Semua Bab Before Her Heart Was Taken: Bab 11 - Bab 20

Before Hector, there was someone else.Javier Ortega. Her high school deskmate. Major crush.She never told him, just kept it quiet till he transferred and vanished.Running into him now? Total plot twist.Tiffany yanked her hoodie up, face burning. She looked like a wreck. But Javier? He just smiled and scooped her up like it was no big deal."Your leg's busted. I'm headed back to Velmont—wanna come?"She straight-up glitched.Javier tilted his head. "What? Think I'm gonna sell you or something?""I didn't even care about dying," she muttered, eyes dropping. "Why would that scare me? I just... didn't think I'd ever see you again. Not like this."He gently set her in a wheelchair, like he'd already planned for it."Taffy." His voice was low, soft, right before he hugged her. "You forget? We were best friends. I still owe you a wish."Second time he'd called her that.Her eyes burned.They'd been desk buddies for two straight years. Everyone thought they were a thing.He c

"She's gone..." Esteban said quietly.Eighteen years with the Coxons—he'd watched Hector grow up. But at the end of the day, he was still just a servant.So when Hector, burning with rage, smashed a vase over his head, Esteban didn't flinch.Tears streaked his face. "She won't last much longer. Let her go—for her sake and yours. You'll regret this, Hector. I swear you will."But Hector was too far gone.He grabbed a bat and swung hard."Who told you to let her leave?! Tiffany's my sister—my girl! You hear me?! She's mine! I'll do whatever I damn well please! You sick of breathing or something?!"The coffee table flipped. Glass flew. The TV cracked under his boot.Dave and the driver rushed in, wrestling Hector back.The housekeeper screamed, fumbling for gauze as she dialed for an ambulance, hands shaking."Go find her!" Hector roared, completely unhinged. "I don't care what it takes—money, people—dead or alive, bring her back!"Dave bolted out the door.The driver and hous

By the time Benjamin's guards dragged Hector back to the family estate, he hadn't slept in three days.He looked wrecked—haunted, empty-eyed, like he'd snapped.He and Benjamin had been going at it nonstop. All over Tiffany.Even with threats of losing his inheritance, getting booted from Coxon Corp—Hector wouldn't budge. Instead, he doubled down, blowing through every contact he had.Two weeks. Ten million gone. Nearly a thousand people—lawful, shady, or both—mobilized.All of Westvale knew: Hector Coxon had lost his mind over some runaway girl.The tabloids had a field day.And the Coxon name? Completely trashed.Charlotte, after getting dumped in public, became a total joke.Her high-society fantasy? Crushed. People mocked her nonstop.Too scared to face Hector, she spent her days crying to Benjamin.Eventually, he snapped. One brutal kick to Hector's ribs."You little punk! You told the world you were marrying Charlotte—now you're backing out? If it was just a fling, wh

"Ah!!"Charlotte clutched her legs, screaming, trying to crawl away."I was wrong! I shouldn't have lied! Hector, please—ahh—stop! Please, I'm begging you!"She wailed like a rubber chicken getting crushed, sobbing and scrambling across the floor, rolling, crawling—anything to dodge the blows."I swear I won't do it again! Just forgive me this once!"She ducked under the table, face streaked with tears and snot.Hector, seething, barked at the guards. "Tie her to the column."Thud. Thud. Thud.The club slammed into her body, merciless and loud.Charlotte's eyes rolled back from the pain, but the duct tape over her mouth muffled her screams.Blood streaked down the white column. Her legs—once flawless—were beaten so badly they bent the wrong way. She passed out cold.But Hector wasn't done."Basement," he snapped. "Get a doctor to dose her with something—anything. Just don't kill her. I've already found the perfect place for her."He tossed the club aside and walked upstair

Tiffany landed in Kenura four days ago.Her legs were way better now—still slow, still needed breaks, but at least she could walk again.Javier had meant to wait until she was fully healed, but work here couldn't wait, and she was still a mess emotionally. So yeah, he brought her early.The rest of the team already had their assignments. Since she was still recovering, she got stuck at the base in Nyrobi—the capital of Kenura—doing basic admin stuff.She stared out the window at the traffic and crowds, then let out a sigh. "This is so not what I pictured."Javier shook his head. "Even in the poorest countries, there's still a rich side and a slum side. You haven't seen the real Zafaria yet.""You come here a lot?""Yeah. I used to visit during school breaks. After I graduated, it became full-time. Not just Zafaria, though—I've been to South Amania, Esia, too."Tiffany went quiet.Her chest tightened—not from jealousy, but from longing. She envied his freedom, his independence.