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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Penulis: Wren Gray
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-10-04 01:51:06

AVA’S POV

The air in the study grew thick and heavy, like the moment before a storm breaks. Dante's question hung between us, sharp and dangerous.

"Why don't you tell me the real reason you're so desperate to get away from me? Speak Sophia!"

My mouth went dry. I could feel the weight of every lie I'd ever told him, pressing down on my tongue. The truth was a live wire in my mouth—if I touched it, it would electrocute us both.

"I told you," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "My uncle..."

He moved so fast I flinched. One moment he was seated, the next he was standing, his hands flat on the desk, his body leaning toward me. The movement was smooth and predatory. "Stop lying to me."

The quiet command was more terrifying than any shout. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic bird trying to escape its cage. I could see the gold flecks in his dark eyes, the tight line of his mouth. He was so close I could smell the clean, sharp scent of his cologne, see the faint shadow of stubble
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  • THE CHARADE   CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

    (Ava's POV)The silence after his question was the loudest sound I had ever heard. “Who the hell are you?”My mind went blank, then raced, a frantic animal looking for any way out of a trap. I could see it in his eyes—the image of "Sophia Morales," the efficient, sometimes defiant assistant, was gone. In its place was a stranger who moved like a fighter. I had seconds to give him a new picture to replace it.My shoulders slumped. I let my hands, still curled into fists, fall to my sides. I looked down at the floor, then back up at him, letting my eyes well up with tears that weren't entirely fake. I was shaking, and this time, it was real."My father," I whispered, my voice breaking on the word.Dante didn't move. His gaze was like a physical weight. Kyle was staring too, his face a mix of shock and confusion.I wrapped my arms around myself, making myself look small. Vulnerable. "My father... he wasn't a good man. He was deep in debt to people... people like Silva. Dangerous people."

  • THE CHARADE   CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

    (Ava's POV)The strange calm after my father’s threat and Dante’s interrogation was the worst part. It felt like the whole world was holding its breath. I moved through the next day like a ghost, doing my work, speaking only when necessary. Dante watched me, his eyes following me around the room, but he said nothing more about the resignation letter. The silence was its own kind of punishment.That evening, I was in the kitchen, just making a cup of tea, trying to quiet the shaking in my hands. Kyle was laughing about something with one of the guards by the back door. It was a normal, easy sound that felt completely out of place. Dante was in his study like always, the door open just a crack.Then, the world exploded.It wasn’t a loud noise at first. It was a series of soft, sickening thuds from outside, followed by a sharp cry that was cut off too soon. Kyle’s laugh died in his throat. His head snapped toward the door, his body going rigid.“Get down!” he yelled, shoving the other gu

  • THE CHARADE   CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

    AVA’S POVThe paperwork on my desk was like a vertical blur. I’d been staring at the same column of numbers for twenty minutes, but my mind was a thousand miles away, trapped in my own thoughts with my father’s ultimatum echoing in my ears. ‘Cease to exist.’“You’re gonna burn a hole through that paper with your eyes, Newbie.”I jumped. Kyle was leaning against the doorframe of the office, two bottles of cold beer in his hand. He nodded toward the garden. “Come on. You look like you could use a break. And a drink.”I was too tired to refuse. I followed him out into the cool evening air. The mansion’s gardens were beautiful, all manicured bushes and sweet-smelling flowers, but tonight they felt like just another pretty cage. We sat on a stone bench under a twisting wisteria tree, and he handed me a bottle.For a few minutes, we just drank in silence, listening to the crickets. The cold beer felt good. Normal.“Okay,” Kyle said finally, bumping his shoulder lightly against mine. “Spill.

  • THE CHARADE   CHAPTER THIRTY

    (Ava's POV)The text from my father came an hour after my world ended in Dante’s study. Just an address and a time. No greeting. No question. A command.My hands were still shaking as I parked my car a few blocks away from the location, an old, closed-down textile factory on the industrial edge of the city. The air smelled of rust and forgotten things. This was his kind of place. No witnesses. No beauty.I took the metal stairs to the second floor, my footsteps echoing in the hollow silence. He was there, standing by a grimy window, the weak afternoon light doing nothing to soften him. Denis Cavallaro. My father.He didn’t turn around. “You’ve been busy, Mija.”The term of endearment was a lie. It always was.“Father,” I said, my voice flat.He turned slowly. His eyes, the same shade of brown as mine, were cold and empty. “I hear you’ve been writing letters. Resignation letters.”My blood ran cold. How did he know? Ellie wouldn’t have told him. Did he have someone else inside Dante’s

  • THE CHARADE   CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

    AVA’S POVThe air in the study grew thick and heavy, like the moment before a storm breaks. Dante's question hung between us, sharp and dangerous."Why don't you tell me the real reason you're so desperate to get away from me? Speak Sophia!"My mouth went dry. I could feel the weight of every lie I'd ever told him, pressing down on my tongue. The truth was a live wire in my mouth—if I touched it, it would electrocute us both."I told you," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "My uncle..."He moved so fast I flinched. One moment he was seated, the next he was standing, his hands flat on the desk, his body leaning toward me. The movement was smooth and predatory. "Stop lying to me."The quiet command was more terrifying than any shout. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic bird trying to escape its cage. I could see the gold flecks in his dark eyes, the tight line of his mouth. He was so close I could smell the clean, sharp scent of his cologne, see the faint shadow of stubble

  • THE CHARADE   CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

    (Ava's POV)The study felt different back in Spain. Colder, somehow. More like his true domain. I stood with Kyle and a few of the other senior men, all of us listening as Dante laid out the new rules, and plans.“The deal with Silva is off,” he said, his voice flat and final. He stood behind his desk, like a king addressing his court. “Permanently.”Kyle let out a low whistle. “He’s not gonna like that, boss.”“I don’t care what he likes,” Dante replied, his eyes sweeping over all of us. “The man is the head of the Serpents. He was playing us. He wanted our weapons to start a war on our own doorstep.” His gaze lingered on me for a split second, and my heart jumped into my throat. “We got lucky with the intel. But Silva is a snake, and a cornered snake is dangerous. I want everyone to be sharp. He won’t give up easily.”There were grim nods around the room. The mood was tense. I tried to keep my expression neutral, just another employee absorbing a serious business update. But inside,

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