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CHAPTER 22: STALKER
Tanggal publikasi:
2026-05-25 00:17:08
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THE COST OF LOVING YOU CHAPTER 32: RULES & DATES
Nico found her back in the penthouse, pacing the living room, her arms wrapped tight around herself, her eyes red and swollen. He walked through the door fast, tossing his keys aside, looking ready to tear the world apart, but the moment he saw her, his shoulders dropped.“Ava,” he started, stepping toward her. “Michelle means nothing. She’s arrogant, she’s manipulative, and she knows exactly what she’s doing…”“I don’t want to hear about her,” Ava cut in, turning her face away. “It doesn’t matter what she wants. It matters what you let happen.”“I didn’t let anything happen,” Nico said firmly, closing the distance between them. “And to make sure nothing like this ever confuses you again… I’m changing the terms.”Ava looked at him sharply. “Changing them how?”“I’m adding a new rule.” He stood right in front of her, his gaze intense and unwavering. “From now on, we have non-transactional time. It’s not about the contract. It’s not about what you owe me or what I’m owed. It’s just… us.
THE COST OF LOVING YOU CHAPTER 31: INSECURITY
A few days later, Nico came to her, looking sharp in a tailored suit, holding out a matching dress he had picked out for her.“Come with me today,” he said. “I have some work to do at the main office. I want you there with me. I want to show you where I spend half my life.”It was a big step. He had never taken her to his workplace before. Ava accepted eagerly, thrilled that he wanted her by his side in his professional world.The headquarters was a towering glass structure in the financial district, sleek, modern, and imposing. Nico led her through the lobby, nodding at employees who bowed their heads respectfully as he passed. He took her up the private elevator and straight into his office. A massive, corner room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the entire city, mahogany furniture, and art on the walls worth more than she could comprehend.“Wow,” Ava breathed, turning in a slow circle. “This is… incredible.”“Wait until you see the view at sunset,” Nico said, walking up be
THE COST OF LOVING YOU CHAPTER 30: INTIMACY AND MIXED FEELINGS
Ava lay curled up on the window seat in the penthouse, phone pressed to her ear as the city lights flickered below. Her voice was soft, almost disbelieving.*Ava:* Tessy… I don’t even know where to start. It’s been weeks now and everything feels so different. I think I’m losing my mind a little.*Tessy:* Different how? Talk to me. You’ve been quiet lately.*Ava:* We don’t talk about the contract anymore. At all. No more counting days, no more “you owe me this many nights.” It’s like we both silently agreed to pretend it doesn’t exist. And what’s replacing it… God, it’s so much more complicated.*Tessy:* Complicated in a good way or a scary way?*Ava:* Both. We’ve become… friends, Tessy. Real friends. The kind who actually talk. And yeah, we’re still sleeping together, but it doesn’t feel like payment anymore. It feels warm. Messy. Real. We lie in his bed for hours… tangled up, no rush to move, just talking about everything and nothing. Stupid stuff, deep stuff… everything.*Tessy:* Wa
THE COST OF LOVING YOU CHAPTER 29: TRUTHS AND SHARED FEELINGS
“He… he seems to hate everything good in you,” Ava said softly, breaking the silence.Nico let out a dry, humorless chuckle. “That’s because he never saw anything good in me. To him, I was always just an asset to be shaped, or a failure to be discarded.”“He’s your father, Nico. How can he be so cruel? So cold?”“Because that is how he was raised. That is the only language he understands.” Nico turned his head to look at her, his eyes clear and raw, stripped of the usual shields. “Do you remember the fire I told you about? The one you read about in the article?”“Yes. You said you ran away from home.”“I didn’t just run away, Ava.” Nico’s voice dropped, becoming heavy with old pain. “I was kidnapped.”Ava’s eyes widened. “Kidnapped? But the news report said you were trapped inside…”“That was the story my father sold to the press. That was the official version to save face.” Nico shook his head, staring at his hands. “The truth is… I was taken from the school grounds by two men hired
THE COST OF LOVING YOU CHAPTER 28: THE THREAT
Richard didn’t even flinch at his son’s words. He just straightened his jacket, a look of pure disgust settling. “I don’t care who she is,” Richard said, his voice cold and dismissive, as if Nico hadn’t just spoken at all. “Or rather, I care exactly about what she is. A girl with no education, barely even finished high school, let alone holds a proper degree. Coming from nothing, raised in filth and poverty. You, the heir to this empire, seen publicly with her? Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look?”He scoffed, shaking his head in disgust.“My colleagues. My business partners. Our friends. They will mock you, Nico. They will laugh behind your back. ‘Look at Jordan’s boy, playing savior to some gutter rat.’ You will be a joke. You will drag this family name through the mud just because you have a momentary soft spot for a pretty face. It is unacceptable. She is an embarrassment, and she will be removed.”Ava stood frozen, her hands gripping the lapels of the robe tight against
THE COST OF LOVING YOU CHAPTER 29: THE MOMENT HE CHOSE HER
Ava scrambled backwards, pulling the sheets up tight to her chin. She looked from Nico, whose body was coiled tight with rage, to the man standing at the foot of the bed. Richard Jordan’s eyes were cold, assessing, stripping her bare with a single glance.“So this is what you’ve been hiding yourself away for,” Richard said, his voice dripping with disdain. He took a slow step forward, his hands still clasped behind his back. “I expected better, Nico. But I see you’ve sunk right down into the gutter where she belongs.”He turned his gaze fully onto Ava, lip curling in disgust.“A lowlife from the streets. I had my people look into you the moment I heard my son was housing a stray. A common therapist, if you can even call it that, goes into people’s homes, pretending to be helpful, pretending to be respectable. But we all know what you really are, don’t we? A whore in disguise. Selling your time, your company, and whatever else men like you peddle just to survive.”Ava felt the blood dr
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