Semua Bab His Forbidden Obsession: Tempting The Devil I Can't Have: Bab 121 - Bab 130

CHAPTER 121THE DAY THE WORLD COLLAPSEDALEXANDERThe words on the screen blurred and refocused in my, but as much as I wanted them to change, they didn't.ALEXANDER MOREAU ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT BY EX-WIFE.What the fuck is this!?I stared at the headline, my blood almost instantly turning to ice. The newscaster's voice droned on, spitting allegations spanning our marriage, police sources confirm, the foundation in turmoil. But I couldn't hear the words, I could only see the letters. And it was black… bold… and accusing. My eyes caught a sudden movement and moved to Isabella. Her face was pale, her lips parted and her hands gripped the edge of the couch so hard I feared for the couch. The horror in her expression was worse than the headline And it was caving depths in my chest."Dad." Camille's voice pulled my gaze. She was standing now, her face white, her hands shaking. "Dad, what is t

CHAPTER 123A LIVING ZOMBIE ISABELLAI lay curled on my bed, still in yesterday's clothes, still staring at the same crack in the ceiling.Last night, I had walked out of the living room like a zombie. The headline was burned into my eyes. The newscaster's voice echoed in my ears. Camille had stood frozen by the couch, her face white, her hands shaking. Julien had reached for me, said something I didn't hear.I hadn't responded. I had just walked. Up the stairs. Down the hallway. Into my room. I had closed the door and stood there in the dark, trying to understand how the world had flipped upside down in the space of a single news segment.Alexander. A rapist.The words didn't fit together. They couldn't. The man who held me in the dark, who whispered my name like it was something precious, who looked at me like I was the only woman in the world—that man couldn't be the same man who—I pressed my palms against

CHAPTER 125HUMILIATIONSALEXANDERThe protests outside had thinned by late afternoon, but the cameras hadn't moved. They were still there, lined up like vultures waiting for a carcass. Every time I looked out the window, I saw them. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard their questions.Mr. Moreau, do you deny the allegations?Mr. Moreau, how do you respond to your ex-wife's claims?Bernard stood by the window, his phone pressed to his ear. His voice sounded low and urgent. He had been like this for hours, calling, pleading and trying to plug the holes in a sinking ship."The press conference is our best option," he said, hanging up. "We get ahead of the story and control the narrative.""The narrative is already controlled, Bernard." I didn't look up from my desk. "She made sure of that.""We have to do something… or say something."“Say what? That my ex-wife is lying? That she drugged me and set u

CHAPTER 127THE SPIDER AND THE WEBNARRATOR'S POV Mathieu walked through the corridor with measured steps, a folder tucked under his arm. He had spent the morning pretebding to work on the assignment Alexander gave to him even when he knew what he was going to give to him from the moment he asked him to work on it. Whatever came after that day was just pretense and formalities. He rounded the corner and approached the door to Alexander's office. But just when he was about to turn the handle, Alexander's assistant stopped him with an apologetic look on her face."Attorney Renaud, I'm sorry. Mr. Moreau is currently with a guest."Mathieu stopped, turning to look at her with a neutral look on his face. "Is it Bernard? Then I—""No, it's the new shareholder. He's been waiting for quite some time."Mathieu's eyebrows rose. "New shareholder?"The assistant nodded. "He arrived earlier today. Mr. Moreau wasn

CHAPTER 129THE FIRST GOOD THINGALEXANDERI don't know what part of me thought this wouldn't be messy. But that part was very wrong. It was a fucking bloodbath.There was no shouting or tears or dramatic reveal. It was worse. It was quiet and methodical. Elise's lawyer took the stand and painted me as a predator and every word was meant to hit in a very crucial place. “Mr. Moreau, did you ever threaten your ex-wife?”“Did you track her movements after the divorce?”“Is it true you have a history of volatile behavior?”Bernard objected a lot of times and a few times he overrule and the rest times he sustained. And the fucking damage. I sat at the defense table, my hands flat on the wood, my face carved from stone. But inside, I was screaming.By the time the judge called for recess, the prosecution had established their narrative. They've painted a picture they knew and in the court of public opinion,