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Chapter 3
Huling Na-update:
2025-03-21 16:32:11Damon smiled to himself in the backseat of his car. Adrian, his assistant who was driving, looked at his smiling face from the rearview mirror of the car and was stunned. Damon hardly smiled, what could have gotten him to smile that widely? It was strange to see.
"I heard the meeting went badly yesterday but seeing such a big smile on your face, I'm beginning to wonder if I heard correctly", Adrian told him and Damon immediately stopped smiling.
"What are you talking about?", Damon asked coolly.
"What smile?"
"That smile. The one that was on your face just a minute ago", Adrian insisted.
"There was no smile. You should focus on the road", Damon told him and Adrian pretended to be hurt.
"Oh o, and I was so worried last night thinking you were in a bad shape and I wasn't there to comfort you but it seems like you were able to comfort you all right. All my worries and sleepless nights were in vain", Adrian pouted.
"What are you talking about? If you don't stop talking, I'll fire you", Damon told him.
"Alright alright, fine", Adrian conceded as he smiled. He knew Damon would never fire him, no matter how many times he threatened to. The two of them went way back. They've been friends since they were children and Adrian was actually the only friend Damon had but he still knew when to stop teasing him so he focused on driving for now.
Damon on the other hand seeing that Adrian had stopped teasing him, couldn't help the small smile that bloomed on his face. When he woke up this morning and found the room empty he had felt slighted, he had felt even more slighted when he noticed the dollar notes she had dropped on the bedside table. But after the initial shock, he began to find it amusing. Did she think he was a gigolo? What would Adrian say if he told him how, he, the feared and respected Damon Turner was come on strong by a strange woman and then taken for a gigolo? he wondered. The thought itself made him smile amusingly. Adrian looked at Damon smiling through the rearview mirror and shook his head.
Turner Enterprises
Damon's office
"Good morning, sir", Rosa, Damon's secretary, greeted me immediately as they walked in.
Damon waved her off as he headed straight for his office while Adrian smiled and greeted her back.
"You have a board meeting by ten, then lunch with an investor by eleven", Adrian rattled off Damon's schedule to him as Damon sat down behind the big mahogany desk in his office.
"Ok", Damon said when Adrian was done.
Adrian closed his tablet and looked at Damon.
"So can you tell me what happened? How did the meeting go?", he asked.
Damon paused. His mind had been occupied with the thoughts of the strange woman from last night that he hadn't thought about the main problem at all.
"The usual thing", he answered and Adrian scoffed.
"Honestly, how the rich and powerful are so small minded and still think like this even now in the 21st century baffles me", he said harshly making Damon smirk.
"Be careful I am part of the rich and powerful", Damon reminded him.
"Yeah, I know but you're not like them. Do you get it? You're different", Adrian answered.
Damon sighed internally. Yes, he was different except now he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
"It's fine, we'll just have to look for another partner", Damon told him.
"Have marketing look into it", he told Adrian.
"Ok", Adrian nodded.
"By the way, your father called..", Adrian continued like an afterthought and Damon's eyes narrowed.
"...he said you should come home when you can, he wants to see you"
"Did he say any specific reason why?", Damon asked him and Adrian shook his head.
"No. I think he just misses you, he wants to have dinner with you or something", he told Damon.
Damon's mind flashed back to the meeting the previous day. He remembered the possible partner's reply after he asked if Damon's family was participating in the project as well and Damon had answered no.
"The only reason we even agreed to come discuss this partnership at all was because we thought your family would be involved. Sorry but we don't think you can handle it", they had told him.
Family was a very complicated term for Damon. The word for other people might instinctively trigger the feeling of warmth and comfort but for Damon, it was an array of different emotions. Anger, hatred, sadness. Anger that even though he had established himself outside of his family, being the owner of such a successful company, there were still days when he lived in the shadow of his ever-powerful family. Yesterday was one of those days and right now out of all the emotions he usually felt when the word family was mentioned, he felt anger the most.
"Tell him, I'm busy", Damon told Adrian who nodded in understanding.
"Also, I forgot but there is the Under 30 gala coming tomorrow. Do I get your tux ready for it?", Adrian asked.
"The Under 30 gala. Do I have to go?", Damon asked.
