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《In love with my step-son 》全部章節：第 41 章 - 第 50 章

50 章節

Chapter 41

The knock on the door was soft but steady.Derrick didn’t move at first.He just sat there in the dimly lit living room, a half-empty glass of whiskey resting loosely in his hand, condensation dripping onto his pants. The ice had mostly melted. The TV in the corner was on, but the sound was muted. It was playing some old black-and-white movie—something about lost love and second chances. He hadn’t been watching, not really. The images just flickered across the screen, shadows dancing across the pale walls of a home that no longer felt like his.The air smelled of stale regret—of nights spent not sleeping and mornings that came too early.Another knock.He sighed, low and exhausted. “It’s open,” he called without looking up.The door creaked open, hesitant but not unsure, and footsteps echoed faintly into the room—measured and steady, like the person walking had debated this moment more than once.“Derrick.”That voice.Familiar. Calm. Heavy with something more than concern.Derrick tu

Chapter 42

We spent a week and some days before we even started discussing going back to Maya's house. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate her help. She’d opened her home, her arms, and her heart to us. But something inside me still hesitated. We were really enjoying our stay at Eliza’s place. It was quiet, warm, and peaceful, like a part of me that had long been broken finally found a moment to breathe.But I wasn’t ready to move in completely with Maya. Not yet. I wanted to take my time, to allow myself to feel everything instead of pretending it didn’t matter. Still, a part of me wanted to forgive her completely for everything. Because I could see it—she truly felt sorry for abandoning me. She wasn’t faking it. She desperately wanted me back in her life. And I... I think I wanted the same.The moment we stepped back into Eliza’s house, I felt a strange sense of calm. Like I’d returned to a soft blanket after a long, cold walk. But that calm didn’t last.That night, everything changed.Elora ha

Chapter 43

The morning light filtered weakly through the large windows of Derrick's living room, casting long shadows across the hardwood floor. Dust floated lazily in the air, catching the golden rays like little ghosts of time passing. Derrick sat alone on the couch, his shoulders hunched, nursing a cold cup of coffee that had long lost its warmth.The television was on, tuned to a morning news program, but the volume was barely audible. The reporter’s voice droned on about economic shifts and political unrest—words that meant nothing to Derrick at the moment. He hadn’t really listened to anything or anyone in weeks.His eyes wandered to the black-and-white photo hanging on the wall. Their wedding day.Celine, radiant in her white dress, her smile soft and uncertain. He stood beside her, stiff in his tailored suit, trying to look confident but feeling every bit the older man marrying someone so much younger. That moment had once brought him pride. Now, it just felt like a cruel echo.A knock b

Chapter 44

The hospital room smelled like antiseptic and something cold. Something too clean to feel human. The white walls reflected the pale glow from the ceiling lights, making everything look washed out—like color didn’t belong in a place like this. I sat by Elora’s crib, her tiny fingers curled but limp, barely moving. My hand rested gently on hers, brushing over her knuckles like a fragile prayer.The machines beeped steadily beside her, each sound slicing into my chest like a quiet alarm. Her face was pale—too pale. Lips dry. Eyelashes still. And her chest rose in such shallow motions it almost looked like she wasn’t breathing at all.I leaned closer, my voice cracking as I whispered, “Come on, baby… just open those eyes for Mommy. Just once. Please.”My words felt like they were swallowed by the walls. No answer came. Just another soft beep.Behind me, I felt Dr. Maya’s presence. She hadn’t said much since we arrived, but she didn’t need to. Her silence spoke louder than any medical term

Chapter 45

The room was still.The soft hum of the air conditioner and the rhythmic beeping from Elora’s monitor were the only sounds filling the heavy silence. I sat hunched over the edge of the crib, brushing her fragile hand with my thumb, while Derrick sat a few feet away by the window, motionless, like a shadow carved into the chair.We hadn’t spoken since he came in.I could feel his presence in the room—strong and cold, like a storm waiting behind closed doors—but I didn’t dare look at him. I didn’t trust my voice not to break. And I didn’t know which of us would shatter first if we tried to speak.I should have hated him. After everything. After how he’d turned away. After how he left me to carry this alone.But right now, I couldn’t afford to feel anything except hope.Hope for Elora.Hope that her little heart would keep fighting.Minutes passed. Or maybe hours. It was hard to tell anymore. My body was stiff, my eyes heavy, but I refused to move. I couldn’t—not while she looked like th

