“Yes, yes, right there,” Veronica breathed, eyes glazed as she stared at the night sky through the window. Her lips bit down hard. “Don’t move—yesss.” She smiled, then let out a long sigh of relief.She straightened and began smoothing her skirt, turning to the man behind her with a practiced smile.His smirk deepened. “I like a woman who knows what she wants,” he murmured, closing the distance. She took a small step back but kept the smile in place.“Of course.” She ran a hand through her hair. The man opened his mouth, about to say something, when there was a knock at the door.Veronica frowned and moved toward it. “Are you expecting someone?” the man asked.She paused, then pulled the door open. Standing on the doorstep was someone she never expected to see.“Well, well, well…”---“I will be fine,” Veronica told Martin, who watched her nervously as Knight and a few of his men filled her living room.“Are you sure?” he asked again. Veronica exhaled, irritation flickering across her
“So will Lily be going back to school?” Daisy asked from where she sat next to Genesis, her eyes wide, sparkling with curiosity.Melissa sipped the juice in front of her and then set it down gently before answering. “No, she wouldn’t need to do that.”Genesis nodded silently. She didn’t want to go back to a traditional school—there were too many things happening in her life now, too many responsibilities.“Huh, why not?” Lily pressed, tilting her head.Melissa chuckled softly, her eyes warm as she looked at Genesis. “Because we’ve found a way for you to get everything you need without sitting in a classroom full of other students. I know a principal at a high school nearby, and through him, I have the authority to tutor you on everything you’ll need to know to write your GED. You’ve already learned so much with me—reading, writing, math, science—and this test will prove it. You don’t need to sit in Year Twelve with the other students; you’ll be ready to take your GED in just a few mon
Genesis turned her glare on Monica next, her lips curving into a small, humorless smile. “Scared, stepmother? You should be.”She passed Jimmy and moved over to Monica who was trying not to shiver, her face losing all its pallour, Genesis stepped just a few feet away.Genesis’s lips twisted into a cruel smile as she stepped closer to Monica, her voice cold enough to freeze the air.“You should be scared because this is just the beginning. For fifteen years, you and your sons made my life hell. Locked me away, broke me down, tried to silence me. Now it’s my turn. I will take everything you love. Piece by piece, I’ll strip you of your comfort, your money, your pride. You’ll beg me before this is over, Monica. And I will watch you crawl.”Monica flinched, her eyes darting toward Jimmy.“As for your little empire of casinos,” Genesis said, her voice hardening. “Yes, the paperwork may still show your shares. On paper, you might still have a seat at the table. But understand this—those casi
“Ma’am, we have arrived,” the driver said with a furrowed brow as he turned to look at Genesis.She didn’t answer. She only stared at the building. Her building.Her chest tightened as she thought of the last time she’d walked through those doors. Kieran had been beside her then, his hand anchoring her. Now, the seat beside her was empty. She was alone.But she needed to be.With a deep breath, Genesis pushed open the car door and stepped out.Cameras flashed immediately. Reporters swarmed from the sidewalk, their voices rising in chaotic unison:“Mrs. Caldwell, is it true you’ve taken over everything from the Caldwell's?”“Will Caldwell Tech be restructuring under your leadership?”“Do you plan to sell the casinos?”Genesis didn’t stop. She didn’t answer. She walked straight through the revolving glass doors, her heels clicking against the polished floor.The lobby fell silent the moment she appeared. Again, just like last time heads turned, whispers rippled, but this time her presen
Genesis watched as Kieran's hand trembled on the car wheel and the way his jaw clenched tight. The tension in the car was so thick that it could be cut with a knife, it was so hard to even breathe well.She looked at Donald from the rear view window and heart constricted at the pallour of his face. He was so pale that he looked like there was no flow of blood on his face and not just that, he looked so sick.Then she turned back to Kieran and her hand itched to touch his and tell him that it would be fine but that would be a lie, they had just heard it from the doctor, he had a few months unless they….Donald’s voice cut through the heavy silence. “I’m not doing it.”Genesis’s breath caught, her hands tightening in her lap.Kieran’s head snapped toward his father, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. “The hell you’re not.” His voice was low, lethal. “You’re taking that treatment. You’re fighting.”Donald leaned back in his seat, exhausted eyes closing. “And for what? To drag myse
Donald’s eyes went wide when he noticed Genesis standing in the doorway, her gaze flickering from the bloodied napkin in his hand to the pallor of his face. Before he could say a word, his son rushed into the kitchen.At first, Kieran’s eyes found Genesis. Then he followed her stare, and his breath caught when he saw the napkin clutched in his father’s hand. The words on his lips died, his throat tightening.“Dad… what’s…” His voice faltered as Donald quickly turned toward the sink, hiding his face.Kieran stepped forward, brow furrowing deeper with every step. “What’s going on? Why is there blood?” His voice was sharp, demanding, but underneath it lay something else—fear.Genesis lingered at the door, her chest tight, her mind caught on the image of red blooming across white. Something was wrong. Deeply, terribly wrong.Donald’s back was rigid. His grip on the sink was so fierce his knuckles blanched. Then, slowly, he turned.A practiced smile tugged at his weathered face. “It’s noth