Lahat ng Kabanata ng Forbidden Obsession: Falling for My Stepson: Kabanata 131 - Kabanata 140

 Ava climbed the ladder and pulled the vent cover loose, and I held my breath as she reached inside.My heart pounded as I watched her fingers probe the darkness of the duct. She had been insistent all morning convinced that something was hidden in the ventilation system, something that explained the whispers and the shadows. I had followed her, part of me still clinging to doubt, but another part hoping she was right."What is it?" I asked quickly, my voice tight with anticipation.Ava's hand emerged, clutching a small black device. It was no bigger than a matchbox, sleek and professional, with a tiny LED that pulsed faintly. "A micro vaporizer. Hidden in the master bedroom vent. It has been releasing something into the air. This is what's been happening to me, Damien. This is what they've been doing."I took it from her carefully, turning it over in my palm. The device was warm, still active. "This explains the voices. The clocks. Everythin

 The message from Harrison lit up Ava's phone at midnight and my stomach dropped because I knew the trap had worked.I read the words with her, my heart hammering against my ribs. The message was brief, clinical, exactly what we expected from a man like Harrison. "He wants to meet under Grand Central. The old tracks. He says he has the antidote if you give him the digital signature. He wants the foundation, the accounts, everything."Ava looked at me, her eyes steady despite the late hour. "This is our chance. I go alone. Act desperate. Get everything on record. We'll have him on tape admitting everything."I shook my head immediately. "No way. It is too dangerous. He's a doctor, he knows how to manipulate people. I should be there with you."Ava touched my arm, her fingers cool against my skin. "He will smell it if you are close. Harrison knows you, knows how protective you are. I have to sell the broken woman act perfectly. If he suspects a

 The weight of my father's name pressed down on me like the whole city sitting on my chest and I could not see a way out that did not break everything we built.I stood on the penthouse terrace alone just before dawn. The lights of New York stretched out below but they looked different now. Every bright window could hide another enemy. Another child of someone Victor destroyed. Harrison's words from the tunnels kept repeating in my head like a broken record. The children remember. The bloodline pays.Ava stepped outside and wrapped a robe tighter around herself. Her bare feet were silent against the cold tiles. "You have not slept. Come back inside Damien. You've been out here for hours."I turned to her, my voice rough from the cold air. "I cannot stop thinking about it. Every move we make creates more ghosts. Victor killed people. Real people with families. Those families grew up and now they run the Council. How do we ever get free from that? How

 The moment we crossed the Pennsylvania state line I felt the weight lift a little and knew we had made the right call to disappear off the map.I drove the old truck down a dirt road lined with tall trees. The engine rumbled low, a comforting sound compared to the silent electric hum of the city. Ava sat beside me with Maya sleeping in the back seat, her small face peaceful against the worn cushion. No phones. No laptops. Just a paper map on the dash and the quiet hum of tires on gravel.Ava looked out the window, her eyes tracing the endless green. "It feels strange. No buzzing alerts. No cameras watching. Just us and the road. I keep waiting for my phone to vibrate."I nodded, keeping my eyes on the narrow path. "That is the point. The Council cannot track what is not connected. No signals. No data. We become ghosts to their algorithms. They search for digital footprints we don't leave."Ava turned to me, her voice soft. "How long until we

 The old payphone rang in the middle of nowhere and a young voice on the other end said he could help us fight the code that kept finding us.I stood in the dusty gas station lot holding the receiver tight, my eyes scanning the empty road. Ava waited in the truck with Maya, both of them watching me through the windshield. We had been moving for days, sleeping in motels and truck stops, never staying in one place long enough to leave a trail. No more quiet farmhouse. Just the road and the feeling that code always caught up."Jax?" I asked, my voice low. "You the one who answered my message? The one who posted about Council vulnerabilities?"The kid's voice came back sharp and fast, confident beyond his years. "Yeah. Damien Langford. I know who you are. The Council burned my dad's company last year. Fake hack. Ruined us. They forged evidence and took everything. I have been waiting for this call for months."I glanced around again, making sure