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Home / Romance / His Forbidden Obsession: Tempting The Devil I Can't Have / Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

All Chapters of His Forbidden Obsession: Tempting The Devil I Can't Have: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

175 Chapters

61

THE MAN IN THE BASEBALL CAPISABELLAI thought I ran into a wall.The impact knocked the breath out of me, sending my purse flying from my shoulder, and scattering its contents across the marble floor like confetti. Lipstick, keys, a packet of tissues and my phone that skittered to a stop against a potted plant.Oh my God, I'm so sorry—I looked up at the person I ran into and it was a mad… he was older. I could tell from the lines around his mouth and the thinness of his wrists. But most of his face was hidden beneath a baseball cap pulled low. He was dressed casually on dark jacket, jeans and sneakers that looked expensive but well-worn.Murmuring apologies, he bent down and helped me to pick my things, without looking directly at my face.Weird. What is a man doing walking into a women's store?Are you blind?" Camille said, and from her voice you could tell her patience was fine. "She said sorry, you could at least say the same. Wonder why you didn't even watch where you were going

62

FAMILY TIESISABELLAI remember! The man from the mall. It's Mathieu.Huh?I watched Alexander's eyebrows rise, just slightly, before his face smoothed into something unreadable.Mathieu?" he asked, his voice careful.Yeah, Mathieu Renaud." Camille leaned forward now, her eyes fixed on her father. "He used to work for you before your marriage crashed. He was at the house sometimes.Alexander set down his wine glass, his eyes fixed on his daughter. There was something behind his eyes that I couldn't name.He came to see me," Alexander said slowly, his face loosening. "A few days ago.Camille's eyebrows dipped. "What? He came to see you? And you didn't think to mention it?"I was going to, it skipped my mind.Camille scoffed, leaning back in her chair. "Unbelievable. The man runs away when you needed him most, disappears for years, and now he just shows up again? Is he a ghost or something?"Alexander let out a low breath. "It wasn't his fault, Camille. Heading abandon me, he was just f

63

WET INVITATIONALEXANDERThe kitchen was quiet, the way it only was on early mornings when the world hadn't fully woken up. I stood at the counter, the espresso machine humming, a cup warming in my hands. Sunlight streamed through the windows, catching the dust motes floating in the air.I’ve been standing here for ten minutes, doing nothing but breathing. Yeah… I wasn't on my phone and responding to emails. Just the silence and the smell of coffee and the distant sound of waves.I was still engrossed in the silence, sipping my coffee, when I head light and hesitant footsteps coming down the hallway. I knew it was Isabella without seeing her face. The rhythm of her wall, the soft lad of bare feet on marble, I've memorised it.She appeared in the doorway, still in her night clothes—shorts that barely covered her thighs, a tank top that hung off one shoulder, her hair a mess from sleep. Her eyes were half-closed, her lips parted in a yawn that died halfway when she saw me.She froze mid

64

DRESSES AND GALA DATESALEXANDERI stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the strands of my hair as I thought about the encounter with Isabella in the kitchen this morning.I still find it a bit unbelievable that she said No.In her words “People would take and what would Camille say about me going on a date with her father? It's too risky.”After that, she said that, she climbed down from the counter, straightened her tank too and walked out of the kitchen without looking back.I was thrown under the freaked truck.I threw on a casual dress and walked toward the dining room, sweeping my hair away from my face. Camille was already at the table, scrolling through her phone, a half-eaten croissant on her plate. Isabella sat across from her, pushing a piece of fruit around her bowl, her eyes fixed on the screen of her phone too.I can never understand this generation and their obsession for screens.Good morning ladies," I said, taking my seat.Camille looked up. "Morning, dad. You're l

65

THIEVING MOLEALEXANDERI took the file from Mathieu's hands, a frown still eched to my forehead. I didn't know what to expect as I opened it.The first page was a summary that was clean and precise, exactly the way Matheiu did things. There was a trail of transfers leading to a subsidiary account as usual. But unlike the dead end Bernard an I reached, Matheiu found a way.I turned the page as my eyes scanned the names, signatures and timestamps. The money had moved through three different shell companies, each one registered under a different name, each one designed to look like legitimate business expenses.And at the end of the trail was a name I recognized.Marcus Thorne.Marcus??My eyebrows dipped into a frown. Marcus has been with the foundation for a very long time and was a senior financial officer. One of the first people I had hired after the divorce, back when I was rebuilding and I needed people I could trust.I trusted him, gave him access, authority, showed him the rope

