All Chapters of Ex-Convict To Mysterious Power : Chapter 251
- Chapter 260
262 chapters
Chapter 251
Of course, he smiled. Of course, he hugged her. Anyone else would’ve bought it. But Amanda felt it immediately, the way his arms tightened a second too late, the way his eyes weren’t fully there.The other two women didn’t notice a thing. They surrounded him, talking at once, already filling him in on whatever nonsense they thought mattered.Cole should count himself lucky, Amanda thought as she returned to the table, watching him closely. In this world, she was the only one who really saw him. The only one who would take him exactly as he was.He wasn’t even her type. So this couldn’t possibly be love.“Where’s Bella?” Cole asked suddenly, glancing around the room. “Dora said she left in the afternoon.”“Yes,” his mother replied easily. “She sent a message. Said she’d be back before eleven.”Cole checked the time. “It’s ten minutes to eleven. She should be here.” He was already reaching for his phone.Amanda stretched her hand across the table and placed it gently over his.He was ex
Chapter 252
As soon as Maria realized Cole had been inside his room for over five minutes—and that the chances of him coming back out were close to zero—she moved fast.She gently persuaded Cole’s mother to go lie down and rest. Her health was the perfect excuse, and Maria knew how to use it. Bella still hadn’t returned, but a message had come in saying she’d be spending the night wherever she was.That left only one obstacle.Maria walked into the kitchen, where Amanda was still working herself to exhaustion. Whether she was trying to prove something to Cole’s mother or genuinely enjoyed the chores, Maria didn’t care. Either way, Amanda looked exactly where Maria wanted her: busy, distracted, and alone.“Hey,” Maria said, leaning casually against the doorframe. “When you’re done, can we talk?”Amanda snorted. “You’re being a little too nice for the history of our relationship.”“Think whatever you want,” Maria replied calmly. “But this is important. For Cole.”“You can try to have him if you dar
Chapter 253
For a second, Amanda genuinely thought she’d misheard.“What?” She laughed, sharp and disbelieving. “You didn’t already propose to him, right?”Her voice dipped. “Please tell me I’m wrong.”“I didn’t,” Maria replied flatly. “And I wouldn’t go that far just to get a man.”Amanda let out a slow breath of relief. That had been dangerously close to a cardiovascular event.“What ring are you even talking about?” she asked.Maria hesitated. “He’s probably already mentioned it to you. It’s the ring that—well. The ring. The one that can do… a lot of things.”Amanda’s jaw tightened. “I’m starting to get really tired of everyone acting weird about that ring.”“Who else asked you about it?” Maria said too quickly.Too sharp. Too eager.Amanda caught it immediately.“You’re going to tell me what that ring is about,” she said coolly, “or I’m leaving. I don’t have time for this.”Shit.Tonight was the best chance Maria was going to get. The feeling in her chest wouldn’t shut up—urgent, insistent, s
Chapter 254
They held their breath as Cole walked past.One step.Then another.A few seconds later, he turned and headed back inside.Neither of them realized they’d been holding their breath until the door finally closed.They looked at each other.And then—ridiculously, uncontrollably—they burst out laughing.The kind of laughter that comes after almost getting caught. After your nerves have been stretched too tight and suddenly snap.They slid down and sat on the floor, backs against the wall, still trying to quiet themselves.A few seconds passed.Amanda exhaled deeply. “I don’t know…” she said softly. “But ever since he came back, he’s been acting strange. Like… he’s too careful with me. He gets into trouble, and he won’t tell me about it.”Maria snorted. “What kind of man gets into trouble and runs to cry to his wife?”“I’m not saying I want him to cry to me,” Amanda said. “But at the same time… it would make sense if he could. I don’t want him hiding things from me. Not like that.” She he
Chapter 255
Amanda shrugged, pretending innocence. “Nothing,” she said lightly, the contrast between her calm tone and her actions almost laughable. She tossed the discarded clothes across the room. Cole appreciated the gesture, though his body was screaming at him to get out of bed. Still, with his mother in the next room, he knew this had to be handled carefully. He played along—he’d heard Amanda and Maria’s conversation outside. Loud, messy, and ambitious. They could do better with their plans.“So…” Amanda perched on the edge of the bed, close enough that Cole could feel her warmth.He tried to look elsewhere, but his eyes betrayed him, lingering on her in a way he’d never allowed before. If not for the fact that this was clearly her plan, he wasn’t sure what he would’ve done.“How are you doing?” she asked, her voice low, teasing, that sloppy-sweet tone that made him lose all control. She leaned closer, letting the energy pull him in.“I have condoms…” she whispered.He wanted natural, but
