A FRAGILE PEACE IVY’S POV Gabe’s call shattered the quiet moment with Rowan, his words about Bella’s survival and her final strike stirring dread in my heart. The safe house was dim, the Kelly documents clutched in my hands, their weight heavy with my parents’ legacy. My body ached, still weak from Ethan’s birth, my arm throbbing from Bella’s shot, but Rowan’s gray eyes, fierce despite his own wounds from the estate’s collapse, anchored me. The thought of Bella targeting my Atelier, my life’s work, burned, and fear for Noah and Ethan gnawed at me. I gripped Rowan’s hand, my ring glinting, his love a peace in the chaos. “We need to see Gabe,” I said, my voice sharp, brushing my blonde hair back. “If he’s got proof, we use it.” My heart raced, Bella’s threat looming, and Rowan nodded, his jaw clenched, his side bandaged but his resolve steel. “He’s a risk,” he said, his voice low, grabbing his gun. “But we’ll hear him out.” His eyes met mine, sparking heat despite the tension
EXPLOSIVE REVELATIONS ROWAN’S POV The estate shook as Bella’s detonator clicked, her manic smile promising destruction as I shielded Ivy. The walls groaned, dust falling, and Ivy clutched the Kelly documents, her green eyes wide with terror, as she shook in my arms. What's with this crazy bitch? I can't believe I dated and almost married someone volatile and dangerous as Bella. What the hell was I thinking? My arm bled from the forest ambush, pain searing, and for a moment, all I wanted to do was lie still, but fear for Noah and Ethan’s safety, and Ivy’s weakening state drove me. Bella’s alliance with Maddox and her relentless pursuit of the Kelly inheritance burned in my mind. I grabbed Ivy’s hand, her ring glinting, her love anchoring me as I pulled her to her feet. “You’re done, Bella!” I roared, lunging at her, wresting the detonator away. It slipped from her grasp, but a red light blinked—explosives already armed. Bella laughed, her eyes wild, as I pushed her away an
THE KELLY ESTATE IVY’S POV We were at the outskirts of LA after the way we got lost in the forest. Luckily, the Kelly mansion wasn't deep within the city. I felt Rowan's eyes on me as we sped toward the estate. “Are you okay?” “I'm fine Rowan. Don't worry about me.” “You know I can't do that.” I reached out for his hand that was on the steering wheel. “For real, I'm okay.” “You know if anything should happen to you, I will never forgive myself. I promised to protect you but here you are, with me, going for a dangerous mission.” “Don't say that. I was the one that asked to come, you didn't force me to.” I stated. “So relax, I ain't going nowhere.” He smiled, amusement flashing in his eyes as he nodded and focused on the road. *** The Kelly estate loomed like a ghost from my past, Bella’s plan to claim my heritage pulling me toward danger. The night was cold, the sprawling mansion dark and eerie, reminding of haunted houses. I shivered at the thought of entering the house
BLOOD IN THE NIGHT ROWAN’S POV “Ivy!” I yelled in shock as fell to the ground as well. Maddox’s laugh echoed around us, his gunshot felling Gabe as Ivy screamed and collapsed as well. I scooped Ivy up, her body limp from exhaustion, her arm still bandaged from Bella’s shot. Gabe’s blood stained the ground, his sacrifice—or betrayal—leaving me torn as I carried Ivy to safety. My arm throbbed, the knife wound from the forest ambush bleeding fresh, but fear for Ivy’s life burned hotter. Noah and Ethan were safe with Sarah, but Maddox’s taunt about having a means to still attack the kids gnawed at me. Ivy’s green eyes fluttered, weak but fierce, her ring glinting on her finger, her love anchoring me in the chaos. “Hold on, Ivy,” I said, my voice rough, sprinting through the dark woods, branches snapping. I regretted instantly why we separated from Cole. Now, Gabe has been shot, Ivy was barely able to walk and the mother fucker got away. I glanced down at her as we hurried awa
THE TYCOON’S TRAP IVY’S POV Maddox’s cold eyes locked onto mine in the cabin, his alliance with Bella threatening to destroy us all. The dim light flickered, casting shadows on his smug grin, and my heart pounded, my body weak from Ethan’s birth, my arm throbbing from Bella’s shot. Rowan stood beside me, his arm bleeding as well from the forest ambush, his gray eyes fierce despite the pain. Gabe’s shaky loyalty lingered behind us, his claim of leading us to Bella’s hideout now seems to be a trap. At least Noah and Ethan were safe with Sarah, but the lost Kelly documents and Maddox’s new move against Rowan’s empire chilled me. It practically defeated the purpose of us risking our neck to be here. We could've brought the police into this. But they've proven to be less reliable. I gripped Rowan’s hand, my ring glinting, my love for him a fire in the chaos. “You’re after the Kelly inheritance,” Maddox said, his voice smooth, pulling out a document eerily similar to the one w
THE FOREST AMBUSH ROWAN’S POV Bella’s voice on the radio chilled me as I shielded Ivy in the dark forest, her threat—“This isn’t over”—looming like a storm. The jet’s roar faded above, its survival a gut punch after Gabe’s supposed sabotage. Ivy’s green eyes blazed with fear and fury, her arm bandaged from Bella’s shot, her body still weak from Ethan’s birth but her grip on my hand fierce. Noah and Ethan were safe with Sarah, but the lost Kelly documents and Gabe’s shaky loyalty gnawed at me. My shoulder bled through the bandage, pain sharp from the estate fight, but Ivy’s ring on her finger, her touch, kept me steady. “Stay close,” I said, my voice low, leading Ivy through the dense woods, branches snapping underfoot. Gabe trailed, his face bruised, his claims of betrayal ringing hollow. I had half the mind to tell him to get away from us, but the state he was in made me let him be. Ivy’s breath hitched, her hand tightening on mine, and I felt her fear, her strength, urg