LOGINShare
Chapter 34: Shadows in the City
Last Updated:
2026-01-24 22:09:29"Me? A Princess?" Serenity looked at her reflection in the mirror, touching the silver locket. "Jackson, this sounds like a fairy tale. A twisted, dark fairy tale."
"It's reality," Jackson stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders. "I cross-referenced the fire records, the adoption dates, and the crest. Everything matches."
Serenity lowered her head. "So... my parents didn't leave me because they didn't want me. They died."
Tears rolled down her cheeks. For twenty-five years, she had felt abandoned. Now she knew she was loved, but that love had been taken by fire and greed.
"Stefan took everything from you," Jackson’s voice was low and dangerous. "Your crown. Your family. Your identity."
He turned her around to face him.
"But he made one mistake. He let you live. And now, you have me."
"I don't want a crown, Jackson," Serenity sobbed into his chest. "I just want to be Serenity. I want to be Alex and Mia's mom."
"And you will be," Jackson stroked her hair. "But we have to be ready. Stefan won't stop. If he knows you are alive, he will come for you."
The next few days, the Sterling Villa transformed into a fortress.
Armed security guards patrolled the perimeter 24/7. High-tech sensors were installed on every window. Even Alex noticed the change.
"Why are there so many guys in black suits?" Alex asked, looking out the window with his iPad. "Daddy, is someone trying to hack our house physically?"
"Just precaution, son," Jackson said, tightening Alex’s shoelaces. "We are VIPs now."
"Cool," Alex shrugged, then whispered to Mia. "Stay close to me at school, okay?"
"Okay!" Mia hugged her teddy bear, oblivious to the danger.
Meanwhile, downtown Manhattan.
A man walked out of a luxury hotel. He looked ordinary—maybe a tourist or a businessman in a gray trench coat. He had a friendly face that blended into the crowd perfectly.
But his eyes were cold. Like a reptile.
He was known in the underworld only as The Viper. He didn't use guns often; he preferred accidents. Poison. Car crashes. Gas leaks. Things that left no trace.
He walked to a newsstand and bought a paper. The front page was still covering the Sterling Wedding preparations.
photo: Serenity smiling, the pink diamond on her hand, the locket on her neck.
"Found you, little princess," The Viper whispered, throwing the paper into a trash can.
He pulled out a burner phone.
"Target acquired," he spoke Russian. "She is heavily guarded. Sterling has surrounded her with a wall of muscle."
"Break the wall," Grand Duke Stefan’s voice crackled on the other side. "I want her gone before the wedding."
"Head-on assault is suicide," The Viper observed the traffic. He saw a delivery truck driving towards the Sterling Villa area. "But every fortress has a weak point."
"Food delivery. Florists. Cleaning staff. Or..."
The Viper grinned, spotting a flier for a Children's Charity Event that Serenity was scheduled to attend next week.
"Or I can just wait for the rabbit to come out of the hole."
He hung up and merged into the crowd, invisible once again.
Back at the Villa.
Serenity felt a shiver run down her spine as she drank her tea. She looked around the warm living room, but couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.
"Jackson," she called out.
"I'm here," Jackson walked in from the study. "What is it?"
"Can we... can we speed up the wedding?" Serenity asked. "I have a bad feeling. I just want to start our new life as soon as possible."
Jackson walked over and kissed her hand. "Whatever you want, my love. But remember, the safest place in the world is right here, by my side."
He didn't know that the shadow had already crept into his city.
Latest chapter
Pregnant With The Ex-Husband's Twins Chapter 120: The Last Straw
The Architect's Temporary Base. Unknown Location."Denied?" Zero stared at the screen. "What do you mean 'Access Denied'?""The bank accounts are frozen, Sir," his subordinate stammered. "Sterling bought the banks. He bought the holding companies. He even bought the electric grid supplying this building."PZZZT.The lights in Zero's office flickered and died. The emergency red lights turned on."He cut our power," Zero whispered, trembling with rage.In one hour, Jackson Sterling had dismantled an empire that took fifty years to build. No supply chain. No weapons. No money to pay the mercenaries."He thinks he can starve us out?" Zero smashed his desk lamp. "He thinks we are businessmen? We are gods!"He turned to his lieutenant."Assemble the Legion. Every remaining soldier. Every working Drone.""Sir? What is the target?""His heart," Zero pointed to a map of Long Island, New York. "The Sterling Manor. We go there tonight. We burn it to the ground. If we can't rule the world, we wil
Pregnant With The Ex-Husband's Twins Chapter 120: The Last Straw
