Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 161 - Chapitre 170

Nick felt a surprising warmth rise in his chest at her words.At least she cared. At least Liam's effort toward her hadn't been completely wasted."He left early this morning," Cecilia continued, her voice carrying a hint of unease. "I know he doesn't bring work home, but we're married now."She paused, her tone turning firm."There are things I have the right to know."For a moment, Nick studied her.Something about her felt different—more grounded, more decisive.He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back just as the secretary walked in with the coffee tray.After sending her out, he finally said,"It's nothing dramatic. He just had some matters to wrap up back home. SCA isn't exactly a small company."He took a sip of his coffee."Even the CEO overseeing North America alone holds control over billions in assets. The bigger the company, the more complicated the responsibilities. So—"He gave her a meaningful look."He's probably going to be traveling a lot."Cecilia exhaled i

Nick stared at her, stunned by the sudden declaration."What happened now?"Smack!Cecilia slapped her palm onto his desk, the sound sharp enough to make the stack of files jump.With a dead-serious expression, she said, "Give me an easy job. Something where I clock in, do the bare minimum, and collect a paycheck."Nick opened his mouth, but before he could get a word out—"And," Cecilia added, "I want to work in Administration. I need to be able to see Liam at all times."Nick went speechless. "..."Seeing him remain silent, she slapped the desk again—hard."Did you hear me?"Her tone left no room for negotiation.Nick let out a helpless laugh. "Ma'am, you don't exactly need a paycheck.""Then tell me—does Gia need one?" Cecilia shot back, voice dripping with sarcasm.Bull's-eye.Nick fell silent instantly.He'd only found out last night that someone had slipped through SCA's hiring process—Gia had used a different name to get in.He'd planned on dealing with it today, but clearly Cec

"Nice writing." Cecilia flicked the folded newspaper with a mocking lift of her brow. "Maybe you should go ask who's so talented at turning this mess into a front-page spectacle."Giles clenched his jaw so hard it trembled. His eyes were already red."You're the one who not even Dad's kid," he choked out. "So why is my name plastered all over this?"His voice shook with anger and humiliation.Cecilia let out a sharp, taunting laugh. "Take it up with your dear mother."She paused, her tone turning blade-thin."Ask her which man she was crawling into bed with when she had you.""Shut up!" Giles finally broke, tears spilling down his face. He sniffed hard, voice cracking. "It was you, wasn't it? You did this on purpose!"He was desperate for someone to blame—and Cecilia was the easiest target in sight."I don't have time to babysit your family drama." She tossed the newspaper aside and stepped toward the curb, trying to wave down a cab.But the kid had completely snapped, like a rabid mu

Upstairs, Margaret closed the bedroom door and slid down against it, her back pressed to the wood.Her hands trembled as she clutched her phone. The familiar weight now felt crushing—like it might break her fingers.She shook her head, trying to clear the fog in her vision, but the tears kept falling uncontrollably.She dialed a number.The call barely rang once before the other side picked up in a panic."He knows, doesn't he?" Dave's voice was frantic, breath unsteady. "Margaret, what happened? Tell me what's going on."Sitting on the floor, Margaret sounded more terrified—and more hopeless—than she ever had."Dave… you were right."She closed her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks."I miscalculated. I really miscalculated."She had thought she could keep control forever.She had thought she could bury the truth.She had thought she could protect everything she built.But everything had collapsed."Margaret, come here," Dave urged, voice thick with worry. "We'll leave. We'll wal

Outside the emergency building of Presbyterian Hospital, the wail of ambulance sirens sliced through the sky—sharp enough to make anyone's heart seize.Two ambulances screeched to a halt almost simultaneously at the emergency entrance.The moment the doors opened, two mangled, blood-soaked bodies were rushed out on stretchers, one after the other.Dave followed behind, completely rattled, his face drained of color.His gaze darted between the two stretchers, not even knowing whom he should be more worried about.Margaret lay motionless, her body limp. If not for the faint, flickering line on the ECG monitor, she looked no different from a corpse.Her face was covered in blood, her breathing so weak it was barely perceptible.On the other stretcher, Edward's condition was even more chilling.Blood streamed from a deep gash on his forehead—so deep the bone was visible. But the most horrifying sight was his thigh: a massive shard of glass was lodged deep inside, soaking the sheet beneath