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Lahat ng Kabanata ng Built from Ruins: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

36 Kabanata

Chapter 11

Jennifers POVThe sunight streaming through my bedroom windows felt like a personal insult. I had'nt slept all night scrubing the warehouse scent off my skin (one thing about me is I value my scent over everything ) whislt staring at the red silk dress crumpled in the corner of my room. It looked like discarded skin.By 08:00AM the silence in the mansion was shartterd. I heard the unmistakable sound of Romanos cane against the hallway floor that sound usually signaled someone was about to loose their job, or dignity. I did''nt wait for him to knock. I threw on a silk robe and opened the door. Romano stood there, his face a mask of controlled fury. In his hand , he held a survaillance photo from the docks. It shows Lucas's Maybach parked outisde the warehouse entrance."You went behind my back ", he said, his voice low but powerful. "And ontop of that to save a useless common engineer who was snooping around my cargo.""He wasnt snooping ,Papa. He was dru

Chapter 12

Jennifer's POVThe private clinic was tucked away in a quiet cornor of London, far from prying eyes of the press and the iron grip of my father. I knew I shouldnt be here but do I listen? No I dont.I'd use every ounce of my BBB authority to sneak past the guards Lucas had posted at the door . Well I told them I was there on 'Lombardis orders' to check the status of the asset. It was a cold hard lie, but it payed of. When I stepped into the room , the smell on antiseptic and tablets hit me 'yuck' . Jax was sitting up in bed , his face a combination of yellow and purple. He looked small. He looked like a man who had finally realized that he was a character in a story to dark for him."Jen?" he whispered , his voice raspy."Hey" I said softly , staying by the door. I didnt run to his side or shed a tear. Something had shifted in the air between us , something that could'nt be fixed with a kiss nor a apology."You shouldnt be here" he said , looking at the

Chapter 13

Jennifers POVThe morning of the wedding didnt feel like a celebration. It felt lie like a funeral for my soul. The air in the Conti mansion was thick with the scent of lilies and expensive hairspray. My bedroom was swarming with stylists but I felt like everything was happening around me but i wasnt in my body anymore. It seemed as if I was a ghost just sitting and watching my surroundings. The dress was a masterpiece of white lace and silk heavy. I could tell this dress was worth more than most people earn in a decade. As they cinced the corset , I could barely breathe. ''Perfect '', My father remarked, standing in the dooorway. He didnt look at my face , only at the lace drapped around my shoulders. ''You look like a Lombardi already"."I look like a prisoner'' I whispered low enough so he wouldnt hear.He checked his watch ."The car is waiting, Dont make him wait , Jennifer. Lucas isnt a man who enjoys being sidelined." The ceremony at the cathedral was a blur of flashin

Chapter 14

GOLDEN CAGE The morning didnt wake me, the silence did. It was heavy artificial silience that only exists in places built to keep the world out. I was still in the guest wing. sprawled ontop of the covers still in my wedding gown and makeup. The lace was crushed and my skin felt raw where the corset had dug in for over 18 hours. I reached for my phone on the nightstand. I felt nothing. Thats when I opened my eyes to realise 'It was gone'. In its lace was a brand new device with a single contact saved on it. 'Lombardi Secretary'. I sat up , my head spinning. I ran for the door, tried it. I was lockked from the outside. ''Lucas!'' I screamed, pounding my fists against the heavy oak. ''Open the fraking door" "Open this door you coward!" I kept on banging till i got tired. I went back and sat on the edge of the bed. Five minutes later, the click of a heav bolt echoed. The door swung open to reveal a woman in a stiff grey uniform. She looked like she belonged in a high end boar

Chapter 15

The silence following Lucas's departure was deafening. He walked out of the sunroom with the same cold indifference he had shown at the altar. He left me standing amidst the wrekage of shattered glass and my shatered life. I was a 'Creative face'. More like a mascot for the company I had built with my own sweat and late night tears. I retreated to the library , the only room that didnt feel like it was actively watching me , though I knew the cameras were tucked into the crown molding. I curled up in the leather armchair , staring at the high stone walls outside. "You know for a Bad Ass Bitch you look remakbly like a wet cat right now." I jumed startled, my heart nearly leaping out of my chest. Standing by the door was Tracy. She wasnt wearing a gown nor a suit she was in her everyday oversized black hoodie, holding a device that looked life a tablet but with wires coming out of it. "Tracy , How did you get here? I thought your brother didnt like any visitors." "Well I kinda might

