جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 60

I started dreading the headlines waiting around the corner. I feared the next news I would hear might be the announcement of Alexander marrying Ariella. Or worse, the news that I had lost him forever. The days blurred into one another as I lost count. I woke up, went to the academy, dedicated myself to work, pushed myself so hard that my feet and hands ached, returned home exhausted, endured a few restless hours of sleep, and then repeated the cycle. I kept moving because stopping meant facing everything I was trying to bury. My days were filled with noise, pressure from my mom, and exhaustion, but none of it could reach the emptiness I carried inside. As a diploma holder from Miranda Stone Academy, I have the opportunity to create original recipes. If one of my recipes is selected and added to the Academy's cookbook, it would be a great honor and a proud achievement. It would reflect the knowledge, creativity, and skills I gained during my time at the Academy, while also allowi

I gave her a doubtful look. “Good news?” Freya nodded, failing miserably at hiding her excitement. “Didi, you’re going to want to see this. It’s all over the headlines.” My heart skipped slightly at the thought. “Freya… is it about Alex?” I studied her face, waiting for her to go on and tell me the good news. “Are you going to tell me or not?” I snapped at her, but instead of answering, she pulled out her phone and unlocked it. “I think you should see this yourself.” The moment the screen turned toward me, I froze. A live broadcast filled the display. Alexander. My Alexander. His face appeared on the screen, and I found myself staring at every detail I had missed. The way he held himself. The familiar glint in his dark eyes. The face I had spent so much time thinking about. Then I noticed the headline. My fingers tightened around the magazine in my lap. Alexander Stone officially ends his engagement with Ariella Williams. I stopped breathing. The room around me disap

I was halfway down the stairs when I heard my mother’s voice echo through the house. “Everyone needs to check their rooms. Now.” I stopped. The panic in her voice made my stomach twist. “What happened?” I asked. She turned toward me, her face pale, and an empty jewelry box clutched tightly in her hand. “All my gold is missing.” I blinked in shock, feigning ignorance. “What?” “My jewelry. All of it is gone.” Her furious gaze moved from one person to another, searching for an explanation. “No one leaves this house until I find out who did this.” I felt the blood drain from my face. I had been careful. I had made sure no one saw me. I thought I had covered every trace. I was wrong. A few minutes later, one of the maids came rushing in, holding something between her fingers. “Madam… I found this in Miss Nadia’s room.” My heart stopped. The gold ring. The one I hadn’t noticed slipping away. My mother gazed at it, then her eyes darted at me. “You?”

I hated that I still expected his name to appear on my phone’s screen.I hated that some part of me still believed he would suddenly walk through the door and tell me he had a reason. A good reason. But what reason could possibly be enough?My hand constricted around the phone.“How could you leave me to deal with this alone,” I choked out, sobbing.The weight of everything crushed me, I dropped to the floor with my phone in my hands.I wished I could tell Alex that the other man was his father. But it was too late now.Dread squeezed my chest.How could my life become this complicated?I wiped my face angrily.I swore that if his father did anything that pushed me past my limit… If I lost control of everything I had been trying so hard to hold together, I would unalive myself. I thought of the child growing inside me, and the reality of suicide hit me with a wave of fear. Right there, I realized I had to fight for both my life and my child's.I gathered myself and rigidly sat by t

Mr. Stone glared at me with a slitted grin as if he didn't mind the terror he had caused.I couldn't stop trembling because of what I had just discovered. I wheezed sharply and I clenched my fists.He mustn't find out otherwise I won't be able to leave this estate.My teeth gritted as I thought that in his mind, he was probably thinking of how to abuse my fear.I held my ground, refusing to deny it or accept his control over me.This man before me had the power to influence not only my family actions and decisions, but the entire world. He could wreck my life with just an order and I was overly aware of that. He continued to watch me with an intensity that made the fear climb into my throat. Then, without breaking eye contact, he walked inside and shut the door behind him.“We are going to be married to each other. You have no reason to be frightened of me,” he spoke quietly but it sounded like a threat to me.