Two weeks remained until the highly anticipated Mountain Rose showroom event, and the city was already buzzing with excitement.High profile guests from the fashion and jewelry industries were flying in, hotels were being booked to full capacity, and exclusive invitations had become the most sought after asset in elite circles.The showroom wasn’t just a display of jewelry, it was a power move, a declaration of dominance in an industry where prestige meant everything.Sarah had been meticulously overseeing every detail.The venue, the lighting, the security, the guest list, nothing was left to chance.Raven handled the press, making sure the right amount of mystery and exclusivity surrounded the event, increasing the allure.The Mountain Rose brand was no longer just a rising name in jewelry, it had become a phenomenon.Meanwhile, in the shadows of Sarah’s success, Victoria had finally emerged from the isolation she had locked herself in after that fateful night.The once proud and un
As Victoria and Cecilia were standing outside the lounge, exchanging a few final words before parting ways, a movement caught their attention.Victoria’s gaze sharpened as she nudged Cecilia’s arm. “Look.”Cecilia turned, following Victoria’s line of sight, and immediately stiffened.Across the corridor, past the velvet ropes of the private suites, Sarah was walking alongside Sebastian.They moved quickly, almost too casually, as if they didn’t want to be noticed.Seb placed a hand on the small of Sarah’s back as he guided her up the stairs, leading her toward one of the secluded lodge rooms on the upper floor.A slow smirk spread across Victoria’s lips. “Well, well… what do we have here?”Cecilia quickly reached into her bag, pulling out her phone. “This could be gold,” she whispered as she began snapping pictures of Sarah and Seb disappearing into the private room.Victoria chuckled under her breath. “So the great Sarah Blake, the oh so loyal wife of Alexander, is sneaking off with
Alexander gave her a solemn nod, like he was delivering the worst possible news. "Ugly, Sarah. Hideous. The absolute worst pairing I've ever seen. I mean, I looked at these pictures for a while, trying to make sense of them, but the moment I imagined you and Seb together?" He shook his head dramatically. "No. Just no."Sarah stared at him, dumbfounded. "So, you're not upset that people think I’m cheating? You're upset because you think Seb is ugly?""Exactly," Alexander said, looking almost pained as he folded the newspaper and tossed it onto the nightstand. "I mean, come on, Sarah. You and him? In what world does that pairing make sense?"Sarah opened her mouth, then closed it, struggling to keep up with his nonsense. "Okay, let me get this straight. You don’t care about the scandal?""Not really," Alexander shrugged. "We both know it’s fake, and I trust you. But I do care about the visual offense of you being paired with someone like him in the media. It’s disgraceful, really."Sara
The moment Sarah and Alexander stepped toward the entrance of their estate, the flashes of cameras and the shouts of journalists bombarded them.Reporters lined up outside their gates, their microphones raised, throwing out scandalous questions."Mr. Blake! How do you feel about your wife being seen with Sebastian Hargrove in a private lodge?""Mrs. Blake, is there trouble in your marriage?""Sebastian Hargrove was always a playboy, do you regret marrying Alexander?"Alexander’s hand on Sarah’s waist tightened, his expression darkening into a lethal glare.His jaw ticked as he stepped forward, shielding Sarah from the mob of cameras and questions."Back the hell off," he snapped, his voice cold and sharp enough to cut through the chaos.The reporters quieted slightly, some even taking a hesitant step back, but the braver ones continued."Are you divorcing your wife, Mr. Blake?""Is it true Sebastian Hargrove has always had feelings for her?"Alexander didn’t say another word, but the
Elise stiffened, her confident posture cracking slightly.Sarah smirked. "Do you really think Alexander would look at you? Even if I were completely out of the picture, even if he was forced to marry someone else, you still wouldn’t be an option. You’re nothing to him. A mere employee."Elise’s lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to argue, but no words came out.Sarah leaned in just enough for her voice to drop into something almost condescending. "It must hurt, doesn’t it? Knowing that no matter what happens between Alexander and me, you’ll never be chosen."Elise clenched her fists at her sides. "You’re just saying that because you know you’re losing."Sarah let out another soft chuckle, shaking her head. "Believe whatever helps you sleep at night."Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Elise standing there, speechless and fuming.Sarah had barely settled into her office when her phone buzzed.She sighed, reaching for it, expecting another media in
Liam wasn't a fool.He knew Alexander wasn’t an easy man to cross, but unlike others, he had something many didn’t, money.More money than Alexander Blake himself.Alexander was powerful, but Liam? Liam was richer.If Sarah needed stability, he could give her that. If she needed protection, he would shield her from whatever storm came her way. And if she needed love, unconditional, unyielding love, he would make sure she felt it in ways she never had before.He didn’t care about whatever mistakes she had supposedly made.He didn’t care about the scandal, about what people whispered behind closed doors.To him, Sarah was perfection.And he was going to make sure she knew that.Liam leaned forward, a slow smirk spreading across his face.Alexander had his fun playing God, but men like him were arrogant. They never saw threats coming until it was too late.And when the time was right, Liam would make his move.He just needed to be patient a little while longer.Sarah had been sitting in
