Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 241 - Chapitre 250

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Chapter 241 Creepy Stranger

Lochlan was silent for a moment, thinking. ‘It doesn’t matter. Whatever she does, it won’t get Soraya out.’‘You need to make sure of that, Lochlan,’ Desmond said, all humour gone from his face. ‘If that psycho gets out, she’s coming for you. And she’s coming for your Hyacinth.’ He nodded at me. ‘For me and the family, the more powerful people Gloria ropes into her little web, the harder my job becomes to contain her.’‘Soraya will not escape justice,’ Lochlan stated. ‘And for what it’s worth, I don’t see Soraya being anyone’s puppet, not even Gloria’s. She’s too clever. If she’s forced to play along, it’ll be a game of her own making.’‘Let’s hope you’re right.’‘Excuse me for a moment.’ I stood.I needed air more than a bathroom. I weaved through the restaurant and out into the enclosed garden. As I paused by a cluster of ferns, I pulled out my phone and called the only legal expert I trusted who wouldn’t sugar-coat things.Portia answered on the second ring. ‘Good news or bad?’‘Wor

Chapter 242 Getting Creepier

‘Of course! Lochlan’s Chief Admin Officer. Sorry, Director now, isn’t it? Congratulations!’ Holden said, clapping me on the shoulder with a force that rattled my teeth. ‘Hyacinth Galloway. Fiercely capable. This is Aaron Lockwood, Chairman of The Irwell Group.’My brain short-circuited for a second. The Irwell Group. Aaron Lockwood.Desmond’s uncle.I turned, my smile now professionally polished and airtight. ‘Mr Lockwood. My apologies, I was rather short with you earlier.’He waved a dismissive hand. ‘No, no, the fault was entirely mine. It was an impertinent question.’‘Not at all,’ I lied smoothly, then turned back to Holden. ‘Well, I won’t keep you both from your dinner. Enjoy your evening. I should be getting back.’‘Nonsense!’ Holden boomed, already pulling out his phone. ‘No need for you to trail all the way back. I’ll just call Lochlan, tell him to haul himself over to my room. You come with us. Aaron won’t mind, will you, Aaron?’‘Not in the least. It would be a pleasure.’‘…O

Chapter 243 Wind-up Merchant

Desmond flung himself into the chair on Lochlan’s other side. ‘Loch! We had a pact! A lifetime of defying society and our parents together! And then Hyacinth comes along, and you just… straighten up? Without me?’ He clutched his chest dramatically. ‘I’m devastated. This is betrayal. I object! You can’t be with her! It’s her or me, Lochlan. Choose!’I watched this display from inches away, utterly gobsmacked.So… what? I was the other woman? I’d stolen his… husband?The mental gymnastics were giving me a headache.Holden Hastings was having a full-blown, silent coronary. His eyes looked like they were trying to escape their sockets. A fine sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.‘Aaron!’ he barked, his voice strangled. ‘Get a grip on your nephew! Take him home this instant!’‘Now, now, don’t get overwrought,’ Aaron soothed with one of his soft sighs. ‘Desmond’s kidding. He’s just having a bit of fun.’‘A bit of fun?’ Holden sputtered. ‘Don’t you give me that! It’s easy for you to be fl

Chapter 244 Gossip Hound

‘DESMOND LOCKWOOD, YOU LITTLE SHIT!’ Holden bellowed. He lunged, but Desmond, for all his size, danced back fast, laughing.‘Lochie!’ he called over his shoulder as he retreated towards a waiting car. ‘Left you a little present at your place! When I’m back from Australia, I’m taking you on a proper holiday!’He blew a kiss Lochlan’s way.Holden bent down, wrenched off his loafer, and hurled it at Desmond’s head.It sailed past, landing on the pavement with a thud.A man materialised from the driver’s seat of Holden’s car, sprinted to the boot, and produced a fresh pair of shoes with the efficiency of a pit-stop crew.I watched, half-embarrassed, half-fascinated.‘Put your shoe on,’ Lochlan said to his father, his voice a flat line of exhausted patience. He gave a curt, polite nod to Aaron Lockwood. ‘Mr Lockwood. Goodnight.’I quickly muttered my own ‘goodnights’ to the two older men, who were now engaged in a hissed debate about Desmond’s upbringing, and scurried after Lochlan.During

Chapter 245 Grand Romantic Gesture

I inched forward ten centimetres.Then shuffled back twenty.I heard a soft, stifled chuckle behind me.‘Could you at least describe what you saw?’ I asked, my voice trembling with faux calm.‘It moved.’Everything moves! Ghosts move! Poltergeists move! That was not a description!I was getting genuinely annoyed now.‘Alright, let me think.’ He paused, then whispered with palpable unease, ‘It was… fuzzy. Small. I don’t like fuzzy things.’Fuzzy. Small.A rat.It was definitely a rat. The fuzzy tail. The horrible, twitching whiskers. My blood ran cold.I took a deep, fortifying breath, spun around, and grabbed his forearm with both hands. ‘Boss. Let’s call building security. Right now.’I tried to bolt. I didn’t even make it a step. A firm hand landed on my waist, holding me in place. Lochlan looked down at me, all contrived innocence and helplessness. ‘How about we face it together? I’ll go with you.’Seeing no escape, I gritted my teeth. ‘Fine. Together.’We approached the bedside lik