"Hey it's not compulsory", Adrian shrugged.
"But you're vying for the SCB deal right?", Adrian asked him.
"Then I highly suggest you attend. Lots of the other bidders will attend and it is the best opportunity for you to scope out your competitors and rather ironically, form allies", Adrian told him.
"I'd be willing to bet anything that M. Globals would send their representative to the gala tomorrow", he added as an afterthought.
At the mention of M. Globals, Damon's face darkened. They were his biggest competitor and he was also willing to bet they would do anything to make sure the SCB deal didn't fall into his hands.
"Alright, I'll go", Damon told Adrian.
Kaugnay na kabanata
My Father's Rival Is My Lover Chapter 4
"Sylvia, can you prepare all the files on the SCB deal and have it on my desk by tomorrow?", Cassie asked her secretary over the phone."Of course, Miss Cassie. It will be on your desk by tomorrow morning", Sylvia answered."Ok, thank you. Also,for the Under 30 gala tomorrow can you prepare a dress for me? I know it's short notice but is it possible?", Cassie asked her."Of course, It'll all be arranged by early tomorrow morning", Sylvia answered."Alright, thank you Sylvia", Cassie said and ended the call.She let out a deep breath as she replayed the conversation with her father in her head. She was anxious about undertaking a task as big as this. She was a competent worker, everyone knew that. She had undertaken and accomplished big tasks, cinched big deals for the company before, and won over even the toughest of partners but still, she had never done something as huge as this before. A small part of her mentally slapped herself for agreeing to this at all, what if she couldn't pu
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-21My Father's Rival Is My Lover Chapter 5
Cassie wasn’t prepared for this. The air in the grand ballroom was thick with power and quiet competition, but nothing compared to the charged tension crackling between her and the man standing across the room.Damon Turner.Her one-night stand.Her father’s biggest rival.Her biggest problem.Cassie’s breath caught in her throat as their eyes locked. Damon was watching her like a predator who had just spotted his prey, his sharp features unreadable, but his amusement was evident. He was toying with her, enjoying her discomfort.Damn him.She hadn’t known what to expect when she agreed to attend the Under 30 Gala, but it certainly wasn’t running into the man she had paid to disappear from her life.A slow smirk tugged at Damon’s lips.He knew.Of course, he knew.Cassie tightened her grip on her champagne flute, forcing herself to stay composed. She had faced boardrooms full of ruthless businessmen, navigated high-stakes negotiations, and built a reputation as one of the fiercest youn
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-28My Father's Rival Is My Lover Chapter 6
Cassie’s fingers tightened around the folder in her hand, the weight of Damon’s proposal pressing heavily on her mind.“You’re out of your mind,” she muttered, narrowing her gaze at him.Damon leaned casually against the sleek glass desk in her office, his smirk unwavering. “Not at all. Just a man who knows what he wants.”Cassie inhaled sharply, trying to keep her emotions in check. “And what is that, exactly?”His eyes darkened, something unreadable flashing in their depths. “You. The company. Both.”Her breath hitched at the boldness of his words, but she recovered quickly, shaking her head. “You don’t get to have either, Damon.”His smirk widened. “We’ll see about that.”Cassie exhaled, trying to push aside the dangerous attraction crackling between them. “This merger—it's impossible. My father would never go for it.”“Your father is a businessman. And businessmen don’t let personal feelings get in the way of a profitable deal.”Cassie crossed her arms, stepping closer to him, ref
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-30My Father's Rival Is My Lover Chapter 7
The silence in the conference room was suffocating. Cassie’s pulse drummed in her ears as her father paced the length of the room, his jaw tight with frustration. Damon leaned against the table, arms crossed, his face a mask of control. But Cassie knew him well enough to see the storm brewing behind his gaze.Richard Steele’s parting words echoed in her mind twenty-four hours.Twenty-four hours before everything her father had built was ripped apart.Cassie swallowed hard and forced herself to think clearly. “Dad, we need to see those documents. If Steele has fabricated evidence, we can fight back.”William Monroe exhaled sharply. “You think I haven’t tried? His sources are airtight. He’s not bluffing.”Damon’s voice was calm, but there was steel beneath it. “There’s always a way to dismantle a threat.”William turned to him, his expression unreadable. “And why should I trust you?”Damon didn’t flinch. “Because if Monroe Industries falls, so does everything I’m fighting for.” His gaze