66

GALA MADNESSISABELLAThe day of the gala, Camille would not shut up.From the moment I opened my eyes, she was there, leaning against my doorframe, already dressed in a robe, her hair wrapped in a towel, her face bare and glowing.Are you excited?" she asked.It's seven in the morning.That's not an answer.I groaned, pulling the pillow over my head. "Camilleeeeeee."I can't help it. My father hasn't bought me a dress since I was fifteen, and that one was hideous. But still, it's the thought that counts." She bounced on the balls of her feet. "What do you think he picked? Something classic? Something daring? What if it's red? I've always wanted a red gown.You've asked me this fourteen times.Fifteen now. What if it's red?I threw the pillow at her, but instead of hitting her face, she caught it, laughing. Camille decided to let me be as she disappeared down the hallway, already talking to herself about shoes.I lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the gala.

67

UNDER THE SPOTLIGHTISABELLAHis eyes locked onto mine, and the world stopped.I’ve seen Alexander look at me before, but this was different. This was a man seeing something he had been waiting for, something he didn't dare to hope would be real.My face went hot. I could feel the blush creeping up my neck and spreading across my cheeks. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. His gaze pinned me in place, taking in my appearance from my head to my toe, and making me feel like the only woman in the room.Then Camille laughed.Dad! Your mouth is literally hanging open.Alexander blinked and that was when the spell broke. He cleared his throat, his expression shifting into something more composed and more fatherly. But I saw the hunger hiding behind his eyes.You both look lovely," he said, his voice steady. "Shall we?Camille was already pulling me toward the door. "I want to take a separate car. I need to arrive in style."Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Separate car?""Yes, I want my own

68

THE PUPPET MASTERNARRATOR'S POVMathieu stood in the corner of Alexander's office, his face a mask of calm and his hands clasped behind his back. He watched as Marcus Thorne crumbled beneath the weight of his confession, concentrating as the scene unfolded exactly as he had scripted it.Marcus was good. Mathieu had to give him that. The trembling hands, the wet eyes, the cracked voice, it was almost believable. Almost.But Mathieu knew the truth. The money Marcus had stolen was real enough—a few hundred thousand. But it was nothing compared to the millions Élise had siphoned. But it was enough, enough to give Alexander a villain, enough to close the case and enough to make Alexander believe the threat was gone.The real money he had been hired to find led to Élise. It always had. But Mathieu had buried that trail deep and replaced it with Marcus's name before offering the man a choice to take the fall and keep his pension, or refuse and face prosecution for crimes he had actually com

69

RED HANDEDISABELLAThere's this kind of feeling you feel when you're around someone you don't want to be and that person's touching you in every kind of way and you have no fucking choice but to just be there…That's exactly where I was right now.I couldn't breathe.Julien's hand was on my waist, his thumb still tracing those circles. His body was pressed against mine exactly the way I used to like. He was talking about something about his flight and how much he missed me. But I couldn't hear his words. All I could hear was the roaring in my ears, the pounding of my heart and the scream that's as trapped in my throat.Alexander was gone. A man appeared at his elbow, whispering something to him that made him even more tensed than he already was before he walked away.Baby?" Julien's voice cut through the fog in my head. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost.I forced a smile. "I'm fine, just surprised."You're shaking.I looked down at my hands and indeed they were shaking. I

70

UNINVITED GUESTALEXANDERI froze with my lips still tingling from hers, my hands burning where they had gripped her hips. For a moment, the world narrowed to the space between us. Then I turned.Mathieu stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the light from the hallway. His face was unreadable, but his posture was relaxed, his hands in his pockets. He didn't look shocked, at least not from my own point of view.Seeing him, I exhaled, relaxing my shoulders and trying not to show the sudden change of emotions going on inside me.Mathieu." I called in a steady voice. "What are you doing here?He stepped onto the balcony, closing the door behind him. "I was calling your name as you left the ballroom but you didn't hear me."Right… I wouldn't. My mind was too focused on getting to her first.I need to speak with you," he continued. "One of the top investors is asking for you and he's been waiting for quite a while now.I frowned from his words. Something about his statement didn't just

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