Lahat ng Kabanata ng Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets: Kabanata 171 - Kabanata 180

Audrey's POVThe storm outside stormed in time with our own inner tempest. I stood at the window of our safe room, the early morning light struggling to penetrate blackened skies. I trembled in my hands as I gazed out into the pounding rain, each drop a reminder that nothing was ever certain. I clutched my phone, dead screen blankly staring up at me, but the texts sent last night seared themselves into my brain. Michael's rage-sharpened threats, Lucas's passion-seared guarantees, the phrases of our argument the other day—those kept me captive, on tender hooks.Lucas burst in, his bulging eyes flashing with maniacal compulsion. "Audrey, we must leave — immediately!" he screamed, shaking me awake. Every step we took then was then a matter of racing against time—a frantic rush from the lethal schemes Michael had set in motion."Lucas, what did they do?" I shouted over the howl of the wind, my dry throat throbbing with lust and fear. He did not answer immediately. His eyes darted towards

Audrey's POVI found myself thinking with every passing moment that every moment was going to be our final one. Lucas's promise in words—"Our love will live on"—lay inside me as we navigated the charred hallways of our secure compound. The safe room was our sanctuary, but now the danger loomed large over them, and I sensed it in the beating of my heart.Time crept by as the video feed flared into static. The quiet was a silence that could be felt, was heartbreaking. I rose to my feet, spinning with hope and fear. Was Lucas overpowered? Was he hurt? I couldn't lose him. I held Aiden close to me, murmuring soothing words in his ear while my own heart wrestled with breaking.And the screen flickered back to life. Lucas was on it, bruised but determined, our eyes meeting. "Audrey, we beat them back. I'm coming in to pick you up and Shawn. Wait and hold on and wait for my signal."Fear and relief warred through me. Hold fast to our love as our shield. Believe in it, Audrey. We will get thr

Audrey's POVTime slipped away from me. Every minute dragged with the horror of losing him. I paced the room, restless, my mind filled with visions of our wedding day, our wedding vows, our laughter and giggle-filled moments that had mapped out our gentle bliss. I heard Lucas's voice in every whisper of the wind, his stern face at night. Lucas is safe. He’s secured the main hall. We’re ready for extraction.”A rush of relief surged through me, but it was tempered by a new message on my phone:"Final reckoning: surrender or be consumed."My heart dropped. I grasped Daniel's arm, and he raised an eyebrow in ire. "Audrey, sorry, but Michael's not finished. We have only one choice remaining to make."I cast around the room with my gaze, the overwhelming scope of what was being inflicted on us smothering me. "What choice?" I shook out.Daniel's voice was resolute. "You make a decision now—do you fight, or do you submit and allow Michael to claim your family?"My head reeled. The notion of

Audrey's POVThe van hurtled down rain-soaked roads, neon lights a blur of streaks as we drove towards where we were headed. Lucas's hand still held mine—a promise in the chaos. My mind reeled with questions and terror as Michael's threats echoed in my head. Every second that passed was a ticking time bomb; every beat yelled of fear and determination."Lucas, how do we know this will work?" I demanded, voice trembling as hard as I could fight it.He regarded me over the glass, his eyes black and resolute. "Audrey, we don't have a choice. Michael has pushed us to this, and I promise you, tonight we bring him down—or die trying." His vow and challenge sent shivers down my spine.I grasped his hand firmly, holding his strength as we came out in front of a rundown factory complex. The building loomed above the angry sky like a wounded beast, its broken windows and rusty iron a record of time and neglect. It was our choice of battleground—a place where Michael had fought back for the final

Audrey's POV We drove up to a hidden safe house—a decrepit building that had been walled off from attackers. Trapped tension in the air within. Guards gilded silently by, and the muted hum of security cameras whined all over the place. Lucas led me into a secure meeting room where Daniel sat stern-faced. Lucas, Audrey, "Daniel's voice was tense, "we've received an intercept. Michael's attacked from several fronts simultaneously. His last message warns us that if we don't surrender by noon, he'll start a chain reaction that will destroy all of our assets." My stomach tightened. "What's that mean?" I gasped. Daniel's head trembled. "It means, Audrey, that we have an hour left. Michael's ready. He's already moved essential systems to the cloud and is after our financials and comms. I whispered, my voice low in the cold, hollow room. Lucas's face grew set in determination. "We have but one option," he said to me, his tone unyielding. "We fight. We expose his falsehood, counter with al