บททั้งหมดของ Side Chick Era… Over: บทที่ 1041 - บทที่ 1050

"If Kelly hadn't shown her true colors, the Biggs family would still be walking all over you. Frankly, that kind of treatment would be hard for anyone to stomach." Thomas's words stung the Kalen family, but not one of them could muster a rebuttal.Richard let out a heavy breath. "Sharon, you have my deepest apology for all of this…"Thomas offered a faint, knowing smile. "Apologies are cheap. How about you show it with some real action?"Rick had long since grown tired of Thomas's sharp tongue, but this time, the Kalen family was undeniably in the wrong. Any excuse would sound pathetic.He turned to Sharon. "What is it you want, Sharon?""Two conditions," she stated calmly. "First, Jamie leaves this house. And he is never to set foot here again.""Done," Rick agreed without hesitation. He signaled to the butler. "Please see Mr. Walton out."The butler stepped forward. "Mr. Walton, this way."Jamie's eyes were like shards of glass. "I'll remember this, Sharon."Sharon met his g

The sharp click of leather soles echoed on the concrete floor, growing closer.Johanna’s nerves pulled taut. She debated keeping up the act, pretending to be unconscious. Then, a distorted, robotic voice rasped through a modulator."I know you're awake."Caught, she abandoned the pretense. "Who are you?" she demanded, her voice steadier than she felt. "What do you want? Money?"The man's reply was casual, chilling. "Money? I have all I need."A cold dread settled in her stomach. "Then what is this about?"He gave a low chuckle. "I have a score to settle with Jamie. You're the bait, Johanna. I've set a trap, and now we get to see if your brother is willing to walk into it. They say you two are close, raised together. I want to know if you'll be the reason he escapes... or the reason he falls."Johanna was no fool. If Jamie didn't come, she was dead. Still, she didn't beg to call him. Instead, she stalled, probing for weakness. "Who are you? What did my brother do to you?"Feigni

The man raised a brow, his tone dripping with mock sympathy. "What an unfortunate… coincidence."But Johanna refused to accept it. "This is a trick! You're trying to turn us against each other!"Seeing her stubborn denial, he gestured to a subordinate. "She needs proof. Set up the live feed. Let her see for herself.""Yes, sir."The man left, and his assistant quickly set up a monitor. After a moment, the screen flickered to life. It showed the masked man sitting across from Jamie's most trusted aide.Johanna's heart turned to ice. It was true. Jamie hadn't come. He had chosen to save Victoria over her.Through the speaker, the masked man's distorted voice was chilling. "As I understand it, Johanna was taken first. And yet, your boss chooses to rescue another woman before his own flesh and blood?"Johanna's hands clenched into fists so tight her nails bit into her palms.Jamie's assistant spoke, his voice strained. "State your demands. What do you want?""Simple," the man repl

Jamie’s brow furrowed in frustration.If he had gone himself, he might have spotted the trap. But he had chosen to rescue Victoria first, delegating Johanna’s crisis to his most trusted aide.His cold instruction permitting the kidnapper to do whatever they wanted hadn't been born of cruelty, but of strategy—a calculated move to mislead the kidnappers into thinking he didn't care, buying time for his team to surround the villa undetected."Report," Jamie demanded. "What's Johanna's status?"His assistant's voice was tense. "We tracked them to a secondary location, a villa quite a distance from here. But it's been cleared out. All surveillance along the route was wiped. We've lost the trail. Johanna's current whereabouts are unknown."Jamie's expression darkened. "Useless! We're in Marcentine. This is our territory, and you can't catch a few kidnappers?!""Sir," the assistant replied, a hint of defensiveness in his tone, "all our elite units were deployed per your orders to find M

Samantha said softly, "That's what the kidnappers claimed, but I can't be certain it was truly them."Scott shot a long, meaningful look toward where Sharon had been standing before asking, "Then why specifically target her hands?"Unaware of the complex history within the Kalen family, Samantha missed the insinuation in his tone."The doctor confirmed Victoria's hands will make a full recovery," she explained. "There's no permanent damage. It won't affect her violin playing, her racing, or her career. I suppose they focused on her hands purely to inflict pain."Scott fell silent, the words dying in his throat.The medical report was clear: Victoria's bones and vital organs were unharmed. The injuries to her fingers, while painful and gruesome to look at, would heal completely with proper care.Having paid her obligatory visit, Sharon didn't linger. She left the hospital shortly after.She had just stepped through the main entrance when a sweet, lively voice called out from behi