Semua Bab Masked Desires: Bab 31 - Bab 40

The room was cold. The polished mahogany table in the center of the family conference room gleamed under the harsh overhead lights, but it did little to warm the tension that had settled like a storm cloud. Marlena Lockwood sat at the head of the table, her eyes sharp and calculating as she surveyed the three people gathered before her: her two sons, Hunter and Ethan, and Amanda, Hunter’s fiancée.Ethan sat back in his chair, arms crossed, his expression a mixture of disinterest and barely contained frustration. His mind was elsewhere—far away from this forced family gathering. He had never liked the way Marlena conducted her meetings. They felt more like power plays, her every word carefully calculated to manipulate them into submission. And today was no different.Hunter, his older brother, sat beside Amanda, his hand resting possessively on hers. Amanda, with her perfectly styled blonde hair and smile that never quite reached her eyes, was looking at Marlena expectantly. It was cle

The Lockwood townhouse was an architectural masterpiece—ornate crown molding, polished mahogany floors, and chandeliers that sparkled like they held secrets in every crystal drop. But none of that grandeur mattered to Minnie as she stepped through the threshold, her steps uncertain, her heart thudding a little too loudly in her chest.She had been summoned. No explanation. Just a message from Marlena Lockwood herself: “Come to the townhouse. Alone.”Now, she stood in the drawing room, surrounded by silent opulence, waiting.The rain outside was beginning to fall heavily, beating against the windows with the same intensity she could feel in her chest. A sense of foreboding weighed on her, pressing down on her lungs with every breath. She felt like she was standing in the middle of a storm—both literal and metaphorical.Marlena entered with the grace of a queen in full command of her court. She wore a fitted navy suit and a brooch that glinted like a dagger. Her heels clicked against th

The office was unusually quiet.Minnie Love had made it her mission to keep her head down and stay invisible. She timed her lunch break to avoid crowds, dodged the elevator when she knew Ethan might be using it, and pretended to be far more engrossed in data entries than she truly was. Her wound still ached—a dull throb that mirrored the confusion pressing against her chest—but she didn’t have the luxury to tend to either.Especially not with Marlena Lockwood’s words echoing in her head like a threat dressed as opportunity.Marry Ethan Lockwood, or risk everything being exposed. Her past. Ruby. The truth she’d buried so deep it had begun to feel like a bad dream.And now? That dream was one signature away from becoming her reality.Minnie kept her gaze fixed on her monitor even as she felt Ethan’s presence in every room he walked into. His silence was louder than his voice ever could be. He hadn’t approached her since the moment his eyes widened in stunned disbelief at the revelation

The doorbell rang long after sunset, the sound slicing through the silence of Minnie’s apartment like a blade. She didn’t move at first. Wrapped in a knit sweater, hair tied in a loose braid, she sat curled on her couch, one hand clasped around a lukewarm mug of tea. She already knew who it was.Ethan.The second chime was softer, followed by a knock. Three gentle raps. Hesitant. Apologetic.Minnie stood slowly, ignoring the twinge in her side. Her injuries had mostly healed, but pain still bloomed beneath the surface—wounds that bandages couldn’t fix. She padded toward the door and opened it just a crack, just enough to see him standing there.Ethan Lockwood looked wrecked.His usually pristine hair was mussed like he’d run his hands through it a dozen times. His jaw was tight, his eyes tired. He held a paper bag from a local bakery in one hand and a bottle of something that looked suspiciously like soda in the other.“I brought cookies,” he said, voice low.Minnie didn’t answer, did

The knock at the door was sharp and impatient—too impatient to be Ellie returning with her ridiculous stash of wedding magazines. Minnie, still in her robe, padded across the apartment floor with a frown knitting her brows. Her body ached faintly from the long fitting earlier, her nerves frayed by too many emotions she hadn’t yet named.When she opened the door, her breath caught.There, standing with a worn duffel slung over one shoulder and an expression both hesitant and defiant, was her sister.Cassie.She was thinner than Minnie remembered, her once fiery curls now dulled by time and wear. A leather jacket hung off her frame, and her eyes—those same sharp brown eyes—held years of distance, regret, and something close to guilt.Minnie didn’t move. Didn’t speak.Cassie was the first to break the silence.“Hey, Min.”Minnie’s throat felt tight. “Cass.”“I… I heard about Mom.”Minnie stepped aside before she could think too much about it. Cassie entered like a ghost returning to a pl