๋ก๊ทธ์ธ๊ณต์
CHAPTER Eight
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ:
2025-04-28 20:07:16
์ต์ ์ฑํฐ
STEP ASIDE EX-HUSBAND: THE RISE OF LIANAย ย ย CHAPTER 54
Dominic's PovClosing the door behind me, I walked to the chair directly opposite Liana. Lester was also sitting directly oposite her lawyer. The conference room felt tighter now, as though the walls had contracted an inch when Liana arrived. Her back was straight, eyes not blazing with fury or warmth. Not inviting, not provocative. Just flat out neutral. In a way it showed strength.I leaned forward slightly, hands together in my lap, and said the words I had rehearsed. "Liana, thank you for coming. I know this isn't easy."She nodded once. "Itโs not. But Iโm here. So letโs get to it."Lester, ever active and coordinated slid a folder across the table. "We appreciate your willingness to have this discussion off the record. As I said to your lawyer, our goal is peace. For your daughter and for everyone involved. But first I will like to know why you came with a different lawyer."โHe's busy and your meeting came impromptu so his assistant came with me, but it's not an issue. I'm the o
STEP ASIDE EX-HUSBAND: THE RISE OF LIANAย ย ย CHAPTER 53
Dominic's Pov "Are you sure this is going to work?" I asked, my hands tapping rhythmically against the dark oak conference table. The room was filled with the scent of fresh coffee, high-end leather, and cold calculation of risk.My lawyer, Lester Vallin, a gray and white haired man with a gravelly voice and the audacity of an armed gun pushed a lock of grayish brown hair behind his ear and hunched forward. His tone was flat, confident. "Absolutely. You're not asking for full custody. You're offering a compromise. That makes you reasonable to her and to the court. It gives you access and it gives her peace, no drama."I tightened my jaw, nodded. He was a senior associate so I believed him. Compromise was not something that happened in my universe of business, but this was not takeovers and mergers. This was Liana. And Cam. My child. My heart ached even as I tried to frame the word."And you think she will just let things go away?" I asked. "You think you can tell her to stand down an
STEP ASIDE EX-HUSBAND: THE RISE OF LIANAย ย ย CHAPTER 52
Liana's POV"Mum," I said, the second Cam had taken off again in the direction of her chair across the counter, leaving behind a path of sticky fingerprints and innocence in her wake, I was actually surprised she didn't say anything. My voice was strained, too sharp around the edges, and I didn't like how defensive I already was. "About this morningโฆโShe didn't bat an eye. She flipped the last pancake onto a plate like a woman who'd spent her life flipping more than breakfastโฆ dialogues, expectations, situations. "Yes?" she said offhandedly, but the glint in her eye told me that she knew exactly what I was going to say."It wasn't what it looked like," I rushed to explain. "Dominic only spent the night because Iโฆ I wasn't in a good place last night. And I didn't want to be alone. It wasn't serious. I promise."She finally turned to face me, wiping her hands on the apron she somehow had on in spite of being in recovery. Her eyes, calm and clear, searched mine. โLiana,โ she said simply
STEP ASIDE EX-HUSBAND: THE RISE OF LIANAย ย ย CHAPTER 51
Dominic's PovWarmth. That was the first thing I felt when I opened my eyes to the soft gray light filtering through window blinds.Someone was holding me. Arms that were not mine wrapped around my waist. A heavy pressure pressed down on me, unyielding but not binding. And the scent, lavender and rose wrapped up in something warm and human was somehow comforting. It lingered on the cotton of the shirt and became part of the air as if it belonged there.This was far from the woody scent of my usual mornings, with their clean sheets and intentional loneliness, thisโฆ this was different.I blinked away the haze of sleep, my body trailing my mind. The bed was softer here, occupied, with the sort of soft dip that told me of late-night reading, midnight snacks, and a thousand other little indulgences. None of them, however, were mine.Why was the bed so this? Why was I in this bed? How am I not alone? Suddenly, the memory came rushing in.Last night, Liana? She had asked me to stay back.He
STEP ASIDE EX-HUSBAND: THE RISE OF LIANAย ย ย CHAPTER 50
Liana's POVThe words still hung between us.> "You should stay the night."I didn't know who was more shocked between the two of usโhim or me. The moment they escaped my lips, a flush crawled up my neck. The air in the car became thick, like clouds gathering before a rainstorm.Stanley didn't flinch for a beat.His expression was unreadable. Not smug. Not surprised. Just. searching."Liana," he replied finally, his voice low, gentle. "I don't want you to ask me that because you're afraid or stuck.""I wasn't."My voice trembled with truth. "I'm not asking because I need to be rescued."I looked at him, actually looked at himโthe man who'd picked me up off the pavement of a breakdown and held me as if I were something special. The man who made fries and a milkshake sound like salvation."I justโฆ " I spoke softly, "don't want to be alone tonight."A pause. Then another.Stanley dipped up and brushed my hair behind my ear once more, his fingers sliding against my jaw."Okay," he whisper
STEP ASIDE EX-HUSBAND: THE RISE OF LIANAย ย ย CHAPTER 49
Liana's POVI hadn't even noticed I'd turned the car on.I was staring at Rainer's words still, my body language shakingโDominic unleashing all his power as a whirlwind storm that claims legal custodyโwhen I was gripping the steering wheel with everything I had in a deserted restaurant parking lot, tensed to the extreme. My mind was racing in my ears, muffling the world out.I gazed down at my fists on the steering wheelโwhite knuckles, shaking fingers. I breathed deep and concealed my face in my hands.> Dominic wants to settle. No court filing. A meeting tomorrow morning. Neutral ground.My heart squeezed like a vice. The whole sound of the wordโsettleโwas an offer concealed as a threat.The engine growled as I backed out of the parking space, streetlights and signs whizzing by behind my steamed windshield. Panic and terror crashed through me like waves in a tempest.My phone buzzed on the seat beside me, jerking me into a sitting position. I stared at it before it slipped somewhere
๋ค๋ฅธ ์ถ์ฒ
A Dangerous Atrophy
Qi River's Old Stream775.1K ์กฐํ์One Night Stand With My Boss
BELLA774.1K ์กฐํ์The Three Little Guardian Angels
Ginger Bud3.2M ์กฐํ์Twins in Her Womb: Sir President, Please be Gentle
Heap Heap1.8M ์กฐํ์The Billionaireโs Gilded Cage
GOLDEN TREE220 ์กฐํ์In My Professor's Arms
Superb writes1.1K ์กฐํ์The 18 Billion Wife He Abandoned
Triple G6.1K ์กฐํ์The Billionaire's Accidental Bride
Hazell8.6K ์กฐํ์
