Share

The Julian Variable

last update publish date: 2026-04-02 08:25:29

Chapter 116

The silence of the master suite was broken only by the rhythmic drumming of the shower behind the frosted glass door and the thundering of Caleb’s heart. In his hand, the burner phone felt like a live coal, its screen still glowing with the Architect’s predatory promises and Evelyn’s cold-blooded betrayals.

“I want to see the light leave his eyes...”

The words burned into his retinue like acid. He looked out the window, his gaze fixing on the small, dark silhouette of Leo in the g
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Latest chapter

  • Once His Wallflower, Now His Biggest Mistake    The Ashes of a Mother

    Chapter 174The world did not end with fire or fury. It ended in the brittle snap of frost beneath my knees as I dragged two small, impossibly still bodies into my arms.The forest held its breath. No birds. No wind. Only the crushing silence that pressed against my ribs until every inhale sliced like broken glass. I rocked them, Leo and Luna the way I had a thousand nights before, when nightmares came and small hands reached for me in the dark.“Leo, baby…” My voice was a ragged whisper, already fracturing. “It’s so cold. Why are you sleeping in the dirt? You know Mommy hates when you ruin your coat.” I pulled the silk handkerchief from my pocket, the one I’d stolen from Volkov’s cursed house, and scrubbed at the mud on his forehead with trembling fingers. Back and forth, back and forth, as if cleanliness could summon breath. “There. All clean. See? Now you can wake up. We’ll go to that little bakery you loved, the one with the warm chocolate croissants that melt on your tongue. Yo

  • Once His Wallflower, Now His Biggest Mistake    The Butcher’s Bed and the Mother’s Grave

    Chapter 173The steam in the master suite’s bathroom was so thick it felt like a shroud. I stood under the spray, the water scalding, yet I couldn't feel the heat. My skin was flushed a violent red, but inside, I was a block of arctic ice. I am marrying the man who wants my children dead, I thought, the realization clawing at my throat. I am sleeping in the bed of the monster who burned my life to ash.I gripped the marble ledge of the shower, my knuckles white. A sob threatened to rip through my chest, but I choked it back. Don’t cry. If you cry, the salt will show on your face. If you cry, Viktor will smell the weakness.I forced myself to breathe. I finished the shower, dried my skin with towels that felt like sandpaper against my raw nerves, and applied cream with robotic precision. I slipped into a silk nightdress, black, like a funeral and felt the weight of the burner phone hidden in my folio.Vibration.My heart nearly stopped. I scrambled for the bag, pulling the device out

  • Once His Wallflower, Now His Biggest Mistake    Mother’s Suspicion

    Chapter 172The declaration hung in the air, vibrating against the crystal chandeliers like a physical blow. Leonid looked as though I had reached across the table and personally slit his throat. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. Behind him, Nikolai and Dimitri sat like statues, their forks hovering over empty plates, paralyzed by the sudden shift in the family’s tectonic plates.Viktor, however, let out a low, purring sound of satisfaction. He didn't move to touch me, not yet but his energy expanded, filling every corner of the room until the Kirovs looked like small, flickering candles in a gale-force wind."There you have it, Leonid," Viktor said, his voice smooth as silk. "A union born of choice. Your daughter has more vision in her pinky finger than you’ve had in thirty years of leadership.""You... you didn't even consult me," Leonid finally choked out, his eyes burning with a mix of fury and genuine terror. "Rai, you cannot be serious. This is Volkov. You use

  • Once His Wallflower, Now His Biggest Mistake    The Unholy Alliance

    Chapter 171The Volkov estate didn't just scream wealth; it screamed dominance. As the Kirov limousine pulled up the heated drive, the silence inside the car was thick enough to suffocate. My "father," Leonid, was white-knuckled, his eyes darting toward me every few seconds with a mixture of confusion and burgeoning dread."He was laughing on the phone, Rai," Leonid muttered, straightening his silk tie for the tenth time. "Viktor Volkov does not invite families to dinner to be social. What did you do in those woods?""I survived, Father," I said, my voice as cold as the Siberian wind. "Isn't that what you raised me to do?" Deep down, I knew what this pretense dinner will be all about. I just need to enjoy the game while Viktor thinks he holds the reins.The doors were opened by men who looked more like special forces than footmen. We were ushered into a dining hall where the table groaned under the weight of roasted game, vintage wines, and crystal that caught the light like jagged

