All Chapters of Taming The Hart Brothers: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

27 Chapters

Chapter Eleven

My hands were raw. It was 2:00 AM, and I was sitting on the cold tile of the penthouse laundry room, scrubbing the last faint trace of espresso out of Kai’s white hoodie. Every time I rubbed the fabric, my mind flashed back to the locker room, the heavy press of his body, the heat of his shirtless chest, and the terrifyingly arrogant way he’d told me to hand-wash only. "Grown men acting like toddlers," I muttered, wringing out the heavy cotton. "I’m supposed to be taming them, not doing their dry cleaning." I didn't get to sleep until four. By seven, I was back in a tailored suit, standing in the formal dining room where breakfast was served. The atmosphere was suffocating. Usually, the brothers avoided each other like the plague, but today, all four of them were present. Lucien sat at the head, looking like an icy king reading the financial times. Damon was across from him, nursing a black coffee, his leather jacket replaced by a sharp black button-down that still couldn't hide

Chapter Twelve

They wanted to break me.It didn't take a genius to figure out the brothers' strategy. If they couldn't legally fight the Board of Directors, they would simply make my life such a living hell that I would hand back the "Social Liaison" clipboards, pack my bags, and beg to be sent back to the slums.The retaliation started at 8:00 AM sharp. As the newly appointed image manager, my first task was simple on paper: collect their schedules and wardrobe preferences for Friday’s Founders Gala.In reality, it was like walking into a minefield with a target painted on my back.I started with Kai. His domain was the sub-basement of the penthouse, a high-tech cavern of server racks, glowing blue LED lights, and a hum so loud it vibrated in my teeth. When I stepped inside, the temperature plummeted. It felt like walking into a meat locker."Kai?" I called out, shivering instantly in my blazer. "I need your itinerary for Friday."Kai didn't look up from his multi-monitor setup. He was typing with

Chapter Thirteen

The heavy door of the armored SUV clicked shut, instantly sealing out the sound of the roaring downpour.I sat there, a shivering, dripping mess of neon-pink tulle, bleeding water onto the immaculate black leather passenger seat. The blast of the vehicle’s high-powered heater hit my frozen skin like a physical wave, making me shudder violently as goosebumps erupted across my arms. My teeth rattled so loudly in the quiet cabin that it was embarrassing.Damon didn't say a word. He didn't offer a gentle smile, he didn't hand me a towel, and he didn't ask if I was okay. He simply reached into the back seat, grabbed his heavy, oversized leather jacket, and tossed it into my lap. It smelled heavily of rich tobacco, rain, and the distinct, metallic tang of gun oil."Put it on," he commanded, pulling the SUV away from the curb with a smooth, dangerous acceleration that pushed me back into the seat. "Before you completely ruin my interior."I didn't have the energy to fight him or point out ho

Chapter Fourteen

The silence that followed the courier's departure didn't explode. It curdled. I stood frozen in the center of the living room, the weight of Damon’s heavy leather jacket suddenly feeling less like armor and more like a shroud. On the polished marble floor between us, the pristine white marigold looked violently bright against the dark stone. Beside it, the small card rested face up. See you at the Gala. — V. My lungs refused to expand. The air in the penthouse had turned thick and suffocating. My mind, treacherous and cruel, instantly dragged me backward, away from the safety of this glass fortress and straight into the soundproof luxury of the Eclipse’s VIP room. I could smell the expensive, cloying cologne. I could feel the cold leather of the sofa pressing against my back, the sting of tears I wasn't allowed to cry, and the low, purring voice of my own father whispering that a mistake like me didn't deserve to breathe. I remembered Jace, standing by the door, pocketing a

Chapter Fifteen

The silence in my bedroom was no longer quiet. It was suffocating. Lucien didn't yell. He didn't curse. He didn't throw a single piece of furniture or lose his composure. He simply stood at the foot of my bed, towering and dangerously hot in his white shirt, unbuttoned at the top and folded at the hands, staring down at the glossy photograph in his hands. His face was a mask of carved marble, entirely unreadable, but the sheer, oppressive gravity rolling off him made the air in the room freeze in my lungs. The morning financial newspaper dated for Saturday lay on the mattress between us like an open grave, its bold black headline silently mocking everything the Hart family stood for. Within three minutes, the heavy oak door swung open, and Damon stepped inside, followed closely by Kai. Damon took one look at the paper, then at the photo in Lucien's hand, and the atmosphere in the room instantly turned lethal. His dark, ruthless eyes flicked to me, taking in my pale face, my sh

