All Chapters of HOUSE OF FORBIDDEN DESIRE : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Isabella’s POVI was in the kitchen when the call came. Maria had just poured me a second cup of coffee… black, no sugar, the way I liked it when everything felt like it was falling apart.The phone buzzed on the marble counter, screen lighting up with Richard’s name. I almost didn’t answer because I was scared. Almost let it go to voicemail like I did the last three times he called since yesterday.But something made me pick it up.“Daddy?” My voice came out smaller than I meant.“Isabella.” His tone was calm. The kind of calm that comes right before or right after a storm. “It’s done.”I blinked twice, set the mug down too hard. Coffee splashed over the rim. “What’s done?”“Camilla filed the codicil at 9:58 this morning. The system flagged it immediately. Audit triggered. Server logs pulled. Her private IP is tied to the upload. The thumbprint didn’t match mine… never did. The board adjourned at 10:15. She was escorted out by security before noon.”I stared at the dark liquid poolin

Isabella’s POVThe house settled into an uneasy peace after Camilla’s blowout. No more barking orders. No more heels clicking down hallways like warnings. No more late-night texts summoning me to her room. Just a heavy quiet that made every creak of the floorboards feel louder.I spent most evenings in the living room now after I returned from my dance lesson, curled up on the sectional with a book I wasn’t really reading, pretending to be normal. Maria kept the fire going even though it wasn’t that cold. Lila brought tea without asking. Richard worked late, but he always came in to kiss the top of my head before disappearing upstairs The twins. Ethan and Noah had been weirdly absent since the board meeting. They had always been the golden boys: identical except for the tiny scar above Ethan’s left eyebrow from a childhood bike crash. They were twenty-six now, usually charming, usually flirting with anything that moved. But they kept their distance for a while. Until tonight.I heard

Victoria's POVThe wine glass shattered on the floor, red spilling out like the blood I wanted to draw from both of them. Daniel, my husband of twenty-five years, the man who promised me forever in front of God and our families stood there with his pants around his ankles, cock still glistening from her. And Claire. Sweet, innocent Claire. The niece I welcomed into our home like a daughter. Legs spread on his desk, blouse half-off, looking like a deer in headlights.I didn't scream. Didn't cry. Not then. I just stared, letting the silence cut deeper than any words could."Victoria… " Daniel started, fumbling to pull up his trousers."Don't," I said, my voice ice-cold, slicing through the air. It wasn't a shout; it was a command. The kind I used in boardrooms to shut down idiots twice my size.Claire scrambled off the desk, yanking her clothes back into place. She tripped over her own feet, nearly stumbled. Part of me wished she had, she grabbed her purse and some little black gadget

Claire's POV The front door opened.Victoria entered first in a black dress that hugged every curve, heels clicking slow and deliberate. Camilla followed, in leather pants catching the candlelight, deep red top cut so low I could see the lace edge of her bra from here. They moved like they rehearsed this. Predators who already knew the big kill was coming.Kelvin rose up from the couch, confusion written all over his face. The wine glass still in his hand, his eyes moved them to the hallway where I had to disappear moments earlier.“Claire?” His voice stuttered on my name. “What’s going on?”Victoria smiled that slow, sly smile that never reached her eyes. “We thought we'd join you," Victoria said, stepping closer. "Claire told us you were... special. We wanted to see for ourselves."“Special?” He laughed once, nervous. “This isn’t funny. Where is she?”Camilla stepped closer, hips swaying. That evil glow Isabella warned me about, radiating from her. “She’s close. Very close. Watch

Isabella’s POVI stood in the foyer feeling like my heart was trying to climb out through my throat. Monm… Blair stood next to me, clutching the strap of her small crossbody bag so tight her knuckles had gone white. She looked like she was braced for the door to slam in her face before anyone even spoke.Dad was in the study. I knew he heard Maria knocked. I knew he knew we were here. I could almost feel the weight of his footsteps coming down the hall before I actually heard them.When he appeared in the doorway, everything slowed.He looked… tired. Not old-tired, just the kind of tired that lives behind the eyes after too many years of carrying things alone. His shirt sleeves were rolled to the elbows, no tie, hair a little messy like he’d run his hands through it too many times today. He stopped a few feet away and just looked at her.At Mom.Nine years. Nine birthdays, nine Christmases, nine random Tuesdays where I’d stared at my phone wondering if today would be the day she texte