Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 31 - Chapitre 40

The alarm had barely gone off when Winter opened her eyes. Moving on instinct, she grabbed her phone from the nightstand and dialed Chris’s number from memory.Just like the night before, it rang until the call went to voicemail. No one answered.She tried Gavin next.This time, the call connected.Her voice was hoarse as she got straight to the point. “Put Chris on.”“Mr. Xander is in a very important meeting right now.”“I want to speak to Chris,” she repeated.Her tone was calm in a way that felt almost frightening. On the other end of the line, Gavin frowned.Winter sat hunched on the edge of the bed, listening quietly to the sounds coming through the phone. Footsteps echoed in what sounded like a large, open space. A moment later, the wind howled faintly through the receiver.“What is it?”A man’s cool, distant voice came through.Her bloodshot eyes filled with tears. She hated him.She took a deep breath, but her voice still trembled.“You want to be with Skyla. Fine

She had thought, maybe this was for the best. If she died, there would be no more pain. And even if there was, someone would finally care.She could be with her parents again.Then the crash of a door being kicked in shattered the silence. Instinct forced her eyes open. Through the thick smoke, she saw a pair of dark eyes, beautiful and impossible to look away from.Chris dragged her out of the haze.On her first day at the Xander house, he had barely acknowledged her.And yet, he had saved her.She later heard that he had carried her out of the burning building that afternoon and made it clear to everyone present. “She belongs to the Xanders. Touch her again and see what happens.”After that, no one ever bullied her again.That was when he planted the first seed in her young heart. By the time she was old enough to understand her feelings, they had already taken root beyond control.Now, staring at the man before her, his figure overlapping with the boy from her memories, W

Winter’s lip was bitten raw. She cried out in pain as Chris slowly released her. Without the lenses of his glasses to soften them, his eyes were filled with raw aggression.He raised a hand, wiping the smear of blood from his lip with his thumb. The hand gripping the back of her neck tightened as he leaned in, his lips grazing her earlobe in a cruel whisper. “Winter Scott, don’t cross my line.”Winter trembled with anger. Her voice came out hoarse and dry. “Then don’t cross mine either. Worst case, we both go down together. I’ve got one life, and I’m ready anytime.”“Want to die that badly?” Chris stared at her with those deep eyes.“You can try,” Winter said, not backing away as she met his cold, sharp gaze head-on.Chris seemed to dismiss her words entirely.The arm around her waist tightened, holding her in place with ease. With his other hand, he brushed her hair aside, revealing a face that was flushed but smudged with grime.“You look a mess,” he said.“Let go of me.”In

Chris ripped through her clothes, and Winter curled her body inward out of pure instinct.A split second later, a sharp pain shot through her shoulder. The sensation was wet and stinging. Chris’s teeth sank into the pale curve of her shoulder before he pulled back to look at her. Her eyes, already rimmed with red, welled with fresh tears from the pain.In the heavy shadows, he swept her off the floor and into his arms, carrying her toward the massive bed.The remnants of her clothes lay scattered across the floor.Winter sank into the plush mattress and immediately tried to scramble away. But with her wrists bound by the tie, her center of gravity was off. She lost her balance and tumbled heavily back onto the bed.“If you touch me, Chris, I’ll sue you! I’ll report you for marital rape!”Chris knelt on the bed, one leg braced against the mattress. He watched her futile resistance with cold indifference, as if her threats were nothing but white noise. He tore off his suit jacket a

It was obvious he was prepared to stand there all night if he had to. Winter’s stubborn streak kicked in. But when she noticed the snow gathering on his shoulders, she clicked her tongue in annoyance.The guard watched as she tilted her head slightly and shifted gears. The car slowly backed up, looking as if she were about to turn around and head back to the garage.He quietly let out a breath of relief.Then, without warning, the headlights blazed to life.The engine roared.With a sudden surge, the black sedan shot forward like a hunting panther.The guard reacted on instinct and stepped back. That single step gave her the opening she needed.As the car sped past him, Winter met his eyes through the window and gave him a smug little salute. “You really thought you could stop me?”In the blink of an eye, the car was gone.The guard stood there, speechless.*Back at Westbay, Winter checked the time. It was only 3:20 a.m. There were still hours until sunrise.She lay in bed