  • Once His Wallflower, Now His Biggest Mistake    The Predator’s Claim

    Chapter 170The grip on my waist tightened until I felt the internal structure of my ribs groan. The cold Russian air was a sharp contrast to the furnace-like heat radiating from Viktor Volkov’s body. He slammed me back against the rough bark of a pine tree, his shadow swallowing me whole."Answer me!" he roared, his voice shaking the frost from the branches above. "Did I not make it clear in the Spire? Did I not mark you with my own blade?""Viktor…" I gasped, my hands instinctively clawing at his forearms. They were like granite. "You’re... choking me."He didn't loosen his hold. Instead, he leaned in closer, his nose brushing against mine. His scent was overwhelming, expensive tobacco, rain, and something metallic that reminded me of a sharpened edge."Choking you? I should do more than that," he whispered, his rage suddenly turning from a roar to a terrifying, quiet vibration. "I watched you walk out of that house like a frightened doe, fleeing from the talk of marriage. Do you th

  • Once His Wallflower, Now His Biggest Mistake    The Blood Tie

    Chapter 169The drive to the Kirov estate was a blur of neon lights and freezing rain. My mind was a chaotic library, flipping through every piece of data I’d scraped from Rai’s encrypted cloud storage. Dinner. Think, Evelyn. What does she eat? How does she sit?Rai was left-handed but forced herself to use her right hand to please her father. She hated caviar but always took a double serving to show 'strength.' She never spoke unless spoken to. I pulled into the massive driveway, the iron gates groaning open like the jaws of a beast. I checked my reflection in the rearview mirror. The makeup was holding. The wound on my neck looked authentic. I stepped out of the car, the Russian winter air biting at my skin. I wasn't Evelyn Prokofiev anymore. I wasn't even a spy. I was a daughter returning to a home that had never been a home."Welcome back, Miss Rai," the butler said, his face a mask of indifference."Thank you, Mikhail," I said, remembering the name from a payroll list.I walke

  • Once His Wallflower, Now His Biggest Mistake    The Modesty of a Deep-Sea Diver

    Chapter 88The interior of the Sterling limousine smelled of sunblock, expensive leather, and my own impending doom. As we wound down the coastal road toward the private cove, I sat rigidly between the two children, my hands folded over a canvas tote bag that contained the most shameful garment ev

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-04-02
  • Once His Wallflower, Now His Biggest Mistake    The Junior Associate of Espionage

    Chapter 89If being water-logged in a 1920s wool bathing suit was the Ninth Circle of Hell, then the walk back to the cabana was the tenth. Every step felt like I was dragging two anchors made of soggy sheep. The navy-and-white stripes had sagged so much that the crotch of the suit was hovering s

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-04-02
  • Once His Wallflower, Now His Biggest Mistake    The Architecture of a Secret

    Chapter 82The data-skimmer was a cold, jagged weight in the palm of my hand, a sliver of silicon and steel that held the power to decapitate Alaric Blackwood’s future. It was evidence of high treason, a digital noose for a man who had mistaken my invisibility for insignificance. But as I slipped

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-04-01
  • Once His Wallflower, Now His Biggest Mistake    The Fragility of Glass

    Chapter 84The Villa de Cristal was a house built on transparency that hid nothing but lies. But tonight, as a rare Mediterranean storm lashed against the reinforced glass, the transparency felt like a threat. The thunder rolled over the cliffs of Marbella, echoing the slow-motion collapse of Alar

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-04-01
More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status