All Chapters of After He Took It All: Chapter 131 - Chapter 140

Brielle’s POVThe roads up ahead became clearer the closer we got to the coast.To my right, the cliffs there appeared like jagged teeth ready to take us in for one heck of a ride. And to my left, the ocean sprawled endlessly with waves.You know, those kinds of waves that swallowed things up entirely and never gave them back.Chills ran down my spine as I darted my attention away from the sides, and instead, watched the blinking dot on my phone with a tight-lipped smile.It was still moving.Good.Because moving still meant they were up and alive.As for Axel?Well…he hasn't spoken in like, twenty minutes or so.Not a single word.Both hands gripped on the steering wheel tightly like it was the only thing anchoring him to reality. His jaw clenched for so long that I could almost hear his teeth grinding, especially whenever I made a movement around him.Every time the GPS recalculated, his foot would only press harder on the accelerator, and the veins on his biceps only visible from h

Brielle’s POVFor just a second, I felt the world tilt around me.Not because of fear.No, no, no no.But simply because the Chairman—this monster carved out of arrogance and cruelty—had gone frozen and annoyed.Leo’s words hung in the air, small and clear and devastating. They landed exactly where they were meant to.Right in the middle of him.The smile on his face didn’t drop immediately. It twitched first. Just a fraction long. Like a crack in glass you only notice when the light hits it wrong.That was all I needed to know what his move was.I finally made my move.Not too fast, or too dramatic. Just one step to the side, heels clicking softly against polished stone. Calm enough to look unbothered. Controlled enough to look like the stupid ‘inevitable’ he was talking about.Axel felt it beside me—the shift. I didn’t look at him, but I knew he sensed it the way he always did. It was our move now.The Chairman slowly turned his gaze from Leo to me.“Well,” he said lightly, recove

Axel’s POVThe sound of the helicopter blades faded into the distance.A sound that reassured me of their safety.Of their whereabouts.Which was enough for me to feel something inside my chest unclench for the first time since I saw that empty crib.Knowing that they were finally safe with us.That Alexei had them up there.God help me, the only person reckless and soft-hearted enough to throw chili powder at armed men and still apologize about it later.Good.Let him cook.Because I was done pretending to be civilized.My eyes and lungs still burned from the smoke of the aftermath, but none of that compared to what was coming for him.I turned back slowly.My father stood a few feet away, wiping at his eyes with a handkerchief like this had been a minor inconvenience at brunch.His security detail was coughing, disoriented. Some were still down on one knee, blinking through tears.Brielle didn’t hesitate—yes, she came with me too.We couldn't let him go scot-free after all. Knowing

Brielle’s POVThe flight back to Germany felt shorter and more tense than the last time.Or maybe I just didn’t feel time moving like it normally did anymore.Luca was asleep against my chest, his breath warm through my sweater. Leo sat beside Axel, unusually quiet, staring out the window like he was aware of everything going on.Sometimes, I wonder if he really did, but then again, I wouldn't want to drag my kids into this cruel reality.They were just kids after all.As for Axel? He still hasn't let go of my hands ever since we boarded.I mean, I didn't blame him.We barely recovered from whatever the heck that was with his father.I closed my eyes briefly to the private jet humming in a firm rhythm beneath us as it slid through the clouds towards Munich. Richter had arranged everything within minutes of the hospital’s call. Of course he had. Because If there was one man who was prepared in the face of any emergencies, it was him.Heck, I haven't even been back to Germany in mont

Brielle’s POVThey say the eyes are windows to the soul.But what happens when you’re looking into a mirror that shouldn’t exist?Standing in the Bayerischer Hof ballroom, surrounded by the scent of expensive champagne and the hum of Munich’s elite, the world felt like it was tilting on its axis. The chandeliers above us sparkled with a million different lights, but all I could see were those eyes.Eyes that looked like mine.Eyes that looked like hers.Seraphina Laurent.The name sounded....I don't know, surreal, maybe? But the presence she carried was pure steel. She stood there with a smile that didn't reach her pupils, watching me like a scientist would watch a particularly interesting specimen under a microscope. I felt Axel’s grip on my hand tighten but even his warmth couldn't stop the cold from seeping into my marrow.My mother is dead, I’d said. It was a fact. A pillar of my existence.Yes, she said softly. She is.I didn't blink. I couldn't. If I blinked, the reality of thi