Alle Kapitel von When love turns to ashes : Kapitel 51 – Kapitel 60

Audrey sat in the backseat of her luxury sedan, staring out the tinted window, one manicured finger gently tapping against her cheek as her lips curled into a smug smile. Her phone, resting delicately in her palm, still displayed the last message she’d received screenshots of emails, secret property documents, and backdoor transactions. All tied back to Xander. All proof of his calculated betrayal.She had stumbled upon it by accident or so it seemed. In truth, Audrey had never stopped watching June. Not because she cared, but because she was waiting for a moment like this. June had always been a thorn in her side too confident, too favored, too adored even in her flaws. And now, to see her once again make the same mistake falling blindly in love with a man who only saw her as a means to an end it was almost poetic.Audrey laughed softly, leaning her head back against the leather seat. “So this is what June’s beloved husband is up to,” she whispered to herself. “Secretly turning over

The final stretch of June’s pregnancy arrived with a quiet calm that neither she nor Xander expected. The chaos, the schemes, the unspoken truths—all seemed to quiet down like the lull before a storm. Something about watching June walk around their home with her round belly, humming softly, glowing with the joy of motherhood, made Xander hesitate in ways he never had before.At first, he had decided to stay merely out of obligation—or so he told himself. His plan had been simple: wait until the baby was born, pretend to be the perfect husband a little longer, and then make a graceful exit. He would leave the child with June; after all, she was already used to taking care of herself. He convinced himself she wouldn’t need him, and he’d fulfilled his role. In the eyes of the world, he’d be the loving father who did what was expected.But something unexpected happened in those quiet, domestic months. June, in all her softness and strength, began to reach the parts of Xander’s heart he ha

Xander stood in the study of their sprawling estate, the dim glow from the fireplace casting long shadows across the mahogany walls. The room was quiet too quiet but his mind was anything but. He had been pacing for almost half an hour, phone in hand, waiting for a call he already knew he didn’t want to take.When it finally came, the sharp buzz of his phone cut through the stillness like a blade.He didn’t even check the screen before answering.“Xander,” a cold, deliberate voice greeted him. It was the voice of his father’s lawyer, Garrick Steele—a man who had been by his father’s side through every shady deal, every hidden contract, every empire built on lies.Xander swallowed hard. “Garrick.”“Why haven’t you finished the final step?” Garrick’s tone was sharp, unyielding, the kind of voice that didn’t tolerate hesitation. “You’re wasting time. We’ve come too far to stop now.”Xander ran a hand through his hair, his eyes flicking toward the closed door to the study. Beyond it, down

The message from Garrick still glared on the phone screen as Xander stood in the dim study, the faint glow from the fireplace casting sharp lines across his face.“No delays, Xander. Tomorrow. Or the board will know everything you’ve been hiding.”His jaw tightened, and he stared at the words until the screen went black. There was no room for hesitation anymore. Garrick had ensured every possible escape was cut off. The trap was set, and he was just as bound to it as June.He turned back to the drawer, the faint metallic click as he opened it echoing in the silent room. Inside lay the slim leather folder—the one containing June’s signatures, her graceful handwriting sprawled across each page. Signatures she had offered freely, trusting his calm reassurances that these were “standard asset protections” and “joint ventures for their child’s future.” She hadn’t even read them closely; she hadn’t thought she needed to.He stared at the folder for a long time, his hand resting on its smoot

The moment Xander’s car rolled past the iron gates and disappeared down the long, fog-lined road, Lionel Hawthorne remained seated at his desk, unmoving, his silver gaze fixed on the faint condensation his scotch glass had left on the polished wood. His office was silent save for the faint creak of the old fireplace, the soft ticking of the grandfather clock by the door.The quiet didn’t last.The study doors opened with a soft click, and Margot, Lionel’s personal assistant, stepped in. Tall, poised, and unshakably composed, she had worked by Xander father’s side for nearly twelve years, and if anyone besides Xander’s father understood how the Family empire functioned, it was her. Her heels made little sound against the Persian rug as she crossed the room, a sleek tablet in one hand, a folder of contracts in the other.She glanced briefly toward the closed leather folder that lay atop His desk—the one holding June Williams blindly signed documents. The quiet tension in the room told