جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 80

Unknown POV Diane moved toward the edge of the ballroom, joining a group of older matrons who were busy dissecting the tonight’s guest list. She kept her back partially to the crowd, but her eyes remained fixed on the reflection in a nearby gilded mirror. She watched Rickon and Anna. Anna was doing well. She was laughing at the right moments, leaning in to whisper, and maintaining a mask of rapt attention. Rickon looked mesmerized. His large, bulgy eyes were locked onto Anna’s face as if she were the only woman in the building."Your daughter looks radiant tonight, Diane," one of the ladies remarked, following Diane’s gaze. "The Rutledge boy seems quite taken with her.""They have so much in common," Diane lied smoothly. "It’s a rare thing to find two young people so focused on the arts."But the atmosphere shifted. A woman in a dress of shimmering silver silk entered the area near the buffet. She was stunning, with a confidence that dr

Unknown POV Diane and Anna walked down the wide marble steps of the Don’s estate, their heads held high and their heels clicking rhythmically against the stone. To any onlooker, they looked like the victors of the evening. They had secured a date with the wealthiest man in the room, and they were ready to retreat to their mansion to celebrate their cunning."The Bentley should be right at the base of the fountain," Diane whispered, clutching her silk wrap tightly around her shoulders. "I told the driver to keep the heater on. My feet are absolutely throbbing.""I just want to get out of these shoes and look at the Rutledge family holdings online," Anna replied, her voice filled with greed. "I need to know exactly how many carats I should be asking for on Tuesday."They reached the circular driveway where the rows of luxury cars were parked. Valets in white gloves were scurrying back and forth, opening doors for the city’s elite. Diane led the way to the specific spot where their r

Christie’s POVI stood in the foyer for a long minute, my hands curled into fists at my sides. They hadn't even paused at my father’s door. They hadn't lowered their voices or asked for a medical update. To them, the man who had built their world was now just a chore they had successfully delegated to me.I turned and walked quietly back to my father’s room. But as I approached the bed, I saw his eyes were open. He looked smaller in the dim light of the bedside lamp, his skin pale against the dark wood of the headboard."Christie?" he whispered, his voice a dry rasp."I’m here, Dad," I said, sitting on the edge of the mattress and taking his hand. His fingers were cold, and his grip was weak. "How are you feeling?"He didn't answer the question. His eyes shifted toward the door, his ears straining for a sound that wasn't there. "I heard a car. And voices. Is she back? Is Diane home?"The lump in my throat felt like lead. I didn't want to tell him the truth, but I couldn't lie."Yes.

Christie’s POVI stood by the edge of my bed, my chest heaving, my heart still racing from the confrontation.Lyon didn't move for a moment. He watched me with eyes that were no longer just amber—they were a deep, molten gold that seemed to burn through the dim light of the room. He stepped toward me, his presence filling every corner of the space until the walls of my childhood bedroom felt like they were disappearing."Forget them, Christie," he murmured, his voice a low, vibrating rumble that made my toes curl. "They are nothing. You are the only thing in this house that is real."He reached out, his large, warm hands cupping my face. He tilted my head back, forcing me to look into the depths of his gaze. I could feel the heat radiating off his skin, a primal call that my body was already answering. Every nerve ending I had was screaming for his touch, for the weight of him to drown out the echoes of my mother’s voice."I don't want to talk about them anymore," I whispered, leaning

Christie’s POVI practically floated back into the house, my fingers still tightly curled around the heavy, leather-bound key fob. Outside, I could still hear the distant, muffled sounds of Anna’s hysterical sobbing and Diane’s sharp, hushed attempts to calm her down, but I shut the front door, leaning against the wood for a moment of quiet.My heart was racing. I needed to hear his voice. I needed to know this was real.Lyon had sent me a car. Not just a car that fit my status. A car that was big enough to cause a stir in my home. I hurried up the stairs to my room and pulled my phone from my pocket. My hands were shaking so much I almost dropped it, but I managed to find his name in my contacts and hit dial. He picked up on the second ring."I assume the delivery arrived," Lyon said. His voice was a low, steady rumble that instantly soothed the static in my brain. He sounded calm, yet there was an underlying note of possessiveness that