Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 51 - Chapitre 60

MAYA'S POVI saw Victoria's name flashing on the screen before Killian could even move to turn the phone over.Neither of us spoke for several long, agonizing seconds. The quiet hum of the kitchen refrigerator felt incredibly loud in the darkness. Finally, Killian picked up the phone, the bright light reflecting off his sharp jawline. "I will answer her later," he said, his voice dropping into a tense rumble. "Let's just go to sleep.""Why do you need to wait, Killian?" I asked immediately, crossing my arms over my chest. "Victoria's question is incredibly simple. If you ignore it or refuse to answer her tonight, it is only going to look as though you have something major worth hiding from her."Killian rubbed a hand over his face, looking completely stressed. "Maya, the truth is complicated."I let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "What is complicated about telling Victoria that William married my mother and we became step-siblings? That is a simple fact. The only real complication

MAYA'S POVFor one terrifying second, I forgot exactly how to breathe.Victoria stood near the entrance of the sitting room, holding a small, elegant paper gift bag in one hand. She was smiling broadly, her sharp eyes scanning our frozen faces as though she had simply discovered the funniest, most amusing coincidence in Toronto.William was the first one to break the suffocating silence. He rose from the leather sofa with a welcoming smile, stepping forward to greet her. "Victoria. What a pleasant surprise. What brings you over so unexpectedly this late?"Victoria let out a light laugh, handing him the gift bag. "I wanted to personally drop off a few official documents from the Sterling Group concerning the final charity banquet accounts, William. I was already driving past the neighborhood, so I decided it would be much faster than sending them through another corporate assistant tomorrow morning."William chuckled, shaking his head as he set the bag on the side table. "Your father

MAYA'S POVI spent the rest of the late afternoon staring blankly at two official acceptance forms open on my laptop screen. Milan. New York.The digital cursor hovered between the two PDFs, blinking steadily like a ticking clock. Opposite me at the long cutting table, Chloe sat with her legs crossed, munching on a bag of barbecue chips. The fashion studio was almost completely empty, the hum of fluorescent lights replacing the usual chatter of students, but Chloe refused to pack up her bag until I made some kind of real progress."You're going to burn a hole through your screen if you stare at it any harder," Chloe said, wiping her fingers on a napkin. "Just pick one, Maya." Every time I moved the cursor toward the Milan application, my heart did a strange, fluttery flip. I thought about the centuries of couture history, the classic Italian design houses I had studied since high school, and the rare opportunity to learn hand-sewing techniques I might never experience anywhere else

MAYA'S POVI woke up long before my alarm was set to go off, the pale morning light barely peeking through the edges of my bedroom curtains.I didn't even bother brushing my hair before reaching for my laptop on the bedside table. Opening the screen, the official Beaumont Atelier acceptance portal was still active, displaying the two choices side by side in sharp, bold text:[ ACCEPT: MILAN ATELIER ][ ACCEPT: NEW YORK EXECUTIVE BRANCH ]A bright red countdown banner at the top read: Deadline: 11:59 PM Tonight.I stared at the two words until a soft knock echoed at my door. Mom stepped inside, wearing a silk robe and holding two steaming mugs of Earl Grey tea.I instinctively made a sharp movement to tilt the laptop screen down, but Mom's sharp eyes caught the bold Beaumont logo before I could hide it. She smiled sympathetically, setting a mug on my desk before sitting beside me on the edge of the mattress."Still struggling with the decision, darling?" Mom asked gently, resting a war

KILLIAN'S POVI heard the words clearly, every single spiteful syllable cutting right through the deafening roar of the ten-thousand-seat arena.For one dangerously reckless second, every warning Coach had given me, every word from the international selection committee, and every shred of discipline I had spent years building vanished completely from my mind. Red hot, unadulterated fury burned through my veins. The opposing player skated backward toward his blue line, a satisfied, taunting smirk spread across his mouth, obviously waiting for me to lose my temper and take a stupid, game-costing penalty.I took a step forward, my skates cutting deep into the ice, my knuckles turning bone-white around the shaft of my stick as I locked my eyes onto his visor.Before I could get close enough to do something that would ruin my entire career, JD slammed his shoulder lightly against mine, stepping into my path and physically blocking my line of sight."Whoa, easy, cap," JD warned in a low, s