Semua Bab Side Chick Era… Over: Bab 1241 - Bab 1250

Julliard slowly crouched down and gathered the broken pieces from the floor, his pupils trembling faintly.Sharon had never seen him like this before. A wave of guilt rose quietly in her chest."Julliard, are you okay?" she asked.He kept his head lowered, his face hidden in shadow. It took him a long time to answer. "I'm fine."Sharon tried to soften the moment. "Julliard, Thomas didn't mean to. Don't be angry with him. The music box…"She glanced down at the fragments scattered on the floor, about to continue when Thomas spoke first."Don't worry, Julliard," he said lightly. "I'll find someone to repair it—or track down that master craftsman and have him make another identical one."Julliard almost laughed at that—bitterly, inwardly.Identical?This music box was one of a kind. There would never be another like it.His eyes flicked across the room and landed on the rose sitting on Sharon's desk—the same one he'd once thrown to the floor in a fit of temper, its petals fallen

"My dad and brothers," Victoria said, "have no right to expect Sharon to sacrifice herself for the family. She only needs to live the way she wants.""Sometimes, I envy her," she added. "She gets to choose freely. But me—I was raised inside the Kalen family, grew up with everything the family name provided. That means I have to follow their arrangements."Victoria was clear-eyed, composed. There was no resentment in her voice, no trace of self-pity. She understood perfectly well that to gain something, one must pay something in return. To her, that was fair.And despite her birth, she took no pride in it—no smug satisfaction in the privileges others could only dream of. She carried her grace with a quiet steadiness that drew a kind of respect. It was the sort of calm most men could never manage.Thomas studied her for a moment. "I've heard things," he said, his voice low. "About the feud between your mother and Sharon's mother. What do you make of it?"Victoria smiled faintly. "

The woman in the photo was unmistakable—Jamie recognized her instantly.Victoria.And the man sitting across from her… was Thomas.Before the shock had even settled in, another message arrived.[Jamie, it seems losing an arm and an ear has affected you more than I thought.[Your goddess, Victoria, actually invited me to lunch. Tell me, she hasn't realized yet that the man who tried to kill you… was me, has she?]Jamie's eyes turned red. His breathing grew ragged.He could tolerate Victoria dining with anyone else in the world—anyone—but not with the man who'd nearly taken his life multiple times.Another message came through.[You've risked life and limb for Victoria—crossed fire and blood for her. Even as an outsider, I have to admit, your devotion is almost touching.[And yet, after all that, she's sitting here, smiling, dining with your would-be killer. It seems your charm… isn't quite what you thought.]Thomas's words hit their mark.Jamie's mind flashed back to the day

"If we can profit without lifting a finger," Liam said, "isn't that even better?"Of course, there were other layers to Thomas's plan—reasons that even Liam couldn't fully guess.He turned to Doug and asked, "Do you know why our boss helps Sharon so much?"Doug thought for a moment. "To make up for something, maybe?"After all, Sharon's rise was inseparable from Thomas's past—especially his help to Kelly. That history between them hung like an unexploded mine, quiet but dangerous.Liam raised a brow, slightly surprised. "I thought you'd say it's because Sharon is his first love. That he helps her out of love."Doug gave a small, knowing smile. He wasn't good at scheming, but when it came to emotions, his insight ran deep."Mr. Ferrero doesn't love Sharon because she's the one he's been looking for all these years," he said. "He loves her because she's her. Even if she wasn't that girl who once played the violin in the back garden, he'd still love her."Thomas's feelings hadn't

Jacob had been loyal to Shayla all his life. Even after Shayla's death, Jacob continued to follow Shayla's instructions as if they'd been carved into stone."Sharon, are you busy?"Jacob's voice carried a warmth that softened the sharp lines of age. He was about the same age as Sharon's mother—cultured, elegant, with the kind of poise that seemed to belong to another era.Sharon set down the files in her hand and rose to greet him."Jacob, please, have a seat."Her transition into the Kalen Group had gone surprisingly smoothly, largely because of shareholders like Jacob—veterans from her mother's faction who still stood behind her without hesitation.Jacob was the most steadfast among them.Sharon poured him a glass of water. "What brings you here today?"He smiled. "Sharon, your recent performance has impressed the board. Nearly ninety percent of the neutral members have shifted to your side. Even some of those who used to support your father or brothers are starting to turn i