Semua Bab BURNING THE LINES BETWEEN US : Bab 1 - Bab 6

Jerome barely slept.He spent most of the night lying awake in his apartment, staring at the ceiling while questions twisted like thorns in his mind.Why was Vanessa’s voice so strange?Who was that man in the background?Why did his mother suddenly back down from telling him whatever she planned to say?By 7 AM, he gave up on trying to rest.He showered, dressed in a crisp charcoal suit, and headed straight to his office before rush hour even began. The quiet building didn’t comfort him today. It felt hollow, cold, echoing the uncertain beat of his heart.At 8:12 AM sharp, his phone buzzed.Mother: Come to my office. Now.He inhaled deeply.So she hadn’t changed her mind after all.Jerome walked across the executive floor with measured steps, but his heartbeat was anything but composed. He stopped at Miranda’s door, took a breath, and knocked.“Come in,” she called.He entered, and immediately sensed a shift. Miranda stood near the window in a tailored ivory suit, her posture poised,

The dinner had been cold in every sense of the word.On the surface, it sparkled, chandeliers dripping with gold, glasses clinking, guests laughing politely. But beneath the pristine tablecloths and polished smiles, Jerome felt something rotting, something hidden, something dangerously close to the surface.Vanessa barely touched her food.She barely spoke.And every time Akihiko shifted in his seat, she stiffened like a trapped bird sensing a hunter.Jerome wanted to reach for her, to comfort her, but he couldn’t ignore the feeling gnawing at him,a silent, ugly truth whispering at the back of his mind.There was something between them.Something he wasn’t supposed to see.And tonight, he would.When the dinner ended and guests began to disperse, Vanessa rose quickly, almost too quickly, her movements sharp and tense. She excused herself, claiming she needed a moment alone.But Jerome knew her well enough to recognize a lie.So, after a minute, he followed.He kept his footsteps quiet

Jerome’s car skidded into the driveway of the Liu penthouse, tires squealing against the marble, his hands clenched so tightly on the steering wheel that his knuckles were white. Every heartbeat felt like a drum of war inside his chest.He didn’t knock when he stormed through the front door. He didn’t pause to greet the familiar smell of jasmine that always meant home. Tonight, there was no home. There was only fire, rage, betrayal, and grief all intertwining into one suffocating storm.“Mother!” Jerome’s voice echoed sharply, bouncing off the marble walls. “Mother, I need to talk to you!”Miranda Liu emerged from the living room, her poised elegance unchanged, but her eyes narrowed slightly, sensing the tension radiating off her son.“Jerome,” she said carefully, keeping her voice calm, “what’s wrong?”“What’s wrong?” he repeated, almost laughing bitterly. “Do you want me to start from the beginning, or just jump to the part where your fiancé is sleeping with my girlfriend?!”The wor