LOGINMALCOM HEARTI just stood there staring at the door, silently praying the ground would open up and swallow me whole.“Who the hell is that?”Trixie snapped beside me. For a second, I couldn’t even form a sentence... Of all people… of all days… she had to show up now?I hadn’t gone to see her at the hospital. I hadn’t even seen her since she came back to New York. And now she was standing outside my office like a ghost I never asked to return.She stood there rubbing her arm, terrified, like she didn’t even know if she had the right to walk in.I exhaled sharply and finally started moving toward the door, but of course, Trixie blocked me again.I fought the urge to yell at her. I really would have, if I hadn't held back myself.“Why did Keisha let a stranger in without calling you first? Shouldn’t you be mad at her?” She went on, her voice dripping with irritation.I turned and glared at her, gripping the last thread of my patience I had left. “Trixie, do me a favor. Leave my office.”
OWAIN LUTHERThe moment I pulled into the driveway, I didn’t even wait for the engine to die.I jumped out, rounded the hood, and rushed straight to the backseat where Karima lay slumped against the cushions, too still, in a way that made somewhere in my chest twist.My heart was beating like it wanted to burst out of my chest.I didn’t even know I could feel this kind of fear… not for anyone. But for her? It tore right through me.I yanked the door open and bent into the car, sliding one arm under her knees and the other around her back.Her body leaned limp against me, her arm falling across my shoulder as I lifted her out carefully but urgently.Her skin was ice-cold.I slammed the door shut with my foot, then rushed inside the house, straight to my room.I laid her on the bed as gently as I could. Rainwater clung to her hair, her lashes, her skin. Her clothes were completely soaked, and a small shiver ran through her body.She never handled cold well. She knew that. Which meant sh
KARIMA HEART“Well, I have all day to listen.” The words came out calm, but even I could hear how sharp they truly sounded.Mum shifted again, like the chair suddenly turned too hot for her.“I was going to tell you everything, sweetheart. But…” Her voice cracked. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes and she dabbed at them with shaky fingers. “I just thought you weren’t ready yet. I mean—”“You thought on my behalf?” I cut in, struggling to keep my voice from shaking. “Mum, I’m not thirteen. I’m an adult. You don’t get to make that choice for me.”“I know. I’m sorry, Karry.” her breath trembled. “It’s not what you think. I was scared. I thought you’d hate me… which...” she swallowed “—you probably already do.”My heart raced. I dragged my eyes away for a second just to breathe, then met hers again.“So… it’s true.” The words scraped out of my throat. “I’m adopted? Malcom isn’t even my real brother? And Dad—” my voice cracked “—Dad pretended to love me when I wasn’t even his child
MALCOM HEARTMy hand slipped out of Yasmine’s like I’d touched a live wire.Heat quickly surged up my chest, tight and violent, and sweat prickled across my forehead as if someone had turned my office floor into a furnace.Keisha didn’t speak at first. She just walked toward us with that calm, composed grace she always carried, the kind that made every emotion in me feel loud and messy in comparison.She stopped a few inches in front of me, her face smooth, unreadable. Like she hadn’t just walked into a disaster.“Mr. Heart,” she said, her voice steady, respectful, almost too controlled. “I’m sorry I let your sister in without your permission. I called you three times but you didn’t pick up, so I assumed you were busy.”Her gaze slid briefly to Yasmine, then back to me.“The elevator has a technical malfunction. It’s out of service for now, but I’ve already contacted the electrical team. That’s what I came to inform you about, sir.”I blinked as my throat tight. “Uhm… thank you, Keish
MALCOMI couldn’t form a single word. I just stood there, staring, my chest tight as if my lungs had forgotten how to work.Yasmine pulled her arm out of my grasp, but instinct made me catch her again, like holding her in place could somehow keep everything from falling apart.“Can someone explain what exactly is happening here?”Karima’s voice cut through the room again, sharper this time, her patience nearly gone. My throat felt dry, and my body refused to react until Yasmine pulled away again.“Please,” I said quietly, this time taking her arm with more care. “Don’t say anything. Let me handle this.”She let out a short scoff. “Now you want to handle it? I gave you more than enough chances to handle things, but you—”“Hello? I’m still here,” Karima interrupted evenly before turning to Yasmine. “Why are you even here? Last I checked, you were always circling Owain. And now you tracked my brother all the way to his office? For what?”Yasmine laughed under her breath, and I knew whate
KARIMA HEARTClass ended in less than thirty minutes, and I had barely stepped outside when a hand shot out and grabbed my arm.I jerked around, and of course. It was the stupid, arrogant jerk himself.Jace. Ellie’s boyfriend.I tried pulling back, twisting my wrist, but he was too damn strong, so I stopped resisting and let him drag me. But trust me, if looks could kill, he’d have been buried already.Who the hell did he think he was to lay a hand on me?The second we reached a quiet corner, he dropped my hand.Sorry... Big mistake.My palm flew before I even decided to swing.It cracked across his face hard enough to turn his head.He snapped back to look at me, rage blazing in his eyes. “What the fuck was that for, Karry?!”That stupid curly hair of his bounced with every angry move.“Excuse me?” I shot back. “You don’t know? You don’t get to touch me and you definitely don’t get to drag me that way.”He scoffed like I was speaking alien language. “Alright, whatever. I’m gonna forge