Chapter 256
Tyler woke up that morning exactly when his alarm was supposed to go off. It was a good day—but not just good. It was already proving to be more than good. He’d spoken at length with his baby mama on the phone last night. He told her all about his plans, assuring her over and over that he really had this. He even mentioned how their kid would inherit the Whitmore empire once the matriarch was gone—which would happen in the next twenty years or less.He didn’t care if it took long or happened fast. He was already planning—the school their kid would go to, the networks they’d be building.Since meeting Rica, he hadn’t believed the guy at first. But now? Everything was proving to be a miracle. The collaboration was taking shape, and results would be announced in a couple of days.His phone rang in his pocket. His baby mama. He stopped jogging to answer.“Hey, babe,” he said, breathing hard into the phone, like a man who already had the world on a leash.“I love you, Tyler. You’re really
Chapter 257
“You really think you’re worth something because of your trash husband’s little victory?” Tyler spat.“Call him trash again and you’ll be losing two teeth,” Amanda warned, her tone sharp enough to make Cole grin—he couldn’t help himself.Nope, this wasn’t what he wanted to dwell on. Tyler turned to the matriarch, keeping his “gentleman” act alive.“I won the collaboration. My influence made this happen. But if we’re all going to pretend it was wherever portfolio Amanda packed together that made it possible… fine,” he said smoothly, still keeping his edge.“I don’t understand,” someone murmured.“Did you even help with the collection?” another voice asked.“I did what I had to. But I’m not going to brag about it. I can be sure it was me who made this happen. It’s fine if everyone wants to pretend it’s all Amanda’s work,” Tyler said, voice calm but deadly.All eyes shifted to Amanda.“We’re cousins. Things like this happen. I can give her the credit if you want,” Tyler added smoothly, l
Chapter 258
“Alright, I’m here. You can mail me anything else you have to tell me,” Amanda said smoothly, then ended the call.Everyone stared at Tyler awkwardly.“Is he that jealous of her success?” someone whispered.“Maybe this is all he’s been doing to earn Grandma’s affection all along,” another muttered.“This is not acceptable in the family,” the matriarch barked, utterly infuriated.“Do you think this is a joke? Do you know what you just did on that call?” she shouted at him, voice cracking.“I was—”“No more words,” the matriarch cut him off, calm but deadly. “I’ve been too lenient with you. Right now, I’ll have the staff pack your things. You will leave this house immediately. I’ll freeze all your cars, all your positions will be revoked. If you can become even half of who Amanda was when I stripped everything away from her, then I might consider letting you back into the family.”“No, Grandma… you can’t do this!”And that was how Tyler watched himself get thrown out of the family house
Chapter 259
“Hm… how does it feel to realize you were played at your own fucking game, huh?”Then—silence.It was obviously a recorded message.“This probably isn’t what you were expecting. You must’ve thought you could take the ring easily and run off with it.” A faint scoff followed. “Sorry. That only happens in your dreams, Maria.”A pause. Short. Measured.“The only reason I didn’t get rid of you is because you’ve been good to my mother. I thought long and hard about what to do with you, and we decided this was better than killing you outright.”Another pause. Colder this time.“I also thought you’d be honest with me—tell me about the code only you know. The one that could shut everything down. Maybe even kill the wearer. Maybe Amanda had been right all the while. I'm too cool for a world filled with people like you.” A quiet exhale. “And for once, I agree with her.”Silence again.“When you hear this, you’ll probably already be out of the country with Rica. That was always your plan.” His vo
Chapter 260
Cole was more than fascinated with the lawyer on his team—the guy was surgical, moving through everything so flawlessly that it made Cole’s head spin. In the past two days, the ten of them had worked like machines, each second inching closer to their goal: getting the masters out of prison.Wright had initially resisted cooperating, but there are limits to the torture a man can endure. Eventually, he spilled everything he knew—the plans Rica had orchestrated down to the tiniest detail. And thank God they acted fast: when Rica manipulated the necklace that Dre had been wearing, it was the fake one. Dre had no clue, and Cole—he hadn’t the slightest idea of the web being spun behind the scenes when he was first contacted that day.It wasn’t until Marcus called and filled him in that the puzzle pieces clicked. Acting natural in front of his mother, Maria, and even Amanda had been a cakewalk compared to the storm of revelations that had just hit him.Everything that had happened all from