Liam was silent for a brief second, then let out a low chuckle. “No need to be hostile, Blake. I was only looking out for Sarah. You know, just in case you...”“If you finish that sentence, Carrington, I might actually consider shutting down your entire business just to inconvenience you,” Alexander interrupted, his voice smooth but filled with unmistakable warning.Liam’s laughter faltered.“I’m not sure what gave you the idea that Sarah needs you,” Alexander continued. “Maybe you mistook her politeness for interest? Maybe you thought just because the media is having fun with this little scandal, she’s suddenly available?” He chuckled darkly. “Either way, it seems I’ve been too lenient with you.”Liam scoffed, attempting to regain his confidence. “I was just making sure she was okay. You can’t fault me for caring.”Alexander’s smirk disappeared.“You don’t care about her,” he said, his tone dropping into something cold, sharp, and final. “You see an opportunity. You think if I step a
Victoria swirled the wine in her glass, watching the ruby liquid swirl before taking a slow sip.Across from her, Cecilia was already on her second drink, her manicured fingers tapping against the rim of her glass as she smirked.“This is too good,” Cecilia drawled, her tone dripping with satisfaction. “Did you see the way the media ate that story up? Sarah Blake, the supposed perfect wife, caught sneaking into a hotel with another man.”Victoria let out a light chuckle, her lips curving into a pleased smirk. “And not just any man, Sebastian Hargrove.” She set her glass down and leaned forward. “A notorious playboy. The media is already tearing her apart. Mrs. Blake?” She scoffed. “Not for long.”Cecilia exhaled dramatically, stretching out her legs as she leaned back. “And the best part? That arrogant bastard Alexander Blake must be fuming right now. His perfect wife caught red handed. The great Sarah Blake, exposed.”Victoria’s eyes gleamed with malice. “It’s only a matter of time b
The sun was dipping low over the horizon, casting a rich, molten gold sheen across the endless stretch of cerulean water surrounding the private island. Waves lapped lazily at the pristine white shores, and the sweet scent of tropical blooms filled the salt heavy breeze. Four years had passed since the darkness that had almost swallowed them whole. Four years since Sarah had been ripped from Alexander’s arms and nearly broken beyond recognition. Four years since Alexander had been confined to a wheelchair, only to fight tooth and nail to walk again, fueled by sheer willpower, physical therapy, and Sarah’s unyielding belief in him. And today, today was a celebration not just of survival, but of life. Laughter rang out from the sprawling beachfront villa, decorated with colorful ribbons, balloons, and flowers that spilled over tables heavy with food and gifts. Small hands clapped excitedly as the Blake twins, three year old terrors with grins that could melt glaciers, chased each
Gerald’s world had flipped, literally and figuratively.The scent of leaking gasoline still clung to his shredded suit.His once polished shoes were coated in blood and gravel, and his jaw ached with every breath he took.The crash had thrown him like a ragdoll, flinging his body into a ditch after his vehicle, tires blown out from a desperate chase, had careened off the hillside road.He’d blacked out for a moment. Maybe more.But when he came to, it wasn’t mercy that greeted him.It was Darius.He’d heard the boots crunching over leaves and dirt long before the shadows finally stretched toward him.Then came the firm grip of gloved hands dragging his broken form to a clearing, rifles trained on him, and a half circle of men in black combat gear standing like a wall of death.And at the center of it all, Darius.Pristine as ever, yet colder than a winter grave.Darius stood tall, hands behind his back, his expression unreadable as he stared down at the bloodied man in front of him.G
Sarah turned slowly to Alexander, her hand still pressed to her mouth. “We’re… we’re going to have a baby.”His eyes glistened with fresh tears, shock, joy, fear, all colliding in one single breath.He reached out to cradle her face with both hands, his broken leg momentarily forgotten.A baby.A child made from chaos and pain, love and survival.“I don’t deserve this,” he whispered hoarsely. “Not after everything I’ve done. Not after I almost lost you.”“You didn’t lose me,” she whispered back. “And you won’t. Not now. Not ever.”He kissed her forehead, resting there for a long moment, his tears soaking into her hair. “I swear I’ll protect both of you. Even if I can’t walk. Even if I have to crawl to the ends of the earth, Sarah.”She laughed through her tears, arms wrapping around him tighter than ever. “Then we’ll crawl together. And when we’re ready… we’ll run.”They held each other in the stillness of that room, at the beginning of something even greater.A heartbeat they hadn’t
