جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 180

OLIVIA“You can’t do that,” I said to Gerald, slamming my fist against the table. “This is my father’s estate, and I’ve got every right to rule it however I want.”They’d made a decision to impeach me for turning down the alliance and refusing to marry according to their plans. I sat upright in my chair, anger brewing inside me. Never had I seen the defiance burning in their eyes like they currently did. And for someone who was supposed to be my father’s right-hand man, Gerald was hell-bent on putting me down.“We had a deal, Red." He used that as a defense, staring at me with narrowed eyes. “You broke your part of the deal after—'"I leaned over the table, cutting him off sharply. “—Marriage isn’t as easy as you’re trying to make it seem. Didn’t you see what happened at the cathedral? How was I supposed to pull through the wedding in that chaos?”Edward kept his voice hoarse, refusing to understand my situation or explanation.“That sounds like a ‘you’ problem,” he dismissed my wor

OLIVIAMy hands went to my mouth before I could think. I froze for another second, staying speechless, letting the moment pass until it hit me fully.He remained on his knees, the diamond ring glistening as I stared at it in his hand. As badly as I wanted to rush to him, my feet were rooted to the ground.“You’re—you’re not playing a prank on me, are you?” I asked just to be sure I wasn’t hallucinating or something. Blinking twice, I slowly opened my eyes with the idea of everything being a dream.But he was still there. Still kneeling under the rain, holding the ring and repeating the same words he’d said before. “I’ll be the happiest man alive if you marry me,” he added, voice softly pleading. “Another chance. That’s all I’m asking for.”My breath hitched. “We… Can we be a family?”He chuckled softly, nodding up at me. I didn’t feel the cold anymore. The excitement brewing inside me drowned every other physical sensation.“You, me, and Alix,” Axel murmured. “We can be the family t

OLIVIAI didn’t want the night to end. I didn’t want to wake up after passing out in his arms, and I didn’t want morning to come that quickly.But…Everything happened so fast. Axel made sure he had me completely flipped over and breathless. I’d expected his words to remain that way… but his actions… he did exactly what he’d promised and more.My body turned numb, and I drifted off to sleep without even knowing when. When I woke up that morning, I found myself in a position that felt impossible to break out of.It was nine forty-seven when I checked the wall clock for the time. I couldn’t recall the last time I woke up that late, but who cared?Axel’s hands held me close to him tightly, like he was scared someone would snatch me away while we were sleeping. His hand was on my waist, and he was sleeping peacefully like a baby. Staring at him made me feel… complete. His eyes were closed, and his chest heaved quietly.My lips curled into a warm smile as I watched him, taking in the beau

OLIVIAI wasn’t sure I heard her correctly.My fingers loosened around Axel’s wrist, slipping free as they drifted to my lips.Isabella’s eyes held a chilling seriousness, her gaze cutting into me. Tears clung to her lashes, but there was nothing soft about her expression.Absolutely nothing at all.“W-what?” I stuttered, my steps faltering as the weight of her words crashed into me. “You… you forged the journal? You made me believe I was supposed to marry Damien?”My stomach twisted violently.How could she do something like that?She had manipulated everything—twisted the truth until I believed something real existed, when in reality, she had been pulling the strings all along.This wasn’t my sister. I didn’t recognize her anymore. The Isabella I knew wouldn’t constantly hurt me in ways that left me utterly broken.The lengths she was willing to go just to tear me away from Axel… it was terrifying.“You heard me correctly,” she said flatly. There wasn’t a trace of remorse on her fac

AXEL SALVATORE ROSSI.For the next five minutes, I stared at Viper, my lips slightly parted but without words slipping out. Tilting my head backward in confusion, I finally found my voice.“What do you mean by Nelly is alive?”It’s been two years, and for all I knew, she was long dead and buried. The news was everywhere when I woke up from coma. Viper curled his lips into a small smile, and it kind of annoyed me that he was joking with something as serious as that.“She is alive.”“Don’t play with me right now." I gritted my teeth, panic residing in my chest. “It’s been two years. How on earth did you even find out about this?”He took one step back and slowly began to walk towards the table. I exchanged glances with Grant, meeting the same confusion I had in his eyes.Viper reached for the lighter on the table and picked it up. His finger retrieved his cigarette box, and he pulled out a stick.“While I was in Italy, I met Shane,” the sound of the lighter filtered through the space.