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-30My Father's Rival Is My Lover Chapter 8
The soft glow of the city lights shimmered against the large windows of Damon’s penthouse. Cassie curled her fingers around the warm ceramic mug in her hands, the rich aroma of coffee filling the air. She still couldn’t believe how the past twenty-four hours had played out.She glanced toward the living room, where Damon leaned against the fireplace, his sleeves rolled up, revealing the strong lines of his forearms. He looked at her with an unreadable expression, his dark eyes filled with something she wasn’t sure she was ready to name.“I still can’t believe it,” she whispered. “That Steele just… walked away.”Damon’s lips curled into a smirk. “He had no choice. We backed him into a corner.”Cassie shook her head in disbelief. “You did all of this for my father’s company?”Damon’s expression darkened slightly. “I did it for you, Cassie. And I’d do it again.”A shiver ran down her spine, but she forced herself to focus. She wasn’t ready to unpack the weight of those words. Instead, sh
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-01My Father's Rival Is My Lover Chapter 9
Cassie’s heart pounded as she stood on the balcony of Damon’s penthouse, the cool night air brushing against her skin. The city sparkled below, a sea of lights stretching endlessly. But her thoughts weren’t on the breathtaking view. They were on Damon. On what they had done. On what they had become.She had kissed him. No, she had surrendered to him.And it wasn’t just a fleeting moment of passion. It was something deeper. Something undeniable.She turned her head slightly, catching sight of him through the reflection in the glass doors. Damon stood inside, his suit jacket discarded, the top buttons of his shirt undone, revealing the hard lines of his chest. His hands were tucked into his pockets, but his gaze was locked onto her, intense, unreadable.Cassie swallowed hard. She had spent so much time fighting him, resisting what was between them. But standing here now, the weight of everything they had been through pressing on her, she wasn’t sure she had the strength to fight anymore.
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-02My Father's Rival Is My Lover Chapter 10
Cassie’s heart pounded as she stared at the invitation in her hands. A gala hosted by none other than Richard Steele. It was a calculated move, a silent challenge. Steele wouldn’t have invited Monroe Industries or anyone associated with it unless he had something planned. And Cassie knew, deep down, that she and Damon had to be there.“Are you sure about this?” Damon asked, his sharp eyes scanning the gold-embossed envelope. His voice was calm, but Cassie could sense the tension beneath his exterior.“I don’t see a choice,” she murmured. “Steele wouldn’t do this unless he had a reason. We need to find out what it is.”Damon exhaled and leaned back against the couch, his fingers drumming against his knee. “Fine. But we go in together. And we leave together.”Cassie bit her lip. “You don’t have to”He silenced her with a look. “Cassie, I told you before. I’m not letting you face this alone.”A warmth spread through her chest, but she pushed it aside. They had bigger things to worry abou
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-03My Father's Rival Is My Lover Chapter 11
Cassie barely had time to process the heated conversation with her father before Damon pulled her aside into the privacy of his car. The city lights reflected against the sleek black windows, casting a dim glow over his chiseled face. He had that look again the one that told her he was already ten steps ahead.“We can’t let Vanessa win,” Cassie murmured, pressing her fingers against her temple. “She wants to destroy everything.”Damon’s jaw tensed as he placed his hand on the steering wheel, his fingers flexing against the leather. “She’s trying to play us, but she doesn’t realize she’s stepping into my territory now.”Cassie glanced at him, her pulse quickening at the edge in his voice. “What do you have in mind?”Damon smirked, his eyes darkening. “If Vanessa Sinclair wants a war, she just got one.”He shifted gears and pulled onto the road, his movements sharp and precise. Cassie had spent most of her life fighting battles on her own, but with Damon at her side, it felt different l
