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หน้าหลัก / Romance / Behind The Mask / บทที่ 41 - บทที่ 50

บททั้งหมดของ Behind The Mask : บทที่ 41 - บทที่ 50

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Cheater 41: The Late Arrival

Zara’s POVI didn’t say a word while we finished getting ready. Tessa and Nico swept ahead of me with the luggage, leaving me to follow at my own pace.Cassian was waiting in the sitting room, tuxedo sharp enough to cut glass.“You look good,” he said, voice cool, almost rehearsed.“I know,” I replied, letting the words hang.We slipped into the car and headed for Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where Everhart’s luxury yacht gleamed at the marina. The kind of vessel that didn’t just scream money, it whispered it, seductively, like a secret you’d kill to keep.Boarding with Tessa and Nico clearly rubbed Cassian raw, I could feel the irritation rolling off him, but what could he say? Tonight wasn’t just any event, it was curated decadence, an invitation-only spectacle where the crème de la crème mingled with those bold or dangerous enough to matter.And if he thought he had the right to sneer at my company, he should remember John was already waiting for us at the dock.The yacht peeled aw
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Chapter 42: Jealousy In Jazz

Zara’s POVThe party naturally fractured as the night deepened. The elders drifted to the rooftop, nursing aged scotch and cigars, their laughter a low rumble as they observed us from above like watchful gods.A message came, Mr. Everhart wanted me. I slipped away from the music and found him on the rooftop among his circle of old-world friends. I offered smiles, handshakes, polite nods, every gesture perfectly rehearsed.That’s when I saw it. A man lifted his hand, fingers forming a sign. The same cryptic gesture Dr. Henry had made at the hospital. And he wasn’t the only one, several others mirrored it, subtle but deliberate, like a language whispered in plain sight.“So, when will she join us?” the host of the evening asked, his tone casual, but his eyes sharp.Mr. Everhart’s gaze settled on me, steady and knowing. “Soon,” he replied. “It’ll happen soon. Relax.”Join what?The word lodged itself in my chest, cold and heavy. This was the second time I’d heard it, that strange phrasin
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Chapter 43: Power Play

Zara’s POVSterling chose to pay the fee instead of kissing Sandra. Relief flooded through me, though Sandra’s face twisted in rage. She stormed out of the circle, her entourage following close behind. One by one, the game unraveled until the group scattered.I headed back to my room. Cassian was on the bed, scrolling through his phone.“Do you always have to find a way to humiliate me in front of everyone?” he asked without looking up.I stilled, slipped off my shoes, and arched a brow. “Humiliate you? Because I danced with a girl?”His phone hit the side table with a thud. “Yes. I’m your husband…”“Oh, please.” I cut him off. “‘I’m your husband, I’m your husband.’ ” I mimicked, throwing up air quotes, my tone deliberately mocking.His eyes snapped to mine, dark with fury.“Aside from wearing the title, what exactly do you do as my husband, Cassian? Because from where I stand, it seems pretending to be a family man is more important to you than actually being one.” I yanked the head
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Chapter 44: The Gamble For Power

Zara’s POVAfter winning the Carringtons, the air inside the hall was electric, the champagne-scented kind of silence that only happens when fortunes are at stake. By now, nearly everyone had abandoned the dance floor and gathered around the long green-felt table, their jewels glittering under chandeliers, eyes hungry as they watched me climb.They whispered as I played. Some swore I was cheating. Others swore I was blessed with impossible luck. Either way, I was winning, and in this room, winning meant power.Mr. Everhart, stoic as marble, betrayed nothing, but I caught the faint curve at the corner of his mouth, pride he refused to wear openly. He was watching me drag the Everhart name up the ladder, one ruthless hand at a time. I beat five families already, some shares lower than twenty, but still, it's a lot.The final opponent was the one everyone had been waiting for: Vanderlyn, our host. His son Peterson slid into the chair across from me with the cool arrogance of someone who
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Chapter 45: Desires We Fed

Zara’s POVHis mouth claimed mine with hunger. His kiss was messy, desperate, like he’d been starved of me for years. His hands roamed everywhere, palming, squeezing, gripping me like I belonged to him.The silk strap of my nightdress slid off my shoulder, the fabric pooling at my waist. His lips left mine, dragging down my throat until he closed around my nipple, sucking hard. I gasped, my hand clutching his hair as he teased the other breast with his fingers. Every pinch made me moan louder, my body betraying me. His lips returned to mine, kissing deeply.I pushed his shirt open, nails grazing across the solid muscle of his chest. I kissed along his jawline, his neck, then lower, leaving wet, open-mouthed kisses down to his chest. When I caught his nipple between my lips, he let out a low groan that vibrated through me.Sliding off his lap, I sank to my knees before him, unbuckling his belt with trembling fingers and freeing him. His cock sprang free, thick, heavy, already throbbin
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Chapter 46: A Killer Among Us

