ANMELDEN“The court summons have been sent to the Windsors.” Bronwyn Ansley said, slightly adjusting his glasses.Nicole stood outside the door of Elysia's hospital ward, arms folded across her chest as she stared hard at nothing down the long corridor.“Good..” she said flatly.The lawyer adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder.He'd worked for the St. Laurent for yearsHe'd first met Hervé St. Laurent in France.He'd just graduated law school, fresh out called to bar when the man had offered him to be his lawyer.Hervé had told him he was starting a company with his best friend and needed legal backing and assistance.He'd agreed, back then he'd felt he had nothing to lose even though the man had been a complete stranger.He'd needed a job to prove himself and that stranger had offered.Bronwyn shook his head, willing his mind back to reality.He'd pondered over it for the past five years…About Hervé's death but nothing had seemed to connect.He'd tried to collect evidence but it'd se
“You ungrateful bastard!”The slap landed hard across Declan's already bruised cheek.He stumbled back slightly but remained standing, his hands behind his back.“Everything I've done was to secure the future of this family, but now our name is being dragged through the mud because of you!”An hour ago, news of Declan being responsible for Elysia's disappearance from the W Holdings annual banquet had hit the tabloids, and the company's stock had hit an all-time low.Thirty minutes ago, the St. Laurent family's lawyer had called to inform them that the St. Laurents would be taking Declan to court.An email containing a court summons concerning Elysia and Declan's divorce had also been sent.Since Declan had refused to sign the papers for so long, Elysia and her family were now officially dragging his ass to court.Too many damages all at once.Alistair felt suffocated by it all.He couldn't believe everything he'd spent years carefully and meticulously planning was crashing down all ar
“Declan! What are you doing?!” Elysia yelled.Her heart pounded heavily with fear and shock as Declan tied her hands after securing her legs.He was acting like a paranoid maniac.“Let me go!” She struggled against the ropes. “Kidnapping and isolating me isn't enough?”Declan finally finished tying the knot, then stood up and adjusted the pillows behind her back so she could sit comfortably.“You'll be safe here, Elysia,” Declan said.“Are you fucking kidding me?” Elysia stared at him in disbelief.“I don't want you trying to escape again!” Declan's voice rose higher than he'd intended.His hands were trembling. His heart was racing dangerously fast.He didn't know if it was the fear of Elysia escaping and leaving him forever or the fear brought on by the fact that Bene had called him a few minutes ago and told him that Kai and the St. Laurents were desperately searching for Elysia and might have already found a lead on him.His phone rang again.He ignored it, just like he'd been doi
Alistair's jaw tightened.“Are you threatening me?” he asked, rising from his office chair with his hands clenched at his sides and the phone pressed tightly against his ear.He should have known from the beginning what it meant to work with a snake like Victoria.The woman was cornered, frightened and desperate, yet somehow, she had still managed to leave herself a way out. Even though fury was burning through him, Alistair couldn't deny that she was clever.Dangerously clever.“Oh no, I think you've got it wrong,” Victoria's sly voice came through the speaker, almost amused by his anger. “I'm not threatening you.”She let out a small laugh before adding, “This is blackmail.”Alistair's nostrils flared.Victoria was trying to drag him down with her, and he needed to find a way to get rid of her permanently. If she started talking, the consequences wouldn't only fall on her.They would reach him.And if the St. Laurents discovered everything, years of planning could crumble overnight.
“He refused to come see me?” Victoria asked, her voice trembling as tears welled in her eyes.She stared at Mrs Whitmore as though the woman had just told her something impossible.Apparently, she had been lying unconscious in the hospital for more than twenty-four hours, and during all that time, Declan had not once come to see her.“The young master said he was busy,” Mrs Whitmore replied calmly.She gestured towards Martha, who immediately stepped forward with the dishes she had brought for Victoria. The smell of warm food filled the room, but Victoria barely noticed it.A hysterical laugh escaped her lips before she suddenly reached out and swept the entire table of food onto the floor. Plates shattered against the tiles, food scattered everywhere, and Martha flinched at the violent outburst.“Why?” Victoria whispered, her eyes fixed on the mess around her. “Why does it hurt this much?”She pressed a trembling hand against her chest, as if that could somehow ease the ache spreadi
“Where’s the food?” Elysia crossed her arms over her chest with a slight frown.Declan stepped fully into the room, his eyes still suspicious.“What were you doing?” he finally asked, something dark and possessive flashing through his eyes.Elysia scoffed, feigning offence. “What kind of question is that?”Declan strode further into the room, taking slow, deliberate steps towards her.Elysia backed away one step at a time. She tried not to show any fear, but she couldn't deny the loud thumping of her heart in her ears.She hated the way he was looking at her.It was as though he already knew she'd been hiding something.“What were you doing while I was gone?” Declan asked again, his voice quieter this time.“Waiting for my food,” Elysia answered, keeping her expression as neutral as possible.Declan stopped in front of her.His eyes searched her face for several seconds before dropping to her hands.Elysia immediately tucked them behind her back.That only made his suspicion grow.“Wh
“What’s that?” Declan asked.Elysia didn’t answer immediately. She slowly stepped back down the stairs and bent to pick up the paper, her movements calm and controlled.Panic would only draw suspicion, and right now that was the one thing she couldn’t afford.She slipped the folded paper back into
“Are you sure you want to go through with the procedure, Mrs Windsor?” the doctor asked.Elysia sat stiffly in the chair, fingers locked tightly in her lap to keep them from shaking. Jade sat beside her, watching her with growing concern.“Elysia… are you sick?” Jade asked softly, unable to hold it
It came back to her in flashes—sharp, unwanted and cruel.Elysia stumbled up the stairs, gripping the railing so hard her fingers ached, her chest tightening like something inside her was breaking all over again.She had been on the phone earlier that evening with her mother.“Honey, it’s time to l
Elysia’s hand trembled slightly as she stared at the pregnancy test in her hand. Her breathing hitched the moment she saw it.Two red lines stared back at her.Positive.She shuddered, exhaling a breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding since she’d picked the thing up from the bathroom co







