All Chapters of THE CEO'S SECRET INDULGENCE: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

The wind continued to howl against the cliffside, but Deborah no longer felt the cold. She stood frozen in front of Luther, her heartbeat echoing louder than the waves crashing below them. Her eyes remained locked onto his, searching, doubting, trying to understand the sudden shift in her collapsing world.The tension between them didn’t loosen just because of a single revelation… in fact, it tightened, pulling her even deeper into the gravity of him.Luther stepped closer, slow and careful, as if afraid she might break if he moved too quickly. “You heard me, baby...” he said softly, his voice filled with a sincerity that made her chest ache. “Alaina is my cousin. She’s been beside my family since we were kids.... yes, but there is nothing between us in the way you fear. You don't have to worry about those things, baby. It won't happen.”Deborah swallowed hard, her voice caught between disbelief and the sting of embarrassment. “Then why…” she murmured, her words tangled as she tried t

The meeting ended without a formal dismissal, yet everyone knew it was over the moment Fundano turned his back and faced the wide glass windows overlooking the city, his silhouette heavy with thoughts that none of them dared interrupt. Deborah rose slowly from her seat, the weight in her chest refusing to ease as she followed the Valmere brothers out of the conference hall, the echo of the words alive and near repeating relentlessly in her mind.Outside the room, the corridor felt colder than before, not because of the air conditioning, but because of the realization settling into everyone’s bones that the danger they were facing did not come from outside enemies anymore, but possibly from someone already standing within their world.Caelum broke the silence first as they walked, his voice low and sharp, controlled only by sheer will. “If he’s really alive, then this isn’t just about Fundano anymore. This is about succession, power, and bloodline legitimacy. Whoever that son is, he th

When Deborah returned to the Valmere mansion, the silence felt intentional, the kind that wasn’t born from emptiness but from careful control. The iron gates had already closed behind her by the time she stepped out of the car, sealing the estate away from the outside world as if Christmas itself had been ordered to remain private this year. Soft golden lights traced the edges of the mansion, wreaths lined the tall windows, and the faint scent of pine and cinnamon drifted through the cold air, but there were no signs of preparation meant for guests or the public.This was not a celebration for display.This was a Valmere gathering.. ...blood only.Deborah paused just inside the entrance hall, slowly taking off her coat as her eyes wandered across the familiar space. The decorations were elegant but restrained, chosen with care rather than excess, and for the first time in a long while, the mansion felt less like a fortress and more like a home that was bracing itself against the storm

If anyone outside the Valmere gates could see them now, they wouldn’t believe it.The same family feared by boardrooms and governments alike was sprawled across the living hall floor, arguing over rules to a game Deborah had clearly invented on the spot.“I still don’t understand why there’s a bell involved,” Caelum said flatly, holding the small brass bell between two fingers like it might explode.“Because,” Deborah replied patiently, sitting cross-legged on the rug, “when someone lies, you ring it.”Lucio narrowed his eyes. “And who decides what counts as a lie?”Deborah smiled sweetly. “Everyone.”“That’s mob justice.”“Welcome to family Christmas,” Aston said, already ringing the bell just to annoy him.Caelum shot him a warning look. “Do that again and I’ll confiscate the bell.”Deborah cleared her throat. “Next game. This one is called Two Truths and One Valmere Lie.”Knight tilted his head. “That sounds… dangerous.”“It’s simple,” she explained. “You say three statements. Two

The night did not end when the music stopped. It lingered. The kind of night that stretched itself carefully, as if afraid to move too fast and break something fragile.Deborah sat beside Luther on the low bench near the glass wall, her fingers wrapped around the warm cup he had prepared earlier. The hot chocolate had cooled slightly, but she didn’t mind. The heat still soaked into her palms, steady and grounding.Outside, snow continued to fall. Each flake drifted slowly, touching the frozen lake like a whispered promise before disappearing.Luther sat close, close enough that she could feel the warmth of his arm through her coat, close enough that the silence between them felt shared instead of empty.“You’re very quiet,” he said gently.Deborah smiled faintly. “I’m trying to remember how to be still.”He glanced at her, curiosity soft in his eyes. “Is it difficult?”“Yes,” she admitted. “But... not uncomfortable.” That seemed to please him. He leaned back slightly, resting one arm