LOGINChapter 305 Bryan's POV That bitch! That fucking bitch! My fist connected with the wall of my office—expensive imported drywall that probably cost more per square foot than most people made in a month—and pain exploded through my knuckles. I didn't care. Didn't even register the pain properly because the rage and fear consuming me were so much more overwhelming than any physical hurt. Grace had been caught. The word kept echoing in my mind, bouncing around my skull like a bullet ricocheting. My phone was still in my other hand, the screen lit up with the call I'd just received from the private investigator I'd hired to tail Grace after she picked up the money. The ten million dollars in cash I'd arranged to have waiting for her at the amusement center. The money that was supposed to help her disappear forever, to ensure she'd never be found, never lead the police to Ethan, never compromise my carefully constructed plan. Except I hadn't trusted her. Of course I hadn't trus
Chapter 304 Cynthia's POV "Nikolai," I said, and the word came out strangled and awkward, like I'd just been caught doing something I shouldn't. My face burned with embarrassment, my heart still racing from how close Bryan had been, from what had almost happened. Nikolai stood in the doorway with that carefully neutral expression, like he hadn't just walked in on Bryan about to kiss me. Like he hadn't noticed the charged atmosphere or the way my hands were shaking slightly. And I was grateful for it. Grateful that he was giving me the grace of pretending this wasn't as mortifying as it felt. My mind was spinning. Would Bryan actually have kissed me if Nikolai hadn't shown up? What the hell was he thinking? Bryan had been Ethan's best friend for years and he'd just tried to— I couldn't even finish the thought. "I'm going to make breakfast," I said abruptly, needing to do something with my hands, needing to focus on something other than the uncomfortable tension filling the
Chapter 303 Cynthia's POV I left the Laurent mansion earlier than usual that morning, hoping to be at the restaurant when Julian arrived home later. I wanted to be there for him when he faced Nathaniel and our mother. Wanted to provide whatever support I could during what was bound to be one of the most difficult conversations of his life. But I also needed the distraction. Needed something to do with my hands and my mind besides obsessively checking my phone for updates about Pascal or worrying about Ethan or replaying my fight with Nathaniel over and over. The restaurant had become my sanctuary over the past few months—the one place where I could focus on something concrete and controllable. Flavors, techniques, presentation. Things that made sense. Things I could actually manage. When I arrived, I was surprised to find the lights already on and the door unlocked. My staff didn't usually arrive this early. I pushed through the entrance, calling out, "Hello?" And there, sit
Chapter 302 Ethan's POV The food Miguel and Carmen had prepared was incredible. Simple, maybe, by some standards—roasted potatoes with herbs and garlic, scrambled eggs cooked until they were fluffy and perfectly seasoned, thick slices of homemade bread still warm from the oven, and some kind of spicy chorizo that made my taste buds come alive. But to me, after months of Gavin's bland, functional meals that existed only to keep me working in the fields, this felt like a feast. I ate like I'd never seen food before. Shoveling potatoes into my mouth, tearing off chunks of bread, barely pausing to chew before reaching for more. My fork moved from plate to mouth in rapid succession, and somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I probably looked like an animal, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I was hungry. Genuinely, bone-deep hungry in a way that went beyond just needing calories. And the food was good. Really, truly good. I glanced up between bites and caught Carmen watchin
Chapter 301 Ethan's POV I woke up slowly, consciousness creeping in through layers of exhausted sleep. My body felt heavy, my muscles aching in that pleasant way that comes from finally getting real rest after days of tension and stress. The bed was softer than the one I'd had at Gavin's farm, the blanket warmer, and for a brief, blissful moment I forgot where I was or how I'd gotten there. Then I opened my eyes. And nearly had a heart attack. Carmen was standing right beside the bed, leaning over me with her face just a few feet from mine, wearing the biggest, most enthusiastic smile I'd ever seen on another human being. "JESUS!" I yelped, scrambling backward so violently that I actually fell out of the bed, landing on the floor with a painful thud that knocked the wind out of me. Carmen burst into laughter—full, genuine laughter that made her entire body shake, her hand going to her chest like she couldn't contain her amusement. "Lo siento, lo siento," she managed between l
Chapter 300 Cynthia's POV I woke up feeling like someone had wrung me out and left me to dry. Every muscle in my body ached with exhaustion that had nothing to do with physical exertion and everything to do with emotional depletion. Yesterday had been... too much. The lead on Pascal that had sent my hopes soaring. Bryan's strange, withdrawn reaction when I'd told him the news. Nikolai's insistence on taking me out, the expensive necklace I'd refused, the uncomfortable weight of his expectations pressing down on me. And then Nathaniel. The fight we'd had about Julian replayed in my mind, making my stomach clench with guilt and residual anger. The things I'd said. The way I'd challenged him. The look on his face when I'd walked out. I'd meant every word. But that didn't make it hurt any less. I rolled over in bed, grabbing my phone from the nightstand. Six-thirty in the morning. Too early to be awake, but my brain was already racing, refusing to let me fall back asleep.
Chapter 56 Cynthia’s POV "Why?" I whispered, more to myself than to Felicia. "Why would he do this?" Felicia shook her head miserably. "I don't know, madame. I'm so sorry. I should have come to you, should have told you what was happening, but I was so scared…" "It's okay," I said automatical
Chapter 60 Cynthia's POV I stared at my phone, watching it ring and ring until it went to voicemail. Ethan wasn't answering. Perhaps he was deliberately ignoring me. After what happened, standing him and Amber up without so much as a proper explanation — I couldn't blame him. He was angry. He h
Chapter 67Cynthia's POVI'd come all this way… flown across an ocean, abandoned my restaurant in crisis and I couldn't even bring myself to walk into my son's room.Pathetic.I pulled out my phone and called the security detail Nathaniel had arranged. "I'm ready to be picked up. Front entrance.""
Chapter 64Kevin's POVI am doing this for my sister and my nephew.That's what I kept telling myself as I pulled into the hospital parking lot. The address Cynthia had forwarded me led to Missford General, a sprawling medical complex that I'd driven past a hundred times but never had reason to ent







