Lahat ng Kabanata ng The CEO’s Temptation : Kabanata 151 - Kabanata 160

**************************POV: Morgan********************* I woke early to the feeling of hope in the air—it was tangible, like a soft breeze after a long drought. The days since Aliana’s rescue and the court’s initial actions felt surreal. For once, pursuing justice didn’t feel like walking uphill in mud. My phone chimed. A news alert: "BREAKING: Federal Task Force to assist in Agyis investigation—special prosecutor appointed." I couldn’t help but grin. We were winning. I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Lizzy, and headed downstairs. In the kitchen, I found Claire—and Mack too—already at the counter, reading the same alert on their devices. Neither spoke. Instead, they silently shared that moment—maybe the first time since Sadie died that we all allowed ourselves to feel something good. Mack broke the quiet. “This is bigger than New York. It’s national eyes on him.” Claire nodded softly, her eyes still simmering with resolve. “That means we keep pushing.” And we

*******************POV: Liz **************************** --- It used to be easier—talking to Claire. Now, every word I said around her felt like walking barefoot across shattered glass. We’d always known everything about each other. High school secrets, college heartbreaks, inside jokes no one else understood. But since Aliana… since Liam…since Sadie.......since Etian......... Everything had changed. She stood at the window that morning, cradling a mug of tea like it was the only thing holding her up. Sunlight cast across her face, but it did nothing to brighten the heaviness in her eyes. I walked in and leaned against the doorframe, watching her in silence. “You slept?” I asked, knowing the answer. “Enough.” She breathed as she didn't turn. That meant no. I crossed the room and stood beside her, letting the quiet stretch. We both looked out over the city, pretending the skyline could offer answers. I’d done it a hundred times too—after breakups, exams, all-nighters

POV: Mack --- I woke up cold. The kind of cold that came from absence—not air. My hand reached out, instinctively seeking warmth, but the bed beside me was empty. Just the faintest dip in the mattress, her scent still clinging to the pillow. Claire was gone. > I didn’t need to open my eyes to know she wasn’t next to me anymore. The space where she had been was cool now—sheets twisted, warmth gone. I reached out anyway, fingertips brushing nothing but fabric. A sigh slipped from my lips before I could stop it. Then I heard her. Quiet. Almost not there. The soft creak of the floorboards. The shift of weight as she moved to the window again. I cracked one eye open, and there she was—bathed in silver from the city lights, arms folded, robe loose around her shoulders. Her silhouette glowed against the glass. She didn’t say a word. But I could see it in the curve of her back, the way her fingers clenched around her own elbows. Something was on her mind. Something heav

*************************POV: Morgan************************* --- They were saying my name on the news. Not in the headlines—not yet—but buried in the breathless commentary, the whispers from the anchors trying to be careful. “Former board members... ties to Agyis Dynamics... Morgan Arizona...” I muted the TV before they finished the sentence. It didn’t matter. I’d heard enough. Henry was already pacing the room. His tie was half-loosened, and the drink in his hand had gone untouched for twenty minutes. That alone told me how bad this was. “He’s not going to stop,” Henry muttered. I rubbed my eyes. “He never learned how.” Henry stopped. Turned. “You know he had a mother who adored him. A nanny who read to him every night. He didn’t grow up in chaos, Morgan. So how the hell did he become this?” I didn’t answer right away. The silence between us was thick—like oil clinging to our lungs. “Because some things don’t need chaos to grow,” I said eventually. “Just negle

***************************POV: Aliana*************************** --- They gave me a room with sunlight. That was the first thing I noticed. After days—weeks?—of concrete walls and artificial light, the sun felt like a story I had once heard as a child but never believed was real. I lay curled beneath a thick quilt, watching it spill through the window, golden, and dappled with shadow. I wasn’t sure what day it was. Or what time. I only knew that I was safe. Or supposed to be. I hadn’t earned safety. Not yet. --- The walls in this house were different from mine—softer, warmer, and lived-in. A painting of a coastline hung on the wall across from the bed. The sheets smelled like lavender. Somehow, that made it worse. I’d woken up here two days ago, bruised, dazed, and unsure whether the voice calling my name had been real or another figment of captivity. But then I saw Claire. Saw her cry. Heard her whisper, “We got you. You’re safe now.” And I believed it.