แชร์

Chapter 16: Birth of Heirs

ผู้เขียน: Sire Bliss
last update ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-05-13 18:15:07

The contractions tore through me like lightning, each one more brutal than the last. The sterile hospital room spun as another wave of pain crashed over my body.

"Breathe, Anna. Just like we practiced." Samantha's voice anchored me through the fog. Her honey-blonde hair was tucked under a baseball cap, oversized sunglasses perched on her nose despite being indoors. The disguise would have made me laugh under different circumstances.

"I can't—" My words choked off as another contraction seized me. I clutched the metal railings of the hospital bed, knuckles white.

"Yes, you can." Sam gripped my hand. "You've survived worse than this."

Images of Michael's face flashed through my mind—his expression when I'd caught him with Jessica, the cold courtroom, Elizabeth's triumphant smile. The memory fueled me with a fresh surge of determination.

"Push now, Ms. Collins!" The midwife's voice was firm at the foot of the bed.

I bore down with everything I had, a primal scream tearing from my throat.
อ่านหนังสือเล่มนี้ต่อได้ฟรี
สแกนรหัสเพื่อดาวน์โหลดแอป
บทที่ถูกล็อก

บทล่าสุด

  • THE BILLIONAIRE SECRET TWIN HEIR    BOOK 3 - Chapter 12: Austin's Counter-Move

    ~Next Morning~I'm still thinking about Alex's words when my phone buzzes at seven thirty the next morning. The caller ID shows Austin's name, and I debate letting it go to voicemail. After last night's dinner, after the way Alex's confession left me spinning, the last thing I need is more complications.But I answer anyway."Good morning, sunshine." Austin's voice is warm, cheerful in a way that shouldn't be legal before eight AM. "Please tell me you're a morning person.""Depends on your definition of morning person." I sit up in bed, pushing hair out of my face. "What time do you normally call people?""When I'm excited about something? Way too early." There's rustling in the background, like he's moving around. "I have an idea. How do you feel about playing hooky?""Hooky?""From whatever responsible adult things you had planned today. I want to show you something."I think about my schedule. I need to review contracts for the gallery, return calls from three different artists, an

  • THE BILLIONAIRE SECRET TWIN HEIR    BOOK 3 - Chapter 11: The Business Dinner

    ~ Few Hours Later ~ The Plaza's restaurant gleams like something out of a movie. Crystal chandeliers cast warm light over pristine white tablecloths, and the soft murmur of conversation mingles with the gentle clink of expensive china. I feel underdressed despite wearing my best black dress, the one I saved for special occasions back when I could afford special occasions.Alex is already seated when the hostess leads me to our table. He stands as I approach, and I'm struck again by how he commands attention without even trying. The other diners glance our way, recognizing power when they see it."You came," he says, pulling out my chair."You doubted I would?""After this afternoon? Yes." He settles across from me, his dark eyes studying my face. "You hung up on me."Heat creeps up my neck. "I didn't hang up on you. I said I'd call back.""And did you?"I reach for my water glass instead of answering. Because no, I didn't call back. I spent the afternoon with Austin, drinking coffee

  • THE BILLIONAIRE SECRET TWIN HEIR    BOOK 3 - Chapter 10: Lines Drawn

    *The restaurant at the Plaza. Seven thirty. Don't keep me waiting. - Alex*The presumption in it makes my jaw clench. Don't keep me waiting. Like I've already agreed. Like I don't have a choice.But underneath the irritation, there's something else. A flutter of anticipation that I hate myself for feeling."He's already picked the restaurant," I murmur."Who?""Alex. For dinner tonight."Nora reaches across the table and takes my phone before I can stop her. She reads the message, her expression darkening. "Okay, that's it. This guy thinks he owns you already.""He doesn't think that.""Doesn't he?" She slides the phone back to me. "Iz, listen to yourself. You're making excuses for someone you barely know."I want to argue, but the words stick in my throat. Because maybe she's right. Maybe I am making excuses. But there was something in Alex's eyes last night, something vulnerable beneath all that intensity. And Austin... Austin made me laugh in a way I haven't in months."I need this

  • THE BILLIONAIRE SECRET TWIN HEIR    BOOK 3 - Chapter 9: The Morning After

    The sunlight streaming through my hotel room window feels like an accusation. I roll over, burying my face in the pillow, but I can't escape the memory of last night. Alex's hand on mine during that private toast. The way his voice dropped when he said my name. And then Austin, sweeping me onto the dance floor like we'd done it a thousand times before.My phone buzzes against the nightstand. Three missed calls from Nora."Isabella, where are you?" Her voice crackles through the speaker when I finally answer. "I've been knocking on your door for ten minutes.""Sorry, I was..." What? Reliving every moment of last night? Analyzing the way both twins looked at me? "I'll be right there."I throw on yesterday's clothes and pad down the hall to Nora's room. She's already dressed, coffee in hand, laptop open on the small table by the window."Well?" She doesn't look up from her screen. "How did it go?"I sink into the chair across from her, suddenly exhausted. "It was... complicated.""Compli

  • THE BILLIONAIRE SECRET TWIN HEIR    BOOK 3 - Chapter 8: Cameras and Consequences

    The music shifted to something with a stronger beat, and Austin adjusted our dance accordingly, his movements confident and sure. Other couples pressed closer around us, the gallery transformed into an elegant ballroom under the soft lighting."You're full of surprises," I said, impressed despite myself by his skill."I'm the twin who actually paid attention during those ballroom lessons," he replied with a grin. "Alex spent most of the time arguing with the instructor about the practical applications of the foxtrot."I laughed, and the sound felt good, natural. "I can picture that.""He's not wrong, you know. Dancing doesn't serve a strategic purpose in most business situations." Austin's expression grew more serious. "But not everything worthwhile has to be strategic.""Like what?""Like this." He gestured to the space between us, to the way we moved together, to the easy conversation flowing between us. "Like getting to know someone without an agenda. Like finding out what makes th

  • THE BILLIONAIRE SECRET TWIN HEIR    BOOK 3 - Chapter 7: The Dance Floor

    "The one we're about to dance to." His smile was boyish, infectious, completely different from Alex's intense magnetism. "Come on, the night's too beautiful to waste standing around talking business."Alex stepped forward, his expression darkening. "Austin, we were in the middle of—""A conversation that can wait," Austin interrupted smoothly, already guiding me toward the center of the gallery where other couples had begun to sway to the soft jazz filtering through the sound system. "Isabella's been working all evening. She deserves to enjoy her success."I let him lead me away, hyperaware of Alex's burning gaze following us across the room. The kiss was still fresh on my lips, my skin still tingling from his touch, but Austin's presence offered a different kind of comfort. Where Alex was fire and intensity, Austin was warmth and safety."You looked like you needed rescuing," he murmured as we reached the impromptu dance floor, his arms coming around me with easy familiarity."Did I?

บทอื่นๆ
สำรวจและอ่านนวนิยายดีๆ ได้ฟรี
เข้าถึงนวนิยายดีๆ จำนวนมากได้ฟรีบนแอป GoodNovel ดาวน์โหลดหนังสือที่คุณชอบและอ่านได้ทุกที่ทุกเวลา
อ่านหนังสือฟรีบนแอป
สแกนรหัสเพื่ออ่านบนแอป
DMCA.com Protection Status