Lahat ng Kabanata ng A Bargain Of Hearts : Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

Sienna’s POVMax had returned, but what surprised me more than his early arrival was the fact that he said nothing about Hester. Not a word, not a glance in my direction to acknowledge the chaos she’d already caused. It was as if she didn’t exist—or worse, as if her presence here was completely normal.I stewed in silence all evening, replaying her taunts in my head and waiting for Max to say something, anything, that would explain why she was here. He just ate dinner and afterwards, went to the pool out back for a swim. Hester, on the other hand, was somewhere in the house, surprisingly not taunting me – yet. She must have been cooked up in one of the rooms she had designated for herself. When it became clear he wasn’t going to bring it up, I decided to confront him myself.I found him in his room, seated on the edge of his bed, scrolling through his laptop. He didn’t even look up when I entered.“Max,” I said, crossing my arms.“Hmm?” he replied, his eyes still glued to the screen.

Max’s POVI woke up to the kind of chaos that would give most CEOs a heart attack. My phone was buzzing, notifications stacking up faster than I could clear them. Half-asleep, I swiped at the screen and immediately regretted it.The headline that stared back at me felt like a punch to the gut."SIENNA BROOKS POSTS HER OWN NUDE PHOTOS: WHAT IS SHE HIDING?"I sat up, scrolling furiously. Article after article. Picture after picture. The headlines were relentless. The comments were worse.What the hell was this?It didn’t take me long to figure out what had happened. Those weren’t real photos—any idiot could see they were edited. And there was no way Sienna had posted them herself. Someone had set her up.My jaw clenched as I tossed the phone onto the bed. I didn’t need to guess who was behind this. Hester’s fingerprints were all over it.Before I could think further, my phone buzzed again. This time, it was Ben.“Max,” he said the moment I picked up. “Do you have any idea how bad this i

Max’s POVI made it to the news station the next day. It was an even bigger platform, thanks to Ben. The whole world was watching. The host, a sleek, well-groomed man in his forties, shook my hand with the kind of practiced enthusiasm that came from years of dealing with powerful men.“Maxwell Hollandale,” he greeted. “Welcome.”I gave him a polite nod and took my seat, the cameras already rolling.“Let’s get straight to it,” the host said, turning toward the camera. “The internet has been ablaze with controversy surrounding your fiancée, Sienna Brooks. The leaked photos, the supposed scandal—can you tell us where you stand on all of this?”I leaned back slightly, exuding the calm, collected persona I had perfected over the years. “It’s simple,” I said. “Sienna is my fiancée. I love her. And the attacks she’s facing are nothing more than ghosts from our pasts trying to haunt us.”The host raised an eyebrow. “Ghosts?”I nodded. “People from my past, people from hers—when you’re in the

Sienna’s POVPain.That was the first thing I registered. A sharp, burning sensation shooting up my arm, a dull ache pounding in my skull. My eyelids fluttered, but the light was too bright, too harsh. Voices murmured around me, but they were distant, like they were coming from another world.“Sienna.”A familiar voice. Steady. Strong.I tried to open my mouth, but my throat was dry, my body heavy.“Sienna, stay with me.”I forced my eyes open, blinking against the blinding fluorescent lights. The first thing I saw was Harry, his face taut with concern as he hovered over me.“Harry,” I croaked.Relief flickered in his expression. “You’re awake.”I swallowed, my throat feeling like sandpaper. “What... happened?”Harry exhaled through his nose. “You don’t remember?”I tried to think, piecing together fragments of memory—the bath, the stinging pain, Hester’s smirk. My stomach twisted.“Hester,” I whispered.Harry’s jaw tightened. “Yeah. You walked right into her trap.”I closed my eyes

Max’s POVI crouched low, listening, my head pounding. Had I lost them?When was the last time I had to squeeze through for survival? A memory flashed through my head. Me… pressed in a car, pushed to my limit, my head bleeding and around me…Then, a voice from the distance and I flashed back to the present. “FIND HIM.”My breath came out shaky.This wasn’t over. Not even close. I needed to get out of here. And fast. Because whoever was behind this? They weren’t going to stop until I was dead.Slowly, I crept out of my hiding place and dove forward, running as fast as my legs could carry me. Then I kicked against something on the way and stumbled again, coughing and groaning as the pangs of pain spread around me.They had heard me. Pain. Exhaustion. Pure rage.I wasn’t sure which one was driving me forward anymore.The men chasing me had caught up fast, their silhouettes barely visible against the dim light of dawn creeping over the hills. My breath was ragged, my body sore from t