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Chapter 38: The Confrontation 1.
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-04-24 19:01:48
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The CEO’s Temptation Chapter 39: The Obsession.
***********************Claire's POV***************************Liam: I saw you this morning; you looked tired. Didn't you sleep? Or was it difficult to sleep? I could help with that.**** Why do you keep ignoring me?**** Don't pretend like what we had was nothing.**** I hate being ignored. You'll talk to me eventually.**My phone buzzed with messages from Liam. As if the messages weren't enough. My phone keeps vibrating from his calls.I stood in front of the espresso machine as I willed the hiss of steamed milk to drown out my buzzing phone_ it vibrated against the stainless steel counter, relentless and insistent. Liam. Again.I didn't need to check the screen. I already knew.The barista glanced at me with a polite concern but just offered a tight smile. I grabbed my cappuccino and left the phone where it lay briskly back to my desk on the 12th floor. It was only 8:42am. I have five unread messages from Liam.I closed my laptop; nausea climbed in my throat. I'd blocked his numbe
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-24The CEO’s Temptation Chapter 40: The Stalker.
*********************Claire's POV***************************"Claire!" I jumped at the sound of a voice. The hum of air from the air conditioning was the only sound in my office with the rhythmic tapping from my keyboard. I hadn't expected anyone. Mack was not yet in town. "Jesus, Kelvin, you scared me," I said as I pinned in my chair."Sorry." He said as he walked in. His eyes scanned the ceiling."What's wrong?" I asked as I frowned."Nothing _ just." He said as he stepped at the back of my desk."You ever feel like you're being watched? He asked as he looked up."Paranoid much?" I chuckled.Kelvin didn't laugh, he reached up and tilted one of the ceiling tiles."What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked."There's something here." He said as he pulled down a tiny black object."Hidden camera." He said.I froze as I stood up."What?_ How?" "Wireless", he said as he turned it over in his hands."Someone has been watching you." He continued."Who would that be?" I asked.
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-24The CEO’s Temptation Chapter 41: The Break_ of the Shadow Beneath.
**************************Claire's POV*******************I stood at the centre of my room in Mack's first house_ the first house he brought me to. The events that had occurred for the past few days were playing in my head like a projector didisplayedlides.I couldn't shake off the uneasiness in my stomach.I paced around the room, lost in my thoughts. My heart skipped a beat everytime I remember that it was just Liam. There's someone out there who wants me that I'm not totally not aware of.My phone vibrated at the coffee table by the side of the table.I ran to take it because I had been expecting a call from Mack."Claire_ " He called out to me. I didn't realise how much I missed him till now."Mack?" I replied."Are you okay? Are you hurt in any way?_" He asked. His tone was calm and shaky with concern."Mack_ I'm good. I wasn't hurt in any way." I said.I heard him exhale deeply on the other side."Kelvin had been doing a great job," I said. I felt a pang of regret as I was to b
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-24The CEO’s Temptation Chapter 42: The Shadow Through the Window.
*******************Claire's POV************************The te Sion in the air was palpable, even hours after the masted intruder had slipped through the second-story window like a ghost. Security personnel swept the grounds again, barking into radios, frustration mounted on every face. Whoever it was, he'd disappeared without a trace. There were no fingerprints and no scents for the dogs. I sat at the edge of the grand staircase, wrapped in a thick robe, my eyes hollow as replaying the scene on a loop."I didn't hear him Mack," I whispered as he knelt beside me."How the hell did he get past all of them?" I asked rhetorically."I have no idea, I swear. I'm not letting this happen again." He said as he took my hand, rough, steady against my cold fingers. "He was going to take advantage of me and.....he shot at you," I said as my eyes met his for the first time in an hour."He didn't. That counts as something." He said as his jaw tightened."I'm here and you're still here. Now, I'm g
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-24The CEO’s Temptation Chapter 43: Unravelled.
*********************Claire's POV***************************The text from yesterday still lingered in my mind. I couldn't shake off the feeling of dread that had settled in my chest, like a heavy weight I couldn't push away. "I'd shown Mack immediately I showed Liz. My hands trembled as I handed him the phone. And the look on his face...I could see his concern for me. His instincts kicked in. It was like a dark cloud on a sunny day.He held the phone for a moment. His jaw tightened. "He can't protect you?" He muttered to himself as he read the message."What the hell does this mean?" He asked."I_ I don't know. " I said. The word trembled in the air "And I don't like it. I don't even know who it's from, and I feel...I don't know...I feel like." My breath caught in my throat as the words escaped." I don't know Mack," I said.He looked at me. His eyes softened with concern. "We're going back tomorrow. We can't be running like cowards. We'll expose whoever it is." He said.That wa
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-25The CEO’s Temptation Chapter 44: The Confrontation: Mack and Liam's Edition
************************Mack's POV**********************The parking lot behind Chambers Grill was nearly empty. Save for Liam and I as we stood in the shadow of the flickering streetlamp. The cold wind cut through the silence like a blade, rustling leaves and sweeping dust across cracked asphalt.I stood on one side of the parking lot. My arms crossed over my chest, my jaw clenched. My eyes locked onto Liam like a predator. I had finally cornered my prey. Liam_ lit a cigarette with trembling fingers, but his smirk was still in place_ forced, brittle."You've got guts to lay your hands on my wife," I said. My voice was low and sharp like a razor."But, let's make this quick. I didn't come here to see your ugly face." I continued.Liam exhaled a cloud of smoke and tilted his head slightly."Relax man, I was just checking in on Claire. While you were away. Didn't know that was a crime." He said."You text her again. You call her. You even think about her_ your very existence will be ju
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-25The CEO’s Temptation Chapter 45: Her Dismiss.
