Novels by Quin Ari

Chapter 143.Victoria had fallen asleep beside Ethan, having stayed by his side since morning.Slowly, Ethan’s eyes fluttered open. A groan escaped him as a sharp ache shot through his head. He noticed the oxygen mask strapped to his face and rolled his eyes, yanking it off. “I’m not that weak,” he thought bitterly.He willed his body to move, struggling to sit up. That’s when he noticed Victoria, her head resting gently on the bed, fast asleep.Careful not to wake her, he shifted slowly, easing himself upright on the bed, his movements deliberate and quiet.Ethan’s gaze softened as he looked at her. Her face, relaxed and peaceful in sleep, made his chest tighten. He could feel the weight of the fear and worry she had carried all day, and the exhaustion that came with it.A small, almost invisible smile tugged at his lips. She stayed… all this time… for me, he thought, heart swelling with quiet gratitude.He wanted to reach out, to brush a stray lock of hair from her face, but he h

Chapter one hundred and forty two.“I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?”Her heart pounded so loud it drowned out the silence. She hesitated, then whispered, “The bad one.”The doctor nodded, taking a deep breath before speaking.“We still can’t figure out what’s wrong with the General,” he said softly.She tried to process everything and when realization hit her, her eyes widened. “What?” she gasped, her knees almost giving out. The doctor quickly reached out to steady her.“You have to be strong,” he urged.“Strong?” she shook her head, tears brimming. “You don’t even know what’s wrong with him, no diagnosis, no treatment! Tell me, how am I supposed to be strong?” Her voice cracked into a scream as she grabbed his arm, trembling.“Get a grip on yourself,” the doctor pleaded gently. “He needs you right now. You can’t fall apart, not now.”Victoria’s chest heaved with sobs, but she nodded through her tears. “I... I hear you,” she whispered, sniffing.

Chapter 141.Victoria stayed by his side, her hand resting over his as if her touch alone could hold him here. Ethan’s breathing was uneven, his chest rising and falling too slowly, too painfully.“Don’t close your eyes,” she whispered, her voice shaking despite her efforts to sound calm. “Stay with me, Ethan. Please.”He turned his head slightly, meeting her eyes. Even through the haze of pain, he saw the fear she was trying so hard to hide. A faint smile tugged at his lips, weak but real. “You’re stronger than me right now,” he murmured.“Don’t say that,” she said quickly, a tear slipping down before she could stop it. She wiped it away with the back of her hand, angry at herself for letting it show. “You’re going to make it through this. You have to. Not just for you, but for us.”Ethan reached for her hand, his grip unsteady but desperate. “Victoria… if I don’t…”“No.” She cut him off, her voice firm, almost fierce. She shook her head, holding his hand tightly against her chest

Chapter 140.Immediately, she pulled out her phone and saw a flood of notifications. Her heart pounded as she unlocked it and opened the browser.The very first headline she saw made her jaw drop. Ethan, who had been watching her closely, narrowed his eyes. “What is it?”Her gaze flicked between him and the screen, hesitation written all over her face.“Just say it,” he urged. When she stayed silent, Ethan snatched the phone from her hand. His eyes widened as the headline screamed back at him:“Breaking: General Ethan Dead. Rushed from the hospital after healing 200 soldiers. Our deepest condolences to his family.”“Holy shit,” Ethan muttered, his grip tightening around the phone. “Who the hell spread this rumor?” He dropped it onto the table, fury simmering in his chest.Victoria’s voice was low but firm. “Whoever did this is the same person who forced you to heal those soldiers. They know your condition, Ethan. They want you broken.”His jaw clenched, the pounding in his head gro

