Novel & Cerita Rivals Book Summary

THE RIVALING HEARTS; 003 He looked different now - older, more rugged, with a scruffy beard and lines etched around his eyes. But there was no mistaking those piercing blue eyes, which met mine with a mixture of surprise and guarded recognition. Still oblivious of the tension between the couples, our alpha walked over to meet them halfway with a huge grin and walked them over to the table. I tried to collect my feelings which were scattered all over the hall together.

He staggered, spit red, but his answer wasn’t retreat. It was a hook. Sloppy, but real. It caught me across the cheek. I laughed, blood on my teeth. “There it is. Your first bite.” His grin was half-feral. “Then keep feeding me.” The night it happened, the pit was overflowing. Word had spread — Rival fights till death. Rival can’t be killed. Rival is the pit. The rails bent under the weight of bodies pressing close, cash flying, chants deafening.

“Does he own this place? I have every right to be here.” Alaric raised an eyebrow. “No need for the attitude. I was just concerned about you, you know. We’ve known each other long enough.” They’d known each other a long time, yes, but they’d never been friends. From grade school through high school and even into the business world, they were often compared. Their families worked in similar industries, and they were close in age. Their rivalry started when they first met at six years old, in one summer incident where Lena accidentally hit Alaric with a ball. He thought she was rude; she thought he was soft. They’d been at odds ever since.

“It’s cranberry.” “How do you know it’s my favourite?” “Well…” He turned around to place his books on the centre table but in the process, he accidentally knocked the cup out of my hand. I let out a gasp when the cold liquid hit my skin and instantly got to my feet so it wouldn't end up on the couch while Noah dropped the remaining books in his hand. “Shit! Sorry, Sorry,” he said in a rush as he moved his hand to my chest to help me get rid of the liquid that was quickly soaking through my chest and I took in a quick, sharp breath before he froze.

I move with purpose, because uncertainty invites intrusion. Panels begin. Leaders speak about synergy and innovation, about collaboration dressed up as competition. I sit among them, composed, attentive, dissecting every word. Who hesitates. Who overcompensates. Who watches instead of talks. Power always reveals itself in silence. During a break, I’m approached by a familiar face—an old rival from the energy sector. “You’re expanding aggressively,” he says, glass in hand. “Some would call it reckless.” I meet his gaze calmly. “Some mistake confidence for recklessness.”

I went to shower. The water came up hot and I stepped in and stood under it and let the match run back through me in pieces. The final whistle. The crowd coming up. The commentator’s voice cutting through the noise. Both programs heading to Wood Work. The rivalry between O’Reilly and Williams more heated than ever. One point. I thought about the kiss I sent back across the pitch. The look on Richard’s face when it landed. The way all that careful composure had gone for half a second and something else had come through underneath it. That had sat particularly well.

​POV: Adrian Kade ​The collar of my shirt felt like it was shrinking, and I wiped the sweat from my forehead as I stepped off the stage of the Global Tech Summit while the polite, lukewarm applause of the investors echoed in the large hall. The demo had been a disaster, the system had lagged three times before finally freezing on the main screen, and I could see the disappointment on the faces of the men who used to call me a genius. It had been like this for four years, ever since the day Liora signed those papers and vanished into thin air, and no matter how many top-tier developers I hired or how much money I threw at the problem, I couldn't find the spark that used to make my code invinc

“We’re done talking about this.” “I don’t think we are.” She grabbed my arm, forcing me to face her. Her grip was stronger than it should have been. “Because I know exactly what you’re feeling, Lucas. I know exactly what it’s like to watch someone you were promised to choose someone else instead. To watch them build a life with a rival while you’re left standing alone.” “This isn’t the same…”

“One minute he’s calling me princess and acting like he hates everything about me on the ice, the next he’s railing me in his own bedroom while his parents are downstairs. It felt possessive. Like he was trying to mark me or something. And this morning with Damon… it was different. Easier. No complications, no guilt, no secrets hanging over us. Damon fucked me against the wall first, hard and deep, then we moved to the bed. He made me cum so hard I saw stars. Then I sucked him off and swallowed everything. It felt simple. Just release.” Elara was quiet for a second, processing. “You’re playing a dangerous game, superstar. Jax is clearly fighting some serious demons, and now you’ve got Damon