*******************************Liam's POV******************The night air atop the rooftop was sharp and cool wind threaded through the silver hair of the city skyline. Sadie stepped onto the concrete, her heels clicked softly against the floor as the souls of her heels echoed through the concrete. The glass doors slid shut with a mechanical hum behind her as it sealed us in. I stood by the ledge, his back to her; the lights of the city below threw gold and blue patterns across my suit.She walked closer, her expensive fragrance filled the air.“You’re still up here?” she asked.I didn’t turn. “Needed air.” I said.“Funny. You never liked the cold,” she said as she smiled softly.I chuckled dryly. "Told ya. I'm a changed man." I said.“A changed man, huh?” she said as she stepped up beside me, her arms folded. “The change isn't enough.”I looked at her finally, and a flicker of annoyance crossed my face. “Is this going to be another one of your lectures?” I asked.“No,” Sadie said
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-25The CEO’s Temptation Chapter 46: The Quite After.
********************Liam's POV*************************There's a sound I couldn't get out of my ears. It wasn't her the sound of her Scream. It wasn't the sound of the wind as it ripped away. It was the silence after_ that awful, strange quiet where a person used to be. Where Sadie used to be.I sat at the centre of my living in the penthouse, still in my soaked socks, and my hands still trembled. The windows looked too big. The glass feels like it's looking in on me, really looking in on me, not out at the city.I need to do something. Think of something. Think fast. I'm a planner. That's what I'm good at. I change things into place until they come together, untill I win. But now?Now I just sat.My coat was in the sink. I thought I cleaned it. I forgot. There was soap all over the counter. Bubbles crusted on the edge. My hands were raw from scrubbing.God, I have lost my mind. What did I do?What did I do? I asked myself repeatedly.I didn’t mean to do that—no. No, that was a lie.
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-25
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The CEO’s Temptation Chapter 68: His Resolve.
****************************Etian's POV*********************The bruises on my ribs ached with every breath I took as I walked. I was still shaken from the ambush. My body felt like it had been seen through a war zone__ my ribs were sore, my lips split, and my shoulders ached deeply from where one of them had kicked me as I tried to crawl away. They didn't say anything. Just left me on the cold gravel like I was trash. Whoever they were, I would dig out what they wanted to be buried.And they took everything I had—my phone, the USB drive, even the photo I was analyzing, they thought they were smart.But they didn’t take what I remembered.My mind kept circling back to that image. That single frame. A woman, half-shadowed, slipped through the side entrance of Sadie’s building. Slender build. Dark hair. Long coat. Her face was turned away, but it was enough to start digging.Enough to point me back to Aliana.Rowe had picked me up that night, finding me bloodied and half-frozen in the
The CEO’s Temptation chapter 67: Stripped To Silence.
************************Etian's POV*************************The van growled as it rattled over broken pavement, the engine muffled by the chaos thumping in my head. My wrists were tied behind my back, my ankles bound, and a strip of thick cloth was cinched tight around my eyes, making everywhere dark as the darkness clung to me like smoke. I could hear their voices__ gruff, low, calculated __ but the words were indistinct, distant like a bad memory.They took a sharp turn which flung me into the van's metal wall. Pain bloomed across my shoulder, but I barely flinched. My ribs ached from the blows I'd received earlier, and the taste of blood still lingered on my tongue. The bastards had taken everything __ my phone, the USB, the photo, even my watch. Every piece of evidence I'd managed to secure had vanished in a whirlwind of fits and black cloth.I had no idea where we were going or where they were taking me.I gritted my teeth as I focused on the rhythm of the van's movement. Rough
The CEO’s Temptation Chapter 66: Behind Closed Doors.
**********************Claire's POV**************************The drive back to our main house was far quieter than it had any right to be. The city's light blurred past us, a collection of neon lights and faded shadows, as if it were trying to forget the chaos of the e last few hours. I sat in the passenger seat, my mind still churning over the cryptic message and the cold dread that had followed it.Mack's eyes were fixed on the road ahead, his jaw clenched tight. He didn't even glance at me nor did he speak, but his presence was a constant force beside me. It was a comfort in a way that it was just us, but it also felt like he was carrying something heavy__ something he wasn't ready to share.When we reached the main house, the feeling of danger intensified in the air. The property was large and _ expansive; even__ but tonight, it looked more like a fortress than a home. The light was dim, casting long shadows over the carefully manicured grounds. Security cameras were visible at e
The CEO’s Temptation Chapter 65: A warning in the Dark.
