جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 130

A flicker crossed Calder’s eyes.“What connection could I possibly have to him?”“Stop trying to fool me.”Nola tightened her grip on his hand.“You are Casarevatti. Casarevatti is you. Am I right?”The words came faster now.“The first moment I saw him at the anniversary ceremony, I thought of you. When I stood beside him, everything felt familiar. His face may be different, but his eyes are the same.”She searched Calder’s face.“And why would he suddenly give me a priceless antique violin for no reason?”Her fingers tightened again.“It was you. Tell me the truth.”She needed certainty.Calder did not answer.The moment he admitted it, the question of his age would follow.Then the age difference.Then the identity he had taken ten years ago.One truth would pull another into the l

Blythe was already on her knees before Samuel.“I only meant well. I wanted Calder to marry Brina and finally give her the place she deserves.”She dabbed at her eyes.“I know the method was wrong, but my intentions were good. I could not bear to see Brina hurt.”Brina was deeply moved.She had never imagined Blythe would go this far for her.“Thank you for caring so much about me, but I have thought it through. I will not force Calder to marry me.”She lowered her gaze.“I stayed with the Rook family because of my sister. Caring for my nephew and nieces was my own choice. I am already grateful for everything I have.”It gave her a graceful way out.A retreat that left the door open.If she caused a scene, threatened her life, or stormed away after Calder rejected her, she would lose everything.As long as she remained, everyone outside the family

“Nola.”A familiar voice reached her through the dark.Her eyes opened.“Calder?”“I am here.”He could only come after nightfall, when the house had gone quiet and everyone else was asleep.“Lock the door and come up.”Nola shifted toward the other side of the bed, making room for him.Calder locked the door, removed his coat, and slipped beneath the blanket.Then he gathered her into his arms.“You are freezing. Let me warm you up.”Cold clung to him from outside, along with the faint, clean scent that always made her feel safe.At last, she was sharing a bed with her idol.Her hands immediately became restless.One arm went around his lean waist. The other slid beneath his shirt, finding the hard lines of his stomach before wandering higher over his chest.A wicked little laugh escaped her.“What ar

Everyone turned toward the voice.Calder was approaching with several men.Only when they drew closer did the others see that the guards were holding someone between them.“Richard?”Samuel recognized the keeper responsible for the snake house.“What is going on?”Calder stopped before him.“Dad, a snake entered Nola’s room and nearly attacked her. I had the enclosure investigated and confirmed it was Onyx.”He looked at Richard.“Onyx did not simply wander into The Anchorage. The cameras at the snake house had conveniently stopped working.”A pause.“My people restored the footage.”His voice hardened.“The snake was carried out and released on purpose. Richard was the one who did it.”Every eye shifted to him.Leslie stared.“Richard, why would you do such a thing? You have served t

Nola and Wanda headed for the door.Wanda went back to her room first to pack.Joren turned to his father.“Dad, are you really letting them leave?”Calder did not argue on their behalf.Instead, he gave instructions.“Quill, prepare a car for Nola and Wanda. Rachel, go with them and look after Nola for a few days.”“Yes, Mr. Rook.”Both accepted the order.Samuel remained in his chair.His face was still terrible, but Nola’s words had reached somewhere no one else ever had.No one had spoken to him like that before.Others saw the authority he carried, the family name he had upheld all his life.Nola had asked whether he was tired.For decades, Samuel had held the Rook family together and controlled every matter inside and outside the estate.He had stood over them like an ancient pine, taking every storm first.Somewhere al