Chapter 139.He turned, ready to walk away, when the room tilted violently. A wave of dizziness crashed over him. His hand shot to his forehead, his knees weakening.The sound of blood rushing in his ears drowned out the noise of the room. He felt his body sway, his strength draining all at once.And then he was falling.The door burst open.“Ethan!” Victoria rushed forward, catching him just before he hit the floor.“Ethan!” she called, tapping his face.His eyes fluttered open, and he whispered weakly, “I’m fine.”She let out a sharp scoff. “Obviously, you’re not fine. Have you seen yourself right now?” Turning to his personal assistant, she said urgently, “Help me get him up.”With their support, Ethan was lifted to his feet.“Let’s take the back door,” she suggested.But Ethan shook his head. “No. The front door.”Victoria froze, staring at him. “Why? You really want them to see you like this?”“They won’t see me like this,” he said weakly. “If you both support me, I won’t need

Chapter 138.“Take me to the next ward,” Ethan said.Victoria hurried to him and pulled him aside. “Ethan, you can’t do this. Have you seen yourself? You’re a mess, your eyes, they’re bloodshot and….”Before she could finish, Ethan cut her off with a sudden kiss, taking her completely by surprise.Her breath caught in her throat, the protest dying on her lips. When he finally pulled back, his eyes held a fierce determination.“I have to do this,” Ethan said quietly, almost like a vow.Victoria shook her head, her chest tightening. “You’ll kill yourself.”He gave a faint, tired smile. “Then I’ll die doing what I’m meant to do.”Before she could stop him, he turned and walked toward the ward doors, his steps heavy but unwavering.Jack, still watching from the distance, let his cigarette fall to the ground. A slow, satisfied smile curved his lips as he crushed it beneath his shoe.“Ethan,” he murmured, “this is exactly how I’ll crush your grave… soon.”He turned away from the crowd and

Chapter twelve.Sanito rushed into the café, slightly out of breath.“Sorry for coming late,” he said, extending his hand toward Jack.Jack smiled as he shook it, then pushed back his chair to stand.Sanito raised his brow. “You’re leaving already?”Jack gave a short chuckle. “I’ve got an emergency.”“Come on, man,” Sanito protested, shaking his head. “I just got here. At least give me ten minutes.”Jack glanced at his watch, then sighed. “Sorry, I really have to go. I’ll see you another time.”Sanito exhaled, shrugged, and finally nodded.Jack bid Sanito farewell and stepped outside. For the briefest second, his eyes caught a woman in dark sunglasses watching him. He frowned but shook it off, hailing a cab and heading home. When he arrived, surprise flickered across his face, a sleek black GLE was parked right in front of his house. Jack smirked, curious. He wasn’t expecting anyone.A young man stepped out of the car and walked toward him.“You must be Mr. Jack,” the man said.Jack

Chapter Eleven.Arthur couldn’t enjoy the party any longer, he hated being there. He turned to Melissa and muttered, “Pack your things. Let’s get the hell out of here.”Melissa frowned and leaned closer, whispering, “But babe, the party’s just getting started.”Arthur hissed back, louder this time, “Let’s go.”All eyes were on them. Not wanting to make a scene, Melissa forced a tight smile and stood up, waving goodbye to her friends.As they reached the door, Saint-James called out, “Losers!” The crowd erupted in laughter. Arthur clenched his fists, jaw tight, and stormed out.As they stepped outside, Arthur’s anger boiled over. “This is all happening because of you, Melissa!” he snapped, striding toward his car.“How is it my fault?” she shot back, hurrying after him.He stopped abruptly and spun around, making her stumble. His eyes burned with fury. “If you hadn’t dated that idiot, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”Without waiting for her reply, Arthur yanked the car door open, slid

Chapter 10Gasps filled the party hall. The crowd quickly formed a circle around Jake as the influencer—an online personality known as “RichieBoy_X,” who loved exposing fake rich people at events—stepped forward with a smug grin. He had nearly a million followers and was live-streaming already.“Let’s see if this so-called rich boy is actually who he says he is,” RichieBoy_X announced dramatically, holding up the blinking diamond tester like it was Excalibur.Arthur folded his arms and leaned against a pillar, smiling triumphantly. Melissa stood beside him with her arms crossed, pretending not to care, but the hope in her eyes was clear: she wanted Jake to be humiliated.Jake stood calmly in the center of the growing circle. He looked at RichieBoy_X, then at the crowd filled with hungry eyes, waiting for a show.RichieBoy_X stepped forward. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt. Unless you’re lying. Then it’ll hurt your reputation forever.” He pressed the tip of the tester to the diamond on Jak

