Chapter 40: HIS SIDE PIECE

NILAHThe morning sun cut through the courthouse. I walked down the wide, sterile corridor toward the secure witness waiting rooms, the heels of my black shoes clicking loudly against the stone surface.I held the black leather folder containing the copies of the decrypted server logs tightly against my ribs, my fingers digging into the stiff material until my knuckles turned white. My grand jury testimony was scheduled for exactly ten o'clock, and the district attorney's team had instructed me to arrive thirty minutes early to review the final cross-examination procedures with the state prosecutors.Darien had left our penthouse two hours before me, dressed in his charcoal corporate suit, to meet with the senior legal counsel regarding the immediate restructuring of the Castellano share blocks following Adrian's arrest.We had barely spoken a word to each other over breakfast, the lingering adrenaline from the previous night's boardroom takedown still hanging heavily in the air betw

Chapter 41: THE FALSE PROOFS

NILAHThe penthouse felt too large. I sat on the living room sofa, my leather folder placed on the glass coffee table in front of me. The panoramic windows showed the city lights flickering as evening set in, but the high view did not give me any sense of comfort. I kept looking at the silent residential elevator doors, waiting for the floor indicator to light up.A sharp, rhythmic buzzing from the wall intercom broke the silence. I stood up, smoothing down my dress, and walked over to the security panel near the entry."Ms. Mariel," the guard’s voice came through the speaker, sounding hesitant. "Elena Vance is downstairs in the lobby. She states she has urgent corporate documentation that requires your immediate personal receipt before Mr. Castellano returns from the airfield."My chest tightened instantly. I did not want to see her, but the mention of Darien and the corporate documents made it impossible to turn her away. "Let her up," I said, my voice tight.I stood back as the ele

Chapter 42: AN ACT OF BETRAYAL

NILAHThe digital clock on the dashboard of the hired sedan read past eleven as the vehicle pulled up to the side entrance of the Grand Carlyle Hotel.I paid the driver in cash, stepped out into the humid night air, and pulled my dark trench coat tightly around my waist. My phone sat dead in my purse; Darien had canceled our ten o'clock dinner via a two-word text from his assistant citing an "emergency share block vote." He had not called since.Elena’s parting words at the penthouse had replayed in my mind until my anxiety became a physical necessity to see the truth for myself. I walked past the bellhop through the lower residential entrance, avoiding the main lobby entirely.I knew the Castellano Group kept a permanent executive suite on the top floor of this building—the same suite Elena’s printed logs had listed.The elevator ride to the penthouse suite was fast and completely silent. When the doors slid open, the corridor was lined with thick, sound-absorbing blue carpeting. I

Chapter 43: AWAY FROM HIM

NILAHThe yellow taxi cab pulled up to the security gates of my father's estate, I paid the driver with the last remaining hundred-dollar bill in my wallet, stepped out onto the asphalt driveway, and lifted my suitcase out of the trunk. The night air was humid and dead, carrying the smell of wet grass and car exhaust."Who is it at this hour?" the voice of the night guard came through the speaker."It is Nilah," I said directly into the metal grill. "Open the gate."There was a five-second pause before the mechanical gears engaged, and the heavy iron structures began to slide backward into the stone walls.The front door of the brick mansion opened before I reached the welcome mat. My father, Arthur Mariel, stood in the threshold, wearing a dark blue silk robe over his trousers. His gray hair was uncombed, and his face was set in an expression of intense agitation. He did not step forward to help me with the heavy bag. He simply watched me climb the steps, his arms crossed tightly ove

All Chapters of Divorced, Desired, Dangerous : Chapter 41 - Chapter 44

Chapter 40: HIS SIDE PIECE

Chapter 41: THE FALSE PROOFS

Chapter 42: AN ACT OF BETRAYAL

Chapter 43: AWAY FROM HIM