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Chapter 47
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2025-03-27 00:11:51
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To Love Again Chapter 48
Alone in my office after everyone had dispersed, I ran a weary hand through my hair. I knew that the business world was quite competitive, but we'd never had anything like this happen before.I reached for my phone and dialed a number I kept for extreme circumstances. He answered on the fourth ring.“Mr Kingston." The voice was all gravel and cigarette smoke, just like I remembered. We kept Walker around for issues like this which required someone who was as crude as he was professional to carry out serious investigation. "Need you to dig into something," I said without preamble. "Someone's spreading lies about Kingston Enterprises." He paused for a bit then spoke. "This about Hemsworth and the news flying about on Kingstons and some financial fraud bullshit?”I was quiet for a bit. I wasn't exactly surprised that Walker had found. That was what he did. He knew things. I just felt a jarring realization in my guts that news traveled fast in certain circles. "I want to know who's f
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-27To Love Again Chapter 49
Kingston's Enterprise had never been at the receiving end of such a major scandal. If ever there was a Kingston business on the news, it was to commend something that we'd done right so when we called for a press release to give details on the truth about the rumours that were making the rounds, the press came in roves to listen.The conference hall was filled to its brim with reporters and journalists eager to get a new piece of information for their newspapers or TV stations. It didn't actually matter to them that we were in a mess. To them, this was just another field day.Cameras flashed furiously as I adjusted the mic in front of me with white knuckles. I'd never been a fan of press releases, but this one was a necessary evil. Marissa stood at the side furiously taking notes and following up on online updates. "Thank you all for coming on short notice,” I started, exuding authority with my every word. What I'm about to show you now is a targeted smear campaign on my company by
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-28To Love Again Chapter 50
Marissa's POVI tossed and turned in bed that night. I couldn't sleep. Chloe had left the house to spend the night at her parents’. Her mom's blood pressure was over the roof again. As I lay trying to force myself to sleep, I couldn't get the words of that blond reporter out of my head. She wasn't wrong. All of this was happening because of me. This attack on Kingstons, I was solely responsible for it. Anthony hadn't had any direct encounter with Jordan. Whatever he was doing now, I knew it was because of those pictures that he'd gotten of Jordan and I dancing at his mother's birthday party, coupled with the fact that he believed that my job at Kingston had given me wings. I knew Anthony had a twisted mind, but sometimes, the man surprised me with how irrational he could be. This had been too much. And he didn't even have any concrete proof that Jordan and I had something going.I mean, when it came down to it, could we really even say that we had something going? We'd exchanged a
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-28To Love Again Chapter 51
I whirled around to face him. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?"Anthony shrugged. “You'll find out soon enough." He said.I waited, expecting him to continue. I knew Anthony well, and he wasn't one to remain quiet when he had something to say, but he didn't say anything else.“Answer me, Anthony!” I said, now impatient, but he only turned back to the file he'd been working on when I opened his door.“Shut my door behind you, Marissa."I looked at him one last time and the awful memory of him smiling triumphantly as my mother spat lies before the court flashed before my eyes. I couldn't help the next words that tumbled out of my mouth.“Let me ask you something, Anthony. What do you hope to achieve if you eventually win this case against me? I know you don't love me, so why won't you just let me go."His gaze lingered over me for a brief moment. “Before, it had been about getting you back, but right now, Marissa, it's about showing you who's in charge here. It's about teaching
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-29To Love Again Chapter 52
I didn't want to talk to Jordan right now, at least, not about what I was sure he'd come here to talk about. Wasn't it interesting that all this time when I'd been overthinking the way that being around Jordan made me feel, this had never occurred to me?I'd never even let myself think far enough to the point of considering what the press would do to me if they found out. Not that there was exactly anything to find out anyway.“We need to talk, Marissa." Jordan repeated when I didn't look up at him.“I don't want to talk." I responded, still not looking up.“Good. You can listen to me then."I rolled my eyes at his statement. “I don't want to listen either."“Marissa." He said, sounding frustrated. “Don't be like this."“Like what? Annoying? Uncooperative? Haven't I earned the right to be?"“Marissa…"“My name is scattered across different blogs and magazines, and I'm being called a gold digger, an opportunist, everything you can think of. So I ask you again, Jordan, haven't I earned
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-29To Love Again Chapter 53
