Murphy estate flickered under the ambulance lights like a house of ghosts.Bridget rode
Inside, the Murphys sat frozen — the remnants of their old world bleeding across the table.“You see?” Cassie said softly, dabbing the dark stain on her wrist with the edge of a napkin, her voice trembling but laced with venom. “They really are finished.”The room was dead silent except for the clinking of her bracelet as she reached for her wineglass again.Cassie sat back with her eyes darting between the Murphys as if expecting the walls to collapse next.Bridget stared blankly at the spot where the knife had landed. It lay near her shoe — still, gleaming faintly under the chandelier’s dull light. For years, that chandelier had hung over lavish dinners, laughter, and empty toasts. Tonight, it flickered, unsteady, throwing jagged shadows across her face.“Cassie, please,” Payne said, his voice hoarse, almost breaking. “She’s not herself. You can’t hold this against—”Cassie slammed her glass onto the table. “She tried to stab me, Payne! You think I’m going to smile and sip dessert w
The night Trent broke the internet began like any other storm — silent at first, then violent beyond reason.At 8:02 p.m., the live notification popped up on every phone that had ever cared about the Silverwoods, the Murphys, or the gossip that bled between them. Trent Silverwood is live. Millions clicked before they could stop themselves. The golden boy of Silverwood Empire, the one who’d stood beside Misty Murphy through every headline, appeared on screen — sharp-suited, eyes glassy, voice trembling not from nerves but from exhaustion.The restaurant lights glowed behind him, the chatter of guests dying as people realized what was happening.“I don’t even know how to start this,” Trent said. His voice was rough. “But I guess honesty’s overdue.”Misty was at home, robe tied too tight, glass of wine untouched on the coffee table. Her phone vibrated nonstop as the comments rolled across the screen — emojis, hearts, question marks, knives. She’d painted her nails two hours earlier to c







