Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 41 - Chapitre 50

Ryan slowly opened his eyes, the soft morning light filtering through the curtains of his luxurious hotel room. His head felt heavy from the drinks of last night’s ball, and as he shifted, he felt the warmth of a body pressed against him. He glanced down to see Juliette draped across his chest, her dark hair cascading over his shoulder. A sigh escaped his lips as he carefully rolled her off and sat up on the edge of the bed, running a hand through his hair.Just as he was about to get up, the buzzing of his phone on the bedside table caught his attention. He picked it up and saw Kate’s name flashing on the screen. A groan left his lips.Reluctantly, he answered the call. “Yeah?”Kate’s sharp voice pierced through the phone. “Ryan! Are you serious? You left without even telling me you arrived safely, and when I called you all night, you ignored my calls!”Ryan rubbed his temple. “Kate, I’ve been busy. Meetings, arrangements, everything’s been hectic.”Kate huffed in frustration.

The bright lights of the Parisian shopping mall twinkled as Ryan and Juliette walked side by side, weaving through the bustling crowd. The air was filled with the scent of fresh pastries, perfumes, and the occasional whiff of coffee drifting from nearby cafes.“So,” Juliette began, glancing at Ryan with a playful smile, “what kind of gift do you think your daughter would like? Or you don’t know what she likes?”Ryan rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes scanning the shelves stacked with colorful toys and plush animals. “Well, I think Amy loves dolls and anything pink,” he said with a small laugh. “But she’s also really into puzzles lately.”Juliette grinned. “A smart girl, I see. Let’s find something that will challenge her but still be fun.” She led him to a display filled with different puzzles, picking up one shaped like the Eiffel Tower. “How about this? It’s Paris in a puzzle!”Ryan took the box from her and examined it closely. “That’s actually perfect. She’ll love it.”Julie

Ryan was exhausted by the time he pulled up in front of his house. The long flight, the tense conversation with his father, the visit to Serena’s house—it was all weighing on him. He just wanted to take a hot shower, get some sleep, and deal with everything else tomorrow.As he stepped out of the car, Jefferson smirked at him from the passenger seat. “You sure you don’t want me to come in and make sure no surprises are waiting for you?”Ryan rolled his eyes. “What surprises?”Jefferson shrugged. “I don’t know… maybe a very angry girlfriend who just found out you were in town from your parents instead of you?”Ryan let out a sigh. “I didn’t tell Kate I was coming back today. But she doesn’t have any reason to—”He stopped mid-sentence as realization hit him. Kate was with his parents. She must have been there when his father called him earlier. If she had expected him to be home and he wasn’t…“Damn it,” Ryan muttered, rubbing his temple.Jefferson laughed. “Good luck, boss. You’r

The ambulance doors burst open as paramedics rushed Serena inside the hospital, pushing her gurney toward the emergency room. Bianca trailed behind, her face the perfect mask of worry, though deep inside, she was still relishing how smoothly everything had gone.She stood outside the emergency room, pacing back and forth, making sure to look as anxious as possible in case anyone was watching. The nurses had assured her that the doctors were doing everything they could, but she needed to make sure someone else knew about this.Pulling out her phone, she dialed Serena’s office.After a few rings, Emma’s voice came through. “Hello, Rocky’s Design. Emma speaking.”“Emma!” Bianca exhaled shakily, making sure her voice trembled just enough. “It’s Bianca Tayler… I— I don’t know how to say this, but something happened to Serena.”There was a sharp pause on the other end. “What? What do you mean? What happened?”Bianca forced out a shaky breath, letting her voice waver. “She… she had an ac

Kate stood on her balcony, a self-satisfied grin stretching across her lips as she scrolled through her phone. The city lights flickered around her, reflecting off her wine glass, but nothing was as entertaining as the news she was reading.Serena Winthrop, CEO of Rocky’s Design, involved in a drowning incident. Condition unknown.The headlines flooded every corner of social media, and Kate couldn’t contain her excitement.She scrolled through comments, enjoying the chaos.— She’s probably dead by now.— How does someone just drown like that?— Is this real or just some publicity stunt?Kate laughed, taking a slow sip of her wine. “Oh, if only they knew,” she murmured to herself.She had made sure the media exaggerated the situation.Earlier while she was resting on her bed, she had suddenly received a call from her private investigator, informing her of Serena’s tragic fate of drowning in a pool.Kate being who she was, felt that was a great news to leak out to the media while also