LOGIN147. SorayašThe piano room has always been my favorite, so I made sure we had one in this new house when we were looking for a place. The soft lighting, quiet elegance, it was a place where everything slowed down except my heart.Tonight, it beat a little faster because if my plan doesn't go as planned, everything will be ruined. I glanced around, making sure everything was perfect: the champagne chilled, the glasses set, the fresh fruit, and the cheeseboard arranged just right. Soft music played in the background, the notes floating through the room like a promise.And me? I stood there in nothing but silk, a robe that barely clung to my body, teasing more than it hid.Waiting for my husband. The door opened quietly behind me, I didnāt turn right away, I didnāt have to cause I felt himāTrying to distract me, Mrs. Kline?ā Thaneās voice was low, amused, and dangerous.A smile curved my lips as I slowly turned to face him.āIs it working?ā I asked softly.Hi
146. Thaneš¼Two weeks laterThe cemetery was quiet, not the heavy kind that hangs over funerals, but the peaceful kind that settles over places where time has already done its work. Thomas stood beside me as we faced the headstone, our mother's headstone. For years, neither of us had come here with too much anger, too many unanswered questions, buried along with her. Now that the truth is out, the lies are gone, even when they took another important person from us, but it all led us to the truth eventually. Somehow, standing here becomes easier, seeing the names of the women who took care of us until they could no longer do it, feels strange. Thomas rubbed the back of his neck, staring down at the flowers he had placed earlier.āFeels strange finally being here,ā he admitted.āYeah,ā I said quietly, resentment on my part not for her but for the fact that I couldn't protect her or them made me not come here. We stood there a while longer before walking a few
SorayašMonths have a strange way of smoothing the edges of chaos. The city still moved the same. Cars still rushed through the streets, people still laughed in cafĆ©s, and life kept pushing forward as if nothing had ever happened, but for those of us who lived through it, everything felt different.I had taken control of Jasperās old company, though not in the way people expected. Publicly, a new CEO ran the place, a sharp, experienced businessman I hired to be the face of the operation. Then I went to visit him, and he was looking worse than I expected for a man who had just been in jail for a few weeks. āWhat? You're here to gloat!ā He sneers behind the glass. I shake my head in shame, ā I thought you should know no one will get you out, your father and grandfather are gone.ā I placed the picture against the glass for him. ā You might as well get comfortable in there.ā ā No, no! Impossible, you're lying!ā he was yelling. The guard behind him approache
Thaneš¼Three Months later.That's how long it took for us to settle the dust, three months since the gunshots echoed through the Kline house. I watched the man I used to call my father die at my feet in the hands of a son he did everything for; the irony of the story didn't lose its shine on me. At the end of it all, one lesson learned was that secrets buried for decades ripped the family apart. No one came out alive, literally. Now the house was gone, sold, stripped of everything that once carried the Kline name. I stood in the empty living room, the late afternoon sun stretching long shadows across the hardwood floor. The place felt hollow now, like the walls themselves were relieved to be rid of us finally. A moving crew had already cleared most of the furniture. Only a few boxes remained scattered around the room.Thomas moved through the hallway carrying another box of old documents.āHard to believe this place is finally done,ā he muttered.I didn
143.SorayašI was just about to get comfortable on the couch when I noticed that Thane had forgotten his phone long after he left. It sat on the kitchen counter, where he must have set it down while grabbing his keys. When Thomas came to pick him up, they were rushing to meet their father to find the truth. I hope they get the answers that they are going after.With a sigh, I drop the book on the table, pick up the phone, and look at it before grabbing my jacket and heading for the door. The Kline house wasnāt far. The roads were quiet at this hour, and the sky was bright with the sun just settling in high up.When I pulled up near the front of the property, the house looked dark; every light inside was off. Something about it made the back of my neck prickle. I stepped out of the car just as a shadow moved along the side of the house, and I froze. There was a shadow moving across the house, moving closer. I saw it was a man; he moved quickly, quietly sli
142. Thaneš¼While she was feeding me a strawberry, I thought about the bath I had prepared for her before coming down to the kitchen to look for her. Before she could respond, I grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off the floor. Why not take the party upstairs instead of waiting? Soraya gasped, clutching the small bowl and plate.āThane!āāWhat?ā I said calmly, already walking toward the hallway.āIām holding chocolate!ā she pointed out. āAnd strawberries,ā I say with a smile on my face. āYouāre going to make me drop them!ā she yelled. I couldn't help but laugh at her expression of shock and amusement. āThen hold them tighter.āShe laughed despite herself, wrapping one arm around my neck while trying to balance the plate in the other hand.āWhere are you taking me?āāYouāll see,ā was the only thing I said. By the time we reached the bedroom, Soraya had already figured it out. The bathroom door was open, steam drifting into the room from the large b
59. Soraya š Three days later This morning was my second meeting with Mr Leonard about the project, now that he had seen my vision is bringing him good money he decide to cut his loses with Jasperās company I knew he will throw a fit after hearing the news, I didn't care one bit about what he t
58. Thaneš¼ While Soraya was spending her birthday morning with her friend Sky, I decided to take Avia out for breakfast. I was shocked to find Thomas at the house, and he shamelessly got in the back of the car. ā What are you doing here?ā I ask him, I don't remember inviting him. Grinning, ā
55. Sorayaš I was having one hell of a good day when, out of nowhere, something was thrown over my head. I was being pushed into what I'm assuming was a van. Unbelievable that I was minding my business, and someone found the time in their day to pull stunts like this. They better not let me see
56. Thaneš¼ ā Do you know that your wife applied to the club?ā That was Derek's first question. He walked into my office the next morning, looking like he was going to court to win a case in his three-piece suit, not to a bar to work. Throwing the pen in my hand across the desk, ā I hope you de







