#131

Chapter 131 Nikolai's POV It had been a hell of a ride for me these past few months. I sat in my car, parked far enough from Ethan's beach house that I wouldn't be spotted but close enough that I had a clear view of the upstairs windows. The sun was just beginning to rise over the ocean, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold that should have been beautiful but just felt mocking. I'd been here all night. Watching. Waiting. Torturing myself. I genuinely loved Cynthia. Had from the moment I first saw her, though I'd tried to deny it, tried to convince myself it was just professional admiration or passing attraction. It had been during my father's birthday celebration at her restaurant in Paris—Maison Cynclair. I'd gone reluctantly, expecting another tedious family obligation filled with forced conversation and mediocre food. Instead, I'd met her. She'd come out of the kitchen personally to greet my father and when she'd stood there in her chef's whites, hair pulled

Last Updated : 2026-01-07

#132

Chapter 132 Cynthia's POV Ethan wanted to drop me off at home, but I didn't want that. "I can call an Uber," I said, already trying to pull out my phone, before remembering I'd left my purse and phone at the event last night. "Or... I'll figure something out." "Don't be ridiculous," Ethan said, starting the car. "I'm not letting you take an Uber after everything that happened. Just... I'll drive you." "I can't." He turned to look at me, confusion clear on his face. "Why not?" Because I didn't want him to know my identity yet. Didn't want him to pull up to the Laurent Family Mansion and have all the pieces click into place — that I wasn't just Cynthia who'd become a successful chef in Paris, but Cynthia Laurent, member of one of the wealthiest families in the country. Though after last night's endeavor, after what we'd shared in that beach house, I was now emotionally entangled with him again in ways I hadn't anticipated. My walls were crumbling, my resolve weakening,

Last Updated : 2026-01-08

#133

Chapter 133 Cynthia’s POV Kevin followed me all the way down the hall to my room like a personal security detail with opinions, and the moment I stepped inside, he shut the door behind us with a decisive click that told me I wasn’t getting any peace anytime soon. I barely had time to drop my heels by the door before he was in front of me. “Sit,” he ordered, pointing to the armchair by the window. I blinked at him. “Excuse me?” “Cynthia,” he said, using that tone—the one that meant big brother, not business partner, not family strategist, not joking Kevin—“you look like someone who hasn’t slept, eaten, or processed anything that happened in the last twenty-four hours but yet, you have this glow… hmm… i have questions, so sit my dearest Cici.” I sighed, but I complied, sinking into the chair and rubbing my temples. Kevin disappeared briefly into my walk-in closet and came back holding my purse. “This,” he said, tossing it gently onto the bed, “was retrieved from the event. You

Last Updated : 2026-01-08

#134

Chapter 134 Ethan’s POV The iron gates of the Walker mansion came into view like a battlefield checkpoint, and somehow, there were already vultures circling. Reporters. Cameras. Microphones. Flashing lights cutting through the late-morning haze as if they could burn straight through the tinted windows of my car and into my skull. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, jaw set, pulse pounding behind my eyes. “Mr. Walker! Ethan! Is it true you abandoned Anna and her child?” “Did you have an affair while married to Cynthia Walker?” “Are the allegations about emotional abuse true?” “Is Walker Industries facing internal collapse?” The questions came rapid-fire, overlapping, sharp and accusatory, each one designed to provoke a reaction. Hands slapped against my car as I slowed near the gates, security struggling to keep them back. I didn’t answer a single one, none of them deserved to hear the truth filtered through clickbait and outrage. I stared straight a

Last Updated : 2026-01-09

#135

Chapter 135 Cynthia’s POV I took the call and placed it on loudspeaker. Kevin was more curious than I was to hear from Matilda. I guess love really is hard to die. Matilda sounded very cryptic, couldn’t even read any emotions to her request. “Hi, Cynthia. Can we meet?” I didn’t know what to respond, I was mute for a while, because I knew Matilda has something going on up her sleeves that I was yet to figure out and now, she is asking for a meeting? “It’s urgent. I promise not to take your time. I will send you the address, thank you” She dropped the call almost immediately not even waiting to hear a response from me. I looked at Kevin who looked away immediately, he looked disappointed at himself. Shortly, the address came in and I just knew I had to grace this meeting to know what is going on on Matilda’s mind. ... Matilda had insisted on somewhere “neutral,” which in her vocabulary apparently meant a discreet private lounge tucked inside one of those elit