Chapter 21

Adriel Evening traffic crawled out of the central district. Headlights blurred along the highway until the tall glass towers gave way to gravel turnoffs and dark warehouses. By the time I reached the outskirts, the dashboard clock read 5:48 PM. Pine Ridge District was rough. Broken roads, repair yards, and rusted shipping containers lined the street. Most street lamps were dead, leaving only my high beams to cut through the rain-soaked dark. I slowed down, checking the fence numbers. Number 10 was stacked with wooden pallets, 12 was a locked workshop. Then came number 14. The beams struck a pair of tall, rusted iron gates with faded yellow paint. I killed the ignition and stepped out into the damp chill. The air smelled of wet earth and exhaust. Reaching inside my coat, my fingers brushed the clinic slip. *Yellow gate. Second door in the courtyard.* The gate stood unlatched. I nudged it open and walked into a narrow compound bordered by cinderblock walls. Weeds choked

Última atualização : 2026-10-13

Ler mais

Chapter 22

AdrielI slammed the car door shut, threw the gear into reverse, and whipped the sedan out of the narrow dirt lane. Mud spun from the tires before the rubber caught the road, rocketing the car back toward the city.My hands gripped the wheel until my knuckles turned white.Marcus had slipped past security. He had lost his job, his badge was gone, and the company was about to hand his fraud records over to the police. He had nothing left to lose.In his sick mind, Gloria was to blame for everything. He thought she had gone behind his back to the new boss, or that she had sent me after him. More than that, he knew I wanted to find her. If he dragged her away right now, he could use her as a shield to force me to call off the guards and let him escape.I hit the button on the steering wheel, dialing Patricia.She answered on the second ring. “Sir? Security is checking the gates, but—”“Patricia, listen to me,” I cut in, keeping my voice flat and cold. “Forget the gates. Open the personne

Última atualização : 2026-10-13

Ler mais

Chapter 23

AdrielThe room went dead silent for a single, frozen second.Gloria stared at me as if she were seeing a ghost. Her lips trembled, her swollen eyes darting between my three-piece suit, my polished shoes, and the fury written across my face. She remembered a quiet, heartbroken man sitting beside her over cheap whiskey. She had no idea how that same man had just kicked down her front door.“Let go of her wrist, Marcus,” I said, my voice dangerously calm.Marcus tightened his grip instead, yanking Gloria hard against his side. A sharp cry slipped from her throat, her free hand clutching her stomach in sudden pain.“Stay back, Adriel!” Marcus barked, his eyes wild with terror and venom. He reached behind him toward the kitchen counter and snatched a long metal bread knife from a wooden block. “Take one step forward and I swear she gets hurt first!”Clara let out a choked sob from the corner, sinking to her knees beside an overturned lamp.“You're done, Marcus,” I said, keeping my hands l

Última atualização : 2026-10-14

Ler mais

Chapter 24

AdrielI carried Gloria down the wooden porch steps and kicked the gate wide open.Her body felt light in my arms, but the fever burning through her sweater was terrifying. She buried her face in the crook of my neck, groaning every time my boots hit the pavement.“Hold on,” I told her, my voice low and urgent. “Just stay with me, Gloria.”Clara rushed behind us, throwing on a worn coat with shaking hands. I reached the sedan, pulled the back door open, and carefully laid Gloria across the leather seat. She immediately curled onto her side, both arms clamped hard over her stomach.“Get in the back with her,” I told Clara.The older woman climbed in, pulling Gloria’s head onto her lap and whispering frantic prayers.I slammed the door, jumped behind the wheel, and hit the start button. The engine came alive with a growl. I threw the car into gear, whipped it around the corner, and pointed the hood toward the city center.I drove at top speed not minding the traffic light.In the rearvi

Última atualização : 2026-10-14

Ler mais

Kapitel 25

The hallway went completely quiet.Selena didn’t spill a drop of her coffee. Her eyes drifted slowly over my torn sleeve, down to the dark stains on my shirt, and then across to Clara, who sat hunched on the plastic bench, trembling with her hands over her face.Selena scoffed, curling her lip in disgust as she looked the older woman up and down.“Don't get your dirt on the hospital seats,” Selena muttered under her breath, loud enough for Clara to shrink back against the wall.I stepped directly in front of Selena, blocking her view. “Watch your mouth.”“Watch mine?” Selena took a sip from her cup, raising an eyebrow. “An executive strategy meeting. That was what your assistant swore over the phone twenty minutes ago. She said you were busy with boardroom discussions.”I didn’t answer. My knuckles were still bruised from the fight in the shack.“Who is in that room, Adriel?” she asked, stepping closer. The heavy floral scent of her perfume clashed with the sharp antiseptic air.“Go b

Última atualização : 2026-10-15

Ler mais

Todos os capítulos de Pregnant from a one night stand: Capítulo 21 - Capítulo 25

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Kapitel 25