Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 91 - Chapitre 100

Silence filled the car. Heavy. Shaking. The younger girl, my cousin, was still trembling in Jason’s arms. Her breathing uneven. Painful. Each small sound she made felt wrong. Too fragile. Too broken. The older one sat beside me. Hands shaking. Eyes wide. Still in shock. “Thank you,” she whispered. I looked at her more closely now. She looked older than the girl—but not by much. Too thin. Too tired. Too… used to this. “What’s your name?” I asked. She froze. Then slowly lowered her gaze. “…I don’t have one, they call me girl.” The words settled heavily between us. I swallowed. “How old are you?” She hesitated. “…Seventeen.” Seventeen. A child. Just like my newfound cousin. “What were you doing there?” I asked softly. Her hands clenched together. “I… lived there.” My chest tightened. “And worked.” Not worked. Forced. Her voice trembled. “They said I owed them.” “For food… for a place to stay…for destroying her

Amber POV The room had settled. Not calm— But quieter. More contained. Rose rested on the bed, her small hand still loosely wrapped around mine, like letting go might make everything disappear again. I stayed there a moment longer. Just enough to make sure she felt it. That she wasn’t alone. Then I turned. The older girl was still watching. From the edge of the second bed. Still tense. Still unsure. But no longer frozen. I walked toward her slowly. Careful not to startle her. “Hey…” She looked up at me immediately this time. Still cautious. But present. I sat down beside her. Not too close. Giving her space. “You said you didn’t have a name.” She nodded faintly. I tilted my head slightly. “So…” A small pause. “If you could choose one…” I smiled gently. “What would you like to be called?” She blinked. Like the question itself was unfamiliar. Like no one had ever asked her that before. “…I don’t know,” she whispered. Her fingers twisted together in he

Amber POV Jason moved first. Pulling me into him. Hard. Tight. Like if he didn’t— I might disappear. The hug was not gentle. It was desperate. Grounding. Possessive. I didn’t hesitate. I wrapped my arms around him just as fiercely. Holding on. Matching him. For a moment— There was nothing else. No families. No war. No past. Just us. Then Jason exhaled slowly against my hair. And I felt it— That shift again. From emotion— To strategy. “The first step…” he murmured. I pulled back slightly, just enough to look at him. “…is for you to win the Heir position.” I blinked. “That was already the plan.” His gaze sharpened. “Yes.” A pause. “But now it’s critical.” “They’re not just attacking us,” he continued. “They’re positioning themselves.” His jaw tightened. “They want control.” “The Asher family,” I finished quietly. He nodded. “Once you’re officially Heir,” he said, “They lose that path.” I held his gaze. Steady. Certain. “I’m not losing,” I sa

“They will answer for this.” The words didn’t echo. They settled. Heavy. Final. Mr. Stuart didn’t sit. Didn’t hesitate. He turned to us. To all of us. “What have you done so far?” His voice was steady now. Focused. “And how can I help?” This wasn’t grief anymore. This was war. Grandfather gestured toward the table. “Sit.” Mr. Stuart hesitated only a second— Then obeyed. I glanced at Jason. He gave me a small nod. So I spoke. “We didn’t find Iris first.” His eyes snapped to me. “We found Rose.” I explained everything. “Adrian told me,” I continued. “He suspected something was wrong.” Jason shifted slightly beside me. Listening. Measuring. “He said his half-sister, the one he was just being told existed, was being held by the Becker family,they told her that whatever happened to her was up to him, they ordered him to ask for an Heir trial, they intended for him to win” I added. Mr. Stuart’s expression darkened. “But he didn’t know the full extent” I said

The ballroom felt different this time. Not curious. Not watchful. Predatory. But what made it worse— Was how beautiful it looked. The entire venue had been transformed. Gold and silver dominated every corner. Gold draped across the stage. Silver lining the walls. Two opposing colors. Two opposing futures. Even the chandeliers reflected it— Half warm. Half cold. Gold for me. Silver for Adrian. A silent declaration of what this night truly was. Not a presentation. A divide. A choice. Every table followed the same theme. Centerpieces split in two— Gold arrangements intertwined with silver branches. Elegant. Calculated. A reminder— That only one would stand at the center by the end of the night. Every eye followed us as we entered. Jason at my side. Steady. Unshaken. Adrian was already there. Surrounded. Prepared. I didn’t see an enemy. I saw someone cornered. Someone forced into a role he didn’t choose. For all his faults— Adrian was bold. Everythi