Sunda Leopard Cat

Chloé Janin, harcelée par un homme pervers, est entrée à l'hôpital dans un état lamentable. Pendant qu'elle était assise dans le couloir en attendant son tour, elle a vu Daniel Favreau qui serrait dans ses bras une jeune fille délicate, en lui parlant doucement. En regardant cet homme qu'elle aimait depuis sa jeunesse, elle sentait que sa voix est devenue rauque. « Je t'ai envoyé un message, tu ne l'as pas vu ? » « C'était l'anniversaire d'Adeline, je ne pouvais pas gâcher sa fête, et puis, qui savait si tu avais vraiment rencontré un pervers ? » Il a froncé ses beaux sourcils, le dégoût débordant de ses yeux : « Alors, est-ce qu'il t'a souillée ? » Chloé s'est sentie plongée dans un gouffre glacial. Le lendemain, elle a présenté sa lettre de démission. Daniel s'en moquait. « Elle est plus obéissante qu'une chienne, je n'ai même pas besoin de l'appeler, elle reviendra d'elle-même implorer ma pitié. » Cependant, cette fois-ci, Chloé est partie définitivement. ... Six mois plus tard. À deux heures du matin, Daniel, assis dans sa voiture, a composé le numéro qu'il avait récité d'innombrables fois dans sa tête. Dès que l'appel a été connecté, il a dit d'une voix tendue : « Tu me manques. » De l'autre côté est venu un ricanement. « Monsieur Favreau, que signifie cette déclaration en pleine nuit au lieu de dormir ? » Daniel a crié d'une voix folle : « Où est Coco ? Passe-la-moi au téléphone ! » Pablo Tixier, regardant la femme aux yeux humides sous lui, a esquissé un sourire malicieux sur ses belles lèvres. « À cette heure-ci, nous sommes plutôt occupés, désolé. »

An aspiring journalist with a strong sense of justice. A reluctant mafia heir. And a mystery box that binds them. Twenty years ago, Nicolette Meyers witnessed the brutality of the Sticks mafia family. Twenty years later, she made it her mission to bring them down using her pen name ‘Nico Sticks’. Unfortunately, her editor stole her idea and took all the benefits before firing her. And her only consolation was a mystery box from a fan. When a blind, homeless man offered her bank cards in exchange of being her tenant, she accepted the offer not realizing he is the real ‘Nico Sticks’ – the newly-crowned heir of the Sticks family. Steffan Miller was a loyal foot soldier for the mafia until he was appointed to become the head. When his box was stolen and was sent to Nicolette, he pretended to be homeless to search for it. When the police force learned the name of the new mafia leader, it became a cat and mouse chase between them and the police force with Nicolette becoming the perfect patsy for Steffan’s operations. When strong attraction and forbidden emotions got mixed in the mission, does betrayal taste sweeter when it comes from the man you love?

Elena had once believed that silence could mean safety. That a gentle hand and a warm cup of tea placed quietly on her desk every morning could be a form of love. Lucien was never cruel—not in the obvious ways. He remembered how she liked her eggs, noticed when she swapped her perfume, and sent flowers on days he knew she wouldn’t expect them. He raised her like one would raise a pet—softly, without question. And Elena, foolish in the way only the very lonely can be, mistook his quiet affection for devotion. She told herself he was reserved. Mysterious. That love didn’t always wear its heart on its sleeve. But when the old flame returned—the one who spoke his language without needing to try—Elena saw it. The difference. He looked at her like a man who had found his lost religion. And Elena? She had simply been convenient. No tears, no scene. Just papers on the breakfast table, beside the eggs he cooked perfectly. She didn’t accuse or beg. She only asked for freedom. He didn’t sign. He chuckled. A soft, dismissive sound. “A cat raised indoors doesn’t know how to survive on the street, Elena. You’ll come back." But she didn’t. She disappeared, like smoke—except she didn’t vanish, not really. She lived. She wore colour again. Laughed at bad jokes. Let strange men hand her coffee and ask for her number. Lucien? He watched. He watched her become someone without him. And it drove him mad. The night he cornered her outside the gallery, rain in his hair and desperation in his eyes, he looked like a man undone. "Elena," he breathed, "please. Look at me. Just once." She did. Calm as ever, and her love already gone.