جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

I didn't bother using the buzzer. I hammered my fists against Axel’s penthouse door until the metal rattled. When it swung open three seconds later, Axel was standing there drenched in sweat, wearing nothing but black athletic shorts and hand wraps. He had clearly been hitting his private gym. The sight of his cut torso and sharp jawline didn't phase me; I had seen him look a mess since we were toddlers. "Nice look. Very... angry underground fighter," I breathed, shoving past him into the marble foyer. Axel wiped his brow with a towel, tracking my frantic pacing. "Hazel, it’s past midnight. Did your design studio flood again?"I kicked off my sneakers, my hands shaking. "Worse. My entire reputation is about to be erased from existence."Axel shut the door, the heavy locks clicking into place. He didn't ask questions. He walked straight over to the smart-home panel, tapped a button to drop the blackout blinds across the entire penthouse, and turned to face me. He always went into lo

"You cannot be serious."I stared at the boarding pass in my hand, my voice echoing off the polished marble of the private terminal lounge. "Oh, I am completely serious, sweetie," Clara’s voice cooed behind me. I spun around to find my stepsister standing there, looking like an absolute winter catalog ad in a cream-colored cashmere trench coat, pristine white designer luggage stacked behind her. Standing right beside her was Dominic. My stomach violently turned. Dominic looked exactly the same—tall, broad-shouldered, and wearing that same arrogant, expensive cologne that used to make my head swim. But looking at him now, standing hand-in-hand with my stepsister, all I felt was a hot, blinding surge of adrenaline.Dominic’s eyes instantly locked onto mine, tracking down to the massive emerald-cut diamond ring glittering on my left hand. His jaw visibly tightened."Hazel," Dominic said, his voice dropping into that familiar low register that used to comfort me. Now, it just made my s

I locked my screen, the text glowing in the dim firelight like a toxic warning sign. *Blackwell Capital’s internal corporate acquisition watchlist.*My throat tightened. I stared at Axel’s broad back as he smoothly hooked a silk tie around his neck, adjusting it in the mirror without a single care in the world. Had every favor he’d ever done for me been calculated? Had our entire third-grade-to-adulthood friendship just been another long-term investment strategy? *Stop. Not now,* I told myself, forcing a breath. I couldn't crack. Not when we were standing in the heart of enemy territory. "Hazel?" Axel turned, his gray eyes locking onto mine, instantly catching my stiff posture. "You look pale. Vertigo hitting again?""No," I lied, slipping the phone into my evening clutch before my fingers could tremble. "Just trying to mentally prepare for the family firing squad downstairs.""You don't have to face them alone," he said, stepping closer. He reached down, his large, warm hand cover

Somehow, we reached the master suite.Axel’s hand was like a heavy, burning weight at the small of my back, guiding me through the whispering crowd of guests. I didn't look at him. I couldn't. The cold cadence of his recorded voice kept looping in my head like a death sentence. *Wait until she’s desperate. Then we move.*The moment we stepped inside the master suite, Axel closed the heavy oak door. The lock engaged with a terrifying click. "Hazel," he started, his voice thick with a panic I had never heard from him before. He stepped toward me, reaching out. "Listen to me. That recording—""Don't touch me," I whispered, stepping backward until the back of my knees hit the edge of the mattress. He froze. His hands dropped to his sides. He looked as though he hadn’t taken a full breath since we left the dining room. All the smooth, untouchable billionaire confidence he had worn downstairs was entirely gone. "It’s a manipulation," Axel said, his eyes dark with an intense, frantic anx

*Hazel pov*The morning sun hit the snow outside the chalet, reflecting a bright white light through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the private library. I stood by the heavy oak conference table, my hands tucked into the pockets of my tailored cream trousers. My balance betrayed me for half a second, but I forced my face to remain perfectly calm. Axel sat right beside me, completely relaxed, a crystal glass of water sitting untouched in front of him. "Alright, let's get this paperwork wrapped up," my stepdad, Richard, said as he slid into the high-backed leather chair at the head of the table. He slapped a thick leather folio down. "Dominic, your family's legal team finalized the asset transfer details for the merger, correct?""Everything is ready, Richard," Dominic said, a smug smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he sat directly across from us. Elena Vance sat right next to him, smoothing down her designer blazer, her eyes tracking Axel with a grin."Excellent," R