Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 41 - Chapitre 50

CHAPTER 42: Lila’s SmileLila’s POVThe private elevator chimed, the brushed steel doors sliding open to reveal my father’s penthouse. I stepped out, adjusting my designer bag on my shoulder, ready to play the dutiful daughter. I needed his checkbook, and I needed him to stop freezing Julian out of the city’s development deals."Dad?" I called out, my heels clicking against the imported marble. "It’s me."I rounded the corner into the expansive living room and froze. My blood turned instantly hot, prickling beneath my skin.Tessa was sitting on the custom Italian leather sofa, her legs tucked beneath her, holding a mug of tea like she owned the place. She wore one of my father’s oversized cashmere sweaters.My hands curled into tight fists. *How dare she?* This was my father’s sanctuary. She was invading every corner of my life, stealing Julian’s obsession and now my father’s affection."Lila." My father’s deep voice broke my trance. He walked out of the open-plan kitchen, wiping his h

CHAPTER 44: The StrikeFelix’s POVI drove straight to Julian’s house. I didn't knock. I kicked the front door open. The wood cracked and the door flew wide.Julian was in the living room. He held a glass of wine. He jumped when the door hit the wall."Vaughan!" Julian yelled. "Are you crazy? I will call the police!"I walked up to him. I grabbed his shirt collar and slammed him against the wall. The wine glass dropped and shattered on the floor."You touched her," I said. My voice was very quiet, but Julian shook."She is my wife!" Julian choked out. "She came to me!"I punched him hard in the stomach. Julian folded over, coughing and gasping for air. He fell to his knees."She came to you because she forgot what a monster you are," I said. "But I remember."I grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head up. He had a bloody lip."You think you won because she lost her memory?" I asked. "You lost. I already bought all your debts."Julian's eyes went wide. "What?""Your hospital is gone,

CHAPTER 46: Fading EchoesTessa’s POVI sat at my desk in the Crown Hotel, staring at the open contract in front of me.My head throbbed with a dull, heavy ache. I picked up my pen to sign the document, but my hand froze above the paper.*Who recommended this vendor?*I knew I had discussed this contract yesterday. I remembered sitting in this exact chair. But the name of the person I spoke with was completely gone.The office door opened. A young woman with brown hair walked in carrying a warm mug."Here is your green tea, Tessa," she said with a bright smile. "And the legal team is on line two."I stared at her face. My heart did a sudden, violent flip.I knew her. She worked for me. She had been standing by my side for weeks... but in that split second, her name vanished from my mind."Tessa?" she asked, her smile fading into concern. "Are you okay?""I'm fine," I said quickly, forcing my voice to stay firm and confident. I picked up a file on the desk, searching frantically for a s

CHAPTER 48: The Tampered PillsTessa’s POVI opened my eyes. The smell of antiseptic filled my nose.I was in a private VIP room at Vanguard Hospital. White walls, soft lights, and the steady beep of a heart monitor.I sat up slowly. Felix had brought me here late last night after I broke down in his penthouse. He refused to wait until morning. He wanted fresh brain scans and full blood work done immediately.The door opened. Felix walked in.He wore his white doctor's coat, but his face looked ghastly pale. He held a thick yellow folder in his hands."Felix," I said, my voice raspy. "What did the scans say? Is the tumor back?"My heart hammered against my ribs. I was terrified he would tell me the cancer had returned.Felix walked over to my bed. He sat on the edge and pulled my hands into his. His fingers were ice-cold."The tumor is completely gone, Tessa," Felix said softly. "Your brain scans are clean."I let out a long breath of relief. "Then why am I losing my memory? Why is it

Chapter 50: The Credential That Wasn't HisThree hours after Markus said my name and a purge command in the same sentence, I had taken my own security system apart.Not metaphorically. I had Markus pull the central server rack from the Crown executive floor and set it on a table in my study at the estate. Two of my own engineers stood behind me with coffee they weren't drinking, watching me read logs I hadn't looked at in years."Sir, you should let us—""I built the architecture. Sit down."They sat.The login at 11:52 was perfect. My username, my admin tier, my session signature. If I hadn't known where I was at that minute, I'd have believed it myself. I had been on the penthouse terrace on the phone with the toxicology lab, and the call log proved it. That alone proved nothing. A man can make a call and still walk into another room.So I stopped looking at what the login said and started looking at how it arrived.It took until nearly four in the morning. The session hadn't come t