*****************************Claire's POV*******************The air in the warehouse grew colder as the minutes dragged by.I tugged my sleeves down over my wrists as I leaned back against Mack's truck, watching the alley stretch into endless shadows. The tech guy was late, and something about it doesn't sit right in my gut.Mack stood nearby, his arms crossed, eyes sharp and restless. He hadn't said much since we parked, he kept scanning the street like he expected trouble to come walking out of the darkness.I shifted, as I pulled my phone put my phone to check the time__ and saw a new message blinking at me from an unknown number.My heart gave a quick, stuttering thud as i clicked it open.**You think it’s that easy?**That was it. Just that. No name. No threat spelled out. But it hit me harder than if they had screamed it in my face.I stared at the screen for a second longer than I should have.”Claire?" Mack's voice was low, rough with warning. He stepped closer, already picki
The CEO’s Temptation Chapter 64: Unearthed Lie.
*************************Etian's POV************************The city never really slept. It just toned itself down at night, humming low like it was trying to act innocent. I wasn’t buying it. I knew exactly what was hidden underneath.Pulling my jacket tighter, I headed up the broken sidewalk toward an old rundown building off 7th Avenue — the kind of place that reeked of mildew and bad choices.But it was where my contact said the package would be.Inside, a single overhead bulb flickered and buzzed like it was on its last legs.The guy behind the counter didn’t even bother glancing up from his beat-up laptop."Name?" the guy asked, his voice dull and bored."Etian," I said.Without lifting his eyes, he slid a small manila envelope across the counter.Cash passed between us — fast, no fuss.I didn’t hang around.Out in the alley, I ripped the envelope open with stiff, impatient fingers.Inside: a lone USB drive, a few blurry copies of what looked like security access logs... and on
The CEO’s Temptation Chapter 65: The Art of Deception.
********************Liam's POV****************************The warehouse smelled like old metal and secrets.I stood at the centre of it all, my hands tucked inside my pockets, watching the glow of a dozen monitors flickering against the dark wall. Each screen showed a different feed: traffic cams, security systems, building blueprints, and access logs. Information flowed around me, a current I controlled with a surgeon's precision.In a corner, hunched over keyboards and monitors, three of my best techs worked in near silence, the rapid tapping of keys the only sound besides the occasional hum of cooling fans. They were young — barely out of college — but hungry for money and direction. I gave them both.I walked past them slowly, scanning the lines of code being written and the files being manipulated. They were almost done. Another hour, maybe two, and the narrative i needed would be perfect.Evidence was a funny thing. It didn’t have to be true — it only had to be convincing.I s
The CEO’s Temptation Chapter 62: Quiet Before The Storm.
*****************************Mack''s POV*******************The morning sunlight slanted through the apartment’s windows, casting pale stripes across the floorboards. Dust floated in the air, catching the light like the place had been holding its breath all night long.Claire sat curled up on the worn couch, my hoodie swallowing her frame. Her hair was messy, her face bare of any makeup, and still — even like this — there was something quietly fierce about her. A fighter’s stubbornness simmered just under the surface.I leaned against the kitchen counter, sipping from a chipped mug. My eyes never really left Claire's, even when I told myself they should. Watching Claire had become a habit, the kind I didn’t even notice forming until it was too late to stop."You don't have to hover," Claire said, breaking the silence without looking at me. Her voice carried a dry, teasing lilt."I'm not hovering," I lied easily, shifting my weight and crossing my arms. "I'm strategically supervising,
The CEO’s Temptation Chapter 61: The price of Silence.
[Flashback]*************************Liam's POV************************I sat at the head of a long polished table; the room was dark, lit only by the cold, sterile glow of multiple monitors. The room was surrounded by screens displaying streams of data, video feeds, and images _ each one a thread in a web I'd carefully woven. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, but I didn't type. My eyes were fixed on the largest screen in front of me, where the rooftop footage of Sadie's death flickered in slow motion and paused at the critical moment.It has been two days since the incident, and yet, every time I replayed the footage, it felt like it was happening all over again: The image of her standing at the edge of the rooftop, her silhouette framed by the city lights, was burned into my mind.Sadie had trusted me. And I'd failed her.But that didn’t matter now. She was gone, and what was left was a mess—a mess that I needed to bury.I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly
The CEO’s Temptation Chapter 60: Beneath the Surface.
*****************************Etian's POV********************The night had been brutal. Restless. My mind refused to shut down, rerunning that damn rooftop footage over and over like some broken record. By the time morning clawed its way through my blinds, I was already on my second cup of black coffee, staring at the laptop screen with bloodshot eyes.Something was off.I felt it in my bones.Sadie hadn’t just fallen.Someone wanted it to look that way.I leaned back in the battered chair, rubbing a hand over my face. The grainy footage played again—Sadie standing at the edge, hair whipping in the wind, the city lights blurring behind her. Then, in the next frame—nothing. Just air and darkness.No struggle. No second guessing. No clear jump. No goodbye.Only a missing dot connected too neatly, too perfectly."Who are you protecting, Sadie?" I muttered under my breath.My new apartment felt suffocatingly still. I shoved back from the chair, pulled on my jacket, and slid the flash driv
