Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Price Of Us: Kabanata 81 - Kabanata 90

ANNA POV.I watched Jace disappear up the stairs, his shoulders relaxed, his steps light with that lazy confidence I’d fallen for all over again. A soft smile tugged at my lips as I listened to the faint creak of the floorboards above. Tonight felt perfect, like we were finally settling back into each other without the noise of the outside world creeping in.I turned to tidy up the last little bit of the table when his phone pinged on the sideboard. My eyes flicked over instinctively. I wasn’t planning to check it, but something in me—maybe a woman’s intuition, maybe pure curiosity—made me glance at the screen.SOPHIE: It’s urgent. Please call me back ASAP.My smile evaporated, and a cold prickle traced the back of my neck. Of course. Of course, it had to be her. My fingers curled tighter around the edge of the table, nails biting into the wood. I stared at the message, my chest rising and falling, slow but tense. Tonight of all nights?I stared at the message, my fingers itching t

JACE POV.I stared at the screen, Henderson’s threat still blazing across it like a ticking bomb. My jaw locked so tight it hurt, Sophie’s words playing on a loop in my head.Anna answered.She said not to call again unless it’s life or death.Why would Anna shut it down like that? Why wouldn’t she tell me Sophie had called? If I’d known—damn it—we could have dealt with this last night. This whole mess could’ve been avoided.A flash of heat shot up my spine, anger threatening to spill over. But I forced a breath out through my nose, grounding myself. Not now. No room for distractions. I could tear this apart later, but right now, we were circling the drain, and if I let my focus slip, everything was going under.“Alright,” I muttered, pushing up from my chair. Sophie was still in the room, eyes flicking to me like she was waiting for direction.“First, get legal on a video call. I want a full review of the contract—line by line. I don’t care how long it takes. We need to know if ther

JACE POV.I woke up with a stiff neck and a pounding headache, disoriented for a second until the sharp glare of my office window brought it all crashing back. The couch under me creaked as I sat up, rubbing my eyes and groaning. My suit jacket was crumpled on the floor, tie loosened, phone dead silent beside me.I grabbed it, blinking at the screen as notifications flooded in.Five missed calls.Two voicemails.All from Anna.I stared at her name, thumb hovering over the play button, jaw tight. Part of me wanted to hear her voice, to know what she was thinking—if she was worried, angry, sorry. But the other part? The bigger part?I wasn’t in the mood.Not after last night.Not after the hell of the past 24 hours—pulling every string, running on fumes, fighting to keep the deal from falling apart while Anna… God. While Anna played gatekeeper over something that should’ve been handled cleanly.I dropped the phone back on the desk with a thud, dragging a hand down my face. My eyes bur

JACE POV.I stood there for a long second, staring at the door she’d just slammed shut. My jaw was tight, my fists clenched at my sides. The room felt like it was vibrating with leftover tension, every nerve in my body thrumming.God.Sophie was still frozen by the desk, her face pale, eyes wide, looking like she wanted to disappear into the floor.“I—I didn’t know she was coming,” Sophie said in a shaky voice, her hands fluttering uselessly at her sides. “I swear, Mr. Walker, I wasn’t—”I cut her off with a sharp shake of my head. “It’s fine. Go back to your desk, Sophie. Don't worry.”She hesitated, clearly wanting to explain more, but thought better of it. She grabbed her purse and rushed out, the door clicking shut behind her, leaving me alone with my thoughts—and the goddamn mess on the floor.I let out a long, shaky breath, dragging a hand through my hair. My eyes dropped to the shattered tray—the food Anna had brought, all of it smashed to pieces. I sat down hard in my chair,

ANNA POV.The morning sun was warm on my back, but I barely felt it.I was kneeling by the flowerbed, tugging at weeds with more force than necessary, the quiet of the garden wrapping around me like a heavy blanket. Nathan’s laughter floated from inside, where the babysitter was keeping him busy, but even that couldn’t lift the crushing weight in my chest.My phone buzzed on the little patio table.I glanced at it, my heart tightening when I saw Teresa’s name.I wiped my dirt-stained hands on my jeans and answered, forcing my voice to sound steady. “Hey.”“*Ciao, amore!*” Teresa’s bright voice came through, cheerful and warm. “I’ve been waiting for your call! How are you? Did you and Jace finally sort things out?”The dam inside me broke in an instant. My breath hitched, and before I could stop it, tears spilled over my cheeks.“Anna?” Teresa’s tone sharpened immediately. “Tesoro, what’s wrong?”I choked on a sob, pressing a hand to my mouth. “It’s… it’s bad, Teresa. It’s getting wor