“Get out of the way, you pervert!” Isla yelled from her driving seat, slamming her palm against the horn as if it were the source of her rage.Her eyes were bloodshot, swollen from hours of crying, as though she had been diagnosed with some fatal disease. She had cried her eyes dry while speeding home, but now she was stuck—caught in a traffic jam that didn’t seem to move an inch.She banged her fists against the wheel, hitting it so hard as though she wanted to imprint her face on the leather.She hated herself. She hated the world. She hated anyone who dared to overtake her car, even in traffic. She cursed at strangers as if their mere existence was a crime.“Why me?” she whispered hoarsely, though her voice broke and cracked with every word. Lucas’ words replayed in her mind, mercilessly echoing like a stuck record she couldn’t turn off.“I was the anonymous donor.”The sentence clawed through her chest, rattling her bones. She closed her eyes and snapped them open again, her breat

Twelve hours ago, after Micah watched Isla on TV, laughing and trying to pair herself with Lucas, rage had overtaken him. It wasn’t the playful jealousy of a man watching a lover tease; it was deeper, rawer. To him, it felt like betrayal on live broadcast, humiliation that the whole city of Velmoria could witness.The anger lingered even when the night swallowed the city. Sleep was out of reach. Micah stormed out of his villa, his face hardened, his chest tight with obsession. He wasn’t simply driving aimlessly to cool his head. He was heading for a decision he had already made. His car rolled into the parking lot of Freedom Firearms, a place notorious for supplying weapons to Velmoria’s elite under the thin excuse of protection.Inside, the fluorescent lights flickered above him as he signed the paperwork. To the clerks, it was routine. To Micah, it was destiny. When the cold metal of the gun touched his palm, his heartbeat steadied. This wasn’t a reckless impulse anymore; it was a m

Micah sat silently in his car, his body stiff and his mind restless. His eyes were fixed on the swelling crowd gathered along the road, people cheering in excitement as they waited for the grand procession.He lowered his gaze to his wristwatch. “1pm,” he muttered under his breath.For three long hours he had remained inside that car, waiting, watching, and building his resolve. Yet still, Queen Roseline of Sarsland had not stepped out. Neither had the first family, the wealthiest family in the land, nor the other three noble families who were expected to join the ceremonial ride. The chariots, adorned and glittering under the sun, remained untouched outside the grand building.Micah knew the schedule by heart. The Queen, the President, and his family were meant to step into the lead chariot. Behind them would follow the Virellis, a family powerful enough to be both admired and feared, with the heir, Lucas, walking proudly beside his father, Adrian.Micah leaned back, his breathing sh

The news of her recovery already reached Queen Roseline. The Queen was in the middle of a private briefing when the words were whispered into her ear, and she immediately stopped what she was doing.“Take me there. She is a brave woman.” Roseline instructed Jonathan with a firm voice, her tone carrying both admiration and urgency.Jonathan bowed deeply, his loyalty unshaken. “Yes, ma’am,” he replied without hesitation. At once, he gave orders for the security team to prepare the bulletproof car for the Queen of Sarsland.There could be no mistakes. He had already received troubling intelligence. Reports said the criminal who attempted to assassinate the heir of the Virellis family had escaped into Longslavia, a small town in the country of Burckinghem. With such a dangerous man still at large, Jonathan could not risk the Queen’s safety for even a moment.“There could be someone else somewhere, planning evil,” Jonathan thought grimly as the Queen was escorted outside. The security deta

Jeruel’s eyes widened in shock. Two weeks earlier, after the drama that had erupted at the Velmorian National Event, Lucas had sat her down and told her everything about the story between Isla and himself. She had listened, thinking that chapter of his life was buried for good.Judging by the way Isla had wanted to ridicule him at the Velmorian National Event, and the way Jeruel herself had stepped in to defend Lucas, she never imagined Isla would be shameless enough to open her mouth again. Not after everything. And certainly not to demand Lucas for herself once more.Roseline, who was watching closely, shifted her eyes towards Lucas, her heart racing as if she needed to confirm the truth in his reaction. She wanted to see if the feeling was mutual, if Lucas was tempted in any way by Isla’s boldness.On the other hand, Adrian smiled faintly, though it was a knowing smile. He understood this game perfectly. He had seen women like Isla before. She didn’t want Lucas when he was disguise