All Chapters of Tastes Like Damn Chocolate : Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

CHAPTER 121 The front door burst open with the familiar bang of Pascal’s small hand against the door, followed by the quick patter of sneakers across the marble foyer. “I’m home!” he shouted, voice bright and full of the kind of energy only an eight-year-old could carry after a full day of school. Nikolai, who had been standing near the conservatory archway talking quietly with Tiana, turned at the sound. Tiana, still in her wheelchair with the blanket tucked around her lap, straightened instinctively, her tired face softening into a smile the moment she saw her son. Pascal skidded to a stop when he spotted them both. His backpack slipped off one shoulder and thudded to the floor. His eyes went wide, first to Nikolai, then to Tiana in the chair. “Mummy? Daddy?” Pascal’s voice came out small, uncertain, like he needed to confirm it was really them. Tiana opened her arms as wide as the chair allowed. “Come here, sweetheart.” He hesitated, only a heartbeat, then ran. He stopped just

CHAPTER 123 Nikolai pushed open the door to Pascal’s room quietly. Pascal was already in his pajamas, sitting cross-legged on the bed, brushing his teeth with exaggerated concentration, foam at the corners of his mouth. Nikolai leaned against the doorframe. “Ready for bed?” Pascal nodded vigorously, toothbrush still in his mouth. He spat into the small bucket beside the bed, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and grinned. “Are you really home?” “I am really home,” Nikolai said. “Come on. Let’s brush properly.” Pascal hopped off the bed and followed Nikolai into the attached bathroom. The sink was child-height, a step stool already in place. Nikolai handed him a fresh toothbrush and squeezed toothpaste onto it. They stood side by side in front of the mirror. Pascal on the stool, Nikolai bending slightly at the waist, brushing in unison. Pascal mumbled around the brush, “Dad?” “Hmm?” “One of our teachers said today that it’s not too early to start earning our own money.

CHAPTER 125 Eva Toriaga stood at the window of the mansion's sunlit study, phone pressed to her ear, watching frost melt on the garden paths below. "Harold," she said into the phone, her voice crisp and commanding. "I need you here within the hour. We have business to finalize." The lawyer's response crackled through the speaker. Eva cut him off. "No. Not over the phone. In person. This requires your complete attention." She ended the call without waiting for agreement and set the phone on the mahogany desk. Outside, a gardener raked dead leaves from beneath the bare oak trees. The grounds looked skeletal in winter, stripped down to essentials. Good. She preferred things without ornamentation, without the soft lies of spring and summer. Tiana needed to go. The terms needed to be ironclad. And she needed it done before Nikolai found his spine. Fifty minutes later, the doorbell chimed. Eva didn't answer it herself — that's what staff were for. But she was waiting in the study wh

CHAPTER 127Nikolai arrived exactly twenty-eight minutes later, parking the Range Rover in the circular driveway and taking the front steps two at a time. Maria opened the door before he could knock. "She's in the study, Mr. Nikolai." He found Eva standing behind the desk, the papers spread out like a battle plan. She looked triumphant, energized in a way that made his skin crawl. "These are the divorce terms," she said without preamble, gesturing to the documents. "Everything we discussed. Tiana gets ten million, you get full custody of Pascal, and the unborn child transfers to you after two years. Fair. Generous. Clean." Nikolai picked up the papers, scanning the first page. Legalese swam before his eyes — whereas and heretofore and party of the first part. He flipped to the second page, the third, reading the terms in detail. Then he started laughing. It was a low, dark sound that started in his chest and built until his shoulders shook. He set the papers down, still chucklin

Chapter 129 Nikolai exchanged a glance with Sandy, who was watching him with an expression he couldn't quite read. He picked up the cup in his right hand, hesitated, then took a small sip. The tea was hot, slightly bitter, with notes of bergamot. Earl Grey, maybe. Sandy drank from her left cup, then set it down. "Now the second one," Raymond instructed. This time Nikolai didn't hesitate. He drank from the second cup. It had same temperature, same flavor profile. He set both cups on the table. "They taste identical." "Exactly." Raymond leaned forward, intensity radiating from him. "Can you tell any difference at all? Texture, aftertaste, anything?" "No," Nikolai admitted. "They're the same." "They're not." Raymond picked up one of Nikolai's discarded cups, held it up to the light. "One of these contains a carefully measured dose of thallium sulfate. Not enough to harm you, barely above therapeutic levels for certain medical treatments. But enough to demonstrate a point." The ro