جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 30

Christopher Gravemoor:The meeting dragged on endlessly, every shareholder eager to voice questions that were either painfully obvious or utterly irrelevant. Boredom gnawed at me, but I never let it touch my expression. Not a twitch, not a slip-discipline was second nature.When it finally ended, a few shareholders lingered, their smiles too polished to be sincere. Dante was among them."You really are your father's son," he said with a sly curve to his lips. "That dominance, that aura-you carry it well. Exactly what this company needs. A strong, unwavering powerhouse."The stench of manipulation clung to his words.I tilted my head slightly, my voice smooth but edged like glass. "Are you implying my father wasn't powerful enough to run this empire?"He recoiled almost instantly. "No-God, no. Steven-God bless his soul." He crossed himself, the picture of false piety. "Your father built this empire from the ground up. I only meant that with you as the new head, it could become even gre

Christopher Gravemoor:A week had passed, and the silence between Isabella and me had become a great weight, pressing against my chest in a way I hadn't expected.At first, I convinced myself it was nothing-just a minor misunderstanding, a fleeting irritation-but as the days dragged on, the quiet became deafening. Each glance she cast my way, cautious and restrained, felt like a small accusation, a reminder of unspoken words lingering between us.I wasn't used to this kind of tension-not in my family, not in my affairs, not with anyone I allowed close. And yet, here it was, present, strong, relentless and unyielding.By the seventh day, I could no longer ignore it. My usual patience, my practiced composure, began to fray. I caught myself replaying our last conversation over and over, dissecting every nuance, searching for the exact moment where things had gone wrong.It was a futile exercise, I knew, but some instincts were harder to suppress than reason. Isabella had always had a way

Isabella Leonardo:I had the day off, though it hardly felt like one. Usually, I didn't mind. Amara's laughter filled this mansion like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. But this morning, the air felt heavy.The nanny caught me in the hallway just after breakfast."Miss Isabella," she said softly, glancing upstairs. "Amara didn't go to school today. She refused. Barely said a word."My chest tightened. "Since when?""She woke up quiet. Just pushed her food around her plate. When I tried to ask, she only shook her head. I thought maybe... you might try," she said, her voice filled with hope.I nodded, already moving toward the staircase. "Thank you. I'll handle it."Upstairs, I walked quietly down the corridor, pausing outside Amara's door. I tapped gently."Amara? It's me, Auntie Bella."There was no answer, just silence. I eased the door open anyway.She was sitting on her bed, knees tucked to her chest, a stuffed bear pressed against her. The sight of her like that-small, curl

Darius:I sat at the head of the long oak table, my posture sharp, deliberate. The rhythm of my fingers tapping against the wood echoed in the silence of the room, steady and precise.It wasn't nervousness.It was control-control straining against the rage I had caged inside me.Across from me, a woman sat hidden in shadow, cloaked in stillness.She was my secret weapon.My hidden chess piece.I let the silence stretch, savoring it. Then, at last, I leaned forward, my voice low and edged with venom."Christopher Gravemoor."Even speaking his name left a bitter taste in my mouth. My jaw clenched, teeth grinding."Christopher sits on his mafia throne, mad with power, untouched, unchallenged. He believes himself to be a god."The woman tilted her head, her voice calm, smooth."You've said this before, Darius. Words are wind. What makes this time different?"Her tone was measured, but the challenge was real. She was testing me.I met her shadowed gaze without flinching."Because this time

Christopher Gravemoor:The sharp scent of cigars still clung to my office when Collins, my cousin and most trusted lieutenant, pushed the door open without knocking. I didn't need to look up from the stack of documents I was signing; the tension rolling off him hit me first."Chris," Collin's tone was clipped, urgent. "We've got a problem. A big one."I raised my eyes slowly, pen still between my fingers. "Go on." I said without any expression.He shut the door and dropped into the chair across from me. "One of our biggest shipments-the container we had stashed in Sector Eleven-was tampered with. Broken into."My jaw flexed, though my face remained calm. "Sector Eleven? That's under Roy's unit.""Exactly," Collin nodded grimly. "At first I thought it was some outside crew. But I pulled the surveillance footage myself." He slid a drive across the desk. "You need to see this. Boss"I took it, connected it into my system, and the large screen behind my desk flickered to life. Grainy bla