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Chapter 76: The Puppet Masters
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2026-03-15 07:22:23
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The Night Before Christmas Chapter 84: Untouchable
Third Person’s POVThe back seat of the police car smelled faintly of vinyl and stale air freshener.Aviel Beckham sat upright, wrists secured in polished steel cuffs, her posture impeccable despite the confinement. Streetlights slid across the window in muted streaks, catching the reflection of her face in the glass. She watched herself watching.There was no tremor in her expression.No visible calculation.No fear.Too composed for a woman facing multiple charges, conspiracy, custodial interference, fraud, offences that could quietly bury a person for the remainder of their natural life.The city blurred past.The officers did not speak.After a moment, Aviel tilted her head slightly, as though considering something minor rather than monumental.“I need a smoke.”The officer driving glanced into the rear-view mirror. The one beside her in the back shifted, turning to stare at her as though she had just requested champagne.“You’re very brave,” the driver muttered. “Asking for a smo
The Night Before Christmas Chapter 83: The Woman Who Built the Board
Desmond’s POVThe estate announced itself long before we reached the gates.Not through splendour, Aviel Beckham was too intelligent for vulgar displays of wealth, but through intention. The road narrowed deliberately as it approached the property, forcing vehicles to slow down. The trees were arranged in symmetrical formation, not wild growth but cultivated presence. Even the silence felt curated.“She wants control of the atmosphere,” I said quietly as the car rolled forward.“She wants theatre,” Aria replied.No.Aviel did not waste energy on the theatre.She built architecture.The gates opened before we reached them.No guard stepped forward. No intercom crackled to life. The message was unmistakable.You are expected.James’ voice filtered through the comm in my ear. “Thermal readings confirm three active bodies inside. One adult female. One adolescent male. One child.”David?So she had brought him into this.“That’s deliberate,” I murmured.“She wants legitimacy,” Aria said,
The Night Before Christmas Chapter 82: Another War
Aria’s POV“She’s been taken.”The words did not explode. They did not echo. They landed with terrifying precision and seemed to still the air inside my lungs.For a heartbeat, I genuinely thought I had misunderstood him.“Taken?” I repeated the syllables, scraping against my throat.The officer standing a few feet away did not look uncertain. He looked trained, composed in crisis, careful with language, but there was a strain beneath the professionalism.“Your daughter was collected from school this afternoon. The pickup was authorised.”The world tilted.“Authorised by who?” I demanded.He hesitated, just long enough for the dread to deepen, before replying.“By you, Miss Whitmore.”I stared at him.“That’s impossible,” I said slowly. “I’ve been here.”“We know,” he replied gently. “The authorisation was submitted digitally three days ago. It included your verified signature and facial confirmation.”Three days ago.Three days ago, I had still been untangling the fractures in my mem
The Night Before Christmas Chapter 81: The Basement Where I Broke, And Refused To Stay Broken
Aria’s POVThe basement did not feel like a room. It felt like a decision.Cold concrete beneath me. Damp air clinging to my lungs. A single bulb humming overhead, flickering just enough to remind me that even light could be unreliable.My wrists burned.The rope had been tied too tightly the first time. When I struggled, it tightened further. My shoulders ached from being forced behind me. My legs were bound at the ankles. I had counted the cracks in the wall three times. Counted the seconds between the guard’s footsteps. Counted my own breaths when panic threatened to swallow me whole.Time did not move here.It stretched.It mocked.The door opened.I didn’t look up immediately. I had learned that looking up too quickly gave him satisfaction.“Still stubborn?” Evans’ voice drifted down the steps.I lifted my head slowly.He looked composed. Almost cheerful.There was something cruel about cheerfulness in a place like this.“I have news,” he said, holding up his phone.I said nothin
The Night Before Christmas Chapter 80: The Fall
Desmond’s POVThere is a particular silence that comes before collapse.Not panic. Not shouting.Certainty.The kind a man carries when he believes he is untouchable. Evans Grant had been living inside that certainty for days.By the time the warrants were signed, I was already in position.The operation moved without spectacle. No media leaks. No dramatic confrontations. Just documentation, signatures, authorisation. Years of quiet evidence threaded together into something sharp enough to cut.Financial fraud. Illegal asset transfers. Coercion. Obstruction of justice.And beneath it all, conspiracy.Aviel’s shadow lingered, but today was not about her.Today was about leverage.And Aria.The police vehicles arrived at Evans’ building at 18:07.I watched from across the street, seated in the back of an unmarked car. James was beside me, earpiece in place, monitoring the coordination channel. Two plain-clothed officers entered first. Uniformed units followed seconds later.No sirens.J
The Night Before Christmas Chapter 79: The Husband Who Begins to Doubt
Third Person POVElliot Whitmore had always trusted his memory.It was one of the many things he prided himself on: sharp recall, precise detail, the ability to dismantle a conversation hours later and remember who shifted in their seat, who hesitated before answering. It had served him well in boardrooms and negotiations, where a single overlooked nuance could cost millions.But now it was failing him.He sat at his desk in his corner office, winter light filtering weakly through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The city below moved with its usual rhythm, traffic crawling, pedestrians braced against the cold — yet Elliot felt strangely detached from it all, as though separated by glass thicker than the panes before him.His laptop screen glowed.Unread emails.Pending approvals.A draft acquisition proposal awaiting his signature.He had not processed a single word in the past fifteen minutes.Instead, his mind replayed that morning.Helina lying in bed, watching him dress. The blanket
The Night Before Christmas Chapter 22: Fault Lines
Aria’s POVIt was late, and exhaustion clung to me like a second skin.The day had stretched too long, too many emotions, too much movement, too many things left unsaid. I showered quickly, the hot water loosening knots I hadn’t realised my body was holding, then slipped into bed.The mattress crad
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2026-03-20The Night Before Christmas Chapter 19: Blood Debt
Aria’s POVThe waiter set our plates down with practised precision, the soft clink of porcelain echoing louder than it should have in the tense silence between us. Steam curled lazily from Evans’ plate, fragrant and rich. He picked up his cutlery without hesitation, as though we were just another c
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2026-03-19The Night Before Christmas Chapter 17: Extraction - Part 1
Aria’s POV“We can’t talk here,” I said quietly, though every muscle in my body was taut. My gaze flicked from Evans to Hailey, then back again. “And I want those two hawks of yours in shades out of this room.”The ward smelled of antiseptic and warm plastic, a sterile calm that now felt obscene. H
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2026-03-19The Night Before Christmas Chapter 18: Extraction - Part 2
Aria’s POVI didn’t breathe properly until the hospital was a shrinking shape in my rear-view mirror.My hands were locked around the steering wheel, knuckles white, shoulders rigid, as though relaxing for even a second would invite disaster back into my life. The road stretched ahead, grey and ano
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2026-03-19
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