FAZER LOGINCHAPTER NINETY-THREE: TEARS OF A MISTRESSDAISY————I was just about to take a bite of my salad when a loud crash exploded from upstairs.It came from Chuck’s room.I froze for half a second, then rolled my eyes so hard it almost popped out of their sockets. He’d been throwing tantrums all morning. Slamming doors, breaking shit, yelling at the househelps. I’d done my best to stay out of his way, because when Chuck was emotional, he was unstable. And when he was unstable, he was violent.And yet, the bastard could not even let me eat in peace.It pissed me the hell off.I lowered my fork, trying to ignore it and return to my meal, but Josephine’s voice came just then from across the dining table.“Don’t you think you should go upstairs and get Chuck to come down for lunch?” She asked coldly. “He’s been up there all morning.”I slowly lifted my gaze to meet hers.Her expression was stiff and displeased. Judging.I arched a brow.“Are you saying,” I began carefully, hoping I had misun
CHAPTER NINETY TWO: THE RUNAWAY DAUGHTERALEX————“Thank you, son.” Camille’s mother said when I walked toward her on the couch in the living room where she was seated now. I had just let her inside and gone to get her a glass of water. I handed it to her carefully.“You’re welcome.” I replied softly.I sat on the couch opposite her and watched in silence as she drank.There was no doubt she was Camille’s mother.Their smiles were almost the same. They both had brown bob-cut hair and bright blue eyes that stood out in any room. Sitting there, she looked like an older version of Camille. And it made me wonder why she was here. Why she had waited for Camille to leave before approaching me.Camille had never really talked about her family. So sitting across from her mother, I felt unprepared. I did not know what to say or how to act.“You know,” she began at last, breaking the silence. She placed the empty glass on the table and gave me a soft smile. “Nothing makes me happier than kno
CHAPTER NINETY-ONE: AN UNEXPECTED GUESTALEX—-----“Home sweet home,” Camille sing-sang as she parked in front of Christian’s house.I didn’t move, or unbuckle, or reach for the door. I just stared out the window like she wasn’t speaking to me at all.She noticed and let out a short, amused breath. “Seriously? Don’t tell me you’re about to start acting like a child just because I drove you home. Alex, we’ve practically been hanging out together all day since you got discharged…”“So you’re tired of me already?” I turned to her, lifting a brow. I wore the most dramatic wounded expression I could manage, silently hoping she would buy it. “Guess that explains why you keep trying to dump me every chance you get.”“You’re insane, Alex,” she laughed. “Which is hilarious coming from the same man who spends his entire day lazing in my hospital office.”“Ugh.” I groaned, hating that she’s so damn perceptive. She’s impossible to manipulate. And she’s right; I’d turned into her shadow ever si
CHAPTER NINETY: A MASK OF DOOMZOEY———“Uh… you can let go now. I’m fine.” I swallowed, my eyes fixed on his face, searching his features like I could find a memory hidden somewhere between the shadows of that cap and mask. His hold felt unsettlingly familiar. Like a freaking déjà vu I couldn't place.But he didn’t let go, yet. He kept his arms around me, silent, eyes locked on mine as if he was trying to read my soul. The longer he stared, the colder my stomach twisted. Goosebumps rose along my arms. Not from his touch, but from the creeping certainty that I’d felt this before.Just as I parted my lips to repeat myself, he spoke first.“Sorry about that,” he said through the mask, easing his grip and helping me find balance. He dipped his head. “Forgive me. I was… lost in your eyes.”I blinked. Lost in my eyes? “You have beautiful eyes,” he added.My frown deepened. Not because of the compliment, but because of his voice. Even muffled, it carried a familiar cadence.My mind rus
CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE: THE SURPRISE ZOEY———“You did WHAT?!”My cereal nearly sprayed across the room. I choked and stared at Christian after he’d just told me he resigned from the production house.I mean, sure, I was always aware of his master plan to stop Scarlett from framing him and stealing the company. But quitting? That definitely wasn’t on my expectation list. Not one fucking bit. “Don’t panic. I planned to leave anyway,” he said casually, then moved, swiping the bowl from my hands and flopping onto the couch where I had just been sitting. He shoveled a spoonful into his mouth. “Ugh, yes. I’m starving as fuck. I could eat a horse right now.”I just gaped at him, unable to believe he’d just treated a career-ending disaster like a minor inconvenience. I was the impulsive one, not him. He shouldn’t be doing this.“I won’t let you do this.” I marched over and snatched the bowl back.He looked up, cheeks full of milk and grain.“You worked your ass off for years to build that pla
CHAPTER EIGHTY EIGHT: THE EXECUTIVE MEETING PT2CHRISTIAN———I didn’t miss the flicker of confusion that crossed Scarlett’s and Chuck’s faces when the door swung open and Kelsey, Ivory, and Kenny walked in. Kenny was carrying a black briefcase. The three of them bowed their heads slightly before the board.The executives exchanged puzzled glances and murmured among themselves. I stayed still, and relaxed, enjoying the storm the trio were about to unleash. “Kelsey,” I instructed coolly, “show everyone what you showed me earlier.”She nodded once. Kenny set the briefcase on the table and flipped it open. Kelsey reached in and pulled out a file. A soft rustle filled the room as she removed a stack of photographs.“Ms. Reginald and Mr. Gilbert have accused Mr. Gallo of sexually assaulting his employees, coercing them, and threatening to fire them if they refused,” she said clearly. “But what we have here tells a very different story.”I smirked faintly, watching her move around the tabl







