Chapter 13
Author: Mel Hope
last update2025-05-25 15:40:28

The garden behind Celestine Manor was a breathtaking oasis with its marble pathways winding through neatly trimmed hedges and elegant fountains.

Soft lantern light bathed the space in a warm glow, casting long shadows across the flowerbeds. The scent of roses and jasmine lingered in the night air, but Antonio had no interest in admiring the scenery.

As he stepped onto the path, he noticed Alder leaning against a stone bench with his arms crossed and a smug smile on his face.

"Welcome, Antonio!" Alder said sarcastically, a slow smirk spreading across his face.

Antonio remained silent, casually slipping his hands into his pockets as he studied Alder with a calm, unreadable gaze.

Alder reached into his bag and pulled out a sleek black bank card, holding it between two fingers like it was a golden ticket. With an exaggerated sigh, he extended it toward Antonio.

"Now, listen! This card contains three hundred thousand bucks," Alder said smoothly and confidently. "Take it. Walk away.
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  • Chapter 20

    As soon as the thugs fled, Antonio gave Cynthia a quick nod, signaling her to get in the car. Without a word, Cynthia slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine. They drove down the road and flashes of the ambush replayed in their minds, but none of them spoke, instead they were both lost in thought. The leader had already coughed up the name: Robert Adams. Antonio knew Robert too well. He was manipulative, ruthless, and calculating! Antonio knew that the ambush wasn’t just an act of aggression. It was a message. “That wasn’t just some street stunt,” Antonio muttered, turning to Cynthia, his voice edged with steel. “It was a warning shot.” He paused, his gaze darkening. “That bastard’s not just trying to scare us. He’s playing the long game. This whole thing is a setup for something far bigger.” Antonio didn’t reveal everything. The truth was darker, bloodier. He didn’t want to burden Cynthia with the weight of it, not yet. Cynthia shot him a glance, her hands steady on

  • Chapter 19

    Within seconds, the man swung a crowbar at Antonio. However, before anyone could register what happened, Antonio caught the weapon mid-swing with one hand. With a sharp twist of his wrist, he disarmed the man, then drove a brutal elbow into his chest. The thug dropped like a sack of bricks, gasping for air as he crumpled to the ground like a ragdoll! Another thug lunged from Antonio’s blind side with a chain, aiming for his neck. Antonio ducked fluidly, slammed a palm into the attacker’s knee, and then swept his legs out from under him. The man flipped backward, crashing into the asphalt with a groan. Seeing Antonio defeat their partners, the other thugs became more furious! Two more charged together, one with a pipe, the other with a stun baton. He sidestepped the first, grabbed his collar, and flung him straight into the other. They tumbled to the ground in a heap of groans and tangled limbs. Cynthia watched, rooted to the spot with her mouth slightly ajar. The man she thou

  • Chapter 18

    Cynthia gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. She was scared. Who were these men?! But she tried to stay calm. If she showed fear, they might take advantage of it. No one had to tell Cynthia and Antonio that these men were clearly up to no good! Before they could react, the leader circled to Cynthia’s side and slammed his fist against the window. “I said get out of the car. Now!” Cynthia’s jaw clenched, but she stayed calm, refusing to unlock the door. She knew opening it would be far too dangerous. “What do you want? Who are you?” she stammered, her voice shaky. The man didn’t even blink. “Just do as you're told and spare us the pointless questions! This isn’t about you, you're irrelevant. It's about your family!” Cynthia’s stomach dropped and her blood ran cold. “What…?” she breathed, stunned and confused. “Look, woman, we're not here to chat. You come with us, things stay calm. You don’t, and this street turns into a scene!" Cynthia's hands t

  • Chapter 17

    Meanwhile, back at her home, Elaine paced restlessly across the grand marble floors. The silence of the enormous house wrapped around her like a suffocating shroud as she stared out the tall windows into the night. Memories of Antonio came flooding back. She remembered his gentle touch when she was sick, the way he laughed softly under his breath when she made a joke, how he had always brought her coffee just the way she liked it even when they were fighting. Her heart ached bitterly that she could barely breathe. She had dispatched her personal team which was an elite group of hackers and investigators with explicit orders to dig into Antonio’s life and uncover everything. Any secrets including any secret lovers—anything that could explain how Antonio had slipped into Cynthia’s arms! While Elaine sat stiffly on a velvet armchair in her study, her lead investigator walked in and reported: “We found nothing, Miss Greene. No shady business deals, no hidden bank account

  • Chapter 16

    With affectionate familiarity, Cynthia lightly squeezed Antonio’s arm and said softly, "Antonio, it's time to go." Her fingers barely rested against his sleeve, and there was an unmistakable intimacy in the way she leaned slightly toward him. It wasn’t anything showy, but an effortless closeness that came only from years of trust and connection. Almost immediately, Cynthia gave Elaine a cold and sharp look. "Antonio never started fights with anyone—you’d know that if you weren’t so eager to spit out lies like a coward desperate for attention. If you have any sense of decency left, you'd get your facts straight before slandering him!" Elaine flinched as though struck. The sight of Cynthia’s hand resting so naturally on Antonio’s arm sent a sick swirl of jealousy twisting in her gut. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly. Had she really been replaced so quickly? Was this show of intimacy real at all? Or was Antonio just trying to make her feel jealous? A horrible thoug

  • Chapter 15

    Elaine’s heart pounded furiously in her chest, seeing her brother grope on the floor helplessly. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. Antonio had beaten her brother like an animal? How dare he? Her face twisted with fury as she stormed toward Antonio with her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor. "You bastard!" she snapped. "This was all about me, wasn't it?!" Her hands balled into fists at her sides. "First, you beat Harry, and now you didn’t even spare my brother?!" Her voice rose to a shout, echoing in the garden. "This is your revenge for the divorce, isn’t it?! You couldn’t hurt me, so you decided to hurt my family!" Antonio’s cold eyes met hers, unblinking and unwavering. How could Elaine even think he was taking any revenge for the divorce? For what exactly? Of course, their divorce was just good riddance to bad rubbish, so why would he even take any revenge? With a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, he said coolly, “Don’t flatter your

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