Chapter 9The night had finally come. Katy’s birthday party was the hottest event on campus. Held in a luxurious mansion on the edge of the city, everyone who was someone—or wanted to be someone—was there.Flashy cars lined the long driveway. A red carpet stretched all the way to the entrance and everyone present wore expensive suits and glittering gowns.All eyes turned as a particular gold Lamborghini screeched into the driveway. The doors lifted up like wings, and out stepped Arthur in a gold suit with black lapels, flanked by Melissa in a glittering silver dress that shimmered like ice. Her hair was curled to perfection. Behind them trailed Nathan, Daisy, Samantha, and the usual crew of spoiled bullies, all dressed to kill. Their arrival became the talk of the show.Arthur walked confidently with his chin up, as if the party was held just for him. He greeted people like a celebrity. Melissa held his arm, smirking as though she were already queen of the night.Everyone wanted to kn

Chapter 8Jake spent the following day searching for an appropriate place to get suits from for Katy’s birthday ball he was attending. A lot of people treated him poorly because he was familiar to them as a delivery guy.He got to a particular boutique and stopped. Something about it just attracted him to it.When he entered the boutique, the store attendants took one look at him and decided they didn’t want to have anything to do with him.“Good afternoon, sir. How may I help you please? He was greeted by an intern.“Hi,” he said brightly and flashed her a smile. “I need help in picking out some suits for a masquerade ball.”“Oh that is really nice, so would you like a dark-themed suit, something within the lines of midnight black and maroon?”“Yes, exactly. That would be just perfect.”They heard a sudden burst of laughter and both raised their heads up to look but they could not seem to find the source of the humor.“Please ignore them.” the intern told him in a nice low voice, she

Chapter 7Among the dishes thirty signature dishes were, The Fortress Stilt Fisherman Indulgence which cost twenty thousand five hundred dollars, Almas Caviar, thirty four thousand dollars per kilogram.Everyone enjoyed the meal, even Daisy and Samantha. The only people that did not seem to be enjoying the meal were Arthur and Melissa.Arthur knew that he did not have enough money to pay his own half of what they had eaten and Melissa knew that too, but she was downcast because she had expected Jake to still be hung up on her and not him moving on this fast.When the manager of the restaurant heard about them, he came to their table with security.Seeing that they ordered a lot of food and they were barely students, he thought that they could not afford to pay."Who's in charge here? Your bill is 250k. Are you able to pay?" The manager said, looking at them sternly."Ha! Of course we can pay. It's a split bill, I'll pay half and my friend over there will pay the other half and I'm not

Marcus dropped the gun on Grey's chest, covering his face with his hands before standing up and pulling his hair back. He walked away, got into his car, and drove off, lost in thought.As he arrived home, he rested his head on the steering wheel, wondering how he would face his parents. He was still reeling from the revelation that his parents, whom he had believed were dead, were actually alive.With a sigh, he stepped out of the car and locked it, noticing the eerie silence. As he entered the house, he flipped on the light switch, and suddenly, everyone screamed "Surprise!"Marcus flinched, taken aback by the sudden noise and the sea of faces before him. He was surrounded by loved ones, all holding flowers and balloons, their faces beaming with joy."What's going on?" Marcus asked, genuinely surprised, and they all smiled.Sandra stepped forward, beaming. "Since your parents are alive, I thought of doing a little celebration to mark the happy news," she explained, and everyone nodde