Chapter Sixteen

The small tape player felt heavier than a lead weight in my hands. The mechanical click of the recording ending seemed to reverberate off the gallery’s marble walls, lingering in the air long after my father’s smooth, terrifying voice had faded. Lucien took three long, deliberate strides across the polished floor, stopping directly in front of me. The scent of his expensive cologne mixed with the sharp, crisp edge of pure authority. He didn't ask for permission; he reached down and plucked the small tape player from my frozen fingers. "Play it again," Lucien ordered, his voice dropping into a register so cold it felt like a razor against my skin. Theo stepped between us, his usual golden charm entirely replaced by a tense, rigid posture. "You don't need to hear it again, Lucien. It's Moretti pulling strings. He's trying to plant doubt before Friday." "I asked to hear the tape, Theo," Lucien repeated, not taking his eyes off me. My hands trembled as I hit the rewinding butt

Chapter Seventeen

The doors of the Grand Astoria Ballroom swung open, and a wall of flashing white light hit us like a physical blow. Reporters shouted over one another, camera lenses clicking frantically as the media swarm surged against the velvet ropes. The Hart empire had arrived, and the press was starving for blood. Lucien didn't hesitate. His long, cool fingers wrapped around my waist, his palm pressing firmly into the exposed dip of my lower back. The heat of his touch seeped through the silk, anchoring me as he guided me down the carpeted grand staircase. "Eyes up, chin lifted, Scarlett," Lucien murmured smoothly, his head bent close to mine as if sharing an intimate secret. "Give them the show they paid to see." Before I could take three steps, Damon cut in from my left. His broad frame practically shielded me from the crowd. His dark eyes flashed with pure possessiveness as his tattooed hand slid over mine on Lucien's arm, his thumb caressing the bare skin of my wrist with a heavy, deli

Chapter Eighteen

My skin was still burning where Damon’s thumb had traced my throat. My pulse was hammering against the emerald-cut diamonds wrapped around my neck, and my lungs struggled to find air in the tight, shadowed space of the alcove. For a fleeting, terrifying moment, I had actually believed them. I had believed the dark hunger in Damon's eyes, the possessive warmth of Lucien’s hand on my lower back, and the intoxicating promise in Theo’s voice.I was ready to drown in it.Then, the shutter of the photographer's camera clicked one last time, and the light faded.In a fraction of a second, the suffocating heat in the alcove completely vanished.How Damon stepped back smoothly, dropping his hand from my jaw as if my skin had suddenly turned to ice. He casually pulled a silver cigarette case from his inner breast pocket, his face completely smooth, devoid of the intense, possessive rage that had been consuming him just seconds ago.And Theo letting out a soft, amused chuckle, straightening his

Chapter Nineteen

The world shrank to the size of a razor blade.Vincenzo’s hand was an iron clamp against my waist, holding me so tightly against his tailored chest that I could feel the cold metal of a concealed holster pressing against my ribs through the green silk of my dress. The scent of rich tobacco, cloves, and vintage leather enveloped me, a scent that carried every nightmare from my past."Don't scream, little child," Vincenzo purred smoothly in my ear, his voice a low, aristocratic rumble as he effortlessly guided me into the rhythm of the slow waltz playing across the ballroom. "The cameras are watching. Imagine the headlines if the lost Moretti heiress makes a scene in her father's arms." he laughed. "Just that they don't know you're my daughter yet.""You're insane," I choked out, my body entirely rigid as I was forced to move with him across the shining parquet floor. "You can't just take me from here.""Take you?" Vincenzo chuckled, a dark, chilling sound. He spun me gently, his long f

Chapter Twenty

The heavy, bulletproof glass of the Maybach silenced the roar of the city outside, but it couldn't quiet the frantic beating of my heart.Rain lashed against the blacked-out windows as the convoy tore through the neon-lit streets, escorted by four unmarked security SUVs. Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was suffocatingly dense. Damon sat directly beside me, his thigh pressed firmly against mine, his large hand resting on the seat right behind my waist like a heavy, protective shield. Opposite us, Lucien stared out the window, his jaw locked tight, while Theo twirled an unlit cigarette between his fingers with dark, erratic energy. Kai was over his laptop, the pale glow of the screen illuminating the sharp, ruthless angles of his face.I looked down at my hands, still shivering despite the blasting heater. The emerald-cut diamonds at my throat felt less like high-society jewelry and more like iron shackles."Why didn't anyone stop him?" I whispered, my voice breaking the heavy silence.

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