Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 121 - Chapitre 130

No matter how much I turned it over in my head, I couldn't fully understand what the hell Marcus was planning.As soon as he hung up the call and abandoned the lower hallway at a rapid pace, I came out of my hiding place with a rigid grimace. I walked back to the main corridor and planted myself in front of Frederick's private office.I opened the door with a single clean blow.The first thing I saw was Frederick standing next to the window. He held a glass bottle of vodka in his right hand, drinking directly from the spout with a rough desperation, as if it were simple water."But what are you doing, Frederick?!" I shouted at him from the threshold, closing the door behind me.Frederick lowered the bottle with a slow movement, and drove his eyes into me. He left the bottle on the table, straightened up all at once, and walked straight toward my position. Before I could retreat a single step, he extended his arm, placed his firm hand behind my nape, and forced me to lift my face.Fred

FREDERICK'S POVFinally the week passed and it was the goddamn moment of the gala.The entire old mansion of the south wing was a chaos of controlled activity.The maids moved from one side to another carrying linen tablecloths and porcelain dinnerware, while Sigma's men arranged the round tables over the gravel of the side garden and raised the main platform under the afternoon sun.Luke, for his part, gave orders to absolutely all the personnel with an astonishing agility and ease.He moved between the waiters and the decorators without losing an ounce of his bearing.I observed him in silence from the top of the lobby stairs, feeling a pang of pure possessive pride expanding through my chest.In fact, I had charged him with the task of coordinating all this damn charity theater with a very clear purpose: keeping him busy.I didn't want Luke to have free time to think about his mother Darla's status, nor about the details of the forced marriage we had signed.I wanted him to have so

THIRD PERSON POVFrederick slowly pulled away from Luke and snapped his fingers with a sharp click.It was the irrevocable signal for the orchestra.Immediately, the soft melody of the violin transformed into a much more rhythmic beat, and the immense side garden of the southern mansion turned into an active dance floor.There were forced laughs, clinking of glasses, and the constant flashes of the press illuminating everything.Frederick took Luke by the arm and dragged him in a discreet way toward a shaded corner of the porch, from where they dominated the entire perimeter.In the distance, among the crowd of businessmen, they spotted Anastasia's silhouette."At what exact moment do you want me to speak with her, Frederick?" Luke asked, sweeping the zone with his gaze."Do it as soon as the next song begins," Frederick recommended to him, taking a drink from his glass. "Not before.""Why so much precision with the time?" Luke questioned, furrowing his brow."By then, the majority of

All the guests began to murmur immediately about the counterstrike I had just driven into my father.I listened to the minutes of their venomous murmurs, but I ignored it.I wanted to go straight to the second floor for Luke, but Richard's gaze was drilling into the nape of my neck from the stage and I did not want under any circumstance for the old man to chase me through the hallways.I let out a flat snort, forced my way through the crowd, and walked toward the garden's improvised bar."Pour me a double whiskey, neat," I ordered the waiter.I stood firm against the bar, sweeping the entrance of the east wing again with my sight.But after two, three, and ten massive glasses of pure alcohol devouring my resistance, I decided that it had already been sufficient time for Luke.I left the empty glass on the counter and walked straight toward the hallway that connected with the interior of the mansion.At this point I was fucking drunk.I managed to walk staggering through the main lobb

LUKE'S POV I looked at the watch on my wrist. The hands marked almost eleven at night. The garden remained full, but the environment was becoming dense.Several executives from Sigma had approached me to ask the same thing."Where is Frederick?" one of the northern investors asked. "He must give the closing speech.""He will come down in a moment," I responded, keeping my voice flat. "He is closing an inconvenience in the office."Riley approached at a rapid pace, dragging Steven by the arm. She had a tense face."Luke?" she hissed to me closely. "What the hell is happening? The guests are waiting for Frederick. This is getting out of hand.""I know it already, Riley," I told her, sweeping the garden with my gaze. "He will come down in any second. He had a setback.""A setback?" Steven let out a short laugh."Shut up, Steven," Riley cut him short. "Luke, the minor press is making too many questions about the diversion of the funds. We need your husband's signature now.""I told them