Chapter 16

Jennifer’s POV Lucas lingered in the doorway for a moment longer, his gaze sweeping over the rows of books as if they might whisper my secrets to him. He looked frustrated, like a hunter who knew the prey had moved but couldn't find the tracks. "Dinner is at eight," he said, his voice regaining its icy authority. "Dress appropriately. We have guests coming from the ministry. Don’t make me regret giving you the afternoon to 'sulk.'" He turned and left, the heavy doors thudding shut behind him. I waited until I heard his footsteps fade down the marble hall before I pulled the thumb drive from my pocket. My heart was thumping so hard I thought it might bruise my ribs. I sat at the mahogany desk and pulled the "Lombardi" phone out. Following Tracy’s instructions, I connected the drive using a small adapter she’d taped to the back. The screen flickered, a line of code scrolled rapidly down the display, and then—boom. My old life flashed before my eyes. My personal emails, my

Chapter 17

Jennifers Pov Three days later The flashing lights of the paparazzi at the London Charity Gala felt like a fifng squad, but I didnt flinch. I was three glasses of vintage champagne deep, and the world was beginning to blur at the edges in a way that felt like mercy. "Smile, Jennifer,'' Lucas whispered, his hand sliding around my waist. To the cameras, it looked like a passionate embrace. To me, it felt like a cage. "You are supposed to be the happiest woman in the room." "Oh ...I am Darling,'' I slurred slightly, leaning my head onto his shoulder.I turned my face toward the cameras, flashing a dazzling, predatory smile that didnt reach my eyes. "I'm married to a man who steals from his wife. Whats more romantic than that.?" "You're drunk." "Im celebratory," I corrected , reaching for a forth glass from a passing waiter. "To the merger, To the Malls and to the lies cheers!" I spent the next three hours being the perfect 'madly in love' Lombardi Bride. I draped myself ove

Chapter 18

The next Morning Lucas's Pov I sat at the head of the breakfast table, a black coffee in front of me that I hadnt touched. Across me , Jennifer sat in a sillk robe, nursing a glass of green juice and squinting at the sunlight as if it offended her. "My head feels like its being hammered by a construction crew," She muttered , not looking up. "Did I say something embaressing last night?" I stare at her . Her hair was a mess, her eyes were blooshot, and she clearly remeberes abofuckinglutly nothing. "You played the part of a doting wife", I said, My voice sounding harsher than I had intended. "Everyone was convinced" "Good" She sighed, leaning back and closing her eyes. "Atleast the acting was worth the hangover. Did we leave early? ....I dont quite remember the ride home" "We left at Midnight" I replied shortly. I looked down at my hands. I could still feel the sensation of her fingers in my hair.I could still taste the champgne on her breath. I had spent the entire night

Chapter 19

Jennifer’s POVThe green juice was doing nothing for the jackhammer in my skull, but my mind was sharper than it had been in days. I waited until I heard the distinct click of the heavy double doors at the end of the hallway—Lucas was gone. Yay.. I Ran to my room.I pulled the 'Lombardi' phone from under my pillow and typed a message to Tracy.Jennifer: The ghost account is active. I watched the transfer hit the zero-trace ledger right before I passed out last night.Tracy: You’re a legend. Lucas’s tech team is currently running in circles trying to find a 'Server Glitch' They think the money is stuck in the ether.Jennifer: Let them think that. If I can hold it there for a month, I can buy back my majority shares in Cushion under a shell company name.Tracy: Careful, Jen. He’s not a complete idiot. He’s suspicious. I saw him looking at the logs three times this morning.Jennifer: Let him be suspicious. Suspicion isn't proof.I tucked the phone away just as the bedroom door

Chapter 20

The Glitch in the MatrixJennifer's POVThe moment I heard Lucas's car pull down the gravel driveway, I opened my eyes. The "hangover" was real, but the memory loss? That was a masterpiece of a lie.I waited until the house settled into its usual, oppressive silence before I moved. I didn't head for the creative team's meeting. Instead, I grabbed the tablet Tracy had left hidden behind the vent in the library.My fingers were shaking as I typed in the bypass code. *Master?* I thought, a bitter smirk touching my lips. *He has no idea.*I had remembered every second of that kiss. I remembered the way his hands felt, the way his heartbeat had hammered against my chest. But more importantly, I remembered what I had seen over his shoulder while he was distracted by me."Come on, Tracy, pick up," I whispered, the tablet's screen flickering to life.A few seconds later, Tracy’s face appeared in a small window, her eyes hidden behind blue light glasses. "You're late. Lucas just called the s

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