Chapter Thirty-One "Listen carefully. What if that mysterious woman who publicly claimed Ethan at the charity gala is actually Victoria Chen?"The question hung in the air between them.Drake's heart lurched violently in his chest, his eyes widening with shock. "What are you saying? That's impossible.""No, listen to me," Sarah insisted, leaning closer. "She looks familiar to me—Victoria does. The hair color was different at the gala, the makeup was heavier, the styling was completely different, but the facial features, the voice, the way she carries herself..."She paused, letting Drake process."What if she's the one? What if Victoria Chen was the woman who claimed Ethan that night?"Silence reigned in the car for several long minutes, the only sound the hum of the engine and the muted traffic outside. Then Drake suddenly burst into loud, mocking laughter."Oh, Sarah!" he exclaimed between fits of laughter, looking at her like she'd finally completely lost her mind. "You've finally

Chapter Thirty-ThreeSimon pulled up a metal chair, turned it backward, and sat down facing them, his arms crossed casually over the back of the chair."Shall we begin?" he asked, his tone dripping with false courtesy that somehow made the implicit threat even more terrifying.Sarah Wilson squirmed violently in her restraints and shrieked—a high, piercing sound of pure terror. Then she shrieked again. And again.What had she gotten herself into? She was doomed. This was the end. Why did this have to happen to her now, when she was finally soaring higher than she'd ever been? Not now, when everything was starting to look so much better for her life. Not when she'd just bagged the most important deal and position she'd ever achieved. Not when she'd just become officially affiliated with B Corporation.Why did her life have to end now, just when it was beginning?Tears streaked down her face in hot rivulets as she started wailing loudly, her voice echoing off the concrete walls."No!" sh

Chapter Thirty-FiveOn the VIP floor of Boston General Hospital, Mr. Stone stepped out of the elevator with purposeful, angry strides. His expensive shoes clicked sharply against the polished marble floor as he hurried toward Caleb's room, his face a mask of barely controlled fury.The two guards stationed by the door stood rigidly at attention, tension radiating from every muscle in their bodies. They knew—they both absolutely knew—that they had fucked up catastrophically.One of them turned to his partner, his voice tight with anger and rising panic. “But you said you received a message that Caleb Stone was expecting a visitor!” he hissed through gritted teeth. “You showed me the notification!”His jaw clenched so hard it looked painful. Mr. Stone might decide to end them both right here, right now, because of this mistake. The Stone family was ruthless—legendary for their brutality. And this couldn’t be dismissed as a small error. Endangering the Stone family heir, allowing an unau

Chapter Thirty-Seven Mr. Stone strode toward Caleb's hospital room with measured, angry steps. New guards had been stationed outside the door—replacements for the failures who'd allowed the breach. These men stood rigid and at full attention, their posture military-precise, clearly not ready to make the same mistakes their predecessors had.They'd heard what happened to the previous guards. They'd been sent directly to Simon Stone for punishment, and that knowledge alone was enough to bring terror and heightened focus to every security member in the building.The new guards stood like statues, their nerves on edge, goosebumps raising the hair on their arms despite the climate-controlled hallway. Their attention was laser-focused on every sound, every movement, every shadow.As Mr. Stone approached, they visibly tensed further, barely suppressing the urge to flinch. They quickly moved aside to create a clear path for him to enter. One guard, eager to demonstrate attentiveness, even re

Chapter Thirty-NineVictoria Chen walked in through B Corporation's impressive main entrance, her heels clicking against the polished marble floor with confident rhythm. Ethan Cole followed several steps behind, deep in his own thoughts, his expression contemplative.He looked around the expansive lobby carefully, scanning faces and expecting at any moment to see Sarah Wilson and Drake Hastings pop out from somewhere—probably rushing toward him to create some manufactured confrontation just to please their fragile egos and assert their newfound importance.His eyes flicked methodically across the reception area, the waiting spaces, the corridor entrances. But he didn't see any familiar faces. No Sarah. No Drake.Weird, he thought, his face scrunching up slightly in confusion.He'd genuinely been expecting them to be here bright and early the next morning, practically camping outside Victoria's office, eager to capitalize on their new partnership status and make demands. But there was