The Architect's Temporary Base. Unknown Location."Denied?" Zero stared at the screen. "What do you mean 'Access Denied'?""The bank accounts are frozen, Sir," his subordinate stammered. "Sterling bought the banks. He bought the holding companies. He even bought the electric grid supplying this building."PZZZT.The lights in Zero's office flickered and died. The emergency red lights turned on."He cut our power," Zero whispered, trembling with rage.In one hour, Jackson Sterling had dismantled an empire that took fifty years to build. No supply chain. No weapons. No money to pay the mercenaries."He thinks he can starve us out?" Zero smashed his desk lamp. "He thinks we are businessmen? We are gods!"He turned to his lieutenant."Assemble the Legion. Every remaining soldier. Every working Drone.""Sir? What is the target?""His heart," Zero pointed to a map of Long Island, New York. "The Sterling Manor. We go there tonight. We burn it to the ground. If we can't rule the world, we wil
Pregnant With The Ex-Husband's Twins Chapter 118: Off the Rails
Sparks showered from the ceiling. The sound of tearing metal was deafening.The dining car groaned and tilted violently to the right. Tables, chairs, and expensive wine bottles slid down the slope, crashing into the wall.Jackson slammed one hand into a window frame, his other arm locked around Serenity’s waist. He stopped them from sliding into the pile of broken glass below."Don't let go!" Jackson shouted over the noise.Serenity looked down. Through the shattered window beneath them, she saw nothing but swirling snow and darkness. They were dangling over a canyon."The coupling is breaking!" Serenity yelled, pointing to the metal hook connecting their car to the rest of the train. It was stretching, groaning under the weight.CLANG.The door at the top of the tilted car (the one Zero left through) was kicked open.Two figures rappelled down into the car on zip lines.They wore sleek, matte-black armor. No faces. Just glowing red visors. They moved with robotic precision, magnetize
Pregnant With The Ex-Husband's Twins Chapter 117: Dinner with the Devil
The Midnight Express tore through the darkness of the Swiss Alps at 300 kilometers per hour.In the exclusive private dining car, crystal glasses jingled softly with the vibration of the tracks. Outside the window, nothing existed but snow and night.Jackson adjusted his cufflinks. Under his tuxedo, he was wearing a ceramic knife taped to his ribs—the only weapon the metal detectors didn't pick up.Serenity sat opposite him, looking breathtaking in a black velvet gown. She held a clutch that contained a small vial of Margaret’s anti-serum."Nervous?" Jackson asked, pouring her water."I’m having dinner with the man who tried to kidnap our children," Serenity’s eyes were cold. "I’m not nervous. I’m restraining myself from stabbing him with a fork.""Patience," Jackson whispered.The door at the end of the car slid open.A man walked in.He looked nothing like a villain. He was handsome, in his forties, wearing a grey suit that cost more than the train itself. He had silver hair and a s
Pregnant With The Ex-Husband's Twins Chapter 116: Dream Architects
"Close your eyes," Liam commanded softly.The nursery was dimly lit. Aurora and Alex lay on the large rug, pillows under their heads. Liam sat between them in a lotus position. Jackson and Serenity watched from the couch, feeling useless but alert."Grandpa, this is unscientific," Alex muttered, keeping one eye open. "Telepathy isn't real.""Quantum entanglement is," Liam placed a finger on Alex's forehead and another on Aurora's. "Connect."A pulse of violet light rippled through the room.The Dreamscape.Alex gasped. He wasn't on the rug anymore.He was standing on an endless plane of pure white water. The sky was white. The horizon was white. It was a blank canvas."Whoa," Alex looked at his hands. They were glowing. "High definition rendering. Zero latency.""Where are the toys?" Aurora appeared next to him. In the dream, she wasn't wearing pajamas. She was wearing a sparkling fairy queen dress.Liam appeared in front of them. He looked younger here, powerful and majestic."This i
Pregnant With The Ex-Husband's Twins Chapter 115: The Dreamwalker
That night, the Palace was quiet. But the air was heavy.In the royal nursery, five-year-old Aurora was tossing and turning in her bed. She was sweating.“No… go away…” she whimpered in her sleep.Around her room, objects began to react to her distress. Her teddy bears floated into the air. The heavy curtains rustled as if caught in a storm, though the windows were closed. The water in her glass began to boil.In the Dream:Aurora was standing in a field of grey ash. The sky was purple.In the distance, a massive Black Tower stretched up into the clouds. It looked like a needle piercing the sky.Standing at the top of the tower was a man. He didn't have a face. Just a smooth, white mask with a single vertical line drawn on it."Come here, little star," the man’s voice echoed inside her head. "Your light belongs to me."Shadowy hands reached out from the ground, grabbing Aurora’s ankles."Daddy!" she screamed in the dream.In the Real World:CRACK!The mirror on Aurora's wall shattered
You may also like
My Ex-Wife and Kids Came In Like A Wrecking Ball
Likable1.4M viewsBlack Card
R.C.BRIE15505.5K viewsPregnant and Favored: See You in the Morning, Young Master
Miss Yu916.9K viewsWet Dreams (Erotica Collection)
Josie frank1.1M viewsCan I ride you, Luca?....Craving my best friend’s brother
Frank J.P1.1K viewsThe Rise Of The Betrayed Wife
JohnK311 viewsGood Girl Gone Bad
Author Aloura550 viewsTyrant's Secret Baby
As Sana44 views