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-04
Pinakabagong kabanata
My Father's Rival Is My Lover Chapter 68
The rain in Rome came like whispers that morning, gentle, deceitful. Just like the letter Liam held in his hand.It had arrived without warning. No return address. Just his name in looping, familiar cursive.Liam.There are truths even Nova doesn’t know.Meet me. Alone. No guards. No Nova. If you care about your daughter’s life, you’ll come.Midnight. Ponte Sisto. Burn this.He read it three times. Then he did as the note said.He burned it.But the words… branded his soul.Liam didn’t tell Nova.Not because he wanted to keep secrets.But because he already had.For years.Before Nova… before Cassia… before the war between families ignited, Liam Ashford had worn a different face. One Nova didn’t know. One the world had forgotten.A name buried in government files.A ghost in enemy camps.A man who had once worked for Irena Volkov.And worse…A man who had loved her.That night, under the pale glow of a Roman bridge, Liam waited.He didn’t flinch when a woman in crimson heels appeared
My Father's Rival Is My Lover Chapter 67
Nova had always believed that darkness came with a warning.A shift in the wind. A crack in the silence. A scent like steel.But this one came in a dress.Red. Silk. High slit.It arrived at their door without a sound, a letter sealed with the Volkov crest.Delivered by no courier.No signature.Just words inked in perfect cursive:"The sins of our fathers are not buried. They bloom.Meet me in Vienna.One last time.Irena"Tatiana burned the envelope."We ignore it," she said flatly, watching the seal melt in the fire.Liam shook his head. "We can't. If she's reaching out, she's not desperate. She's baiting us."Nova said nothing.Not yet.Not until she stared at the flames long enough to realize:Irena wasn’t just calling her back.She was finishing what she'd started.That night, Nova lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Cassia slept in the cradle beside her, her small fingers twitching in dreams.Liam turned on his side. "Don’t go."Nova didn’t answer immediately."If I don’t," she
My Father's Rival Is My Lover Chapter 66
Nova didn't sleep.Not after Vienna. Not after the rooftop.Not after that kiss.Yelena wasn’t just Irena’s hidden daughter. She was something else entirely.An echo of everything Nova had fought to leave behind.And yet… a mirror too.That kiss hadn’t been about desire.It had been a dare.A warning.And maybe… an invitation.Back in Croatia, the estate was locked down tighter than ever.Tatiana reviewed security footage for hours, rewinding and replaying Yelena’s rooftop escape like it held the secrets to the universe.It almost did."She landed on a black Ducati," Tatiana muttered, squinting. "Helmetless. Classic narcissist move."Nova leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “Where’d she go?”"Underground. We traced her to Berlin. Then Paris. Now she’s off-grid again."Nova didn’t flinch. “She’s hunting something.”Tatiana looked up, eyes sharp. “She’s hunting you.”Later, while Liam held Cassia in the nursery, Nova sat alone in the firelit library.The file Tatiana had given her la
My Father's Rival Is My Lover Chapter 65
The private jet touched down just after midnight, its sleek black frame a shadow against the Croatian sky.Nova waited on the runway.No guards. No Liam. No baby monitor in her hand.Just her and the wind.When the jet door opened and the stairs unfolded, the first thing Nova saw was a stiletto heel.Then the shimmer of a silk robe, red like blood, slit like sin.Tatiana Myelov stepped into the moonlight.She hadn’t aged a day.Which, knowing Tatiana, probably meant she’d killed Time and made it beg for mercy.“Darling,” Tatiana purred, sunglasses on despite the dark. “You look like war wrapped in regret.”Nova didn’t smile.“Did you bring the file?”Tatiana held up a slim black case.“I brought everything, darling. Bloodlines. Hidden children. Offshore trusts. The kind of secrets that make governments flinch.”Nova took the case, but her eyes never left the older woman’s face.“Why now?”Tatiana pulled off her glasses.Her eyes were emerald and ruthless.“Because you’re finally ready
My Father's Rival Is My Lover Chapter 64
