Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 171 - Chapitre 180

Ethan"Are you alright?"Serena was looking at me with that particular expression she had developed recently. The one that meant she had noticed something I was trying not to show."I'm fine," I said.I put the phone in my jacket pocket and turned to her fully. Then I picked up her hand and pressed a kiss on her knuckles slowly.She looked at me for a moment longer, deciding whether to believe me.Then she smiled.I kept hold of her hand the rest of the drive.........The house was lit warmly when we pulled up. Max stopped at the entrance and my guard opened the rear door. I stepped out first and helped Serena out.Inside, the household staff were lined up in the entrance hall the way I had instructed when Serena first came home. Eight of them. Elena at the front, then Clara, then the others in a straight line."Welcome home, Mr. and Mrs. Ashford," Elena said warmly.The others echoed it. Each of them with genuine warmth, not performance.Serena smiled at them. She walked down the li

Ethan"It's like you have a death wish." I said coldly, pulling out my gun and pointing it directly at him.Marcus stumbled backward immediately, his hands flying up."Wait," he said. "I just want to talk. I just need...""You wanted to talk," I said, moving toward him steadily. "And you thought the best way to do that was to send a threat to my personal number. A threat against my wife. Against my unborn child?""I'm sorry," Marcus said, still backing away. "I didn't know how else to get you to..."I fired.The shot hit the concrete floor two inches from his left foot.Marcus yelped and jumped sideways."Ethan please..."I fired again. To his right this time.He scrambled backward and nearly fell. "Stop! Please! Just listen to me for one second.""Give me one reason," I said, still walking toward him. "One reason I shouldn't end this conversation right now.""The Boss!" Marcus shouted, his back hitting the wall behind him. "It's about the Boss. Please. Just stop."I stopped.The ware

Ethan Ashford I turned and put my back against the wall beside the doors.My hands were not entirely steady.I looked down at them for a moment.Then I pushed off the wall and started pacing.The corridor was not long enough. I walked to the end and came back. Walked to the end and came back. The house staff watched me from where they stood and nobody spoke.I paced for what felt like a very long time.Then the double doors opened.A doctor came out. He's in his late Fifties. Calm professional eyes that had delivered difficult news many times and had learned how to hold their face for it.I stopped pacing."Mr. Ashford," he said."How is she," I said."Your wife is stable," he said. "We have her stabilised. Her vitals are coming down to a safer range."Something in my chest released a pressure I hadn't realised had been building for the entire drive."What happened to her," I said.The doctor paused briefly."Mr. Ashford," he said. "Your wife was poisoned."My blood ran cold.I had a

Ethan Ashford The monitor beeped steadily."I will find who did this," I said against her hand. "Not my security team. Not Daniel. Me." I lowered her hand slowly but kept hold of it. "I will find them myself and I will deal with them myself. I promise you they will not be able to do this to you or anyone else ever again."I sat back in the chair.Kept her hand in mine.And waited........It was a little over two hours later when her fingers moved.Small. Almost nothing. Just the faintest pressure against my palm.I sat forward immediately."Serena."Her brow creased slightly. Then her eyes opened. Slow and heavy, blinking against the light."Ethan." Her voice came out barely above a whisper. Rough and thin."I'm here." I moved closer, keeping her hand in mine. With my free hand I reached up and moved the strand of hair that had fallen across her face. "I'm right here."She blinked a few more times. Her eyes found mine and stayed there."How are you feeling," I asked.She didn't ans

Ethan Ashford I stopped.A young woman near the centre of the line was shaking so violently she could barely stand. Her hand was raised. Her face was completely wet with tears."I saw something," she said, her voice tumbling out fast and terrified. "Yesterday. I saw Esther with the fruit tray. She had something in her hand. Like a small needle. An injection. I asked her what she was doing and she said she was keeping the fruit fresh. She said it makes it last longer. I didn't think..." She broke off into a sob. "I didn't know. I swear I didn't know what she was doing. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."The hall went completely silent.I turned my head slowly to the right.Esther.She was one of the newer staff. Brought in as part of the last round of hires. Quiet. Efficient. Serena had greeted her by name on the first day and she had smiled and said thank you ma'am.She was standing two people from the end of the line.As my eyes found her, she crumbled.She dropped straight to her knees on t