All Chapters of I HEARD HIM SAY " DADDY": Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

ANNALISE I walked into the atelier, my heels clicking against the polished marble floor, each step echoing with a confidence I didn’t feel but was determined to project. Aiden followed close behind me, his presence a constant, unspoken weight at my back. I could feel his eyes on me, tracking my movements like a hawk surveying its prey. “You should call the design team,” I said, forcing my voice to carry authority, even as my stomach fluttered nervously. “After this, I want an announcement.” A faint scoff escaped Damian’s lips, though he didn’t bother turning to face me. “Really?” he said, voice laced with disbelief. “You want to embarrass yourself in front of everyone?” I tilted my chin slightly, letting a small, deliberate smile curve my lips. “No,” I said calmly, letting each word hang in the air between us. “I want a grand announcement. Not just for the Blackwood Conglomerate… but maybe it’s time for the marriage announcement, too.” The words seemed to hang in the room, h

AIDEN I saw Lisa’s face—or maybe it was Annalise—freeze the moment I announced that she would be competing against Tala, our own Head of Design. The shock was subtle, fleeting, but it was there. I didn’t expect it either, honestly, but that didn’t matter. I thought, how better to put her in her place than this? By the time Tala beat her, she would slink home quietly, never make another request, never push back again. And even if I had to marry her, it would be a quiet wedding, a mere formality, and in thirty days, everything would be over. I had the perfect plan. Tala hadn’t expected the competition either, I could tell from the tiny lift of her eyebrow, but she smiled regardless. There was a fire in her expression, that hunger to prove herself, and I admired it—not that I would ever tell her that. She was precise, calculating, and confident. All the qualities Lisa lacked, at least right now. The crowd in the atelier erupted as Tala stepped out, and they were all cheering he

AIDEN After watching Lisa barely find her way around the competition, I found the whole thing mildly entertaining. Her hesitation, the slight tremor in her hands, the way she fumbled before forcing herself to move—it was exactly what I had expected. Every misstep she made seemed to confirm my predictions, and a small, almost imperceptible smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. Meanwhile, Tala moved through the room with flawless, effortless precision. Confident, untouchable, untiring—she was a storm that didn’t need to announce itself. Nothing about the situation suggested the outcome would change. Lisa’s stubbornness was almost admirable, in a frustrating sort of way, but it wouldn’t save her. Not today. Then my phone vibrated, slicing through the background noise of clattering tools and faint murmurs. I glanced down at the screen and smirked. Davis. My lawyer. My best friend. He was in the area and had come with the contract I asked him for. Perfect timing. I cast one last gla

ANNALISE / LISA “Time’s up.” Aiden’s voice cut through the room like ice, sharp and precise, carrying that rare combination of authority and calm that made every motion in the room pause. The click of scissors, the rustle of fabric, even the soft murmur of whispered instructions—all of it seemed to halt midair. My chest tightened for a brief second, not from fear, but anticipation. My pulse surged, not in panic, but in a quiet, thrilling awareness that the moment I’d been waiting for had arrived. I didn’t flinch or twitch. I didn’t make a single unnecessary motion. Because I already knew. I lifted my head slowly, deliberately, drawing out the movement, letting the subtle drama linger. My gaze swept across the room—the judges, the other designers, the low, tense hum of expectation that had settled over everyone like a cloud of smoke. And then it found her. Tala, my opponent and head of design of the Blackwood Conglomerate. She stood there, all polished confidence, posture poise

ANNALISE/ LISA “She must have stolen it,” Tala muttered under her breath, but the words carried through the room like a whispering wind, just loud enough for me to hear. Her disbelief was sharp, almost tangible. “I mean… her work was a complete mess just moments ago. There’s no way she could have pulled this off.” No one paid her the slightest mind. If they heard her, they pretended not to. All eyes were on me. Every single head in the room was turned, every camera phone lifted, every lens pointed as if the room itself had decided I was the center of the universe. The collective energy buzzed, tangible and electric, as murmurs and whispers danced through the air like static clinging to a magnet. “How did she do this?” someone whispered, barely audible above the rising hum of anticipation, a note of reverence lacing the words. I let the attention wash over me. I felt it seep into every fiber of me, that raw, unfiltered thrill of being the epicenter of admiration, envy, and disbelie