Lahat ng Kabanata ng Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele: Kabanata 331 - Kabanata 340

[Clark]"Jenny," Matthew Madison scowls, his brow pinching as he looks between his wife and me. "Give the boy a break. He loves her too." Tilly's mother cracks her knuckles and I'm reminded so strongly of my fiance that I almost start crying. I won't crack in front of them. I need to stay strong for all of my girls. But it is hard facing off with her parents. I wish we were here on a happier occasion and on better terms. I think I'd have grown to like Jennifer Madison. My Tilly is very much like her mother. So much so that I'm certain that no amount of kindness will break through to her now. Her face is hard, unrelenting, as she condemns me with her eyes. I try to remind myself that she's hurting too but giving her that much grace is growing difficult as she spews hate and vengeance with her eyes. I understand that seeing her only child weak and unresponsive must be breaking her inside, but that doesn't mean I'll relent to give her what she wants. I won't let her cross my boundaries

[Cordelia]Picking up the magazine, I bring it closer to my face. The nanny, a sweet girl named Catie, informs me that it is the latest issue. "Just dropped off this morning." How is this possible? "Are you sure?" I query, knowing that this photo can't be real. Angelica has been dead for several months now, and yet here she is wearing an orchid-colored satin dress standing next to Sydney along with Delilah whose dress is a slightly darker purple. "Maybe it's an actress, or another missing embryo," I make a guess. "Magnus is capable of anything."Including maybe cloning his favorite co-collaborator? No, if he could do that, he'd have replaced her the first time she "died."Setting it down I take a photo and text it to Clark. After a few minutes of waiting, I send it to Atlas and finally to Jude with the added message. "Tell me I'm not seeing what I think I'm seeing."I take several deep breaths as I wait for my replies. "I'm coming over now," Atlas texts back, not bothering to ask wh

[Jude]"You might as well take a seat," the blonde smirked. "Nobody will come for you for some time yet and we have things to discuss." She pats the seat on the bench next to her as she lifts the veil on her oversized hat and removes her sunglasses.She looks so much like Angelica at it burns. "Delilah," I smile at my unexpected savior, "I'm surprised your father let you out of his sight.""I didn't have a choice," she sighs, rubbing the space between her eyes. "After he cracked the cipher, we couldn't use our usual methods to communicate. And I have so much to say," she pauses, folding her sunglasses in her lap. "But not a lot of time. I'm wedding shopping," she nods to a spot just beyond a thick line of trees, and in the distance I see a black sedan. "The driver thinks I'm motion sick.""I'm listening," I say calmly although my heart is beating rapidly. I need to get to Angelica and Sydney. If it had been either of those sisters on this bench, we'd already be halfway to Fiji. "I'm

[Cordelia]He looks so lost as I put distance between us. My words have hurt him deeper than I intended. "Cordelia," He looks down and I place my hand on his cheek. "I love you, Atlas. I always have." I confess. "And I'm not leaving you. I'm leaving all of this," I wave my hands around the room. "Between the illness, the search for the cure, Jude, Magnus, and Tilly...oh God, Tilly," I try not to weep but fail. "I need a break. Jasper needs a break. Come with us." "Come with you?" he raises an eyebrow. "But if I leave, who's going to continue trying to find the cure?""I don't know," I huff. "Since it's your mother's cure, maybe she should be the one to look. She created this treasure hunt to begin with, maybe having her go off in search of it will jog her memory."His head tilts to the side as he thinks about the situation. "But she's an old woman with memory issues. I'm not sure she should go alone." Atlas explains. "And Clark needs to stay by his wife. I got a call from him earlie

[Atlas]Standing behind Cordelia, I watch the two of us in the mirror as she puts her traveling clothes on layer by layer. She'll be leaving the tropical heat of Hawaii and in a few hours find herself in the crisp cool air of Vancouver. As she stands, I kiss the back of her head and she smiles. "I love you too, Atlas," she responds to my touch, my words caught in my throat. I want to be strong for her and our son as I send them away to safety. "I know you'll join us soon and with the cure."She turns and I marvel at how her auburn curls, now longer than I've ever seen them, tumble across her shoulders. Her bright green eyes smile up at me and I am stunned at how beautiful she has grown up to be. She has always been lovely, even as the child of 19 that I married 7 years ago. But now that she's grown into a capable woman, she glows."Do you have any idea how incredible you are?" I ask her as I kiss the spot between her eyes on the bridge of her nose. She turns her head away, blushing a