Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 101 - Chapitre 110

VioletI had barely slept wondering about what the hell had uncle Raymond meant and if it all had been a crazy imagination of mine when my phone buzzed somewhere near my head, pulling me from a dream I couldn't quite remember. For a weird second, I thought I saw me standing in front of that mirror, with shadows trying to reach out for me…but the more I tried to recall, the more it slipped like sand out of a firm grip.Meanwhile, my phone continued to buzz.I groaned, reaching blindly across the nightstand until my fingers found the offending device. It was a text from Cassie.Cassie:GET TO THE GYM NOWI squinted at the screen to see that it was 5.30 in the morning. The sun was barely up. And she was texting me in all caps.Me: NoI dropped the phone back on the nightstand and pulled the pillow over my head. Whatever Cassie wanted could wait until a reasonable hour like noon hopefully.The phone buzzed again and again until it finally started ringing."For the love of…" I grabbed it,

VioletTyler actually laughed out loud at that. Gavin coughed to cover his own amusement."We're not interrogating," Madison said, reaching out to touch Elijah's arm. "We're just curious. About fitness. You have such amazing... definition."Her fingers traced up his bicep in what she probably thought was a casual gesture.It was not casual.And I hated how much it bothered me."The muscle development here is just incredible," Veronica added, not to be outdone. She moved to Elijah's other side, her hand landing on his shoulder. "Is this from weights? Or bodyweight training?""Ladies," Gavin interrupted, stepping smoothly between them and Elijah. "Maybe we should all head back inside. Breakfast should be ready soon.""Oh, we're not hungry," Veronica said without looking at him, her hand still on Elijah's shoulder."Yeah, we ate earlier," Madison added, her fingers still resting on his bicep. "We'd much rather stay out here. The fresh air is so... refreshing.""And the view is excellent,

VioletNate began to foam around his mouth, his knuckles white as he gripped the phone."Simple questions?" he repeated, his voice climbing. "Of course I can answer simple questions. These are my projections, my analysis after all.""Great," Dane's voice came through, calm and unbothered. "Let's start with the foundational methodology. Walk me through how you calculated the demographic segmentation for the attendee analysis. Specifically, what weighting system did you use for age brackets versus income distribution?"Nate's mouth opened but he couldn’t utter a single word so closed it. Then he opened it again."The... the weighting system was... it was based on standard industry practices""Which practices specifically?" Dane pressed. "Because the model you presented uses a rather unique algorithm. I'm curious how you developed it.""I... well, I consulted various sources.""What sources?""Market research. Data from previous events. The usual, you know.""The usual what, Nate? It's a

VioletNicole smiled proudly at him as he added, “The Hermès scarf is from their limited collection, you can't even get them in regular stores, only their flagship boutiques. The gloves are from a small artisan in Florence who's been making leather goods for three generations. Nicole's sapphire necklace was custom designed and I personally ensured each diamond was perfect."He continued to blabber while I tried to not yawn. Luckily, movement in the hallway caught my attention and I saw Elijah walking past the hall with his phone pressed to his ear. "I'll have the contracts reviewed by tomorrow," he was saying into the phone, his voice low and professional. "No, tell them the terms aren't negotiable. If they want the deal, they have to accept our conditions."He was dressed casually but the sight of him took my breath away. He wore dark slacks, and a fitted white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, revealing strong forearms. His hair was slightly damp, like he'd showere

VioletThe temperature in the room seemed to drop."I wasn't talking to you" Nate started."And she wasn't talking to you either." Elijah pocketed his phone, and directed all of his attention on Nate. "Yet here you are. Still bothering her."Nate's jaw clenched at that. He looked at me, as if he was trying to find something in my expression like sympathy, maybe, or shared frustration.But I gave him nothing of that sort."Violet, please," he tried again, taking a step toward me. "Just open the box. If you don't like it, fine, but I want you to at least see—"He reached for me to touch my arm, to create some physical connection but I stepped back instinctively.As a result, the box slipped from my hands and then the next few minutes seemed to pass in slow motion.The purple wrapping caught the light as it fell and the silver ribbon loosened. The box hit the floor with a soft thud, the lid popping off from the impact.And something tumbled out. Something pink and shiny.My eyes almost p