Sarah stayed curled in Alexander’s arms for a long moment, breathing him in like he was the only tether keeping her from floating away.His hand cradled the back of her head, his chest rising and falling in unsteady waves as if he still couldn’t believe she was real, that she was here.But then her eyes drifted down.Her gaze locked on the white sheets, crumpled and slightly lifted around his lower half.Something tugged at her memory, the shot.The sharp crack of a bullet.The sight of him falling behind her as she ran, screaming his name. Her stomach twisted.She leaned back slightly, her hand moving instinctively to the edge of the blanket, brushing against the thick padding of a cast beneath.Her voice was soft. “You were shot… I remember… I...”Alexander caught her hand gently, pressing it to his lips. “It’s okay. I’m here.”But Sarah’s heart had already begun to race again. “You were limping… and I saw… but I didn’t know it was this bad.” Her eyes darted toward the crutches now
The first thing Sarah registered was the scent of antiseptic, clean, sharp, and nauseating.Then came the ache. Deep in her bones. In her chest. In the marrow of her soul.She stirred, her fingers twitching over crisp hospital sheets as her body shifted ever so slightly, and her mind scrambled to catch up.She wasn’t tied down. She wasn’t cold anymore. She wasn’t in that dark room. That house. That… nightmare.She was safe.Or… something like it.Her eyes fluttered open slowly, lashes damp from tears she hadn’t even known she’d been crying.The ceiling was a sterile white blur. The walls hummed faintly with distant activity, soft footfalls, medical monitors, the low murmur of conversation somewhere outside the door.But none of it mattered.Because he wasn’t there.And without him, none of this felt real.Her lips parted, cracked and dry, and she tried to speak. Tried to push out the name that had lived on the edge of every prayer she'd whispered during captivity.It came out broken a
Alexander turned his head, his eyes bloodshot and glistening. “I’ll be a burden now. She’ll never say it, but I’ll see it in her eyes. Pity. Guilt. I’d rather she hate me than pity me.”“She’s not that kind of woman,” Darius said firmly.A pause. Then Alexander swallowed hard and asked the question that had been clawing at him since the moment the doctor said the word paralysis.“What if she stays… just because she thinks she owes me?”Darius’s brow furrowed. “Then you remind her what you both have been through. Remind her who the hell you are. And what you mean to each other.”Silence again.Then Alexander leaned back against the pillows and stared up at the ceiling. “Gerald got away.”Darius’s expression hardened. “Barely. One of my men put a tracker on his vehicle before he escaped. Victoria got caught in the crossfire. Gerald used her,” Darius replied coldly. “He doesn’t care who dies as long as he gets what he wants.”Alexander’s jaw clenched. “Then we’ll burn every last shadow h
The sterile beep of Alexander’s heart monitor filled the hospital room like a metronome, steady and soft. The worst had passed, so the doctors said. He had survived the bullets, the blood loss, the surgery. He had defied death.But outside the room, just as Darius turned to check on Sarah again, something in her expression shifted.Relief.That was the first thing he saw.A full bodied, all consuming relief that weakened her spine, dulled her eyes, and uncoiled every taut muscle that had kept her upright through pain, fear, and heartbreak.Then she crumpled.“Sarah...!” Darius lunged forward and caught her just before her knees slammed into the polished floor.Her body was limp in his arms, barely conscious, her breathing shallow and unsteady. Her bloodied hands slipped against his shirt as he pulled her close, his voice sharp and commanding as he yelled over his shoulder, “Get a doctor! Now!”Within seconds, nurses flooded the corridor. A gurney was wheeled over, and Darius laid her d
The woman he’d secretly crushed on since the first night he saved her bleeding and defiant.“Holy shit,” he muttered.But she was already in the driver’s seat.The moment her fingers wrapped around the wheel, she changed. Her spine straightened. Her breath slowed. The fear didn’t vanish, but it sharpened, fused into her bones like steel.And when her foot hit the gas, the tires screamed their fury into the night.The SUV became a blur under her hands.Trees melted past them. Headlights glared like ghosts. The world narrowed to instinct and motion.Sarah didn’t flinch when they nearly sideswiped a truck. She didn’t panic when the back tires fishtailed across loose gravel. She was in it.. back.Back to the part of herself she’d buried when she married into the Blake family.Back to Sparrow.“Hang on,” she said under her breath, glancing at Alexander in the mirror, his head resting in Darius’s lap as the man tried to stop the bleeding.“He’s fading,” Darius warned. “We’ve got fifteen min
The air turned electric as Darius’s boots pounded the forest floor, his rifle cradled tight against his shoulder. His men moved ahead of him like shadows, silent, fast, lethal.Their coordinated breaths were drowned out by the distant echoes of gunfire erupting from the estate.Alexander was still fighting.He was alive.But for how long?“Alpha to all units,” Darius growled into his earpiece, “entry on my mark. Hostile count is high. Primary objective, get Alexander out alive. Secondary level anyone who tries to stop us.”“Copy that,” came a chorus of calm, battle hardened voices.Behind him, the night swallowed his words.But not all of it.He turned briefly, his sharp gaze locking onto Sarah, who stood beside the black SUV Darius had arrived in. Her body trembled, her eyes red from tears, but she had not collapsed.She hadn’t fallen apart.And that, Darius admired deeply.“Can you drive?” he asked, voice hard but not unkind.Sarah blinked, startled. “What?”“If this goes south, we’