All Chapters of TEMPTING THE TYCOON : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

After the explosion, I couldn’t find Julian by dawn.“Have you see my husband?” I asked the housekeeper.“No ma’am. But breakfast is set, though,” she answered I found his breakfast untouched but my mom and Gabriella had had theirs already.I sat to eat but I was worried about Julian.He left no note, no goodbye. Just a locked drawer, and a tense silence that filled the entire estate.By the way his clothes were thrown across the couch it looked like he changed in a rush.Clara had vanished again. No sightings. No trace. Just whispers that she was still out there. It was obvious at this point that she had help..Julian didn’t tell me where he was going.But I knew.He was hunting Vanessa. She had to be the one helping Clara.Julian’s POV Anger and rage boiled in me.Vanessa wasn’t easy to intimidate. That much I knew but I had to speak to her, she had to stop aiding Clara’s madness.She liked power plays.She liked secrets more.I had sent her a message earlier so we met at a restau

The guesthouse was musty. Empty. But not untouched.In the small bathroom, we found hair dye, scissors, colored contacts.She was changing her appearance.Preparing for something.The walls were covered with post-it notes.One said:I know where she keeps the pills.Another:Gabriella doesn’t need a liar. She needs me.A third:Kill the snake. Save the garden.Julian took a photo of each one. I found a burned matchbook from the same hotel Vanessa mentioned weeks ago.“She met Ethan here,” I whispered.Julian nodded. “And he gave her orders.”***Back at the main house, we walked in to find Gabriella crying.She’d had a nightmare. My mom was holding her, but she reached for me the second I stepped through the door.“She said she was here,” Gabriella sobbed.“Who, sweetheart?”“Clara. She said she was going to take me away.”My heart dropped.Julian turned to his security . “Lock it down. No one leaves. No one enters without clearance.”The house went into full lockdown within minute

The room was silent except for the occasional rustling of leaves outside the small cabin’s windows. I stood still, my breath steady, trying to keep my emotions in check.Clara was sitting across from me, her cold eyes fixed on me like a predator watching its prey. The knife she had been wielding earlier was nowhere to be seen, but I knew better than to assume she was disarmed. She could snap at any moment.“You look so... calm,” Clara finally spoke, her voice filled with that same eerie sweetness she always used. It was like she was pretending to be something she wasn’t. “I thought you’d be more afraid.”“I’m not afraid of you,” I said, my voice steady despite the rush of adrenaline in my veins. I wasn’t sure if I was lying to her or to myself. “I’m just waiting for Julian to get here.”Her lips twisted into a smile. “Oh, he’s coming. He’s always coming. But you don’t understand, do you? He’s mine. He always was.”I didn’t respond. There was nothing I could say to that. Julian had bee

The car ride to the warehouse was silent. Too silent. Even the usual hum of the city felt muted, like the universe was holding its breath.Julian sat beside me in the back seat, fingers drumming restlessly on his thigh. Every so often, I’d catch him glancing at his phone, as if expecting it to ring with more bad news. Ethan sat up front with the driver—his choice, not ours. Probably didn't want either of us at his back. Understandable. I didn’t trust him either, but right now, he was the devil we needed.“She’s been hiding in plain sight,” Ethan had told us before we left. “Disguised. New name. New life. But same twisted obsession.”That last part haunted me.Lauren had smiled when I brought Gabriella to her months ago. A soft, fragile smile, like someone holding on to the last string of sanity. I’d believed she was healing. I *wanted* to believe it. But now, I couldn’t stop seeing the image from that photograph—her arms around Gabriella, claiming her like a prize.She’s mine too. You

Aria’s POVMorning light spilled into the bedroom in muted streaks, brushing over Gabriella’s sleeping form. She was curled toward me, one arm still looped loosely over my waist, as if she thought I might vanish if she let go.For a moment, I stayed still, breathing in the faint scent of her hair — shampoo and something that reminded me of safety — and wished I could freeze the world right here. No Julian’s deals. No Ethan’s smirks. No Lauren.But the murmur of voices downstairs cut through that fragile peace.I eased out from under the blanket and slid off the bed. Gabriella stirred but didn’t wake, just shifted into the warm spot I’d left behind. The voices grew clearer as I padded barefoot down the hall, the cold marble floor biting into my skin.Julian’s tone was low, almost a growl. Ethan’s, sharper, amused.By the time I reached the top of the stairs, I could make out fragments: “Not negotiable.” “You agreed.” “I don’t trust you.”I descended slowly, each step creaking slightly