LOGIN“What did you say?”Mr. Watson’s sharp voice made Anthony lower his head from where he sat across from him. Anthony’s back stiffened while Belle sat silently beside her mother.“Say it again, Anthony. Tell me the truth before I seriously smash your head in,” Mr. Watson hissed.Anthony took a heavy breath. “Renee is pregnant with my child, not Bastian’s.”Bang!Mr. Watson kicked the coffee table in front of him, sending it sliding across the room. His breathing turned heavy, and his face instantly flushed red with anger.“Have you completely lost your mind? Did you get Mr. Carlyle’s daughter pregnant? Do you realize how humiliating this is for our family name?”Belle held back her tears. There was nothing she could do to defend Anthony. This was something her brother had to face himself.By admitting everything, Anthony had proven he wasn’t a coward. But what worried Belle was that Anthony would lose even more of his dignity in front of their father.“I’ll take responsibility, Dad,” An
Renee stepped back, her hands trembling as she clutched the strap of the bag hanging on her shoulder.“What are you talking about, Anthony? Have you lost your mind from drinking?”“I’m not drunk. I’m completely aware,” Anthony said, his voice low and trembling with emotion.He stepped forward, making Renee look like a trapped mouse. Her eyes widened in horror, her thoughts spiraling into panic.“Do you want to pretend that night never happened? When you came to my shop looking for Bastian?”But Renee ignored Anthony’s words. Instead, she turned to Bastian with a pleading look.“Don’t listen to him, Bastian! Anthony just wants to separate us!” Renee said.Bastian shook his head quickly. “Stop it, Renee.”“I know you cheated with Belle! And Anthony wants you to end up with his sister. Can’t you see that?”Bastian let go of Belle, but his hand still held hers tightly. The cold look in his eyes made Renee shiver.“I didn’t think you’d go this far. You drugged me, then told me I got you pr
“Anthony! Bastian! Stop this madness!” Belle shouted.Anthony let out a harsh scoff. “Stay out of this, Belle!”“You’ve gone too far, Anthony! This doesn’t even make sense anymore!”But Anthony wasn’t listening.The fight between the two former friends began.The sound of heavy breathing and the scrape of feet against the mat filled the gym. Anthony lunged forward, attacking wildly. His punches were rough and unfocused, driven purely by brute force.Bastian, on the other hand, stayed defensive. He blocked and dodged, his eyes searching for an opening behind the storm of his friend’s anger.“Hit me, damn it! Fight me!” Anthony shouted as he threw a wide right hook.Bastian didn’t respond. He noticed Anthony’s shoulders trembling.Anthony wasn’t fighting Bastian.He was fighting himself.When Anthony charged again recklessly, Bastian saw a clear opening.With one swift, precise movement, Bastian drove a punch straight into Anthony’s stomach, followed by a sweep that sent him crashing on
The strong aroma of coffee usually calmed Belle, but today the steam rising from the latte in front of her tasted flat.A gentle tap made her flinch. She turned her head and froze when she saw Eve standing there.Eve looked at her with sympathy. News about Bastian and Renee’s upcoming wedding had already spread across Eastbourne.“I heard everything, Belle,” Eve said as she sat beside her and let out a quiet breath. “About Bastian and Renee.”Belle lowered her gaze, stirring her spoon slowly. “Yeah. There’s no way something like that wouldn’t spread around here.”“You’re right. Eastbourne is small. Especially when it involves Renee and Bastian. Not to mention… their baby.” Eve glanced at her carefully. “I know this must feel like being betrayed twice.”“I’ll get through it,” Belle said softly. “Thanks for still wanting to talk to me.”“I couldn’t stay silent forever, Belle.” Eve opened her arms and pulled her into a hug. “If you want to cry, just let it out.”“I don’t have any tears l
Bastian felt like a prisoner being dragged back to Eastbourne.Whether he wanted to or not, he had to leave the job he had just started building to meet Renee’s demands.At first, Renee had agreed to let him continue working out of town. But after that, everything turned into drama. Renee forced Bastian to quit his job, saying it was for the “sake” of the baby she was carrying.Pressure from Mr. Carlyle left Bastian with no way to refuse.Now he was back to square one. He was trapped in Renee’s grip again.And this time, the hold felt even tighter.Every step Bastian took through Eastbourne Square felt heavy. Beside him, Renee walked with her chin lifted high. Every now and then, she rubbed her still-flat stomach as if showing off her victory to the world.Renee stopped in front of a baby boutique, her eyes lighting up as she looked at the clothes on display. She turned to Bastian excitedly.“Look, Bastian. Those baby clothes are so cute, don’t you think? Which ones should we get? Blu
Anthony drove like a madman toward Renee’s apartment. The entire way there, he kept replaying the memory of that night in his head, even though it was still blurry to him. Still, Anthony knew what had happened between him and Renee.And sometime after that, Bastian had decided to leave the apartment.The timeline was too close.After parking the car, Anthony didn’t get out right away. He stayed inside, hesitating, unsure what he was going to say to Renee.Less than twenty minutes later, he saw Bastian walk out of the building.Bastian looked completely shaken. Devastated, even. He didn’t even notice Anthony’s car parked nearby.Bastian hurried off down the sidewalk.But Anthony was not here for him. Not now. The person he needed to see was Renee.Anthony finally stepped out of the car and approached the security guard in the lobby.“Can I help you?” the guard asked, confused.“Tell Renee Anthony is waiting downstairs. I need to talk to her. It’s important.”The guard nodded and called
Belle glanced at Bastian. His jaw was clenched so tightly that the tendons in his neck stood out.Bastian said nothing. He remained standing there, beside the woman holding the chain to his freedom.And his silence hurt more than anything Renee had said.“Come on, Belle,” Anthony’s voice cut throug
“Is it wrong for a younger sister to remind her older brother?” Belle said, not looking at Anthony at all.She took a breath, then continued with difficulty. “Bastian is already like a brother to me. Like you.”“Well, yeah. Honestly, Bastian fits the role of your brother more than me,” Anthony chuc
A message came in on Belle’s phone. She had just been about to go to sleep when she turned the light back on. Belle reached for her phone on the nightstand, unlocked the screen, and saw a message from Eve.“Did you know Bastian is fighting tonight?” Another message followed almost immediately.“He
A surge of desperate longing washed over Belle and Bastian, making them forget about time entirely. They ignored everything that stood in their way. Their kisses grew wilder, hotter, tangled with hunger and need.Bastian’s hands roamed over Belle’s body, squeezing her in the most sensitive places,







