Semua Bab Luciano: Entrapped By My StepBrother's Sin: Bab 21 - Bab 30

The silence after seeing Noora lying there was deafening.Her blood darkened the white marble. The red slap marks on her skin hadn’t even begun to fade. Her chest barely moved. And for a moment, just a moment, it looked like she wasn’t breathing.Lucas stepped forward, eyes wide, heart pounding. “Noora…”Luciano’s shadow loomed beside him; still, sharp. Then both of them turned to Cindy.She was frozen in place. Her face pale, lips parted, trembling in disbelief as if she, too, couldn’t understand what had just happened.Lucas’s voice was low, but every syllable cracked like a whip. “What did you do?”“I—” Cindy blinked, shaking her head, taking a step back. “I didn’t… I didn’t do this! I swear, I didn’t! She hit me first! I—I just grabbed her hair—yes, but this wasn’t…” Her breath caught as if reality had only now sunk in. “I didn’t do this. I didn’t.”Luciano’s voice followed like a blade dragged through cold steel. “Cindy!!!”She turned to him, panicked. “You believe me, don’t you?

The elevator chimed.Heels tapped—no, limped down the polished marble hallway of Richardson Corp. Noora’s each step were sure, and each breath was sharp as she bit her lips in pain. She should not have been there. Her foot was still bandaged, the pain surreal, the limp very real… but her eyes? Her eyes burned with vengeance.Heads turned as she passed the reception. She wore a tight fit black sleek skirt and even her injury looked like it was part of her dress she chose. Her hair was tied up messily, intentionally exposing the line of her slender neck. She smiled at every pair of eyes that looked at her with surprise. Or pity. She didn’t care which.Because today, Noora came to play with the devil.And the devil wasn’t late but she was early; just for that.She was already in his office when the door swung open. The silence that followed was explosive.Noora turned, her lips curved in a sugary sweet smile. “Welcome, Mr. Richardson,” she greeted softly, eyes sparkling with vengeance and

“Though I must say,” Icarus drawled as he entered the office like he’d been living there forever, “if this is what I missed in just one day, I might never leave again.”He threw a wink at Noora before casually claiming the chair opposite Luciano’s desk, crossing his legs like a man with all the time and power in the world. “New York’s indeed fresh and fun. Every day a new drama. I’m starting to think reality TV’s got nothing on Richardson Corp.”Luciano barely lifted his gaze. “Looks like you've taken quite a liking to both Richardson Corp and New York,” he said dryly. “I’ve heard the British are usually strict about punctuality, but you’re rather early for tomorrow’s conference, aren't you, Vasilliki? Should I be concerned?”“That one stings, mate,” Icarus patted his heart mockingly, leaning back with a grin.But behind the humor, his eyes glinted with something sharper. That rare flicker of seriousness laced with teasing which was the usual trademark of Icarus mood swing, charming u

For the first time in years, Richardson Corp wasn’t just moving… it was alive.From the top executive floor to the bottom-level marketing teams, the office buzzed like a charged hive. Laughter spilled in the lounges, people whispered excitedly in corners, and even the usually bored interns sprinted to their desks.Two opposing teams were forming; one building Luciano’s elite high-rise empire, the other racing to turn Noora’s bold, impossible dream into a billion-dollar reality.No one had expected this.Certainly not that half the staff would gravitate to Noora’s side. But they had and not quietly.It was like she’d cracked open the glass walls of the company and let in sunlight, oxygen, fire.Even the numbers showed it.Efficiency skyrocketed. Internal reports reflected an absurd rise in productivity. Social engagement soared. And that month’s sales chart was spiking.In the center of it all was Noora. Relentless. Stubborn.Luciano sat in his office, perched at the edge of his desk,

Noora woke up with her heart already pounding like it had been running for miles without her. She sat up too fast, stomach twisting, her breath shallow and sharp as she looked around.Bed.Her room.But last thing she remembered she was outside. On the bench. With HIM!Her fingers immediately clawed at the blanket as her eyes landed on her laptop that was placed neatly beside her desk. She panickily scrambled for it, her hands cold, heart ramming against her ribs as she opened it with fear.‘Please… Please be okay…’The screen blinked awake.Her project.It was … Untouched.No— it was completed.It had been polished. Finalized. The last touches she thought she was too tired to finish were now flawlessly aligned.She stared. Jaw clenched.Did I do this?A new wave of fear washed over her. She couldn’t remember. Her memory of last night was a haze, blurry from exhaustion and the coffee he gave her.She could still smell it faintly. Definitely spiked.Luciano.She felt sick.If he did no