บททั้งหมดของ The Duchess's Game of Seduction: บทที่ 91 - บทที่ 100

The sound of the approaching car grew louder, and Valerie's heart hammered with hope. The engine roared closer, then cut off abruptly.Car doors slammed. Footsteps. Running."VALERIE!" Rick thundered from outside. She had never been so relieved to hear anyone in her entire life."IN HERE!" she screamed back, her voice cracking with desperation. "RICK, I'M IN HERE!"The door burst open with a loud crash. Rick stood in the doorway, his chest heaving, his green eyes wild as they swept the warehouse until they found her on the floor."Jesus Christ," he breathed, rushing toward her."Rick!" Valerie sobbed, struggling against her bonds. "There's a bomb! Aaron set a timer! I don't know how much time is left!"Rick's face went pale as he dropped to his knees beside her, his hands immediately working to untie the ropes around her wrists. "How long ago did he leave?""I don't know! Maybe five minutes? Maybe less!"He tried untying the knots, but they were tight, so tight that his attempts only

When Valerie's eyes opened again, the room was thick with darkness. The clock on the bedside table showed 11:47 PM. The chairs that had been occupied by her friends and assistant were now empty, leaving only the sounds of the medical equipment.She blinked, disoriented for a moment, before spotting a folded piece of paper on the table beside her bed. She moved carefully, mindful of her sore ribs as she reached for it.*Val - We've gone home to shower and get you some fresh clothes. Melissa is bringing your laptop and phone charger too (though the doctor says no work for at least 48 hours - don't even think about it!). We'll be back first thing in the morning. Rest, honey. - Sophia*Valerie smiled as she set down the note. She wished she could just reach out to them and tell them to rest. They've already done so much for her.But the smile faded quickly as her thoughts returned to Rick. How was he doing? Had there been any change in his condition? The suspense was eating her alive.She

A week later, Valerie sat on the edge of her hospital bed, dressed in the fresh clothes Steve had brought her - dark jeans, a soft cashmere sweater, and comfortable flats. She looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and all she could see was a fragile woman. The kind of woman she'd been when married to Dominic. The bruises on her face had turned yellow, and while her ribs still ached with certain movements, she felt strong enough to leave.She hadn't told anyone she was being discharged today. Sophia and Karen had their own lives to attend to, their own businesses to run. They'd already sacrificed so much time caring for her, and she couldn't bear to be more of a burden than she already was.Steve appeared in the doorway, holding her discharge papers and a small bag containing her personal things."Ready, Miss Calder?" he asked, "Are you sure you don't want to call Miss Sophia or Miss Karen? They'd want to be here.""No," Valerie said firmly, standing up slowly. "They've done

The elevator doors opened on the fifteenth floor, and Valerie made her way to Sophia's office. Through the glass walls, she could see her best friend hunched over some documents, seriously studying them. Valerie knocked quietly before entering."Val!" Sophia looked up with surprise. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting? And you look... different. Are you feeling better?""Actually," Valerie said, closing the door behind her and moving to sit in the chair across from Sophia's desk, "that's exactly what I came to talk to you about."Sophia set down her pen, giving Valerie her full attention. "What's wrong? Are you still feeling sick? Did the doctors find something?""They found something," Valerie said slowly, a smile beginning to spread across her face. "Something wonderful.""What do you mean wonderful? Val, you're scaring me."Valerie took a deep breath. "Sophia, I'm pregnant."For a moment, Sophia just stared at her, blinking rapidly as if she hadn't heard correctly.

It's been forty-eight hours since Rick had simply vanished from his hospital room, and Valerie felt like she was losing her mind.She'd barely slept, barely eaten, and couldn't concentrate on anything except the endless questions running through her head. Where was he? Why had he left? Was he hurt? Was he avoiding her? Had something happened to him?The morning of the second day, she'd given up any pretense of trying to be normal. Instead of going to work, she'd spent hours driving around the city with Steve, checking every place she could think of that Rick might go.His house was empty, with newspapers piling up in front on his door.His mechanic shop was closed, with a hand-written sign saying "Family Emergency" taped to the door.Even some of the bars Dante had mentioned Rick frequenting - nothing. The bartenders hadn't seen him."Miss Calder," Steve said gently as they sat outside Rick's shop for the third time that day, "maybe we should go home. You need to rest.""I can't rest,