LOGINChapter 57For a fraction of a second, the heavy, humid air in the parking garage simply stopped moving. Zara stared at the photograph resting on the hood of her Porsche. Her chest constricted so violently she felt lightheaded. It was a candid shot of Leo, captured just yesterday outside his elite private preschool. He found out.The terrifying reality crashed into her, threatening to shatter the iron-clad composure she had spent five agonizing years forging.If Ethan Cole knew Leo was his son, with his wealth and the ruthless backing of the Cole family, he could drag her into a custody battle that would last a decade. He could take the only thing in the world that mattered to her. But as Zara dragged her gaze up from the photo to Ethan’s face, she noticed something. There was no recognition in his steely eyes. There was no triumphant smirk of a man who had just uncovered his own flesh and blood. Instead, Ethan looked... tormented.His jaw was clenched so tightly a muscle ticked f
Chapter 56The rain lashed against the floor-to-ceiling windows of Ethan Cole’s penthouse office, blurring the neon skyline into streaks of weeping color. But inside, the air was dead and suffocating.Ethan sat frozen behind his massive mahogany desk, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the edges of an open manila folder.Jax, the underground private investigator Ethan had kept off the official company payroll, shifted uncomfortably on his feet.Jax had hunted down corporate spies and fleeing embezzlers without breaking a sweat, but looking at the expression on his billionaire employer’s face right now, the man looked terrified."I pulled everything I could from her time in London, Mr. Cole," Jax said, his voice cautious. "Zara Frost didn’t just rebuild her grandfather’s empire. She spent the first year completely off the grid. Medical records were sealed tightly, but I managed to trace a hospital admission in Surrey."Ethan didn't hear a word Jax was saying. The roaring in his e
Chapter 55One Month Later.The Mercer Island property was precisely as Zara remembered it from five years ago.A stunning, sprawling Victorian-style home with a massive wrap-around porch, overlooking the glittering waters of Lake Washington. The lawn was perfectly manicured, and a massive oak tree with a tire swing sat in the front yard.It was the dream house. The house Ethan had bought for them in secret, a week before the car crash erased it all from his mind.Zara sat in the back of her SUV, parked across the street, staring at the property. The tinted windows hid her from view."Are we going in, Ms. Frost?" her new driver asked softly."No," Zara murmured, her eyes locked on the front porch. "Just wait."She had been avoiding him. For the past month, since Ethan had been discharged from the hospital, he had kept his promise to Marcus. He hadn't demanded to see her. He hadn't used his wealth to force his way into Frost Industries. He hadn't called the press to announce his pate
Chapter 54Two Weeks Later.The sun was shining brightly over the sprawling grounds of the Frost Estate. The shattered gates had been replaced, the bullet holes in the foyer plastered and painted, and the heavy security presence had been reduced to a discreet, invisible perimeter.The corporate war was officially over. Arthur Sterling and Victor Vance were both denied bail, sitting in maximum-security federal holding cells awaiting trial for conspiracy, attempted murder, and corporate espionage. Chloe Sterling’s "pregnancy" had been outed as a complete fabrication by her own terrified doctor, destroying whatever shred of public sympathy she had left.Cole Enterprises had been fully absorbed into Frost Industries, creating a tech monolith that terrified the global market. Zara Frost was unequivocally the most powerful woman on the West Coast.But as she sat in her home office, staring at a stack of merger documents, her mind was entirely somewhere else. A soft knock on the open door
Chapter 54Two Weeks Later.The sun was shining brightly over the sprawling grounds of the Frost Estate. The shattered gates had been replaced, the bullet holes in the foyer plastered and painted, and the heavy security presence had been reduced to a discreet, invisible perimeter.The corporate war was officially over.Arthur Sterling and Victor Vance were both denied bail, sitting in maximum-security federal holding cells awaiting trial for conspiracy, attempted murder, and corporate espionage. Chloe Sterling’s "pregnancy" had been outed as a complete fabrication by her own terrified doctor, destroying whatever shred of public sympathy she had left.Cole Enterprises had been fully absorbed into Frost Industries, creating a tech monolith that terrified the global market. Zara Frost was unequivocally the most powerful woman on the West Coast.But as she sat in her home office, staring at a stack of merger documents, her mind was entirely somewhere else.A soft knock on the open door
Chapter 52The ruins of St. Jude’s Cathedral loomed in the stormy darkness like the rotting ribcage of a leviathan.The roof had collapsed in the fire three years ago, leaving the massive stone walls open to the pouring rain. The stained glass windows were shattered, and the pews were nothing more than charred, blackened timber.Three black SUVs rolled to a silent halt a quarter-mile down the muddy access road, their headlights killed.Ethan stepped out into the freezing rain. He reached into the trunk, pulling out a matte-black suppressed handgun, racking the slide with a terrifyingly calm precision.Zara stepped out behind him. She had taken one of the spare tactical vests from the SUV and strapped it over her silk blouse. Her dark eyes were devoid of fear. There was only the cold, mechanical focus of a mother going to war."You stay behind me," Ethan ordered softly, his arm automatically moving to shield her."I am standing beside you," Zara countered, stepping up to his shoulder.







