Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 8

There are a thousand ways to die in New York City. Tonight, falling sixty stories from a rain-soaked skyscraper balcony into the raging storm below felt almost like mercy compared to the man waiting inside.“Vivian, hurry the fuck up. The system reboots in three minutes!” Markus’s voice cracked through my AirPods, raw with fear.The security guard had worked here for seven years, and helping me tonight was a risk that could cost him everything. It had taken months of careful manipulation to get him to open those doors for me. In the end, all it took was a promise of my body when this was over.My fingers flew over the sleek keyboard in the pitch-black office, my heart hammering against my ribs. The massive floor-to-ceiling windows showed the New York City skyline drowning in the midnight storm. Rain lashed violently against the glass as thunder rolled like distant warnings.Downloading: Project Genesis… 30%… 78%… 85%At exactly 11:42 PM on this freezing Friday night, I, Clara Sterling

The sleek black Rolls-Royce Phantom waited near the curb, its engine purring softly beneath the storm. Before stepping inside, I stopped and turned toward him.“I need to go to my apartment first,” I said, brushing a strand of wet hair away from my face. “I need to pack my things.”Julian let out a quiet scoff, his eyes dragging slowly over my soaked body. His gaze lingered on the thin shirt clinging transparently to my skin.“You have no need for anything in that apartment,” he said coolly. “Everything will be provided for you.”“I am not your doll,” I snapped, my jaw tightening. “I can take care of myself.”Julian ignored the anger in my voice completely. His attention shifted lazily toward the open car door.“Tomorrow afternoon, I’m taking you shopping,” he said calmly. “You can buy whatever you want. No limits.”His icy gaze returned to mine, cold and commanding.“But you are not bringing garbage into my penthouse. Get in the car, Clara.”The words hit my pride like a slap. I lift

The line went dead, leaving only the cold, automated hum of the dial tone echoing in my ear.Slow poisoning. Over months.A stroke that didn’t happen naturally.The phone slipped in my trembling fingers as the doctor’s grave words replayed in my mind. My gaze snapped across the master suite toward the closet doors where Julian had disappeared moments earlier.He had known who I was from the very first day my fake application as Vivian Vance landed on his desk. He had let me stay, watching and waiting like a predator studying its prey.What if his game had gone far beyond destroying our family’s fortune on Wall Street?What if he was the one who poisoned my father all along?Panic, raw and blinding, exploded in my chest. I didn’t care that I was wearing nothing but the delicate white lace set he had chosen for me earlier.I dropped the phone onto the bed and bolted across the suite, throwing open the heavy double doors in a desperate attempt to escape.I didn’t even make it past the th

The Ferrari pulled into the penthouse garage, and the engine fell silent. Julian’s hand remained on my thigh, resting over the cashmere coat, but this time I didn’t move away. After seeing my father lying in that hospital bed, something inside me had changed.If pretending to be Julian’s wife was the only way to stay close to him and uncover the truth about the poison, then that was exactly what I would do. No more fighting him at every turn. I would play my role, keep up the act, and stay close until I uncovered the truth.Beside me, Julian studied me in the dim glow of the dashboard lights.“You’ve been unusually quiet,” he said, his voice calm and steady.“I’m tired,” I said, keeping my voice even.He gave a small nod and finally pulled his hand away before stepping out of the car.My eyes followed him automatically as he walked around to my side and opened the passenger door. Holding out his left hand, he looked down at me.“Let’s go inside, fake wife.”The ride up to the penthous