All Chapters of DARK DIAMOND : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

♠️ ETHAN ♠️The hospital smelled like antiseptic and bad coffee. Ever since we came in, I’d been pacing the private waiting room for hours. Dre kept me company until he got a call and stepped out. Every time the door opened, my heart stopped—waiting for news, any news.When the nurse finally came, her words hit home.“She’s stable. Minor concussion, bruises, fractured rib. She’s lucky. You can see her now.”I didn’t run. I damn near flew into my girlfriend’s hospital room.Marlene was in a dim room on the VIP floor—Blackwood money at work—hooked to monitors, her face pale against the white sheets, a few cuts and bruises blooming across her cheek and arms. But she was breathing. Alive.I pulled the chair close, taking her hand gently, careful of the IV.“I’m here, baby,” I whispered. “Not going anywhere.”The door opened again twenty minutes later. Georgia walked in first, eyes red but composed, followed by the cavalry: Caspian, Thane, Miguel, Liam, and Hans. The room shrank with all t

♠️ ETHAN ♠️We stood in the warehouse parking lot. Caspian lit a cigarette, the flame briefly illuminating the hard lines of his face. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly.“We have the phone,” he said, voice low. “Texts, recordings—everything. Jamila’s fingerprints all over this.”I nodded, rage still simmering in my veins. “So we end it. Now.”He looked at me, eyes sharp. “No. Not yet.”I frowned. “What?”“Marlene can’t know. Not right now.”My fists clenched. “She almost died, Caspian. She deserves—”“She deserves to heal,” he cut in, firm but quiet. “Jamila’s been her friend for years. Someone she trusted. Finding out it was envy—pure, twisted jealousy—that put her in that hospital bed? It’ll break her in ways bruises never could.”I hated that he was right.I thought of Marlene at home, laughing through the pain, forcing smiles while her body mended. She was strong, but this… this was betrayal from someone inside her world.“She’s not ready for that kind of hurt,” Caspian conti

The penthouse suite overlooking the Los Angeles skyline was dimly lit, heavy curtains drawn against the afternoon sun. Don Salvador sat in a leather armchair, a glass of aged scotch in hand, his silver hair slicked back, eyes sharp as ever.The door opened without a knock.Francesca stepped in, long dark hair cascading over a red silk dress that hugged every curve, lips painted blood-red, heels clicking like gunfire on the marble floor.She was Mr. Blackwood’s mistress of three years, the secret kept tucked away from Georgia and the perfect family facade. But she was so much more than that. She was Salvador’s weapon.Salvador’s lips curved into a slow, possessive smile.“My beautiful viper,” he murmured, setting his glass down. “Come. Tell me good news.”Francesca crossed the room, perching on the arm of his chair, her hand trailing lazily over his shoulder.“Black is unraveling,” she said, voice low and sultry. “The divorce papers are filed. Georgia’s gone. The sons are turning on hi

The Alkaled party was the event of the year—an annual Blackwood Academy tradition turned elite extravaganza, held in the sprawling glass-and-steel ballroom of the academy’s newest wing.Every name worth knowing in Los Angeles was there. Students, alumni, donors, celebrities. A night where reputations were made, alliances sealed, and secrets buried—or unearthed.Marlene stood near the grand staircase in a midnight-blue gown that hugged her like a second skin, hair swept up with diamonds glinting at her throat. Ethan was beside her, sharp in all black, his hand resting possessively at the small of her back. Ruby had come with them—pale but smiling, insisting she felt better. Dre hovered nearby, scanning the crowd like always.Across the room, the Blackwood brothers held court—Caspian cool and commanding, Thane networking, Miguel and Liam laughing with sponsors, Hans fresh off a match win and surrounded by admirers.Georgia arrived alone, stunning in emerald, head high despite the whispe

The morning after the Alkaled disaster, Los Angeles woke to a storm it couldn’t ignore.Headlines screamed across every screen:“BLACKWOOD ACADEMY ALUM GREY MICHAELSON WANTED FOR MURDER OF POLICE OFFICER”“OLD COVER-UP EXPOSED: DID BLACKWOOD PATRIARCH KNOW?”“SEX TAPE, AFFAIRS, BASTARD CHILDREN—THE BLACKWOOD & PIERCE FAMILIES IMPLODE”It started with a new leak—grainy dash-cam and body-cam footage from years ago, anonymously uploaded to every major news outlet at dawn.The video showed a dark road, flashing lights, a younger Grey Michaelson behind the wheel of a luxury car, drunk and raging. A police officer—Officer Pierce, Mr. Pierce’s older brother, Ethan and Reina’s uncle—pulled him over for speeding.An argument. Grey shoving the officer. A struggle. Then a gunshot.Grey speeding away.And in the final frames, another car pulled up. A younger Mr. Blackwood stepped out, checking the body, then making a call.Cover-up.The city exploded.By noon, federal agents and LAPD swarmed Grey