LOGINThree days without Raven should have felt normal.Instead, Azzmi kept noticing his absence.The house was quieter.The mornings were easier.And yet, every now and then, she caught herself expecting to hear his sarcastic comments from across the room.Annoying.Very annoying.Which was exactly why she refused to think about it.With Raven out of town, she could go wherever she wanted without worrying about awkward encounters or confusing conversations.So she stayed busy.Earlier that morning, she had delivered the toys to the children at Little Warriors Hospital.She had arrived sooner than promised.The moment the children saw the toys, their faces lit up.Some hugged the boxes.Others immediately started playing.One little girl had even burst into tears from excitement.The memory still warmed Azzmi's heart.It was easily the best part of her week.Now she was on her way to the women's conference.Liz had been sending messages all afternoon, asking what time she would arrive.At f
Something felt wrong.The moment Azzmi answered her father's call, a knot formed in her stomach.Her father almost never called her this early."How's your husband this morning?" he asked.His voice sounded strained.Tired.Almost forced.Azzmi sat up a little straighter."He's fine. He already left for work.""I'm glad."The answer came too quickly.Something wasn't right."Dad?" she asked carefully. "Is something wrong?""What? No." His response was immediate. Almost defensive. "Why would you think something is wrong?"Azzmi frowned."You sound different."A brief silence followed.Then he laughed lightly."I've just been busy. The company is growing faster than I expected. New investors, new projects, more money coming in."His voice softened."The profits are excellent, but it means more responsibility."That sounded reasonable.Yet the uneasy feeling remained."I see," she said. "Well, don't work too hard.""I'll try."Another pause.Then his voice grew warmer."I'll talk to you
Raven’s Point of ViewThe lie should have made him feel better.Instead, it sat in his chest like a stone.Raven chuckled anyway.“Oh… silly me.” Zerra rolled her eyes playfully and traced a finger along his jaw. “I forgot to mention, I was using my computer for that. My phone was definitely off.”“You were using your home computer?” Raven asked, raising an eyebrow.“Yup.”He studied her for a second.“So why was the door locked when I came here this morning?”For the briefest moment, something flickered across her face.Gone before he could identify it.“Oh, I had to step out to buy some milk. I guess that’s when you came over.” She shrugged lightly. “I’m sorry about turning off my phone, babe. Don’t be mad at me.”Then came the pout.The one that had gotten her out of trouble more times than either of them would ever admit.A small part of him remained unconvinced.But another part was tired of questioning everything.“Don’t ever turn off your phone again, no matter what happens.”H
Azzmi immediately regretted leaving her room.The moment she saw Raven standing there, every embarrassing thought she'd spent the last hour trying to bury came rushing back.His face.The memories.The questions.Her heartbeat betrayed her instantly.She lifted an eyebrow, hoping she looked far more composed than she felt.Unlike her, Raven appeared completely unaffected."I see you're finally awake."A faint trace of amusement touched his voice."I was starting to think you'd sleep through the entire day.""Why would I stay in bed all day?"Azzmi crossed her arms.Defensive.Suspicious.Trying very hard to act like last night didn't exist."Considering how drunk you were?"His mouth twitched slightly."I wouldn't have been surprised."Azzmi rolled her eyes.Mostly because it was easier than looking directly at him."I don't remember much."The lie wasn't entirely a lie.She remembered enough to be uncomfortable.Just not enough to be certain."That makes two of us."Her head snapped
The moment his phone rang, Raven knew he had stayed too long.Not because he wanted to leave.Because a part of him hadn't wanted the moment to end.That realization unsettled him more than the alcohol ever could.He should have pulled away sooner.He knew that.The second he felt Azzmi lean into him, the second his thoughts stopped making sense, he should have created distance.Instead, he stayed.And now his pulse refused to settle.The room felt too quiet.Too small.Too full of everything he was trying not to think about.Azzmi looked exhausted.The night, the emotions, and the alcohol had finally caught up with her.Within moments, she curled onto her side and drifted to sleep.Raven stood there for a second.Just staring.Trying to organize the mess in his head.Trying to convince himself that the tightness in his chest was only because of the alcohol.It wasn't working.With a quiet sigh, he picked up a blanket and carefully covered her.She didn't stir.Didn't open her eyes.S
Under normal circumstances, Raven probably would have been offended.Tonight?Not even close.Azzmi was drunk.Heartbroken.Half-asleep.And apparently determined to say whatever came into her head.Which made this conversation strangely honest.Maybe too honest.“You really put up with my shit for your dad?”A hint of amusement slipped into his voice.Azzmi didn't hesitate.“Yeah.”Her answer was immediate.Blunt.“Otherwise, I wouldn't even be here.”Raven huffed out a laugh.“You're just an asshole.”“Good to know.”“And you'd be a complete jerk if not for one thing.”That caught his attention.“Oh?”“And what's saving me?”Azzmi sniffled.“The kids.”His eyebrow lifted.“The kids?”“You care about them.”She said it so simply.Like it was obvious.“Even though they're not yours.”For some reason, that hit harder than expected.“You always show up for them.”Her voice softened.“You worry about them.”A pause.“You love them.”Raven looked away.Uncomfortable suddenly.“That's why
Regina furiously pointed at Shantal’s calm, smiling face, her vision black as her body shook as if she were about to fall.In the next second, Regina felt Shantal give her a tremendous tug, so that Regina was right in front of Shantal.Regina saw Shantal lean close to Regina’s ear. Shantal spoke in
A cold shiver ran down Shantal’s spine as a darker, more terrifying thought crept into her mind.Regina’s weak heart…Her half-sister's body had been failing for years. Without a transplant, she wouldn’t survive much longer.So what if…What if Roger had seen Shantal , his own daughter , as nothi
Oh no, Mr. Ray still has a fever. How can he come out so thin?”Wilma slapped her knee in a panic. She asked the clerk to check Ullysis’s access logs with property management, then hurriedly called Shantal Harver.Shantal had just returned home. Everything that had happened today was under her cont
“What do we have to worry about? The worst that could happen is that we have a fight and never speak again. When Dad takes control of the Harver Corporation, we can kick Shantal out and let her die in the streets. It’s easy.”Hearing Regina’s words that made things sound easy, Susan rolled her eyes







