Semua Bab The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers : Bab 61 - Bab 69

ANYA’S POVThe sun coming into the penthouse was just cruel because it was this bright, freezing white light that made the fancy marble counters look like rows of gravestones. I hadn’t slept for even a single second, and I’d spent the whole night in the shower trying to scrub the smell of Ethan’s office off my skin, but I still felt gross, like there was this dirty film over me that just wouldn't wash away no matter how hard I tried.I sat at the kitchen island with my hands shaking around a mug of tea that had been cold for hours, and I just stared at a tiny breadcrumb on the counter. I focused on its weird, jagged shape because I knew that if I looked up and saw my own face in the mirror, I’d totally lose it and shatter into pieces.Then the elevator dinged, and my heart dropped because I knew it was Ethan.He stepped out looking way too perfect in a navy suit, and his tie was so straight and tight that it felt like a threat. He didn't look like a guy who had spent the night lurking

Anya’s POVMy heart wasn't just beating; it was slamming against my ribs like a frantic animal and I couldn't pull my eyes away from that red icon on my screen. User: E. Cole has joined the session. He was watching the files download and he was watching my cursor hover over those Swiss clinic records, which meant he was seeing me dismantle the massive lie he’d spent years constructing right in front of his face.I didn't wait for him to come find me, but instead, I slammed the laptop shut with a crack that sounded like a bone breaking in the quiet alcove. I shoved it into my bag and bolted, my boots thudding against the concrete floor as I ducked into the maze of the O2’s backstage.The hallways felt narrower than they had five minutes ago, and every shadow cast by the stacks of amplifiers and rolls of gaffer tape looked like Ethan waiting to step out and snatch the bag from my shoulder. I was breathing in ragged stabs that made my chest ache, and I could feel the sweat cooling on my

Anya’s POVThe move happened with a terrifying efficiency that felt less like moving house and more like being extradited to a foreign country.I barely had enough time to throw my life into a suitcase before two of Ethan’s "security detail" were standing in my doorway, looking like a pair of high-end sharks in suits that definitely cost more than my entire four-year degree. They didn't say a word, they just stood there with those blank, unblinking stares until I got the message and followed them out like a prisoner of war.The new residence wasn't in the city center where I could at least pretend to be part of the world; it was a secluded estate on the outskirts, a massive glass-and-stone monolith hidden behind high stone walls and wrought-iron gates that looked like they were designed to keep things in just as much as they kept people out.As the car rolled up the long, winding driveway, the London fog seemed to rise up and swallow the world behind us, effectively cutting us off fro

Anya’s POV“To my office now.”My phone pinged with that short, cold message from Ethan and honestly, I felt like my heart was going to beat right out of my chest because I was still vibrating from the "discovery" I’d made in the library. I walked down the hall and the air in the mansion felt different, almost like it was cheering for me, and I felt so powerful because I was convinced that I finally had the leverage I needed to destroy him. I pushed open the doors to his office and stood before his desk, but the room felt stagnant and smelled like old paper and that sharp, metallic tang of a trap finally snapping shut, though I was too blinded by hope to notice it yet."She’s alive," I repeated, and my voice sounded high and thin and totally like a stranger's, but I kept pushing through the fear because I needed him to know I wasn't scared anymore. "I saw the logs, Ethan, and I saw the video of the clinic in Switzerland, so you can stop the lies right now because I know you’ve been hi