Lahat ng Kabanata ng Second Chance At Rebirth: Beneath The Ashes: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

Christine’s POV“What the hell is going on here?” Francis demanded. I straightened, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “Lisa was sitting in my chair, acting like she owns my office. I asked her to leave, and she refused.”Lisa’s eyes widened in sob, her lips parting in a dramatic gasp. “Asked? You practically threw me out of it, Christine!”Francis stepped forward, extending a hand to help Lisa steady herself. She took it, her fingers lingering on his arm as she shot me a venomous glare. “This is unacceptable, Christine,” he said, his tone measured but firm. “Hurting her won’t solve anything.”My jaw tightened, but I didn’t argue. He was grabbing her arm and had been impulsive, a flare of frustration I couldn’t contain. Francis guided Lisa toward the door, his hand resting lightly on her back. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”As they disappeared down the hall, a strange thought flickered through my mind. Francis’s protective gesture, the way Lisa leaned into him… could this

Christine’s POVMy heart slammed against my ribs. The cool night air I’d sought for relief now felt like ice clawing at my skin. The three men loomed even closer. The one with the gun, a wiry guy with a scar slicing through his left eyebrow kept it sorely trained on me.“Don’t move,” he growled again, his voice a low rasp. “And don’t even think about screaming for security. You do, and I shoot. Got it?”I nodded, my throat too tight to speak. My legs trembled, threatening to buckle, but I locked my knees to stay upright. The second man, broader and bald, stepped forward, his meaty hand outstretched. “Walk over here. Slowly. Bring your purse.”My fingers tightened around the strap of my leather purse. It was just a purse. But the way they stared at me, like predators sizing up prey, made my stomach churn. I took a shaky step forward, then another. The third man, lean and twitchy, kept glancing around. “Purse. Now,” the bald one barked.I was close enough to smell their stale cigarette

Christine’s POVThe day dragged on after my conversation with Lisa, her probing questions about Francis. I brushed her off with a vague answer about an “incident,” keeping my tone clipped to shut down further inquiries. Her eyes lingered on me a moment too long, but she didn’t push. Good. I didn't have her time.After wrapping up at the office, I decided to check on the renovations at Cristainternational myself. As I grabbed my keys and headed for the parking lot, a memory flickered filled my thoughts about Evelyn and I spotting Francis a few days ago kissing a woman I didn’t recognize, leaning toward him, her hand brushing his arm. Francis had looked… engaged. The fake loyal Francis I knew. The image gnawed at me, twisting my gut with something I refused to name. Before I could second-guess myself, I veered my car toward Francis’s office instead of the renovation site.The Zentara Tech company building stood before me as I entered. Francis’s office was on the fifth floor, and I st

Christine’s POVI grabbed my phone, my thumb hovering over his contact before I tapped it. The line rang twice before Framcis familiar voice answered, low and a little weak, like he’d been up too long. “Christine?”“Hello,” I said, forcing a lightness into my tone that I didn’t feel. The urge to question him about Jasmine Dane intensified but of what use? I don’t care anymore. Instead, I shifted the conversation into a sweet one.“How’s your wound?” I asked.He exhaled, and I could picture him rubbing the back of his neck, a habit when he was tired. “It’s fine. Stings like hell, but I’m managing.” That wasn’t what I was expecting to hell. I expected him to say he wasn’t getting any better and it pains me that he could even manage the pain. I ignored the fury inside me. “Good to hear. So, how’s the Nova project going with Evosphere? You’re still overseeing it, right? Everything on track?”There was a pause, brief but enough to make my pulse tick up. “Yeah, it’s going well,” he said. “

Christine’s POV“What? What did you say?” Zane flared as I ignored him and pushed my chair back, the legs scraping against the floor, and stood to face him, my hands placed across my chest in fury. “Why the hell are you following me, Zane?” My voice carried the weight of every ounce of frustration I’d been bottling up. “What’s your damn plan? You think you can just enter into my life and mess with my head?”Zane’s jaw tightened, but his expression remained infuriatingly calm, like he was watching a little child throw a tantrum. He crossed his arms, the sleeves of his jacket pulling taut against his biceps. “Christine, all you ever wanted was to collaborate with me, right? Well, newsflash, you are too rude and I don’t think I can work with you anymore. I’m done.”My breath caught, a sharp stab of confusion cutting through my anger. “What?” I stepped closer. “You’re done? You’re the one who’s been hovering around me, showing up at my building, acting like you’ve got some claim over my l