Lahat ng Kabanata ng The heart Beneath the Thorn : Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

The house hadn’t changed.Not really.It still loomed like a monument to excess—stone columns, sweeping arches, pristine glass reflecting the sun in a way that made you squint as you drove up. The front gates opened slowly, dramatically, like the place had to remind you how expensive it was just to enter.As the car rolled up the circular drive, Emilia’s stomach churned.Her tabby, Leo, sat in a small carrier on the passenger seat, tail flicking, yellow eyes wide with suspicion.“You and me both,” she muttered.Marco was waiting at the front steps in his usual navy suit, hands folded neatly, face as calm as ever.He opened the car door before she could, always one step ahead.“Emilia.”“Marco,” she nodded, stepping out. “Still the smoothest man in a forty-mile radius.”He gave the faintest smile. “I do try.”She reached into the car, unlatched the cat carrier, and pulled Leo into her arms.Marco raised an eyebrow.“You brought your… companion.”She arched a brow. “He’s my emotional su

The music throbbed through the gymnasium floor like a heartbeat—pulsing, steady, alive. Glittering lights spun from a crystal chandelier that wasn’t there in real life, but dreams didn’t care about reality. Emilia floated in a dress of deep sapphire, the kind she could never afford back then but wore like it was made for her. Her hand rested in Johnny’s, warm, safe. He smiled at her like he used to, like nothing had gone wrong. Like the world hadn’t cracked open and swallowed them whole.Everything was golden.Her heels clicked softly as they danced on the gym floor, surrounded by dozens of faceless students in tuxes and gowns. The gym smelled of roses and punch, not sweat and fear like it did that night. Johnny leaned close, whispered something in her ear, something soft—but she didn’t catch it.Because that’s when the music changed.The bass distorted. The lights dimmed to a deep, blood-red hue. The air grew heavy, pressing down on her chest.“Emilia!” a voice roared over the beat.

The city air was brisk, the kind that bit gently at your cheeks but smelled like freedom—or at least, a momentary escape. Max sat in his wheelchair, wrapped in his long black coat, hands resting over his lap as Emilia pushed him along the stone-paved sidewalk. The tall buildings shimmered under the overcast light, casting cool shadows across the sidewalks.Neither of them spoke at first. The board meeting still echoed in Max’s ears like a bad song on repeat. Emilia didn’t ask him anything—not yet. She knew the look on his face. He wasn’t ready.But when they reached a quieter part of the street, where the foot traffic thinned and the noise dulled, Max finally broke the silence.“My father was a meticulous bastard,” he said, voice flat. “Didn’t trust me with the company while he was alive. Didn’t trust me after he was dead, either.”Emilia kept pushing the chair without reacting. “The will?”He nodded once, slow. “He left stipulations. Said I couldn’t fully inherit the company until I

A week had passed since the garden night, and something had shifted between Emilia and Max. Their once-tense silences were now filled with laughter, teasing, and soft, warm moments of quiet companionship. Emilia moved through the house with ease, memorizing his routines, anticipating his needs before he voiced them. Max, in turn, began opening up in small ways—sharing a memory, cracking a sarcastic joke, letting his gaze linger on her a bit longer than before.They spent lazy afternoons in the secret garden. Emilia would push him through the winding stone paths, pausing when he gestured toward something—a rare bloom, a bird nest, or once, a squirrel that boldly darted past them like it owned the place. Sometimes they brought blankets and sandwiches and picnicked beneath the gnarled oak tree. Max had a soft spot for sharp cheddar and sliced green apples. Emilia took mental notes.It was… nice. Easy. And dangerously close to feeling like something more.School was going well, too. Her g

The ride to the office was wrapped in silence at first. Emilia sat beside Max in the plush leather seats of the Rolls-Royce, the city blurring past their tinted windows. Max looked out, jaw tight, shoulders stiff beneath his dark designer suit. He was dressed like a man going to war, but the quiet tremor in his fingers gave him away.Emilia glanced over, reading him like a familiar book. “Hey,” she said softly, breaking the silence. “You know, you look like you’re about to fight dragons. All you’re missing is a sword and some dramatic theme music.”He let out a breath that might’ve been a laugh, lips twitching slightly.She nudged him with her elbow. “You’re Max Carter. If this company was a kingdom, you’d still be the king—even if the vultures are circling. Don’t forget that.”His eyes finally met hers, shadowed and heavy. “You really think I can do this?”“I know you can. And I’ll be right there with you,” she said, placing her hand gently on his. “Unless you want me to wait outside