LOGINChristian's chest ached fiercely, yet in the next breath, he shrugged it off with practiced indifference. "So what if you don't love me? That's never been something I cared about."There was a time when Talia would have tried to read between Christian's lines, would have dug into what he really meant. But she didn't have the energy for that anymore, and she didn't want to. What he was thinking had stopped mattering to her.No matter what he said, she let it wash over her without flinching. She turned and started up the stairs.Out of habit, she moved toward the guest room, but Christian, who had been following close behind, steered her into the master bedroom instead.He flicked on the lights. Talia glanced around and realized everything looked the same as it always had. She hesitated, caught off guard.Christian sensed her surprise. "Nothing's changed in here since you left."The familiar furniture and layout pulled old memories to the surface, and Talia could almost see the nai
Talia didn't respond to Christian's remark about her getting bold. They sat in silence, locked in a quiet standoff.Christian broke first. He searched her eyes and found nothing, not a trace of the love or longing that used to be there. The way she looked at him now was ice-cold, chilling enough to swallow a person whole."Get out," he said, and stepped out of the car.Maybe it was habit from being with Quentin, but Talia instinctively waited for him to come around and open her door.But Christian wasn't Quentin. He never would be. He walked straight toward Elmwood Estate without looking back.Talia stared at his retreating figure, the realization catching up to her a beat too late. This was Christian, not Quentin.A bitter smile tugged at her lips, and she pushed the door open herself.Christian had already reached the front entrance when he noticed Talia hadn't caught up. He paused and glanced back over his shoulder. When he saw her coming, he said nothing and waited until she
A man as proud as Christian would never bring himself to touch a woman who'd already been with another man.What Quentin had said served two purposes. One was to remind Talia that he would never let her go easily, and the other was to make sure Christian knew that they had slept together.Christian walked out of the Henderson residence with a stony expression and found Talia still waiting by the car.It was freezing outside, and her face had gone red from the cold. Even so, she was still gripping Quentin's silver handgun. Whether it was because it belonged to Quentin or because she wanted it for her own protection, it was hard to say.Christian didn't ask. He walked up to her, glanced at her flushed cheeks, and asked, "Why didn't you get in the car?"Talia didn't spare him an ounce of politeness. "You know why."Christian looked amused. "Are you worried I'd kill him?""He's not as weak as you think," Talia said without a shred of doubt. "And you're not as strong as you think you
Only after Quentin agreed did Talia slowly lower the gun.She turned without hesitation and walked over to Christian. They locked eyes for a moment before she spoke. "Let's go. We're leaving."Christian holstered his gun. His gaze lingered on the flush still coloring Talia's cheeks, and a wave of discomfort twisted through him, though he forced it down.When he spoke, his voice was so hoarse that it barely sounded like him. "Did you make things clear with him?"Talia looked at Christian and narrowed her eyes slightly, then let out a dry, humorless laugh. "It's done."Christian stared at her in cold silence, saying nothing more.Talia tilted her head. "What else do you want?"He was quiet for a long time before he finally said, "Come here and kiss me."Talia thought she'd misheard him. "What?""Kiss me," he repeated.Talia bit her lip and stared at him as tears spilled down her cheeks. The look in her eyes was a tangled mess of emotions, but none of them held the fierce love t
Talia had barely finished getting dressed and hadn't even had a chance to fix her hair before Christian lost whatever patience he had left. He aimed his gun at the door, fired several shots, and then slammed his foot into it.The door crashed inward and hit the floor, and every barrier between them disappeared in an instant.Christian stepped inside, gun in hand, his dark eyes sweeping the room. Talia's clothes were wrinkled, her hair tousled, and her lips swollen and flushed. Every detail on her body was a silent reminder that something had just happened.His gaze shifted to Quentin, who stood shirtless, his tan skin catching the light with a warm, golden sheen.Something inside Christian snapped. He raised the gun and pointed it directly at Quentin's head.But before his finger could reach the trigger, Talia stepped between them and shielded Quentin with her body. Her expression was blank, her eyes completely cold.In the silence that followed, Christian broke first. His voice
The finality in Talia's expression sent Quentin's heart into a frenzy. Fear gripped him. He tightened his hold on her hand, unable to make himself let go.Talia struggled weakly. "Quentin, let go."He lowered his head and tucked his chin into the curve of her shoulder, letting his full weight settle over her. He couldn't help wondering if this was the only way to keep her from slipping out from under him.He held her as tightly as he could, but it felt like trying to hold onto the wind. She was right there beneath him, yet somehow he couldn't get a grip on her, as though she might vanish at any second.His voice shook. He had never been this vulnerable before. "Please, don't leave me."Talia didn't have the strength to push him off, so she lay still under the weight of him. She could feel his body trembling, and hers trembled right along with it.She turned her face away. Tears rolled from the corners of her eyes as she stared at the soft halo of the overhead light, her voice low
If memory served Henry right, he recalled Talia posting an update on social media that Yvonne had made her a birthday card.Yvonne shook her head in confusion. "No."Henry grew flustered, nearly letting slip the thing about the birthday card.Talia understood what Henry was hinting at. But she no
Now, Talia was just a low-level pediatric surgeon who didn't even have the qualifications to perform surgery. She was moved and said no more.Just then, two young ladies in the distance waved at Cecilia. "Cecilia, come dance with us!"Cecilia called back loudly, "Coming!"With that, she looked do
During the entire exchange, none of the Stewarts looked Christian in the eye. His attitude was already quite good, yet not one of the Stewarts acknowledged him.Christian didn't push for anything. He simply turned to look at Talia again and said warmly, "I'll make it up to you when I have time. I n
Soon after that, Christian called Talia back. She hurriedly answered and anxiously asked, "Christian, where are you?"On the other end of the line, Lionel's voice came. "Mrs. Lane, something came up at Lane Group. Mr. Lane had to call an emergency meeting. He asked me to tell you that the signing o







