Alle Kapitel von Not bound by honey: Kapitel 101 – Kapitel 110

Rachel’s POVAlly and Dylan were outside waiting for us. The kids were with them.All of them went still when they saw Candice.“I know,” Jason said, reading the room before anyone could speak.Candice shifted closer to me, not obvious, but enough that I felt it. Her guard was going up again.“Candice,” I said gently, “these are our closest friends. Ally, Dylan, Blake and Michaela.” I pointed to each of them. “Guys, this is Candice. Jason’s daughter.”“She looks just like her,” Ally said before she could stop herself.Candice frowned slightly. “What are they talking about?”“It’s a long story,” I said. “And we actually need to explain something important to you.”Her posture stiffened, but she nodded.“We don’t live in the city,” I continued. “We’ve had to go into hiding. For our daughter. Your half sister.”Candice’s eyes sharpened.“She was taken by her father over four years ago,” I said. “We only just got her back. And even that was by chance. By the time we found her father was m

Jocelyn’s POV Jackson was still a coma it has almost been two weeks. Each one of us took turns to be by him. Even the doctors. Sometimes we were all there together. None of us were around to leave nor have access to any technology so we either played games with each other or read books from the library. Mr O’Neil was not seen again since that night. The doctors checked on him. But we practically had the whole wing to ourselves. I can’t tell you why Mr O’Neil was investing so much since he apparently was going to kill us. It truly has been feeling like we were walking on borrowed time. Or like watching Jackson heal was like watching our time run through a sand bottle. He did not say it, but it was clear. We were all going to get our verdict when he got better I was about to head to Jacksons room when I decided to get another book. Mr O’Neil seemed to have the oldest and newest books you could think of. Strange interest for a criminal. “You read a lot.” I heard Devin voice s

Jocelyn’s POVJackson flinched as he tried to sit up.“I’m telling you this once, old man. I refuse to go into a life of crime.”Mr O’Neil looked at him steadily. “You don’t really know me. You don’t know what I’ve built or how I built it. All you know is what happened between my sons and their children.”He paused, letting that settle.“The truth is, none of my businesses are illegal. They never were. I don’t launder money. I don’t sell drugs. I don’t traffic people. None of it. And your father never did a crooked thing for me in his life.”Jackson stayed still beside me, but I felt the shift in him.“My mistake,” Mr O’Neil continued, “was telling them about the history behind the inheritance. The main portion. It didn’t mean they would get nothing if they didn’t fit the description. But my eldest son, the one who arranged the marriage with Jocelyn, heard something else entirely.”His jaw tightened.“He believed the eldest inherits the share of anyone who dies. That is where it began

Jocelyn’s POVI slipped the oversized gown over my shoulders, letting it fall around me. It hid everything. The dress. The nerves. The tight feeling in my chest that would not go away.When I turned, my mom and sisters were watching me.“I ordered some dresses,” I said, trying to sound normal. “The perks of having money is convenience. Mr O’Neil has plenty of that to spare. I hope you find something you like.”My eyes moved to Candice, we could be twins.Not just similar. It was unsettling. Like I was staring at a version of myself that had taken a completely different path.“Even you,” I added softly.I did not wait for an answer.I needed to get to Jackson’s room.“Miss Everwood, this is off limits until your union,” the guard said, stepping in front of me.“I do not care,” I said under my breath, brushing past him.My hand paused on the door handle for just a second.Then I pushed it open.Guilt rose in my chest the second I stepped inside. It had been there since Devin. Since that

Jocelyn’s POVThe kiss was dizzying. His touch was warm, grounding, like something I didn’t want to pull away from. My heartbeat raced, loud in my ears.Only our lips were touching, but I felt it everywhere.We pulled apart suddenly, both becoming aware of ourselves and of the people around us. Heat rushed to my cheeks, leaving me unsteady. As if he sensed it, he took my hand in his.Music started up outside, and our handful of guests began drifting out.We stayed behind, alone, neither of us noticing we were still holding hands.“So… you noticed I was reading your books?” I asked, trying to fill the quiet.“Yeah,” he said, his voice softer, like he was still caught in the moment.“So that’s how you knew what to read to me.” he asked.We exchanged small smiles.Then, out of nowhere, everything in my mind went blank.I couldn’t picture anything ahead. I never really let myself think about the future before. And now for the first time, it felt like all the obstacles were gone.I couldn’