LOGINHe did? Indeed, he did. But I couldn’t. My body trembled. Only his grip was securely holding me in my place. “Wife,” He pulled me in his embrace. “Shh. Everything is fine.” He slowly rubbed my back to calm me, “He is not here because it’s not his time yet. I promise, he will be back.”I knew what Raven was talking about. Having a second child. “Will it be him?” I couldn’t help but ask.He nodded, “Yes. He was your child. He will be back as your child.”Hearing his words, I just cried harder.It was by midnight, Reign had already fallen asleep in her crib beside our bed, and I lay in Raven’s arms quietly. He hadn’t spoken much, and I didn’t say anything either.The next morning…I got ready to go to the meeting near the sea first. Eliot and Jeremy were already here. As I took a step to walk out of the bedroom, I saw Raven was casually leaning against the door in his dark grey pyjamas, which matched his grey eyes, watching me quietly.I swallowed my breath and stopped in my tracks.“Rea
Earlier that day:Valerie Thorne’s POV:After getting multiple calls from Elara, I finally focused on the report files. The more I read them, the more I knew I had to personally visit certain people, both at sea and grounds. The work was being delayed, followed by some excuses and some casualties. They even mentioned that some people wanted to join other groups. I needed to meet them personally. But Raven was still not here, and I couldn’t bring Reign with me to certain places.Still, I made some calls to Eliot, telling him to manage them for as long as he could.After I was done, I made some more plans to deal with them and several other matters.From time to time, I talked to Reign. She was being cheerful lately, enjoying her company, rather than depending on me, even though she was just almost five months old.Taking a good look at the weather, which was not hot, not cold, just perfect for spending the day out, I decided to work under the shade of a tree today.As Reign lay in her
“Answer what he asked,” One of the burly men pressed against his shoulders.His body shook at the burly man’s touch, and he crawled to my side, “I am sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I just wanted to scare them.”I didn’t interrupt as he cried.“I just… I just wanted them to scare them. I didn’t know those people would escalate that much,” He continued.“You didn’t know?” My brows raised.He shook his head, “I didn’t… I am telling the truth. If I knew… If I knew, I wouldn’t have done this.”“Do you realise how many people died that night?” I asked a moment later.He lowered his face for a moment as he answered, “I am sorry.”“What does your sorry do now?” I roared. For one second, I could believe he was innocent. Apparently, he was, from the way he was behaving right now. It didn’t look like he was lying. Either there was a bigger play behind the scenes, or he was a good actor. But it didn’t matter anymore. What was done had already been done. Nothing could be reversed now.He didn’
The night was heavy. When we finally left the cruise, it was already morning. By the time we reached a safe place, I had lost too much blood. The last memory before closing my eyes was seeing Drake for two seconds. His figure was blurry, but I knew he was there.When I regained consciousness, twenty-eight hours had passed. The smell of antiseptic filled my senses as I slowly opened my eyes. White walls. Plenty of machines were surrounding my body. I glanced out of the window and blinked a few times to clear my vision.A few minutes passed before I noticed two nurses entering my room. They took the reading first without saying a word or change of expression, seeing I was awake. After they were done, they walked out.A moment later, one of the nurses entered the room again, and this time she had an elderly-looking doctor by her side. I didn’t hear what she said clearly, but the doctor frowned deeper.He slowly nodded at her and walked to my side, “How are you feeling now?”“It’s alright
The thought barely processed in my mind when I heard another round of bullets roaring in the air. I didn’t let myself hesitate and slowly bent down to grab the fallen gun. Then, immediately, I rolled behind a steel pillar for my cover to protect myself as the bullet passed the spot where I had been standing a second ago. The air was thick with the smoke of gunfire. The force of impact vibrated through the pillar and then into my shoulder. “They are tightening the circle,” I muttered under my breath.I peeked out slightly to track their movements. Next, I noticed two men on the upper deck. One of them was standing closer to the stairs. The other one was covering him from the open side.There were snipers above and shooters below. It was a perfect kill box.My jaw tightened slightly. It was not bad, but it was not enough. I moved as my chance came. I fired twice in a quick move. I missed the first shot intentionally, which forced the man near the stairs to shift from his position. The
I didn’t respond immediately. I let his words sit between us. It was as if he was offering me something, like this wasn’t anything but a test again.“When?” I asked calmly.“Tonight,” He replied calmly.That fast? Considering the time durations he had given me tasks, it was quicker this time. I didn’t mind it and asked with a sharp gaze, “Where?”“It’s a high level meeting on a private cruise. They are all powerful people, and it includes bigger money but also bigger risks.”“And bigger betrayal,” I added.He smiled faintly as he nodded, “Now you are thinking correctly.”I leaned forward slightly, resting my elbows on knees, “What’s the catch here?”“There is always a catch,” He began in a smooth tone, “The deal is unstable. Those people don’t fully trust each other. One wrong move could lead to bigger chaos.”“And you still want the deal to get done through me?” I asked.“I would like to see you survive it,” He corrected.He would like to see me survive it. His tone said he had the c
“This is…” As we walked inside, Valerie pointed at the villa. “My other villa,” I told her. I bought this villa when I married her, but I never got the chance yet to bring her here, until now. Valerie nodded and looked around. On each side of the entrance, I kept her favourite flowers, peonies a
Valerie Thorne’s POV:Six weeks later…Raven had organised a dinner on his favourite cruise. It was grand, sleek and huge in size. He invited Axel, Rowan, Rowan’s wife, and Rowan’s child as well.On the surface, the night looked perfect. The ocean before my eyes was stretched endlessly, and the wav
I slowly turned around and saw that it was Rowan’s wife… Amara… Amara Moretti, walking towards me. Besides her was a little boy. He looked cute, like a little prince at first glance.I instinctively reached for my stomach. I wondered if my babe would look as cute as him. Amara Moretti looked at m
Raven Blackwood’s POV:Something had changed.The way Valerie acted since morning, the way she was suddenly present in a way that it frightened me.Was this the pregnancy effect? I wondered?!Valerie woke up earlier than usual today. She sang happily in the kitchen as she prepared breakfast. This w







