All Chapters of Warnings Wrapped in Roses: Chapter 11 - Chapter 17

But in the darkness, the voice that answered Cedric was full of sweetness and coquetry. "Ced, you're home!"Harriet, dressed in a silk nightgown, sprang up from the couch to greet him. She reached out to take the suit jacket he was shrugging off.The moment she drew close, Cedric caught that familiar scent of cold pear blossoms.Almost instinctively, he seized her hand before it could reach his shoulder. His brow furrowed into a deep frown, and his voice turned cold and sharp. "Who gave you permission to use her perfume? I told you her things are off-limits. Why would you touch it again?"Harriet's hand ached in his grip. Tears of hurt and indignation quickly welled up in her eyes.She bit her lip, her voice timid. "Ced... do I disgust you? For the past three months, you've left early and come home late every day. Even when you're home, you sleep in the study."You won't let me touch anything of hers. Is it because you're still waiting for her to come back? Is that why you can't

The assistant lowered his head, his voice faltering. "I'm sorry, Mr. Grisborne. We've exhausted every resource at our disposal, both domestic and international, legal and otherwise, but we've come up empty."It's as though Mrs. Grisborne has vanished from the face of the earth. No flights. No transactions. Not a single trace of her anywhere."Mr. Grisborne, she must have spent a fortune to ensure that. She truly doesn't want to be found."The room fell into dead silence.After a long moment, Cedric's fury erupted. He kicked the vanity table beside him with such force that it shattered.His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was raw with anger. "Bullshit! Nicole has loved me since she was eighteen. Do you really think she could just walk away from that?"Find her! Once she knows I love her too, she'll come back. She has to. Keep searching."His voice nearly broke. "Post the bounty on the dark web. Raise it to 10 billion dollars. I don't care what it costs. If I have to turn the e

Cedric's raw, anguished shout and the crash of the garden fence as it slammed to the ground shattered the tender moment in the garden.The smile on Nicole's face vanished instantly. She turned and watched Cedric storm toward her.After five years apart, the sight of him stirred nothing in Nicole's heart but a faint, weary irritation.Cedric, however, was clearly shaken to his core. His outstretched hand trembled as he reached for her.Before he could touch her, Nolan forcefully knocked his hand away.Cedric seemed oblivious to everyone else's presence. His bloodshot eyes remained fixed on Nicole."Nicole, I've been looking for you for five years. Come home with me." His tone carried the certainty of a man who believed she owed him that much.That confidence stemmed from the memory of the love Nicole had once given him without reservation.He even regarded Nolan with open contempt, as if to say that Nolan might have taken advantage of his absence, but now that he was back, no on

On the ground floor of the cathedral, the ghost whom no one else could see leaned close to Nicole's ear. "Nico, they're here. On the second floor. Don't be afraid."Nicole's lashes trembled faintly, but she did not look up toward the second floor. Not a trace of fear crossed her face.Afraid? She had stopped being afraid a long time ago.Five years ago, in Portanova, she had walked through something close to hell and come out the other side. The worst thing that could happen to her today was death. What did she have left to fear?She answered the ghost in a gentle voice, "I'm not afraid. I've already stationed people in the shadows. And I'm not just going to sit here without fear. I'm going to change our destiny with my own hands..."In the shadows of the second floor, the gun in Cedric's hand trembled uncontrollably."Pull the trigger." The scarred man ground the words out through clenched teeth. "What are you waiting for? Kill Nolan, and she's ours!"Cedric had already squeeze