Library
Search
Home / Romance / Ruthless Hearts / CHAPTER 17

Share

CHAPTER 17

Author: Zeenoh
last update Last Updated: 2025-08-14 11:23:40

I waited until the house was still. The kind of stillness where you could feel the weight of the walls pressing in.

Midnight came slowly, every second dragging its heels. Mason’s keycard sat in the pocket of my robe, cool and weighty. It felt heavier than it should. Like it knew what I was about to do.

At 12:07, I slipped out of my room.

The halls were dark, lit only by faint sconces along the walls. I moved barefoot, steps soft against the carpet, every creak of the floorboards sounding like a gunshot in my ears.

I passed two guards near the west staircase. They didn’t look up. They probably just assumed I was going down to the kitchen for some water.

Then I stepped outside, into the night air.

The estate grounds were massive, open courtyards and manicured hedges giving way to paths that cut through groves of trees. And in the distance, far on the eastern edge, the shadow of a smaller, squat building. The vault.

It wasn’t far. But it felt like miles.

I kept to the hedges, pausing whe
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter
Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Latest chapter

  • Ruthless Hearts   CHAPTER 20

    Despite his assuring words, he didn’t smile. His hand was twitching at his side like he was nervous. Raye scared him.And I could see why.She stepped toward us, gun in hand. But she was just as nervous as he was. Still, her voice did not shake. “I want to hear it from your lips, little prince. Tell me what you told him,” she said, tipping her head toward Jules.Mason scowled at “little prince”, his lips curled in distaste, but he didn’t snap at her like I expected. “I want to join the Circle,” he said, full of conviction.Raye moved quickly, cocking the pistol and taking aim in the same motion. My heart stopped when she pressed the barrel to his forehead, but Mason didn’t flinch. “Why?” She hissed.“Because this world is all wrong. What my parents have done… what my brother will do, is wrong.”Even with a gun to his head, he still managed to speak calmly, but a bead of sweat trickled down his neck. Raye didn’t pull away, waiting for a better answer, and I found myself doing the same.

  • Ruthless Hearts   CHAPTER 19

    The Caldwell breakfast table was awfully quiet this morning.Evelyn read the morning paper with the poise of someone performing for an audience, chin high, wrists resting delicately beside her glass of water. Dean was scrolling through something on his phone, the faintest furrow in his brow. Mason sat across from me, relaxed, buttering a slice of toast.It would’ve been a normal morning if I hadn’t caught the headline first.A NEW REBEL GROUP HAS EXPOSED CALDWELL HOLDINGS IN FOREIGN ACCOUNTS SCANDAL.The words glared up at me from Evelyn’s paper, the black print too sharp to ignore. It wasn’t front-page center—that would’ve caused an earthquake—but it was there, above the fold, framed as a “developing investigation” by an overseas business journal. Just a little too coincidental, considering I’d only handed the Crimson Circle their first batch of ledger copies two nights ago.The words she was reading repeated themselves on the television. It revealed a grainy photo of the copy of th

  • Ruthless Hearts   CHAPTER 18

    I waited three hours before I dared to breathe properly.The ledger was heavy in my robe, the leather warmed by my body. In the darkness of my room it felt less like a book and more like a loaded thing, something that could change the angle of my entire life in a second if I even got caught. I locked my door and slid the ledger under my mattress, beneath the fold of yesterday’s sheet. The mattress creaked when I sat, and I imagined, absurdly, that the bed knew what I’d put there.I did not sleep. I lay on my back and let my mind sort through names and numbers until the ledger started to make shapes. The paper felt old and deliberate and entirely intimate. Whoever had kept it had done so with care.When the house began to wake, I pushed myself up and opened the pages for the first time in daylight. I read only the top of a page. It was a ledger entry with dates and shorthand and a list of transfers between numbered accounts. Then another name. Then another. My hand went cold on the pa

  • Ruthless Hearts   CHAPTER 17

    I waited until the house was still. The kind of stillness where you could feel the weight of the walls pressing in.Midnight came slowly, every second dragging its heels. Mason’s keycard sat in the pocket of my robe, cool and weighty. It felt heavier than it should. Like it knew what I was about to do.At 12:07, I slipped out of my room.The halls were dark, lit only by faint sconces along the walls. I moved barefoot, steps soft against the carpet, every creak of the floorboards sounding like a gunshot in my ears.I passed two guards near the west staircase. They didn’t look up. They probably just assumed I was going down to the kitchen for some water.Then I stepped outside, into the night air.The estate grounds were massive, open courtyards and manicured hedges giving way to paths that cut through groves of trees. And in the distance, far on the eastern edge, the shadow of a smaller, squat building. The vault.It wasn’t far. But it felt like miles.I kept to the hedges, pausing whe

  • Ruthless Hearts   CHAPTER 16

    By morning, I already had a plan.Not a good one. Not even a complete one. But it was something.The Crimson Circle’s words from last night sat heavy in my chest: You’re engaged to a Caldwell. Use it.Fine. I would.I spent the morning walking the estate like I had every right to be there. I smiled at staff, asked harmless questions, let them get used to seeing me in hallways I didn’t usually pass through.“Good morning, Miss Vale,” one of the older maids greeted me when she found me near the north wing staircase.“Good morning.” I smiled, trying not to wince. A few weeks ago, I was a maid just like her. “Finally getting to know the grounds?” She timidly asked, looking around like she was scared she would be caught and punished for talking to me.“I’ll be living here for a while, so I should know where I’m going.” I took the opportunity to innocently ask about all the doorways and everything else.She laughed and pointed out which doorways led to the kitchens, where deliveries came

  • Ruthless Hearts   CHAPTER 15

    I didn’t sleep.Even after Dean walked away, after the yard emptied, after I stood there staring into the dark like it could offer some kind of answer— I stayed awake.My room felt colder than usual. The silence had a pressure to it, like something was leaning against the walls. Watching and waiting.I lay in bed fully dressed, the burner phone hidden in my palm under the blanket.Nothing came. No buzz. No new message.Until I rolled over and saw the paper.It sat on my nightstand like it had always been there. A single square of cream stationery, heavier than the Caldwells’ paper. It didn’t have a header, and no seal either.There was one line of text in narrow handwriting:Put the phone on speaker at midnight. Remember, no lights.That was it.I was hoping that if this person who kept sending me notes reached out again, I would get some kind of answers or maybe even a little bit of context. But there was nothing. No name. No instructions for what came next.I didn’t move for a long

More Chapters

You may also like

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