Chapter 46

The elevator doors opened with a sharp ding, and Derrick stepped into the top floor of his company’s headquarters. His polished black shoes echoed against the cold marble floor as he walked past the empty reception desk. The air smelled faintly of fresh paint and old decisions. Something felt different—colder. As if the building itself sensed betrayal.His sharp eyes narrowed.Where was everyone?“Sir!” Jerome’s voice cut through the silence. He appeared from the hallway, slightly breathless, holding a tablet and a sheaf of printed reports. His face looked paler than usual, beads of sweat forming around his collar.“They’re all waiting in the boardroom.”Derrick didn’t stop walking. “Who?”“Everyone—Finance, Legal, PR, Operations. They’ve been calling nonstop.”Derrick gave a small nod and pushed open the large glass doors of the boardroom.Every head in the room turned at once. The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence.Tense faces. Stiff postures. Eyes full of fear and uncerta

Chapter 47

The sky was still dark when Derrick stepped into the boardroom again. Outside, the city was asleep, its lights scattered like dying stars in the distance. Inside, the room buzzed with quiet urgency.A few of his top executives were already there—Vivian from Finance, Linda from PR, Jerome, and two IT specialists huddled over laptops and printouts. No one spoke more than necessary. They had worked through the night, driven not just by fear of collapse, but by something deeper—loyalty. Loyalty to a man who had built the company from the ground up. Loyalty to the storm he was now standing in alone.Jerome walked in, balancing a tray of steaming coffee cups. His eyes looked heavier than usual, his shirt wrinkled at the collar.“Sir,” he said, placing a cup near Derrick. “The forensics team found something.”Derrick didn’t sit. His eyes scanned the tired faces around the table. “Talk to me.”Vivian looked up, fingers still resting on the trackpad of her laptop. She turned the screen around

Chapter 48

The early afternoon light filtered through the blinds in Derrick’s office, casting striped shadows across the floor. He didn’t notice the sun. His eyes were fixed on the files spread across his desk, each page a whisper of betrayal, each photo a piece of the puzzle slowly taking shape.“Sir,” Jerome said as he walked in, shutting the door behind him. He held a tablet in one hand and a small folder in the other. “We found something.”Derrick looked up. “Go ahead.”Jerome placed the tablet on the table and swiped through a few images. “Do you remember Evis James ? Former board member. Forced to retire three months ago after that audit flagged him for mismanagement?”“Yes,” Derrick said slowly. “He claimed it was a health issue, but something didn’t sit right.”Jerome nodded. “We looked into his financials again. His personal accounts were clean. But he started receiving regular deposits into a separate offshore account last year. The payments stopped one week after he was removed.”“Whe

Chapter 49

The sky outside was gray, heavy with the promise of rain. It matched the heaviness in my chest. I sat in the living room, gently rocking Elora in my arms. She had finally dozed off after a long, fussy afternoon. Her tiny breaths were warm against my neck, her fingers curled tightly around the edge of my shirt like she never wanted to let go. I didn’t blame her. Some days, I didn’t want to let go either.Dr. Maya had left a few hours ago to attend to an emergency at the hospital. She promised to return before nightfall. I had smiled and waved her off, thinking the solitude would do me some good.Or at least I thought I didn’t mind being alone.But now, the silence in the house felt too loud.I had just laid Elora in her crib, pulling a soft blanket up to her chest, when a knock echoed through the quiet house.Three slow knocks.Firm.Not like Maya.I froze, my hands instinctively going to my chest as if I could steady the sudden pounding of my heart. My eyes darted to the clock on the

Chapter 50

The evening sky over the city bled into shades of bruised purple as if the world itself mirrored Derrick’s turmoil. From the thirty-second floor of his sleek glass tower, Derrick sat behind his mahogany desk, alone, the skyline stretching endlessly behind him, glittering as if nothing had changed.But everything had.The office lights were dimmed, casting long shadows on the floor. His fingers tapped the armrest of his leather chair, steady but tense. In his other hand, he clutched a whiskey tumbler, the amber liquid untouched. It had gone warm hours ago—just like the trust that once warmed his heart.The door opened quietly with a soft click.Jerome stepped in, his expression tight, a file tucked under his arm. His suit jacket was wrinkled, his tie pulled loose. "They took the bait, sir."Derrick didn’t move. “When?”“Less than an hour ago. Surveillance caught Jackson and Olivia entering the perimeter of Celine’s neighborhood. They parked three houses down and walked the rest of the

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