Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 21 - Chapitre 30

POV: ArthurThe banquet was one of those events that gathered the most influential people in the city in one place, and I attended it the same way I attended every other function of that level, not out of interest, but because it was necessary. Samantha stood beside me as we stepped into the hall, her hand resting lightly on my arm as we moved past the entrance and into the main space where conversations were already in progress.I greeted a few people as we walked in, exchanging brief words with men I had worked with before and others who were looking to, and everything followed the usual pattern of polite acknowledgment and controlled conversation that didn’t require much effort. Samantha handled her part without difficulty, smiling when needed and responding when spoken to, and for a while, nothing stood out from what I expected the night to be.Then I saw her.Evelyn was standing across the room, and I noticed her immediately without needing to look twice, because even after five

POV: EvelynI did not react immediately after Samantha stepped back.Her expression returned to normal so quickly that anyone watching would think it had been nothing more than an accident, and she even gave a small apologetic smile before turning away, leaving me standing there with the stain still visible on my dress.Malachi watched her go, then looked back at me.“That didn’t look like an accident,” he said.“It wasn’t,” I replied.He studied my face for a moment. “What did she say?”I didn’t answer right away. I reached for a napkin from a nearby table and pressed it lightly against the fabric, not because it would fix anything, but because it gave me something to do for a second before I spoke.“She warned me,” I said finally.Malachi’s expression shifted slightly. “About?”“Arthur,” I replied.He let out a small breath, then shook his head once. “Of course she did.”I glanced at him. “It doesn’t change anything.”“It might,” he said.“It won’t,” I repeated.He didn’t argue, but

POV: MalachiI did not leave immediately after the door closed behind me.I stood there for a moment, right in front of the car, the night air quiet around me, and I let out a slow breath as I tried to settle what I had been holding back since I saw her again. It had been years, and I knew that, but seeing her tonight made it feel like no time had passed at all, and that was the part that irritated me the most.She looked the same.Not exactly the same, but enough that it mattered, and the way she carried herself now only made it worse, because she was no longer the quiet girl who would stand back and take things in silence. She stood her ground now, spoke when she needed to, and made it clear she was not someone anyone could control anymore.I leaned back slightly against the car and ran a hand through my hair, my jaw tightening without me noticing it immediately.“That bastard,” I said quietly. “He took you from me and treated you like that.”The thought settled in a way I did not l

POV: EvelynI got to the office earlier than usual with no thanks to Nina and Toby waking me very early for my opinion on a cartoon. “I need to keep those two apart.” I muttered to myself. I entered the building and the receptionist greeted me quickly before I continued toward the elevator without stopping.By the time I reached my office, my assistant was already there, arranging documents neatly across the table as if she had been preparing for something important.“You’re early,” she said.“So are you,” I replied, setting my bag down.She nodded and handed me a file. “The Hayes Group sent revised documents late last night. They’re asking for a final meeting this morning.”I took the file and flipped through it briefly. The changes were minor, nothing that shifted the structure of the proposal in any meaningful way, and it only confirmed what I already knew.“They’re waiting in the boardroom,” she added after a short pause.I stopped turning the page and looked up at her. “Who app

POV: EvelynI got home earlier than usual and the house was quiet. I stepped in, closed the door behind me, and barely had time to take off my heels before I heard the quick sound of small feet running across the floor.“Mommy!”Toby ran straight into me, wrapping his arms around me without hesitation, and I bent slightly to hold him properly, pressing a light kiss to his hair before pulling back to look at him.“You’re early today,” he said, tilting his head up at me like he was trying to figure something out.“I am,” I replied, brushing his hair back. “Did you miss me or are you just surprised?”“I missed you,” he said quickly, then added, “and I was surprised too because Auntie Nina said you had a lot of work.”“I did,” I said. “And what about you? Did you behave or did Nina have to chase you around the house again?”“I behaved,” he said, a little too quickly. “I did all my work, and I didn’t forget anything, not even the part I don’t like.”“That sounds very convincing,” I said, r