Chapter 246 ‘Personal Massager’

I didn’t recognise the number. ‘Hello?’‘Ms Hyacinth Galloway?’‘Speaking.’‘Hi, it’s Darren from Couriers R Us. I’m at Lauderdale Tower with a delivery for you. You’re not in, so I’m checking, shall I leave it with the concierge or just at the penthouse door?’My mind went completely blank. I hadn’t ordered anything. ‘Delivery? From who?’‘The company name is, uh…’ There was a faint rustle of paper. ‘“Pleasure Principle Ltd.” It’s a, well, the label just says “Personal Massager Unit.”’The silence that followed wasn’t just silence. It was a vacuum, sucking all the air and dignity out of Lochlan’s bedroom.My face ignited, a hot, prickly flush spreading from my hairline to my collarbones.‘Just… just leave it at the door,’ I stammered, my voice strangled. ‘The door is fine. Thank you.’ I jabbed the end call button with a force that nearly cracked the screen.The ensuing quiet was a living thing, thick and humid with my utter mortification.I couldn’t look at him. I stared fixedly at a

Chapter 247 Cary’s POV: Rotten Family

I slammed the front shut, didn’t bother with a greeting, strode into the pristine living room, reached into my inner jacket pocket, and slapped the stack of glossy photographs down on the glass coffee table with a crack.Tanya Grant, perched on the edge of a silk settee, flinched as if I’d fired a gun.Her eyes darted from my face to the damning evidence.She scooped the photos up with trembling, manicured hands, her breath catching in a shallow gasp as she glimpsed the top one.It was enough. She didn’t need to see the rest – the intimate selfies, the laughing shots with various handsome, vacuous young men half her age, some brave or stupid enough to be captured in states of undress.She fumbled them, turning the stack over to hide the images, then clutched them to her chest like a guilty child.A wave of nausea rolled through me. It wasn’t the content, though that was distasteful enough. It was the sheer, fucking carelessness of it.‘Are there… are there other copies?’ she whispered.

Chapter 248 Shopping for Sex Toys

The restaurant was the kind of understated place Portia favoured, all neutral tones and soft lighting where you could have a scandalous conversation at a normal volume.I’d just finished ordering when she swept in.She took one look at my face, which I’d tried to school into an expression of normalcy, and promptly lost it.She started laughing the moment she slid into the booth.It wasn’t a delicate chuckle. It was full-bodied, shoulder-shaking laughter that didn’t stop until a concerned waiter hovered nearby, probably wondering if he needed to call for medical help or an exorcist.I seriously considered leaning over and smothering her with a napkin.‘Stop laughing,’ I hissed.Portia wiped tears from the corners of her eyes, gasping for air. ‘Sorry. I can’t. I just can’t help it.’We put in our orders. As the waiter retreated, Portia’s composure dissolved again into little snorts and giggles, like a faulty pressure valve.‘I said stop it.’‘Sorry,’ she gasped, not sounding sorry at all

Chapter 249 Late Night Visit

‘Membership card,’ Portia said. ‘We’ll need it later.’‘For a sex shop?’ I blinked at it. ‘They have membership cards? What for, a loyalty scheme? Buy nine vibrators, get the tenth half price?’‘Not just that. They have new product launches. Exclusive previews. It’s a whole thing. I visit at least once a month.’‘I had no idea it was such a… committed hobby. Why do you keep going back? Don’t the old ones… work anymore?’Portia gave me a look of profound pity. ‘Don’t you get bored of using the same old thing all the time?’I stared at her. ‘I… uh.’***After dinner, Portia navigated us to our destination.It was close, a short drive into a warren of streets behind the main commercial drag.The shop was tucked down a quiet, cobbled mews, a pretty little townhouse nestled between a boutique and a discreet art gallery.It was called ‘The Silver Dove’.Out front were tasteful arrangements of white hydrangeas and eucalyptus. The large windows were lightly frosted, emitting a soft, pearlescen

Chapter 250 Stay the Night

I trudged into the kitchen, the kitten trotting at my heels.I opened the fridge, briefly considered revenge-steak, something decadent and against all his health principles, but couldn’t muster the energy for a fight.I settled on a quick lemon and herb grilled chicken breast with roasted asparagus and a simple quinoa salad. Wholesome. Boring. Get-him-out-the-door food.A little while later, I called out, ‘It’s ready.’ Now eat it and leave.Lochlan appeared at the dining table as I was setting down the plates.‘I’ll just get the dressing,’ I said, turning back to the kitchen.I’d just picked up the little jug of lemon vinaigrette when I heard a high-pitched, startled Mew! from the direction of my bedroom.My bedroom.Where I’d stashed the…I slammed the jug on the counter and sprinted.But I was too late. By the time I skidded into my bedroom doorway, he was already inside.Lochlan was crouched by the foot of the bed, gently scooping up the kitten, which had clearly tried to climb the

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