I stared at Chloe with excitement evident on my face. She seemed so happy as she spoke, barely pausing to breathe.“Can you believe it, Rissa? We're official! Like actually t official! Like he went all out. Rented out the entire restaurant, got the ‘be my girlfriend' plate and had a band come in to play! It felt so surreal! Like a movie.”"I'm so happy for you, Chloe! Oh my God!" I responded excitedly.I was. I truly was. After her last breakup during our junior year at college, Chloe had been in such a dark place. She'd cried day and night, and I'd been so angry at the bastard who'd been behind it. He wasn't worth the energy she'd expended on him and the relationship.When Chloe finally came out of that heartbreak, she'd told me she was taking some time off boys. She spent senior year focused on everything else except the dating pool. During that time, I'd met Anthony and had been starry eyed about him.When Chloe had finally returned to the dating pool, she'd seemed to stick to a sp
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-29To Love Again Chapter 54
When I opened my eyes, Jordan was watching me expectantly. I couldn't bring myself to say the words so I simply shook my head. His eyes registered confusion.“No? Why?" He asked.I took a deep breath, and tried to explain. “I just… I don't think that we're ready for that next step.”“Next step? You and I have had dinner together a number of times so why's this any different?”“Because this isn't just another dinner with just the both of us. This is dinner with your family. It's different, Jordan.”Of course it was different. He said it wasn't now, but I was sure even he knew that it was. I wasn't ready just yet for that next step. I could see it in his eyes that he was upset by my response, though.“But you've met everyone in my family. It won't be like meeting them for the first time."“Jordan, you have to try to understand me. It's just different.” I said in an exasperated tone."I'm trying to.” He said, “But Marissa, this isn't just about dinner with my family. It's about how you'v
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-30To Love Again Chapter 55
I had never seen Chloe as nervous about an outing as she was while she prepped for dinner with the Kingstons.Her hands shook as she tried to wear her earrings and I took them out of her hands. She brought me her makeup bag and asked me to do it because she wasn't sure she could do a good job. She was about to change her mind about the blue dress that we'd picked out days ago when I stepped in. I insisted that she looked perfect and helped her out finishing touches to her look.“They're going to love you." I said as I hugged her goodbye.“They better, cos they're stuck with me either way." She said in that typical Chloe way.Caleb was waiting at the door with a bouquet of flowers which she oohed and ahhed over, then handed to me to put in a vase. When they left, I breathed a sigh of relief.I loved Chloe, but on days like this, I realized why she went to parties during our college years and I stayed at home. I was just a tired girl who preferred to binge watch romcoms in her pajamas t
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-30
Bab terbaru
To Love Again Chapter 107
Calling 911 was the easy part. Getting Jordan out of the bathroom and to the bed was the hard part.It wasn't the first time that I was helping him like that. But other times, I'd had some support from him. This time, he was limp. He seemed completely devoid of any strength and I found myself helping him to the bed with no support at all from him.The dispatcher had kept me on the line while I gave her details earlier. I’d tried to keep my voice steady, but my hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold the phone. I kept glancing at him, with worry eating me up. Now, I reached for his hand as if that would help me pass some warmth across to him.“Jordan, I need you to just stay still. I've called 911. They'll be here soon,” I said with as much calm as I could muster. I couldn't afford to freak out.There was no response from him.“Jordan, stay with me," I said a little more frantically when I felt him slipping out of consciousness.“Jordan!!" I was almost screaming this time.He s
To Love Again Chapter 106
Jordan's heart beat steadily under my head. His arm was wrapped around my waist as I lay against his chest. I liked the warmth. We'd been in each other's arms all day, and it still felt like we hadn't spent enough time together.For a while, I kept my eyes closed and simply listened to the silence of his bedroom. I was at home here, in his arms. The world outside could be chaotic and unpredictable, but right here, in this moment, there was peace.“You’re still awake,” he murmured, his voice low and warm against my neck.“So are you." I responded.He tried to shift me to his side, but I hugged him tighter. “Don’t move. I just want to remain like this.”“Okay then.” He whispered, and wrapped his arms tighter around me.I turned in his arms until I was facing him. His eyes were open now, and in the low lights in the room, I searched his eyes. He looked somewhat tired- work was probably still as stressful. But he was beautiful. He was always beautiful.“I like this,” I said quietly. “Bein
To Love Again Chapter 105
When I returned to the police station the next morning, Chloe was with me. Inspector Ariya seemed to be leaving as we came in. Surprise registered briefly in her eyes when she saw us.She walked up to us briskly. She looked tired but sharp, her dark hair pulled back into a no-nonsense ponytail.“Hello, ladies. I wasn't expecting to see you back so soon.” she said this last part, facing me. “Have you decided to press charges after all?"I shook my head. “Not yet. I haven't. Actually, we came to speak to you, and if possible to her."She quirked a brow. “Her? You're sure you want to do that?”"I don't know. Actually… we found something.”We told her about looking online and seeing that Layla's online presence had been completely wiped off. We told her about the photos of her that we'd come across and how the timing didn't add up. And then out of the blues, Chloe told her about her thoughts that Layla was working with someone.“Why do you say so?" She asked very calmly.“Because I know L
To Love Again Chapter 104
