جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 500

Ivonne’s POVIf I’m being honest, I really really never wanted to come back at all. Even when I told myself I was ready, even when I looked in the mirror this morning and swore that nothing would shake me, my chest still felt tight the entire ride here. The car hummed beneath me, but my thoughts were louder than the engine.Why am I doing this? I kept asking myself. Why not just stay gone? Why not leave the ghosts of this place buried?The answer was simple: because running hadn’t worked. Running had only left me hollow.Still, when the driver announced we were only five minutes away, I found myself gripping the edge of the seat so tightly my knuckles turned white.Leaving Lady Elizabeth’s arms earlier had nearly broken my resolve.“Are you really ready to go, my dear? I don't want to force you into anything.” she asked, holding my face in her palms like she wanted to keep me there forever.I tried to smile, but it faltered. “Yes. I’ve been running long enough, Lady Elizabeth. If I d

Ivonne’s POVFor a long moment, all I could do was stare. My breath caught in my throat as if someone had slammed an iron gate shut on my lungs. Alpha Hector—of all people—was standing there, right in front of me, his hand firmly pressed against Lincoln’s chest, shoving him back. His voice was like a whip crack, low and cutting.“Back. the fuck Off.”The words weren’t loud, but they were sharp enough to slice through the heavy silence.Lincoln’s face darkened instantly, fury flashing across his features. “Stay out of this, Hector. This is between me and my wife.” His hand clamped tighter around my wrist as if trying to prove a point. “You don’t interfere in married couples’ problems.”I stiffened at the word wife. The nerve of him. We were divorced, the ink had long since dried, and still, he tried to twist reality to his liking. My jaw clenched, but before I could even open my mouth, Hector gave a humorless laugh.“Wife?” Hector tilted his head, his smirk cold and cruel. “Don’t delud

IVonne’s POVThe words hung in the air like smoke I couldn’t clear from my lungs.Two hundred billion dollars… to Ivonne.My name. My name had come out of Mr. Briggs’s mouth in connection with wealth and power I couldn’t even comprehend. For a long moment, I thought maybe I’d misheard. Maybe it was the chandelier buzzing or the blood rushing in my ears.I blinked rapidly, staring down at my hands in my lap. They were trembling. I curled them into fists.Around me, the hall erupted into noise.“Oh my God, did you hear that?” one of the servants whispered loudly, unable to contain herself.“Two hundred billion! For her?” another gasped.“She was married to the young master once, wasn’t she?”“Yes—but they divorced! And now she inherits everything? This is madness!”Their voices weren’t hushed anymore. It was open gossip, loud, shocked, echoing off the tall walls of the manor.And then, of course, Alison’s voice cut through it all like a screeching violin.“This is a JOKE!” she screamed,

Ivonne’s POVMy fingers were trembling so badly that I almost dropped the sealed packet when Mr. Briggs slid it across the table toward me.It looked so plain... yellowed paper, worn edges, tied neatly with string. It didn’t look like it should weigh a ton, but in my hands it felt heavier than a boulder. My stomach churned, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever was inside was going to change everything.Before I could even blink, Alison darted forward, her heels clacking against the polished floor. She leaned so close I could smell her perfume choking the air between us. Her eyes were wide, desperate, her manicured nails digging into the table.“Ivonne, listen to me,” she hissed, her voice dripping with urgency. “You don’t want this, remember? You said it yourself, you don’t want anything to do with us, with this house, with all of this nonsense. So just… just hand it over. Give everything to me and Lincoln. We’ll take care of it. You’ll be free.”Her tone was almost pleading,

Lincoln’s POVI slammed the door to my room so hard the frame rattled. My chest heaved as if I had sprinted a marathon, but it wasn’t exhaustion—it was fury. Pure, boiling rage. My grandfather. That old man. How could he… how could he hand everything over to her?My hand curled into a fist before I could think, and the nearest thing within reach like a glass paperweight on my desk—was sent flying against the wall. It shattered into glittering fragments. The crash echoed through the room, but the sound barely scratched the surface of the chaos tearing inside me.“Damn it! FUCK!” I roared, grabbing the edge of the desk and flipping it. Papers scattered, wood cracked, and the lamp tumbled, clattering loudly to the floor. My breaths came out ragged, almost animalistic. I wanted to destroy everything. Every reminder of this cursed family, every piece of furniture that mocked me with its stillness while my world collapsed.And all because of her. Ivonne.I ripped a framed photo off the wall