All Chapters of RUTHLESS TEMPTATION : Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

Jace had noticed it gradually, the way Morgan’s presence began to settle into the house like a soft heat. It was not too loud or demanding. Just quietly everywhere.At first, Jace tried to ignore it, to pretend it was only gratitude he felt when Morgan carried Mila on his shoulders, or gently teased her until she laughed the way she used to. He told himself it was nothing when her arms wrapped around Morgan’s neck easily, as if she trusted him without hesitation. He remembered the first time that Morgan was hired Mila would not even look his way, now here she was laughing uncontrollably.He told himself not to pay attention but he had always been terrible at not feeling things.Especially now.Especially when he was trying so hard to stay numb.The shift began small—Morgan standing closer than necessary in the kitchen, brushing past him subtly, lingering at the doorway with a warmth in his eyes that Jace pretended not to notice. Morgan had always been attentive, but now his attention

The engine ticked as it cooled beneath the hood, the familiar soft sound echoing in the quiet of the private driveway. Victor, sat in the driver's seat, his hands resting loosely on the steering wheel. Afternoon light spilled through the windshield, warm but irritating, settling along the creases of the skin he no longer recognized in the mirror. Years had changed him. Loss had stripped him. And the weight of the life he once commanded sat like a ghost in the back of his throat.He scanned the area first. That habit… that instinct… that paranoia… it had never left him. His gaze moved across the front steps, the trimmed bushes, the narrow stretch of fence separating the house from the next property. No movement. No lingering shadows. No listening ears.Only when he was absolutely sure he was alone did he reach for the phone inside his breast pocket.He dialed a number he had memorized long ago—Justin’s. The number of the only man alive who knew who he truly was. The razor edge of his s

Aiden liked mornings in this house.They were quiet, still, the kind of quiet that let him blend in without anyone paying too much attention. He liked that. He needed it. He wanted it. The anonymity felt safe.Safer than anything else in his life.The kitchen was empty when he entered, bright sunlight spilling through the tall windows, catching the dust motes floating lazily in the air. The marble counters gleamed, spotless, a reflection of the Crane household’s obsessive need for order.He moved automatically, hands reaching for the tray of fruits at the corner of the counter. Oranges, pineapples, strawberries, and apples. He arranged them with care, slicing one after the other, pretending the task soothed him.Pretending he was just Aiden.Pretending he was not counting the days.Pretending he did not feel a deadline tightening around his throat.The juicer hummed softly as he fed slices of pineapple into it.It should have been calming.But nothing about today was.He kept glancing

Jace had barely taken two steps after Morgan left the living room when Noah’s voice cut through the air behind him.“What is going on between you two?” Noah asked, arms folded, brows pulled down in suspicion.Jace froze. His stomach tightened painfully, and a prickling wave of anxiety crawled up the back of his neck. He turned around slowly, keeping his breathing steady even though nothing inside him felt steady at all.“It is nothing,” Jace said. “Really, Noah. It is nothing.”Noah lifted a brow. “Jace… come on. I am not blind. I saw the tension—”But before he could finish, Jace’s phone buzzed.One message.Unknown number.His heart stuttered.Jace did not even know why his hand shook as he unlocked the screen. The moment he read the message…. everything inside him dropped.“Aiden is in your house. He is disguised as Morgan.”His breath left him.His vision narrowed.A cold, clawing panic wrapped around his ribs like invisible hands pressing hard.Noah noticed. “Jace? What is it?”J

The tension in the room was suffocating, dense enough to make breathing feel complicated.Aiden kept his posture relaxed, hands loose at his sides, expression neutral. Inside, however, the pressure was building and the fear had sharpened into something thin and lethal, something that forced him to stay alert, stay clever, stay several steps ahead.Because one mistake…One wrong breath…And everything would unravel.The police had set up a small workstation on the coffee table. One was typing into his system, cross-checking digital databases. The other was on the house landline, speaking to someone about biometric verification protocols. Every now and then, both officers would glance between their devices and the two suspects.Every time their eyes passed over him, Aiden’s heartbeat kicked just a little harder.He could not afford a single slip.He could not afford discovery.Then, a vibration buzzed silently through his palm. Aiden’s phone, tucked deep in his pocket.He did not react