Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 51 - Chapitre 60

Chapter 51 ~ Niklaus ~"Yes, it is important and before you ask, I've been conducting the research you requested on Aria," Fred said, his voice carrying that particular tone that meant bad news was coming.I tensed, glancing back at Aria. She was still sitting at the table, her shoulders hunched, staring at her hands. The dim lighting of the restaurant cast shadows across her face, and I could see the tension in her jaw even from here."What did you find?" I asked quietly, turning away to give myself privacy."That's not why I'm calling, sir." Fred paused. "Well, I'm still working on that. Mr. Todd remains uncooperative and I haven't been able to confirm anything yet. But something else has come up. Something urgent."My grip tightened on the phone. Fred didn't use the word "urgent" lightly."What is it?""Helen is in Kleetford."My heart stopped.Actually stopped beating for what felt like a full minute."What?" The word came out barely above a whisper."Helen Whitmore. She arrived

Chapter 53 ~ Kesley ~I was still standing there in my ridiculous Aria costume—tight red dress, crooked black wig, heavy makeup that was probably smudged from all the running and crying—when Mom's expression shifted from suspicious to horrified."Kesley Bellamy," she said slowly, her eyes traveling up and down my outfit again. "Please tell me you're not doing what I think you're doing."I blinked. "What do you think I'm doing?""Prostitution."The word hung in the air like a bomb."WHAT?!" I shrieked. "Mom! No! Oh my God, no!""Then explain the outfit!" Mom gestured wildly at me. "The wig, the makeup, the dress that barely covers anything! You sneak out on a Sunday morning dressed like this and you expect me to believe you were doing what? A presentation for Taraji? Taraji is a teacher…"My face burned with humiliation. Of all the conclusions my mother could have jumped to, this was somehow the worst possible one."I wasn't… I'm not…" I couldn't even form coherent sentences. "Mom, I

Chapter 55 ~ Kesley ~Monday morning arrived with gray skies and the promise of rain.I woke up early, my stomach already in knots about the day ahead. Work at SpecterTech. Pretending to be normal. Acting like I wasn't simultaneously Kesley Bellamy, junior data analyst, and Aria, the woman who kept running away from her boss's marriage proposals.I lay in bed for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of my apartment coming to life. From the living room, I could hear the TV. K-drama sounds—dramatic music, emotional dialogue in Korean.Kim was awake. And watching the drama.I dragged myself out of bed, still wearing the oversized t-shirt I'd slept in, and padded barefoot across the cold floor. I walked out to find her curled up on the couch, wrapped in blankets, her eyes glued to the screen where some beautiful people were having an emotional confrontation.She looked... better. Not healthy, exactly. Still too pale, still too thin. But there was color in her c

Chapter 57 ~ Kesley ~I could hear fragments of their conversation drifting over."...saw the article...""...mystery girlfriend...""...getting married before his birthday..."My stomach dropped.There was a high chance people had seen us together. We'd been at a public restaurant. I'd been with him four times now—twice for the sabotaged dates, at the penthouse upscale restaurant. He was rich and famous in the tech industry. People probably followed him, took photos, posted on social media.Someone had probably caught us on camera and jumped to conclusions.That I was the woman he was getting married to.The thought was absurd. Terrifying. And yet... a tiny part of me felt something that might have been pleasure. Pride, even.People thought I was dating Niklaus Specter.Me. Kesley Bellamy. The broke data analyst who could barely afford rent and was currently juggling two identities just to keep her head above water.It was ridiculous. But also kind of thrilling in a way I didn't wan

Chapter 59 ~ Niklaus ~Helen was still talking, her voice soft and earnest, filled with pain she'd been carrying for seven years."When you left, Klaus, it hurt more than I thought possible." Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "I felt like you'd chosen money and power over me. Over us. Over everything we'd built together."I wanted to argue. To defend myself. To explain that it hadn't been about money—it had been about legacy, responsibility, duty.That leaving her had been one of the hardest decisions I'd ever made.But I stayed quiet, because maybe she was right. Maybe I had chosen those things over her.Maybe that's exactly what I'd done, and no amount of rationalization could change it."That's why I changed my number," she continued, her voice trembling slightly. "Why I deleted all my social media. Why I cut you off completely. Not because I didn't care, but because I cared too much. Every time I saw your name on my phone, every time I got a notification, it was like ri