Semua Bab The CEO’s Temptation : Bab 91 - Bab 100

**************************Claire's POV**********************The precinct smelled like burnt coffee and old paper. The kind of place where time moved slowly, where the hum of fluorescent lights drilled into your skull and everything felt a little too still. I hadn’t been inside one in years—not like this. Not with a knot of dread sitting in my stomach like a stone.Etian walked beside me, his face unreadable. Mack trailed just behind, one hand hovering at my lower back like he needed to feel I was still there. Liz had said nothing since we stepped inside—her arms crossed, her jaw tight, her eyes scanning every corner like the walls might betray us.“I pulled some strings to get us ten minutes,” Etian said, his voice low as he leaned closer. “She’s still in holding, not yet moved. We’re lucky.”I wasn’t sure if lucky was the word.A young officer led us through two sets of doors, down a quiet corridor, and into a dimly lit interview room. There was a mirror along one wall—two-way—and a

******************************Liam’s POV*****************My tablet buzzed just after nine—a discreet vibration against the glass of my desk. I didn’t flinch, nor did I rush. Calm control had always been my style. I glanced at the tablet screen where a secure message blinked beneath layers of encryption.**Subject Visited: Aliana Moore.Visitors: Claire, Mack, and Elizabeth. Etian.Duration: 38 mins. Surveillance attached.**My fingers paused on the rim of my coffee cup, the steam curling upward like smoke from a fire I thought I’d already put out.Claire.I tapped the screen, and the image expanded—grainy but clear enough. Claire’s dark eyes were pinched with an impassive expression. Etian’s shoulders were tight, brimming with tension. Mack’s jaw clenched like he’d just bitten into something bitter. And Liz... Liz looked like she was already ten moves ahead.My gaze settled on Claire. The softness in her face wasn’t for me anymore. It was for Aliana.A flicker of something bitter tigh

***********************Etian’s POV**************************The city outside my window was all lights and noise, a glittering facade masking something much darker underneath. I stepped into my apartment, shutting the door behind me with a click that echoed louder than expected. For a long second, I just stood there, the silence swallowing me whole.The precinct had left a sour taste in my mouth. Aliana’s voice, her words, her insistence on being framed—it looped in my head like a broken recording. Claire, Mack, Liz—we’d all heard her out, but I still wasn’t sure if what she said was clarity or desperation disguised as logic.I dropped my keys on the counter and ran a hand through my hair in frustration and confusion. The apartment smelled like stale coffee and paper. I hadn’t been home much lately—too many things unravelling too fast. I kicked off my boots and made for the kitchen. I needed caffeine, or maybe whiskey, but I reached for water instead.Ten minutes later, there was a kn

***************************Claire’s POV*********************The morning sun barely filtered through the blinds as I sat at the kitchen counter, my fingers wrapped around a mug of lukewarm coffee. Sleep had come in fragments last night, splintered by flashes of Aliana’s face and Liam’s cold, calculating smile. The weight of everything pressed down on my chest—Sadie’s death, the evidence, the secrets unravelling far too quickly.Mack walked in, still tugging a hoodie over his head. He moved with the kind of energy I couldn’t fake anymore—purposeful, quietly burning.“You’re not dressed,” he said, tossing a glance at me as he reached for an apple from the bowl.“I know,” I murmured, taking a small sip. “I’m not sure if we should go back today.”Mack paused, then leaned on the counter opposite me. “You think it’s too soon?”“I think we stirred a hornet’s nest yesterday. Liam’s not going to let that slide.”The name alone made my skin prickle. Every time I thought I had a grasp on who Lia

***********************Claire’s POV**********************I stood by the tall window in Mack's apartment, and I crossed my arms over my chest, watching the city stretch and bend beneath the evening sun. The buildings were all bathed in a golden hue, like they were pretending nothing dark ever happened in their shadows.But I couldn’t pretend.The events of the last few days kept looping in my head—Aliana’s voice over the phone, the visit to the precinct, the hollow look in her eyes, and the bone-deep confusion etched into her words. Liam’s ghost still hung over every word. Every glance.Behind me, I heard Mack moving around, the soft clink of plates and the hum of low music from the kitchen. He was making dinner. Or pretending to. Just like the buildings outside.“Claire,” he called, his voice a little too casual.“Yeah?” I answered, my gaze still fixed on the view in front of me.“You’ve to come eat, you've only had a cup of tea since morning," he said, peeking around the corner, a w