"I should be the one saying that," Grey sneered, laughing evilly. Marcus stared at him, his eyes blazing with fury, as he moved forward."You dare think of hurting my parents?" Marcus growled.Grey shrugged. "That's the rule of the street: kill to survive."Marcus shook his head in disgust. "Not your own blood, Grey. He was your elder brother, and you dared to do this to him?"Grey smirked. "Spare me the crap, Marcus. You would have done the same if you were in my shoes. It's survival. The rule is to survive. Your father thought he could have all the good things in life and make me his puppet? Never. I took control of my own destiny."Marcus scoffed. "Take control of your destiny? You call this control? Locking up your own family, manipulating and using them for your own gain?"Grey didn't answer, he just shrugged his shoulders, his expression unrepentant."You know one of the things I hate?" Marcus asked, his eyes blazing with anger as he stared at Grey."What?" Grey asked, a hint of

The next day, after breakfast, Marcus set out to Grey's house, parking his car at a distance. He put on his hoodie and stepped out, glancing around cautiously before walking towards the gate. To his surprise, it swung open with ease, suggesting Grey had forgotten to lock it. Marcus entered, still looking over his shoulder, and pushed open the creaky front door.As he stepped inside, his eyes scanned the empty rooms, his gaze darting everywhere. The house seemed abandoned, with no signs of life or warmth. Marcus let out a sigh, confusion etched on his face. Why did Grey's house look like no one lived there?He began to climb the stairs, trying to be careful not to make a sound, his senses heightened as he ventured deeper into the house.Marcus stood in the middle of the house, his eyes scanning the area, trying to locate the source of the mysterious noise he had heard earlier. He finally found the room, but it was locked. He searched for something to open the door, but found nothing

Sandra groaned, trying to sit up, and Marcus rushed to her side, helping her into a comfortable position. She gave him a weak smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Leaning back against the pillow, she whispered, "Thank you."Marcus nodded, adjusting the pillow for her. The silence between them was awkward, until Marcus cleared his throat, forcing Sandra to look at him. "I want to ask a personal question," he said, his eyes locked on hers.Sandra nodded weakly, "Go on."Marcus held her hands, his voice filled with emotion. "Have you ever thought of marriage?" he asked, his eyes searching for answers.Sandra smiled weakly, but this time, it reached her eyes. "Does it matter?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.Marcus nodded, urging her to answer. "Please, answer me. Have you ever thought of marriage?" he asked again, his voice filled with longing.Sandra chuckled, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Why are you so interested? When did you begin to care?" she asked, her voice

"What?!" Marcus exclaimed, stunned, and Katherine nodded, swallowing hard. "The report came in when you left to find her," she said, her voice trembling. "It showed that she's carrying a child." Marcus gasped, cursing under his breath as he rubbed his hair in disbelief. "No, no, no," he muttered, shaking his head. He couldn't believe this was happening to him. He didn't need a DNA test to know the child was his. Overwhelmed, Marcus collapsed to the floor, covering his face with his hands. He felt angry at himself, frustrated that he couldn't protect his own child. "I couldn't be there for my own child... what kind of father am I?" he mumbled, slapping himself in despair. Katherine rushed to his side, trying to calm him down. "Stop, Marcus, please," she begged, but he shook her off. "No, I have failed," he repeated, slapping himself harder. "I have failed as a father. What kind of father am I?" he asked, his voice cracking with emotion. Katherine paused, taken aback by his word

Amayah seized the opportunity to escape, dashing outside as Marcus was distracted. She spotted Owen and rushed towards him, relief washing over her. "Baby, let's get out of here! Marcus is crazy!" she begged, tugging on Owen's arm.But Owen didn't budge. Instead, he pulled her close, his hands gripping her waist tightly. "How did you think I ended up here?" he asked, his voice low and menacing.Amayah swallowed hard, confusion etched on her face. "I don't get it," she stammered.Owen let out an evil laugh. "You're truly dumb," he sneered, his eyes glinting with malice.Amayah's eyes widened as the pieces clicked into place. "Wait, you... you tracked me here?" she asked, disbelief etched on her face.Owen nodded, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. Amayah tried to step back, but he caught her, holding her tight. She was trapped, and Owen's grip only tightened as he reveled in his sinister triumph."I didn't just track you here," Owen sneered, his eyes glinting with malice. "