جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 130

[Vivienne]“Lawrence & Sons?” I know I’m just repeating what he said, but I can’t help it.Out of all the places I could’ve imagined, Caden’s office building was the last one I’d expect.“Are you saying my fake nude pictures were uploaded from my ex-husband’s office?”“Well, if you put it like that…”I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Was Caden behind this? I mean, it’s his office we’re talking about here. How could something like this happen under his nose, and he wouldn’t even know about it? Is he involved? Is he…So many questions. Too many. But not a single answer. I’m just getting more and more confused.“Hey.” Alexander’s deep voice pulls me gently from my tangled thoughts. “You’re overthinking. It might not be your husband.”“Ex-husband,” I correct him, and he instantly lifts both hands in surrender.“That. Of course. My mistake.” He sets his coffee aside and takes my hand in his. “All I’m saying is, let’s not jump to conclusions. Let’s find out the whole truth first and then de

[Vivienne]Now, what am I supposed to say to that?I swallow instead, thinking hard about how not to sound rude or, well, like an ass.“What happened?” I ask, wondering what might have happened in the short while. The last time I saw his mother, she looked fit as a fiddle.He stands from the couch and walks towards the window, peeking through the shut curtains. “Another episode. But this time it was worse than any of them before. She was out of control.”I nod, trying to understand. I still don’t know what kind of episode she must be having, but I suppose, that’s not important right now.“Why did you say she’s dying? It can’t be that bad,” Or could it be? Why would he say something so serious if it wasn’t true?“Except, it is,” he says, facing me, looking more defeated than I’ve ever seen him. “Her doctor says the next attack could be lethal. It might just kill her.”I can’t help but feel sorry for him. It must be devastating to know his mother could die at any moment. If it were my p

[Alexander]“How did it go?”When I enter the Bane mansion, half of the room is submerged in deep, dark shadows. But there’s no mistaking to whom the voice belongs. I have grown up hearing that voice. I have stayed awake at night, listening to her cry under the covers.“Mother,” I say, turning to face the direction from which the voice seems to be coming. It makes sense for her to sit in the darkness and keep an eye on the door, waiting for someone to return who might never come. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping by now? Staying awake this late can’t be good for your health.”Something clicks in the darkness, and a small lamp glows next to her. She sits on her burgundy couch like always, her eyes on the only person present in the room besides her.“You know what’s actually good for my health?” she asks, and I wish I could tell you I didn’t know what she was about to say. “To know that you did the one job I gave you. Yes or no, Xan. Did you do it?”I purse my lips and walk toward her. She foll

[Vivienne]The man is gone before I can do anything.I rush back inside and wake Rosita up. She rubs her eyes, clearly not in the mood to be roused like there’s some disaster coming up. “What’s up? I thought Marcus was dropping me home?”“He will. But I need you to get up and listen.”She blinks rapidly at that, probably because I sound like I’m either about to pass out or burn something down. “What’s happening? Why are you so worked up?”“I don’t even know,” I say, pacing in front of her. “But I’m pretty sure I just caught someone taking pictures of me on the balcony.”“What?” Her eyes widen. “The hell?” And just like that, she’s fully awake. “Are you sure? How do you know it was you? Maybe it was—”“He drove away as soon as I caught him.”“Oh,” she nods slowly. “Well, that’s definitely suspicious. What do we do about it?”“I have an idea,” I stop, turning to face her. “But I’m not sure if it’ll work.”“Oh, babe, I’m in.”“You don’t even know what I’m about to say.”“Hey, I trust you

[Vivienne]Shit. I stand quickly and turn, preparing to tell whatever lie comes to mind. But then I stop.It’s the same bartender Rosita was chatting with.In fact, now that I see behind him, Rosita is standing there, mouthing “sorry” and making a sad face.I hold back the urge to groan.The man continues to stare me down. Now that he’s no longer behind the counter, I can see he’s only a few inches shy of touching the ceiling in this small room. His shoulders are broad, and when he crosses his arms—probably to intimidate me further—his muscles seem to bulge out even more.I swallow. “Look. I can explain—” I start, but he cuts me off.“Save it for the boss,” he says, grabbing my arm and dragging me out.Rosita and I finally come face to face, and she gets her chance to apologize more audibly. “Sorry. I tried my best. But it’s like he could see right through me. Nothing I said worked.”“It’s alright. I knew this could happen.”“Really?” She tries to catch up. “So, what do we do now? Did