chapter 31

BENEATH THE FACADEBehind the façade of wealth and power, a web of secret awaitsChapter 31 ETHAN'S POV: The morning of the introduction didn’t come with a bang. No rush of excitement, no grand feeling. Just stillness.I woke up to the soft hum of morning—birds chirping somewhere beyond the window, sunlight crawling slowly across the floor, and the quiet breath of the wind tugging at the curtain like it had all the time in the world.But I didn’t.I sat at the edge of the bed, feet planted on the cold tiled floor, elbows resting on my knees. My hands hung loosely, fingers twitching every now and then like they were unsure what to do. I kept staring out that window like the answers I needed would be hiding in the sky.A dog barked in the distance. Somewhere, a hose came on. Water hit grass. A car drove by. The world outside moved like it always did, as if this was just another morning. But for me, everything had shifted.Today wasn’t just any day.Today, I’d face the man whose daught

Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-15

Baca selengkapnya

Chapter 32

BENEATH THE FACADEBehind the façade of wealth and power, a web of secret awaitsChapter 32 ETHAN'S POV: We hadn’t been on the road long—maybe ten minutes at most. The sky outside had begun its slow shift from a soft, sleepy gold into that deep evening blue that always made the city look like a promise. I watched the lights flicker to life one by one, blurring a little through the window. My father was steady behind the wheel, one hand relaxed on the steering, the other tapping gently to some old song that played low through the speakers. He always brought that playlist out on days that meant something. Birthdays. Big meetings. Today.My mother sat beside him, fingers smoothing over the same part of her sleeve again and again, like the fabric would sit differently if she just kept trying. Her eyes were on the road, but I could tell—she was somewhere else, maybe already picturing the evening, maybe worrying about nothing and everything all at once.In the backseat, I kept quiet. I wa

Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-17

Baca selengkapnya

Chapter 33

BENEATH THE FACADEBehind the façade of wealth and power, a web of secret awaitsChapter 33EMILY’S POV: The world didn’t stop when Ethan disappeared. The sun still rose. People still laughed somewhere. The birds outside my window still sang like nothing had shattered.But I had.I didn’t eat. I barely slept. The simple act of breathing felt like dragging a heavy stone across my chest.Everyone kept saying things like “maybe there was an emergency” or “he’ll call soon.” They didn’t see what I saw in my father’s eyes when he came back from that call. They didn’t hear the way his voice stayed too calm, like he’d planned the silence all along.I sat on my bedroom floor, arms wrapped around my knees, phone in hand, scrolling through old messages. His voice notes. The last photo he sent—him standing in front of a tailor’s mirror, adjusting his shirt, grinning like he was trying too hard not to look nervous.I stared at it until my vision blurred.He should’ve been here by now. Should’ve w

Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-18

Baca selengkapnya

Semua Bab Beneath the Façade: Bab 31 - Bab 33

chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33