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Lahat ng Kabanata ng Betrayal at the Pier: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 8

8 Kabanata

Chapter 1

I snapped my gun up and leveled it at Jules McKenna and Nicolas Bernstein.A second later, a dozen guns cocked behind me, their barrels pressed to the back of my skull."Boss, you can't force someone to love you."I swept my eyes over every face there. My nose started to sting, the way it does right before you cry.The scar across the web of my thumb, ridged like a centipede's legs, was from the day I fought to pull Tyler Barrymore out of our enemies' hands, and the gun's chamber blew apart in my grip. The bruise running from my shoulder down my arm was from the three days I'd spent trapped in a casino trying to get Carter Robinson out. I'd been beaten half to death before it was over.But now, every one of them stood against me. Ace Munroe and Ruby Sandler were just two more familiar faces in that crowd. I'd saved their lives, put money in their pockets, and every one of them had once sworn to serve me for life.I wiped the tears from my face and swept my eyes over them, ref

Chapter 2

"Boss, just leave."I don't know who moved first. Someone knocked the gun out of my hand and shoved me into the sea. The salt wind turned to rain against my skin, and by the time I dragged myself back to shore, I was soaked through.I swam back to the harbor, looked down at the countless scars crisscrossing my wrists, and dialed the one number I trusted."Burn the harbor down tonight."By the time the fire tore through the ships, I was standing on the shore, watching Hallahan City's biggest pier burn to ash with my own eyes. The flames hadn't even died down when Carter and Travis came running."Boss, you blew up the harbor. How are the people who work the docks supposed to make a living now? How could you be so reckless?"Carter jabbed a finger at me. Travis let out a long sigh."No wonder Jules couldn't stand you. Doing this just breaks everyone's heart!"I looked at the two of them, one who'd grown up alongside me and one who'd watched me grow up. The two people I was clo

Chapter 3

I stared at Jules, unable to believe what I was seeing. After our parents died, my sister was the only family I had left, and Jules knew exactly how much she meant to me."Get up there. Officiate the wedding."She looped her arm through Nicolas's and smiled at me. My fingers dug into the photograph, my nails cutting into my palm."I, Max McGraw, am honored to pronounce Ms. Jules McKenna and Mr. Nicolas Bernstein husband and wife..."I don't remember how I made it out of the church. All I know is that the press had a field day at my expense.[THE KINGPIN TURNS SOFT? BROTHERS-TURNED-RIVALS IN LOVE, AND HE'S WORSE OFF THAN A KILLER]Jules had paid an army of trolls to stir up the narrative online.[Jules faked her own death just to get away from him. Max's level of obsession would scare any woman off.][If I were her, I'd have run a long time ago.][What does he even do besides hurt people? The one who was never loved is the real third wheel here.]I stayed awake all night.The

Chapter 4

Jules stared at me like I was a piece of garbage."I didn't push him," I said.Nicolas's crying only got louder."Max, are you saying I'd cripple myself on purpose?""It's not impossible," I replied.Jules's fury boiled over. She kicked me so hard I flew backward. My forehead slammed into the coffee table, and blood poured down my face.She froze for a moment, her chest heaving."Have you even noticed? You're the one who's always pushed me away. Every time I asked you out, you said you were busy with work. Every time I planned a trip, you said you had a business trip. You never once put me first. Everything that's happened to you today, you brought on yourself."She grabbed my collar in a death grip."I'll give you one last chance. Apologize to Nicolas publicly. Tell all of Hallahan City that you forced yourself between us and destroyed what he and I had. Do that, and I'll let your sister go."Every part of my body was in pain, but none of it compared to what she'd just asked

Chapter 5

"What?"Jules shot up off the couch and switched the call to speaker."It's true. Check the news; it's being reported right now!"We've sent people out to search, but the officials are saying the explosives used were so powerful that there's a real chance... there won't be a body to recover."The assistant's voice cut off as the call ended. Jules's vision went black. Her legs gave out, and she dropped back onto the couch."That's not possible. I had the boat inspected myself."Nicolas rushed to steady her, a flicker of satisfaction crossing his eyes."Don't panic, Jules. Max has always been lucky. Nothing's going to happen to him."An inexplicable panic rose in Jules's chest."That much explosive, out in the middle of the ocean? The odds of surviving that are next to nothing!"Nicolas hesitated before speaking."This couldn't be one of Max's schemes, could it? You know how unhinged he gets. He might be faking his death just to win our sympathy."Jules paused to consider it.

Chapter 6

That night, Jules dreamed of Max. She dreamed of him at seventeen, tearing into the McKenna estate to save her, breaking through a window to get her to her finals on time. She dreamed of him at twenty-one, on a camping trip that got hit by a flash flood, handing her the last cracker in his pack. She dreamed of him at twenty-seven, on the third day after she'd faked her death, when he'd tried to hang himself and been saved only by chance.When she woke, her pillow was soaked through with tears. His face in the dream had been unbearably clear."Jules, what's wrong?"Nicolas blinked awake, groggy, and pulled her close on instinct. This time, Jules didn't hug him back the way she usually did. She quietly slid her arm free instead."Go back to sleep. I'm going to have a cigarette."Out on the balcony, Jules held an unlit cigarette between her lips for a long time. She remembered that Max had never liked smoking. She'd always had the habit herself, but once they were together, s

Chapter 7

"Jules, what... what's wrong?"Nicolas clawed at her hand, his lips turning blue from lack of air. Jules threw him down onto the couch and grabbed a fistful of his hair."You actually hired someone to kill Max? Nicolas, you have some nerve!"Nicolas went limp against the cushions, his eyes wide with panic."I didn't! Jules, don't listen to whatever he told you! Someone paid him to frame me!""Frame you?"Jules drove her heel into the couch beside his head."Who framed you? Are you going to tell me it was Max?"Nicolas shook all over, terrified."I, I really didn't do it. Jules, you have to believe me!"He threw his arms around her leg, sobbing."Why would I ever do something like that? Max was my best friend. Believe me.""And you're still lying to my face."Jules's patience ran out completely. She pulled the recording of the captain's confession out of her pocket. Nicolas's face went white as paper. He shook, unable to force out a single word.Jules's eyes burned red

Chapter 8

I'd come back in from the water and was waving to my sister, Tiffany McGraw, on the shore."Tiffany, come give me a hand!"Six months earlier, I'd caught something wrong a minute before the boat exploded and gotten my sister off it just in time. The blast had knocked us both unconscious. When we woke up, we'd already been pulled out of the water by fishermen from the eastern islands.Tiffany came bounding over, grinning so hard it looked like her face might split, staring down at a hold full of fish."We're rich, we're rich! You did great, Max!"We stayed on the little island and became fishermen ourselves. Life turned out happier than either of us had imagined.We were getting ready to head to the docks one morning when the village head sent out a message in the group chat."A big buyer's here to take everyone's catch today. Everyone get down to the docks!"The moment I reached the docks and saw a familiar figure, my whole face fell."Max!"Jules walked toward me. She'd gott

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