تسجيل الدخولAnd for now, that was enough. She leaned forward and kissed him softly. Dreston responded slowly at first, then with growing warmth, his hand sliding against her back as if he wanted to memorize the feel of her all over again. The kiss didn't come with the desperation of the night before. It was calmer and intimate in a different way. More like peace at last. When Cassienne finally pulled back, Dreston followed her slightly, reluctant to let the moment end. She smiled against his lips. “You really don’t want to go to work.” “I don’t.” “Then what do you want to do?” “Stay here.” “And?” “With you.” “And?” He looked at her with open amusement now. “You’re trying to trap me into saying something inappropriate.” “I’m trying to see if you have shame.” “I don’t. At least not with you.” Cassienne laughed again, this time more freely. Dreston’s expression softened as he watched her. These were the moments he really missed while they were pretending, hiding, calculating every mov
The early morning sun came slowly, slipping through the tall windows of Dreston and Cassienne’s bedroom before spreading across the wide bed. At this hour, the house was too quiet, almost like no one lived there, as if even the walls understood that the people inside needed rest after so many days of tension, travel, fear, and uncertainty. A few minutes later. Cassienne woke first, eyes opened as she tried to get herself back in order. Then for a few seconds, she simply lay there beneath the warm sheets, listening to the quiet rhythm of Dreston’s breathing behind her. His arm was heavy around her waist, his palm resting possessively against the lower part of her stomach in that unconscious way he had developed lately. Even in sleep, he held her like his body refused to forget that she was carrying his child. That made her smile a little. Last night really softened something between them again. Though it didn't fully fix everything, because nothing about their lives could be fi
Cassienne kissed him. Not like the feared CEO that he truly is. But like her husband. The man who rules her world. The father of her unborn child. And immediately, the restraint inside him cracked. Dreston’s hands tightened around her waist as he deepened the kiss instantly, pulling her closer until she almost lost balance against him. The kiss carried days of exhaustion, fear, longing, and relief all at once. Cassienne’s fingers curled lightly against his shoulders as she kissed him back with equal need. God, she had missed him too. Dreston stood suddenly, lifting her effortlessly into his arms without breaking the kiss. Cassienne let out a soft surprised sound against his lips that only seemed to encourage him further. He carried her and laid her down carefully beneath him. For a moment, he simply looked at her, like he needed the reminder that she was safe, alive and his. Cassienne reached upward and touched his jaw gently. “Why are you looking at me like that?” “Because I n
It was already past eleven when the front gates of Dreston Tremont mansion finally opened. The black convoy rolled smoothly into the compound one after another before coming to a controlled stop beneath the soft golden lights outside the main entrance. Inside the first vehicle, Dreston remained seated for a few extra seconds after the engine died. The exhaustion on his face was impossible to hide now. He had barely slept properly in days. Between Tina’s condition, the investigation, the growing suspicion surrounding the old lab, and the constant fear hanging over Cassienne Rhodes, his body was finally beginning to feel the pressure of it all. Steve stepped out first and opened the rear door for him. “Sir.” Dreston gave a small nod and stepped out of the vehicle slowly. The cold night air hit his face immediately, but it did little to clear the heaviness sitting inside his chest. He was tired. Not just physically, but both mentally and emotionally. And honestly, the only thing
Cassienne hesitated for a moment before shaking her head gently. “Just family matters.” Jeff nodded slowly, not pushing further. “Those are usually the worst kind.” For a second, she wondered how much he understood simply by observing people. Jeff Sandler was far more perceptive than most people realized. He glanced toward the development floor outside before speaking again. “You know, when I first approached you for this collaboration, everyone told me the same thing.” Cassienne looked at him curiously. “What was that?” “That you were brilliant but emotionally detached. Difficult to read. Difficult to approach.” “And now?” Jeff smiled faintly. “Now I think they were completely wrong.” Cassienne frowned slightly. “How so?” “Because people like you only look cold when they’re protecting something.” The words settled strangely inside her. Before she could respond, her phone vibrated again across the desk nearby. The moment she saw Dreston’s name on the screen, her expression
By the time most of the employees left Nerox Technology that evening, the atmosphere inside the building had finally grown silent. The constant movement across the development floor slowed gradually until only a few late-night engineers and system analysts remained behind. Beyond the glass walls of the upper levels, the city lights of Southvale stretched endlessly into the distance, glowing beneath the darkening sky. Inside her private office, Cassienne Rhodes remained seated behind her desk, though her attention had long drifted away from the reports spread before her. Her conversation with Dreston Tremont still lingered heavily inside her mind. Harold Ackley knows something. The words refused to leave her thoughts. Cassienne leaned back slowly in her chair and stared through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls surrounding her office. The city outside looked calm from up here. Peaceful. Yet her life had never felt more uncertain than it did now. Everything seemed connected someh
The sliding glass doors parted. And Emily Rhodes stepped into the arrival hall with the slow confidence of a woman who had fought her way back to herself. For a second, she simply stood there, taking everything in. The lights. The people. The movements. The freedom of being out in the world witho
The arena was nothing short of breathtaking. Built inside the heart of the Lisbourn Royal Resorts, the e-sport hall looked more like a futuristic coliseum than a gaming venue. Layers of curved LED screens wrapped around the circular structure, displaying rotating graphics of the competing compan
The bedroom was bathed in the soft, golden hues of dawn. Sunlight slipped through the sheer curtains like gentle fingers, tracing patterns across the rumpled white sheets. Cassienne lay nestled in the warmth of the bed, her body still lax from the deep, restorative sleep that had claimed her aft
Cassienne walked steadily down the hallway of the hospital, her heels clicking softly with each step. In her hands was a small paper bag from a nearby grocery store. Inside were fresh fruits she had picked up on her way—grapes, apples, and sliced oranges. It wasn’t much, but bringing something for







