تسجيل الدخولAVERY WINTERS “Just know that I’m not in this with you! I didn’t ask you to do this for me! It was never part of the plan!” Harper and I overheard hazel snapping into her phone. Her tone was sharp, irritated— almost venomous. Only goodness knows who she was speaking to this time.It took her a moment to realize we were standing right behind her.She spun around abruptly, her eyes widening in what looked like fear… or maybe shock. She quickly ended the call and slipped the phone behind her back, clearing her throat as she straightened herself.Her gaze landed on me, and she lifted a brow, trying to regain her composure as if nothing had happened.It had been eight days since we returned from the vacation. Eight days of strange calm… and yet nothing about this house ever truly felt calm.In those days, Ben had been unusually attentive, taking care of both me and Aaron. He has been soft, protective, almost overbearing in his concern. And though I was pregnant and the doctor had insis
BERNARD REED “Has he said a word yet?” I asked the moment I stepped into the dungeon, taking my seat with a calm that did not match the atmosphere in the room.“No, sir. He’s still proving stubborn,” Lucas replied from behind me.“Start,” I ordered without hesitation, turning my gaze toward Joshua.Joshua is my second most trusted men.He nodded immediately, bowed slightly and moved toward the guy they had captured—no, the fool who thought he could attack my headquarter and walk away with it. I watched him closely as he prepared to extract answers the only way people like him ever understood.I had given them clear instructions hours ago. Words— that was all I wanted. And yet, here we were… still stuck with silence. Hours had passed since they dragged him in. He had been tied to that chair the entire time, his body already broken, his face barely recognizable. Still... he said nothing.My patience is running thin.Annoyed, I tilted my head slightly toward Lucas, who immediately st
AVERY WINTERS “What’s wrong?” I asked immediately, my voice trembling with fear and anxiety. “Did the test show that I’m not pregnant?”The moment she walked into the office earlier with that strange gloomy expression on her face, my heart had practically stopped beating properly. Even now, I could feel my chest tightening painfully as nervous thoughts flooded my mind one after another.Beside me, Ben remained silent, but I could already tell he was worried too. He was simply better at hiding it than I was. Still, the slight tension in his jaw and the way his fingers tightened around mine beneath the table exposed him completely.The doctor blinked in surprise at my question before quickly shaking her head.“What? No, Mrs. Reed,” she said almost immediately. “Your test results are perfectly fine.”Then, to my surprise, a warm smile slowly spread across her face.“In fact,” she added excitedly, “this is actually a wonderful news.”She sat down properly in her chair again, still smilin
AVERY WINTERS “Ben, you know you really don’t have to come with me, right?” I asked softly, turning to look at him. “I can go to the hospital myself and get checked. I could always come back home with the results and show them to you afterward.”We were currently seated in his car on our way to the hospital.Even though the idea of going to the hospital first thing in the morning had been his, I still didn’t expect him to insist this much on accompanying me. No matter how much I tried convincing him otherwise, he refused to listen.Ben turned slightly in his seat so he could face me properly.Without saying a word at first, he reached for both of my hands and brought them to his lips, pressing soft kisses against my knuckles.“You’re carrying our child, Avery,” he murmured gently. “It’s only right for me to stay by your side through everything. I have to protect both you and our baby.”His hand slowly drifted toward my stomach, caressing it lovingly.“Besides,” he added with a teasin
BERNARD REED I furrowed my brows deeply as I stared at her in confusion.“What are you doing?” I asked cautiously.“I... you can’t... I want... I-I...” she stuttered nervously, completely unable to form a proper sentence.Her eyes darted around anxiously before she suddenly stopped talking altogether. Then, forcing a small smile onto her face, she shook her head quickly.“Um... it’s nothing,” she muttered awkwardly as she stepped aside from the doorway. “You can leave now.”She gestured toward the door with her hand.I threw her one last strange look, still confused by her behavior, but I didn’t bother questioning her further. Instead, I walked past her and headed straight toward my study.The moment Lucas saw me approaching, he immediately straightened his posture.A faint smile appeared on his face before he bowed respectfully alongside the other guards standing nearby. Without wasting another second, he quickly stepped forward and opened the office door for me.The atmosphere arou
AVERY WINTERS Sitting against the headboard, I kept my eyes fixed on Ben as he gently massaged my legs. His touch was careful, almost too careful, and instead of comforting me, it only made my thoughts spiral even more. Maybe I had become too used to the way things usually were between us, because this sudden kindness from him felt unfamiliar. Strange. Even suspicious.There was definitely something going on.“Bernard...?” I called softly.He didn’t stop massaging my legs. Instead, he slowly lifted his gaze to meet mine, his expression calm and unreadable.“Yes, my love?” he answered gently.I stared at him for a few seconds before finally asking, “Why did you do that earlier?”He frowned lightly, pretending not to understand. “Do what?”I narrowed my eyes at him. “Don’t play dumb with me, Ben. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”A quiet chuckle escaped his lips as he shook his head slowly.“Don’t start overthinking things again, Avery,” he said in a reassuring tone, his han
AVERY WINTERSLater, in the evening, I sat in the living room, scrolling through my emails. I hadn't gone to the office that day, so I was trying to catch up with work before it becomes overload for me. Just then, the main door swung open, and my gaze snapped up.Harper Reed walked in, and my eye
AVERY WINTERSIt's been two months already. Two months of torture of Harper staying with us. I'm still in the dark about whether Bernard had resolved the issue with the Nikolai psychopath or not.Maybe, he has, considering that he's been assuring me everything was now fine. His men had also stoppe
AVERY WINTERS"I know... But I wan-" "Shhhh" he said, placing his index finger on my lips. "Why would you even doubt this? This is about us, and we should be positive," he paused, and then continued again."Yes, you've tried before, and it didn't work, but it will be different this time. Listen, D
AVERY WINTERSButterflies were at work in my stomach, and my toes curled up in excitement. If I was told my relationship with Bernard would progress this far— in such a positive way and get to this stage, I would've denied it. The kiss started slowly, but as the moment passed, he quicken it's pac







