Jude The Obscure Novels & Stories

“Caught red-handed.” “It’s not what you think,” I muttered, suddenly very aware of the growing tension in my chest. Jessica, ever the persistent one, ignored my protests and continued scrolling through Dino’s photos. “Oh, come on, Eloise. It’s only fair that we get a glimpse of what’s been on your mind. I mean, the man is literally everywhere, right? CEO of Prestige Global, former high school bully, and now...a walking nightmare?” “Please don’t make it worse,” I groaned, slouching down in my seat. But Jessica was already too deep in her mission to listen.

“Speaking of thieves… I remember us taking that portrait in Greece.” Caleb blinked, then laughed, smacking his forehead. “That wasn’t exactly stealing—we kept begging them to let us examine it first. And we returned it, so it was more like borrowing.” “I second that,” Ivana said, laughing along, the tension in the room easing as light-hearted chatter replaced the morning gloom.Yet the harmonious atmosphere only reminded Ivana of her parents. Her mind drifted back to the encounter with Anubis—her so called groom. If he’s truly a god… maybe he could help me find my parents, she thought, her heart thudding. Maybe… just maybe, he can help her find them.

“Not for judgment, for visibility.” Visibility…. the word tasted bitter. Guards flanked her as she crossed the grounds, heads turned, conversations stalled. The square filled with that familiar charged silence, eyes crawling over her like insects. Elara kept her gaze forward. She felt the whispers more than she heard them. “That is her.” “The rejected one.” “She looks the same.”

I spat, my voice sharp, dripping with anger. “Oh, come now, brother,” Luca drawled, his tone that same smug, superior nonsense I had long grown tired of. “You know Father and I have to keep tabs on you. Especially with the way you’re... portraying yourself.” His eyes gleamed with that look of disdain he reserved for everything human.

Such a lucky bastard. Meanwhile, Jude, on the other hand, in a desperate bid to salvage what remained of his reputation and business ventures, swallowed his pride and reached out to Hideous Montenegro, hoping for a chance at redemption. He doesn't want to end his business just because of the foolishness of his own daughter. Besides, his daughter wasn't the real culprit, and if he begs for mercy, then maybe Hideous will think of letting him go. Despite having already disowned his daughter, Jude knew that he needed Hideous' forgiveness if he had any hope of saving the projects he had with the government.

“You didn’t have to.” “I know.” Jace stepped in without waiting for an invitation. “But you look like hell.” Adrian said nothing. Jace was blunt, but not unkind. They sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping lukewarm coffee and poking at slightly cold bagels. Adrian avoided eye contact, eyes flicking toward the kitchen drawer every few seconds. Jace noticed. “Something happen?” “No.” “Liar.” Adrian sighed, dragging his fingers through his messy hair. “I found something yesterday. On my doorstep.”

Judah expression shifted incredulously as he said, “I don’t see the relevance or the correlation between two vastly different situations.” Judah was a strait-laced individual; an impish smile danced across my lips when I’m reminded how much of a prude he was when we first met. He certainly obliterated that image when we slept together, letting me wield the power for a split second until I’m reminded who the true bearer was.

Richard nods, agreeing with Jude, and I shake my head. “You are jealous,” Fred shouts from inside the bathroom and I walk away because this is not going to be pretty for him. Jude is a big guy. If he didn’t wear suits every day for work, I would say he was a lumberjack trying to live in the woods away from civilization. Jude was never the most talkative of us all. He always kept to himself, but a few years ago, something happened and he became a recluse in his own life. “I am not a man whore, nor I’ll ever be, I think women deserve to be treated with respect,” he says and I nod, “Well there are exceptions that could just drown and die,” he says and Richard points at him nodding his head.

I cross-checked the photo of Judas in the article with the one in the documents and realized they were one and the same. "Jackpot!"

Isadora POV Jude breathed harshly, his nostrils flaring as he watched the blood squeezing out between my fingers. Christian slowly backed away, not turning his back to Jude. “I’ll call you in thirty minutes.” I gave a small nod, stunned by what had happened and completely at a loss why Jude had reacted that way. Before my brother could slip out, Jude said in a low voice, “There’s nowhere you can hide if I find out you betrayed me, Christian. Even Baltimore won’t be your safe haven if I want you dead.”