It had been three days since Cassian Blackthorne was officially dethroned.Three days since Liam had watched Nova walk out of that villa, head high, spine steel, heart untamed.But peace, Liam knew, was never permanent.Especially not when you were holding an empire that used to belong to a monster.And monsters didn’t die quietly.They whispered from the ashes.The Blackthorne estate in Croatia was quiet, too quiet.Liam stood on the balcony outside the study, his shirt half-buttoned, scotch in hand, eyes trained on the horizon like a soldier waiting for the next attack.Below, Nova walked the garden with Cassia in her arms, the toddler giggling as she reached for fireflies.It was one of those moments that shouldn’t be possible after everything they’d endured.But then the phone in his pocket buzzed.A single message from Leila.“We have a breach. Someone leaked the safehouse locations. Internal.”Liam’s heart froze mid-beat.Not because he was surprised.But because betrayal was al
My Father's Rival Is My Lover Chapter 63
The private jet cut through the clouds like a secret no one was supposed to hear.Nova sat by the window, eyes unmoving, her thoughts far away from the Italian sky. Her fingers clutched a worn piece of paper, Hayes' message, hastily scribbled and scanned.“Cassian has involved Irena Volkov. He’s using your daughter as leverage.”She had read it ten times since takeoff, but the words still felt foreign. Cassian. Her father. Willing to use Cassia as a pawn.Beside her, Liam sat in stillness, his jaw set, his silence dangerous.He hadn’t spoken much since they left their villa in Venice, not after Nova showed him the message.When she finally turned to him, his hands were clasped together on his lap, but his knuckles were white.“He crossed the line,” Liam said without looking at her.Nova swallowed. “He erased the line.”“We should’ve killed him when we had the chance.”“We would’ve become him.”“Then maybe that’s what it takes.”She reached over and touched his hand.“No,” she said sof
My Father's Rival Is My Lover Chapter 62
The sea outside Dubrovnik was silent. A turquoise hush that stretched for miles.Cassian Blackthorne stood on the balcony of his marble villa, fingers wrapped around a glass of aged bourbon, his eyes fixed on the water.Not because it calmed him.But because it reminded him of Nova’s eyes.Storm and depth. Memory and consequence.He hated that.He hated her.Not because she defied him.But because she survived him.And because every time she showed her face on the news, every time she spoke in interviews or walked beside Liam Cavendish like she owned the empire she was born to burn, Cassian felt a crack inside the throne he had spent decades building.Now, that crack was a chasm.The world had turned.And he was no longer the king.He was the villain in exile.Hayes approached from behind, stiff in his tailored blazer.“We intercepted another press interview,” he said, tossing a folder on the table beside Cassian. “She’s calling us out indirectly again. Using words like corruption, fa
My Father's Rival Is My Lover Chapter 61
The world began to stir.Not because of the rising sun or the hum of city traffic, but because of a single scheduled post.At exactly 8:00 AM, every major news outlet, financial blog, and independent whistleblower platform received the same encrypted file.Subject line: “The Blackthorne-Leclerc Empire: Truth Unsealed.”Sender: E.V.Within moments, the media exploded.Nova sat beside Liam in their private media room, watching live broadcasts roll across the screen.“we’re seeing hundreds of leaked documents implicating billionaire Cassian Blackthorne and former industrialist Hugo Leclerc in a network of corruption, off-shore laundering, and political manipulation”“Elira Vaughn, the heiress-turned-investigator, has come forward with a full report…”“multiple arrests already underway in Geneva and Abu Dhabi”Liam muted the volume.Cassia giggled from her playpen, oblivious to the storm her parents had helped unleash.Nova didn’t blink.“We just set fire to a kingdom,” she whispered.Lia
My Father's Rival Is My Lover Chapter 60
Liam didn’t speak right away.He simply wrapped his arms tighter around Nova and waited.The words she had just spoken, She’s alive, hung heavy in the air between them, like ash from a slow-burning fire.They sat together in the quiet of the penthouse living room, the soft hum of the city bleeding through the glass walls. Cassia slept upstairs, oblivious to the shift in her mother’s world.Finally, Nova pulled back.“She was locked away, Liam. For years.”“Where?”“Vaughn Institute. Elira's own facility. She claims she helped her disappear... again.”Liam’s brows furrowed. “Disappeared from what? Who was chasing her?”Nova let out a breath. “My father. And possibly yours.”The weight of that landed hard.Liam stood and ran a hand through his hair, pacing.“Cassian didn’t mention her in the video.”“No. But he knew. I felt it, Liam. The way he looked at me when I asked. The guilt. He knew she wasn’t dead. He just chose not to say it.”Liam stopped pacing. “So what now? Do you believe E
