Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 51 - Chapitre 60

DELUCA I walked into my office, the exhaustion from the past few days still clinging to me like a second skin. My shoulders ached, my head throbbed, and all I wanted was a moment of silence. As I reached to power on my system, Nichole walked in."Good morning, sir," she greeted, her tone crisp and professional.I nodded and offered her a tired smile."Can I get you your usual, boss?" she asked, leaning forward ever so slightly, a subtle arch in her posture that didn’t go unnoticed."Yes, thanks," I replied, already turning my attention back to the screen in front of me."DeLuca."The sharp sound of my name pulled my gaze up. Nichole was struggling to keep Camila from barging in."Nichole, it’s okay. I’ll take it from here," I said, my voice calm."Who’s the bitch now?" I heard Camila mutter under her breath as she shoved Nichole out of the way and slammed the door shut behind her."Oh, DeLuca," she purred, her heels clicking softly on the polished floor as she made her way around my

ELENACrap.I hadn’t realized he’d caught me staring—until it was too late.One second I was watching him, letting my eyes trace the rigid lines of his face, trying to decipher what he was thinking as he stood there, so still, so unreadable. The next, his dark eyes locked onto mine with all the precision of a sniper. And just like that, I froze.My first instinct was to look away—pretend I was lost in thought or distracted by the kids—but it was useless. He was already moving. Strolling toward me with that quiet intensity that always made my skin feel too tight. I could practically feel the weight of each step he took, like the earth shifted just to let him pass.I exhaled slowly, steadying my nerves as I straightened my spine. This was not the time to show weakness. Not with him. Not after everything.“Deluca,” I managed, forcing the name past the knot tightening in my throat.He stopped just a few feet away, hands in his pockets, eyes unreadable. Still, there was something in his ga

Elena"Elena, you came."Francesca sounded surprised that I was here again, and I gave him a small smile. I’d been feeling rather good recently. Every time I recalled my father and Sarah having the protection they needed, I felt relief—and that turned into excitement.It was a rare occurrence since Lorenzo passed away...My heart twinged with pain, but I brushed it away before taking a seat across from him."You look different," he observed, a small smile playing on his lips."Yeah, I finally arranged protection for Father and Sarah.""Sarah? She wouldn’t like that." He laughed shortly, and I gave him a playful glare.I was always so free with him—and with Sarah."Of course she would—because she won’t know, and you won’t tell her."I pointed at him, and he gave me a short look before making a zipping motion across his lips."Good. You asked me for something the other day—what was it?" I finally got to the real reason I was here, apart from seeing the kids."Ah, yes, I did. I need your

DelucaThe only person who could make Lucas hiss with that much anger was one woman—Madeline.His ex.I gave him an amused glance, and his face pulled into a frown as we turned around to find Madeline standing behind us.They had dated for, like, two or three months before something huge happened.No need to go into details now—that was a story for another day. Right now, I had to find a way to get this bitch out of Lucas's sight.“What do you want?” I asked, my voice turning emotionless and unrecognizable.“Oh, don’t be so cold, Deluca. We go way back, do—”“I’m giving you a minute to convince me not to put a bullet through your skull,” I drawled lowly and saw fear flash in her eyes before she quickly concealed it.“I need your help,” she threw out, and my brows raised of their own accord.Glancing at Lucas, who stared at her with disbelief, I knew the woman had to be on something to even think I would help her.“You need our help?” I echoed, my brows suddenly pinching together.“Unf

DelucaMy hands clenched into fists as I watched Lucas work on his laptop, trying to uncover Ramsey’s hidden location.We had been at this for two straight days without a single moment of rest, and it was beginning to take its toll on all of us.Madeline slept on the couch, occasionally snoring—and it grated heavily on my nerves.I sighed, unclenching my fists and resting my head in my hands.My head was pounding, and with nothing to show for it, I was growing more and more agitated.It had been easy to pull up a photo of her, but tracking down her location was taking far longer than I’d like.My brows furrowed as the sharp, shrill sound of my ringtone pierced the otherwise silent room. I calmly grabbed the phone.Boldly written on the screen were two words: “Unknown Caller.”I picked up without a second thought, placing it to my ear.“We have Colton.”My spine snapped straight, and my eyes squeezed shut.What was it with Colton always getting kidnapped for ransom?“I know you’ve been