Chloe stared at me like I’d grown another head. “You mean, like, private investigator type digging?” “If we have to,” I replied, folding my arms. “Because I can’t sleep at night knowing she might not be done, and that she meant what she said. We have to get to the bottom of this, Chloe.” Chloe looked at me skeptically. “I don't know, Rissa. I can't say that I agree with this being a good idea.” “Well, are you going to help me or not?" I demanded. Sighing, she reached for her laptop and pulled it into her laps. "Okay, Sherlock. Where do you want to start?” I hadn't actually meant for us to start immediately, but we did. We weren’t police officers, and we weren’t detectives. But we had working brains and the internet. And at this point, that felt like enough. “I don’t even know what I’m looking for,” she muttered, typing rapidly. We searched for everything we could think of. It was as though Layla Freeman didn't exist. We scrolled through pages of irrelevant news and articles. The
To Love Again Chapter 103
Chapter 103I stared at her in dazed shock.There was a venom in Layla’s eyes I had never seen before, and as I watched her now, some of my anger gave way to something colder. something worse. Fear.“What the hell are you talking about, Layla? What do you mean this is only the first of many? What else are you planning?” I tried to keep my voice steady, but it trembled as I spoke.“She will not be doing anything, Miss Colton,” Inspector Ariya’s voice cut through the tension, drawing my attention away from Layla. “Come on now, you. Get up.” She grabbed Layla by the arm and pulled her to her feet.I watched as they began to leave. I didn’t want them to. I wished the inspector had let me speak to her just a little longer. There was something unfinished, something dangerous in Layla’s last words. A few hours ago, I might have dismissed them as a threat—a pathetic attempt to scare me. But not now. Not after seeing her admit, without an ounce of guilt, that she had set the fire. Not after wa
To Love Again Chapter 102
Chloe was still in bed when I left for the police station the next morning. She’d already told me before that she didn't want to go. What was the point anyways? Whatever she was going to find out from speaking to Layla, she would find out when the police were done with their investigation.In any case, I didn't want to go with anyone either. Not with Jordan, and not with Chloe too. I wanted to just go alone. I needed to speak to Layla by myself, see her with my own eyes, and listen to whatever explanation she had. It just needed to be me. Just me.The drive to the police station only lasted about 30 minutes but it felt like 3 hours. As I drove, my mind kept going back to the last few weeks since we met Layla at that restaurant. I thought of how I had been skeptical about letting her into my space and then I thought of how Chloe hadn't really liked her or trusted her. Then I went on to remember how over time, she had sort of broken our resolve, mine especially, and had slowly made her
To Love Again Chapter 101
The silence was deafening. We all stared on in silence at the image on the screen. It was her. It really was Layla. It didn't make any sense. How could she have tampered with the wiring? She'd been a part of the entire planning, after all! She had put in so much effort to make this work so how was it even possible that she would be responsible for ruining the night."That can't be." I said shakily. "Maybe there's a mistake. Maybe it's..."Inspector Ariya's voice cut me. "The footage is very clear, ma'am. That's the culprit."I swallowed. I didn't know what to say. I didn't think Chloe did either. Again, it didn't make sense. I didn't think as I sat backwards on the couch with knees pulled to my chest like I could somehow protect myself from the storm that had just torn through the room. Chloe sat beside me in stunned silence. Her arms were wrapped around her body like she, too, was trying to keep herself from falling apart.The laptop was still open on the dining table, the paused f
To Love Again Chapter 100
The silence in the room after I said those words was thick enough to suffocate a person. Chloe blinked at me, with her mouth slightly open. Her brows knit together in first, confusion, then alarm.“What do you mean someone set the bakery on fire?” she asked slowly, like she was trying to give the question time to change into something less terrifying. “You know that's impossible. The firemen said it to Caleb.I shook my head. “That’s what the guy from the insurance company just now said. He said… he said the wires were tampered with. Deliberately.”Chloe stood up and began pacing like the movement would somehow bring clarity. “But who? Why? That doesn’t even make sense. Who would do something like that?”I didn’t have an answer. All I had was a sharp ache in my chest and a hundred questions tumbling over each other in my mind.Someone had intentionally tried to sabotage me. Who could it be? Why? I felt my heart squeeze at the thought of the obvious betrayal. Everyone at that launch y
To Love Again Chapter 99
Jordan dropped me off at home at a little past noon. When we pulled up to the house, Chloe was already waiting at the door. As soon as I stepped out, she rushed toward me, wrapping me in a tight embrace.“Everything’s going to be fine,” she whispered, her voice steady. “We’ve got each other.”I clung to her, feeling a weight being lifted off my shoulder. The scent of the lavender shampoo that we both shared filled my nostrils and for a brief moment, replaced the acrid smell of smoke that had plagued me since last night. Now, having Chloe hold me like this after such a chaotic night served as a reminder that amidst the chaos, some things remained constant. Like friendship. And family.Jordan was at my side by the time that Chloe broke off the embrace.“You're sure you'll be okay?" He asked, gently."Yea, of course. What am I, like an egg?” I asked and managed a small smile. “Plus, I've got Chloe. I'm absolutely fine, Jordan. You can go.”“Okay." He said, nodding.He reached out and bru