Zara’s POVThe noise grew louder outside, shouts and gasps echoing through the early morning air. I checked the time, almost 5 a.m.“Shit,” I muttered, heart racing. “I didn’t even realize morning had crept in.”“You should leave first. I’ll follow after,” Sterling said, his voice low and urgent.“Okay. And remember we were never together,” I reminded.“Got it.”I slipped my robe over my nightdress and stepped into the chill. The wind bit against my skin as I made my way toward the front of the building.Sandra’s screams split the dawn, raw and hysterical. Guests in nightclothes spilled out, voices layering into a chaotic hum. My pulse quickened. Something was wrong, very wrong.I spotted Tessa and Nico in the crowd. Tessa’s face was streaked with tears, her hands trembling. I rushed to them.“Tessa, what is it?” I asked, but before I could say more, she turned, her eyes going wide. Relief and fear flickered across her face.She threw her arms around me, clinging like she’d been holdi
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Chapter 47: All of Us Are Guilty

Sterling’s POVI stayed outside, waiting for Aria. The last thing I wanted was to make things more complicated for her, though a corpse found in her bed was already complicated enough.The morning air was sharp, carrying the hum of restless whispers from the others. I didn’t flinch when a man in a grey coat approached, his badge half-hidden in the fold.“Mr. Sterling Blackwell?”I arched a brow. “Who’s asking?”“Detective Paul. Please, come with me.”I followed him across the gravel path to the smaller annex near the mansion. The atmosphere inside was different, quieter and heavier. The elderly sat in the drawing room, masks of control hiding barely restrained panic. Cassian was there, but Aria was nowhere in sight, which troubled me more than I cared to admit.Immediately we entered the interrogation room, I cut them off before they had the chance to pounce. “Where is Aria?”“In the next room. You’ll see her after. We’ll start with you now,” one detective said, motioning to a chair.
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Chapter 48: Every Alibi Bleeds

Zara’s POVI heard every word of Sterling’s interview before he was ushered in. When he sat beside me and took my hand, the simple brush of his thumb steadied me. Then Cassian was called, and I listened closely to every sharp exchange in his interrogation. It’s ironic, tragic even, that the Blackwells are now tangled at the very center of this nightmare. My mind replayed the shadowed figure in black I saw before. I feel it in my bones, he is behind this. And yet why didn’t the footage catch him entering the building? Something wasn’t adding up.Cassian returned and lowered himself into the seat beside me, the silence between us suffocating. I kept wondering, would Cassian truly want me dead? What if he went out searching for a weapon and came back only to lash out at the wrong body under my sheets? Did my words to him earlier ignite a rage he couldn’t swallow?Six families already had reason to hate me after last night’s games. Six enemies with bloodshot eyes watching me win. Now i
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Chapter 49: Unbroken

Zara’s POVTessa sat frozen, lips trembling, unable to defend herself. A pitiful whimper escaped her throat. Nico, on the other hand, leaned back like he had all the time in the world, chewing his gum as though his name had never been dragged into the mud.I rose from my chair slowly, every pair of eyes was on me.“Shut the fuck up!” I snapped. The walls seemed to vibrate with my voice. Silence slammed into the room.“Let’s get a few things straight,” I said, my voice cold and cutting. “You’re all acting like side-key dump gossipers, and I’m tired of it.”“Watch your mouth,” Peterson barked, puffing himself up.I tilted my head, locked eyes with him, and let a dangerous smile curl on my lips. “You didn’t watch yours when you opened it. Why should I?”His jaw clenched. He looked away first.“First,” I continued, sweeping my gaze across the table, “I won your shares. I know that makes some of you bitter, and frankly, I don’t care. Cry about it in your own time, not here.”I let the word
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Chapter 50: The Secret Recorder

Zara’s POVThe room was suffocating with silence, broken only by the occasional scrape of a chair or a heavy breath. Cassian hadn’t said a word, too quiet, too calm. His stillness gnawed at me. When they all accused me earlier, he didn’t even flinch to defend me, not a word.I refused to believe he had anything to do with this. Not Cassian. Not yet. I wasn’t finished with him, and I’ll be damned if someone takes him off the board before I decide his fate.The detective walked back in, his face a storm of calculation. “We have the footage,” he announced. “But it involves Mr. and Mrs. Everhart’s privacy. We cannot play it for everyone.”The room shifted, whispers sparking instantly. My pulse quickened, but I held his gaze. “Play it,” I commanded.He hesitated. “We haven’t gone through it yet. If the footage exposes… nudity, or intimate matters, you might not want everyone to…”“I said play it.” I demanded. “I’ve been accused enough tonight. If you keep it hidden, they’ll say the Everha
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