جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 140

The woman lay with her back to the door.A black lace nightdress clung to her body, one narrow strap already slipping from her shoulder. The hem barely covered the tops of her thighs. A thin silk quilt rested across her waist, concealing little.Heavy perfume hung in the air.“Who are you?”Calder’s voice cracked through the room.The woman stirred and slowly turned around.“It is me.”The moment he saw Brina’s face, his brow drew tight.Revulsion rose in his stomach.“You?”He pressed his fingers to his pounding temple.“What are you doing in my room?”Heat continued spreading through his body, fierce and unnatural. Brina lying on his bed dressed like this made the answer obvious.“You tampered with my wine.”Brina rose from the bed.Her bare feet touched the floor.“I have been waiting fo

By dawn, the car had finally gone quiet.Calder’s thoughts had cleared enough for him to move. He wrapped the sleeping Nola in a blanket, lifted her from where she lay sprawled across him, and carried her into the house.She had planned to return to school that day.She did not make it out of bed.Calder skipped the office as well.For once, he wanted nothing beyond staying close to her.Early that morning, Quill arrived at the Avery residence.Wanda invited him inside.“Quill, what brings you here?”“Nothing serious.”He smiled politely.“Samuel sent me to bring Miss Nola back to the Rook family.”Wanda blinked.“Back to the Rook family? He only drove her out yesterday.”“Samuel was angry at the time and spoke too harshly. Afterward, he reconsidered and decided he should not have sent her away.”Quill contin

 “Most likely a professional hitman. Fast, ruthless, and almost impossible to guard against.”Wayne gave Calder the full report.“Richard was shot and fell into the sea. His head struck a reef. We managed to save him, but he is still unconscious. The doctors cannot say when he will wake.”Richard had become their most important lead.As long as he regained consciousness, there was still a chance he could tell them something useful.“Keep him protected,” Calder said. “Contact Baltasar and have him treated in secret.”

The taxi driver glanced at Nola through the rearview mirror and changed gears at an unhurried pace.“Young lady, it is late. Why are we chasing another car? Safety first.”Nola’s palms were damp.The taillights ahead were already nearing the next intersection.“That is my husband.”The lie came out before she could think twice.“He is sneaking around with another woman. Please help me catch him.”The driver’s whole manner changed.His face turned serious.“Say no more. Hold on.”He hit the accelerator.The taxi shot forward.A private car pulled away almost at the same time. Several guards Calder had assigned to Nola were inside.“Keep up. Miss Nola is in that taxi.”None of them noticed the black SUV joining the pursuit.Wilson drove with one hand on the wheel and spoke through his earpiece.&ld

Once the footage exposed them, Zofia and Rebecca had no chance of talking their way out.People were already pointing and whispering.Zofia could not let anyone know she had planned the whole thing with her daughter, so she turned on Rebecca first.“Rebecca, how could you do something like that?”Rebecca stood beneath the flood of accusing looks, her face burning.“I did not mean to.”Calder’s reply came without pause.“You did not mean to?”His gaze sharpened.“Then you did it deliberately.”The voices around them grew louder.Orlan had to protect what remained of the Avery family’s reputation, even if that meant sacrificing his daughter.He raised a hand and slapped Rebecca across the face.“You foolish girl. Look at what you have done.”His voice carried across the room.“Do you even know where