Chapter 11—Cold & Warm

CHAPTER 11 — Cold & Warm A younger woman appeared at the top of the grand staircase. Her hair was loose, and she wore a casual yet expensive matching blouse and skirt that made her look effortlessly beautiful. With familiar brown eyes and facial structure, Kallista thought she must be a Hawthorne. “You must be the new bride,” the woman said, descending the stairs with an intimidating grace. “Lila,” Evelyn said sharply. “What?” Lila shrugged, her sharp blue eyes raking over Kallista. “I’m just introducing myself. Lila Hawthorne, Jaxon’s cousin.” “Kallista,” she said softly, feeling out of place under Lila’s scrutinizing gaze. Lila smirked, her expression playful yet mocking as she circled Kallista. “So you’re the one they

Last Updated : 2025-03-11

Chapter 12—The Jaxon Hawthorne Way

Chapter 12— The Jaxon Hawthorne Way The private jet touched down at Narita International Airport, Tokyo just after dusk, but Jaxon wasn’t met with the usual relief that came with escaping the chaos of New York. The weather mirrored his mood. Invigorating sharpness and cold. He looked down at the coat in his hand. He might be too angry to even need it for warm-up. He didn’t regret leaving Kallista by the curb. Regret was for the weak. What gnawed at him was the chaos he’d left behind—the tabloids would surely be having a field day already and he tried to shut his last image of his bride’s distraught face when he left her by the curb. The image had carried him through his flight. Fourteen hours was long enough, but spending most of those hours thinking about what he would do with the woman he had left behind with no plan for her. The w

Last Updated : 2025-03-12

Chapter 13— Technically

Chapter 13— Technically Hawthorne Tech Headquarters – Tokyo Division — 7 a.m. Executive Boardroom – 27th Floor. The skyscraper rose like an obelisk against the Tokyo skyline, glass panels reflecting the pale morning light. Jaxon stepped into the lobby, already on a call with Nolan Reece, his COO back in New York whenever Gabriel was absent. "Cancel the acquisition with Valtrex Systems," Jaxon ordered, his tone clipped. "Their numbers are bloated, and the tech isn’t proprietary. I won’t pay for smoke and mirrors." "Already done," Nolan replied, unfazed by Jaxon’s familiar ruthlessness. "But the board’s pushing for an update on the Helix Project. They want to know if the Tokyo division can handle the next phase without pulling resources from New York." Jaxon’s jaw ticked. "They’ll handle it. Or I

Last Updated : 2025-03-13

Chapter 14—Totally Fooled

Chapter 14 — Totally Fooled Meanwhile back at the Hawthorne estate hours before the text: It didn't take a genius to know that her new maid—add that this felt weird to say—disliked her. For some reason. It wasn't like she could walk up to her and ask what her problem with her was. That was so not her style. She was always one to talk back but never the one to start the altercation. Marie appeared from one end of the massive walk-in closet to the large mirror Kallista had been staring back at. “How about this one?” She asked, her eyes taking in her new mistress's body language. Kallista stared blankly at the dress. It was a plain blue dress with even plainer white pearl beads along the neck. If anything, she was going to look like an abandoned mannequin walking around the estate, especially after that dinner from hell.

Last Updated : 2025-03-14

Chapter 15- Once Upon A Bastard

Chapter 15— Once Upon A Bastard Kallista had not predicted what would happen when she told Naomi her preferences. Now, she was staring at ten racks of clothes—clothes that had a wider range of "casual" than she ever could have imagined. Tank tops, mini skirts—she knew she would never wear, trousers, jeans, dresses for casual outings, and even loungewear. Then there were the undergarments.Naomi had spared no expense.She reached for a tag on a delicate lace brasserie, her brows drawing together as she turned it over.Hawthorne Fashion.Of course. She thought. Her lips twisted wryly as she searched for the price and promptly dropped the brasserie as if it burned her."Jesus," she muttered.The price was a joke. And she had a bra joke. A really bad joke. She had no one to share it with, though, so she chuckled dryly to herself and moved on.After browsing, she settled on a free-flowing pale-colored dress adorned with soft floral patterns all over. The bust fit snugly, almost corset-like

Last Updated : 2025-03-15

Chapter 16— Dark Zander

Chapter 16— Dark ZanderSeated comfortably in the Hawthorne family estate main garden Delia had shown her, a few days later, in a deep blue colored boyfriend Jean and a tank top that had come with a tag, a very expensive tag among the expensive tagged clothes she had gotten. Now she was sitting in clothes she knew she would never have bought in her right senses. Her pay at Brio’s had been good but not good enough. It covered the payment for her rent and other things she felt were important but splurging on herself was something she only engaged in at Christmas because of the discounts.It was sad but it was her reality. She flipped the pages of the book she had been pretending to read for the last hour. She didn't get how someone could read under such intense concentration of sunlight. Those ladies on her Pinterest board she spent hours on when she wasn't busy had deceived her.She slammed the book shut with an exaggerated sigh. She was going to die of heatstroke if she kept this up.

Last Updated : 2025-03-16