All Chapters of I Was Hired To Seduce My Boss : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Zoe The morning of the vow renewal dawns clear and bright, the sun rising over the lake like a promise fulfilled. I stand at the window, watching the mist burn off the water. The garden is in full bloom, the tulips a riot of red, gold, and purple. White chairs line the lawn, facing the altar that Liam built with his own hands. Five years. Five years since we stood in this garden and promised to love each other for the rest of our lives. Five years of joy, of pain, of growth. Liam comes up behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist. He kisses my neck, his breath warm on my skin. "Are you ready?" he asks. "Ready to marry you again?" I turn in his arms. "I have been ready for five years." He smiles, his dark eyes soft. "I love you, Zoe. I have loved you since the moment I saw you." "I love you too." I reach up and touch his face. "Now go. I need to get ready." He kisses me, soft and slow, and then he is gone. Eleanor helps me dress. The gown is white, simple, with lace sleev

Liam The morning sun is pale, thin, barely cutting through the clouds that have settled over the lake. I stand at the window, watching the water ripple in the wind. The tulips sway in the breeze, their petals closed against the chill. Zoe is still asleep, her hand resting on my pillow. She has been exhausted lately, the weight of the past weeks pressing down on her. I walk to the kitchen and pour myself a cup of coffee. The silence is peaceful, but it feels heavy, charged. Something is coming. I do not know what it is, but I can feel it. The news comes at noon. Marcus is on the phone, his voice low and urgent. I cannot hear the words, but I can see the tension in his shoulders. "What is it?" I ask. He hangs up. His face is pale. "Viktor has been seen. He is gathering allies. He is rebuilding the network." I feel the fear rise, cold and sharp. "Where?" "Near the old house. He is not hiding. He is waiting." "For what?" "For us." I told Zoe that evening. We are sitting on t

Viktor The room is empty. I sit in the dim light of a single lamp, surrounded by the ruins of my empire. The walls are bare, the shelves stripped, the safe gaping open like a wound. The files are gone. The evidence is gone. The network is gone. I am alone. I have always been alone, but I never felt it until now. The silence is suffocating, pressing against my chest like a weight I can not lift. I pour whiskey, but the glass feels hollow in my hand. The amber liquid burns, but I taste nothing. I think about Eleanor. Her face rises behind my eyes—young, beautiful, her grey eyes full of love. She believed in me once. She believed I was a good man. I was not. I think about Zoe. My daughter. The child I held in my arms and then let go. I think about the way she looked at me when she learned the truth—her grey eyes full of disgust. She saw the monster I was. She was right. I think about Marcus. My brother. The man who chose loyalty over blood. He protected Liam, protected Zoe, and p

Zoe I stare at him, Viktor, my father. The man who tried to destroy everything I love. The man who killed Liam's father. The man who has been hunting us for years. He is standing in my doorway, looking older than I remember. His shoulders are slumped, his face pale, his eyes hollow. He looks like a man who has lost everything. And for a moment, I felt something I did not expect. Pity. "Zoe." His voice is hoarse. "I need to talk to you." My hand trembles on the doorframe. I want to slam the door. I want to scream at him. I want to call Liam and tell him to get his gun. But I do none of those things. I step back, holding the door open. "Come in." He steps inside, his eyes darting around the room. He is nervous, unsure. I have never seen him like this. "Zoe?" Liam's voice comes from the kitchen. He appears in the doorway, his dark eyes widening when he sees Viktor. "What is he doing here?" "Liam," I say, my voice steady. "Give us a moment." "Zoe please. He hesitates. Then he nods a

Liam The lake house is quiet, but the silence is different now. It is not the silence of hiding, of waiting for the next blow. It is the silence of a family learning to breathe again. I stand at the window, watching the sun set over the water. The tulips sway in the breeze, their petals catching the dying light. Lily and David are inside, their laughter drifting through the open windows. Zoe is in the kitchen, the sound of her humming a soft melody that fills the house with warmth. For a moment, I let myself believe that the war is truly over. Then I see it. A figure at the edge of the trees. Still. Watching. My blood turns to ice. I do not move. I do not call out. I watch as the figure steps back, disappearing into the shadows. I walk to the door and step outside. The air is cool, the grass wet with dew. I cross the garden, my footsteps silent, my heart pounding. The figure is gone. But the footprints remain. I kneel and touch the earth. The prints are fresh, the edges sha