Semua Bab A night stand with my ex's uncle : Bab 11 - Bab 16

Rora's POVThree days pass without a word from Liam. The silence feels heavier than a refusal. Ethan watches me during our quiet dinners, his gaze analytical."He's thinking," he says finally, on the third night. "A man like Liam doesn't know how to be a pawn. He's trying to find a way to be the player again."I push my food around my plate. "You think he'll double-cross us?""I think he'll try to triple-cross everyone," Ethan says, a cold amusement in his eyes. "Himself included."The text comes at 2:17 AM. My phone buzzes on the nightstand, the screen glowing in the dark room.Unknown Number: Yes. Tomorrow. 8 PM. Warehouse district. Address to follow. Come alone, Rora.I sit up, my heart pounding. I forward it to Ethan immediately. His response comes within seconds.Ethan: He's already plotting. The warehouse district is his territory - his father owns several properties there. He wants you on his ground.Me: What do we do?Ethan: We play. But we change the rules. Reply: "I'll be

Rora's POVThe fallout from Malice’s little performance begins immediately. By morning, the business news sites are buzzing with a sudden, shocking announcement: Walker Consolidated, Liam’s family company, has secured a massive, last-minute investment from an anonymous European consortium. Their stock, which had been plummeting, surges by 18% in pre-market trading.“Anonymous consortium,” Ethan scoffs, throwing the financial tablet onto the sofa in his study. He hasn’t slept. Dark shadows underline his eyes, but they burn with a cold, relentless light. “It’s Malice. She’s been moving money through shell companies for years. She’s using her stolen cache to prop him up.”“She’s saving him?” I ask, confused. The dynamic from the security footage partnership, not menace clashes with everything I know.“She’s owning him,” Ethan corrects, pouring himself a black coffee. “This isn't a rescue. It’s a collar. She’s just demonstrated she can sink him or save him with a phone call. Now he’s u

Rora's POVThe police sirens wail in the distance, climbing the city’s throat toward the penthouse. The sound pulls Liam back from the edge. He stares at the glass in his hand, then at Malice cowering against the window, and a violent shudder wracks his whole body. He drops the shard as if it’s burned him and stumbles backward, shaking his head, a low moan escaping him.He can’t do it. Even with his freedom offered on a plate of violence, he’s still too weak.Malice sees it the failure of his nerve and a sliver of her poisonous confidence returns. She straightens, smoothing her hair, though her eyes still dart to the door.Ethan lets out a soft, disappointed breath. He releases my hand. “Mark,” he says into his phone, “send them up.”The next minutes are a blur of blue uniforms, sharp questions, and the cold click of handcuffs. Liam is taken away, sobbing incoherently about coercion and abuse. Malice goes silently, her head held high, but the pallor of her skin and the tightness aro