2026-04-29 23:07:49
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 103
The stairs felt longer on the way down, each step vibrating through Leslie’s swollen ankles. The weight of the document in her hand seemed odd compared to its actual mass. To Leslie, this was just the paperwork of a failed chapter, the legal obituary of her life with a man who had been a footnote in her family’s grand narrative. She could not fathom why Linda, a woman who dealt in multi-million-dollar mergers and high-stakes social engineering, would care about a repairman’s exit strategy.When she reached the ground floor, Linda was not there. The sharp, savoury scent of searing meat and onions wafted from the kitchen, a domestic smell that felt alien in a house that usually smelt of expensive lilies and floor wax. Linda had vanished back into the kitchen.Leslie slumped onto the sofa next to Bernard, tossing the folder onto the coffee table. She leaned her head back, closing her eyes. "Why does she want this so badly? It is just Jack’s divorce papers. There is nothing in there b
CHAPTER 102
The heavy front door of the Smith mansion swung open. Leslie stumbled into the lobby, her movements unsteady and uncoordinated. The beauty of the marble floors and the soaring ceilings, which had once felt like a natural extension of her own skin, now felt mocking. She was a trespasser in her own home, a woman stained by the sweat of a grocery store stockroom, standing in a shrine of dying comfort.Bernard was there, pacing the rug like a caged animal. The moment he saw her, his face contorted with a mixture of relief and venomous irritation."Where have you been?" he demanded, his voice echoing sharply against the cold walls. "I have been calling you for hours. I was stranded in the district, Leslie. I had to take the bus back like a wanderer because you completely vanished. Do you have any idea what it’s like out there? I thought you had abandoned me."Leslie did not even have the energy to look him in the eye. The argument she usually would have mounted died before it reached h
CHAPTER 101
NEMESIS OF A PRINCESSThe rhythmic vibration of the bus against the asphalt was the only thing keeping Leslie grounded as her mind raced through the cold mathematics of her new existence. She leaned her head back, her eyes tracing the frayed edges of the seat in front of her.At least she had a job.That thought was a small, flickering candle in the dark. In two weeks, she would receive a pay cheque. It would not be a fortune; it would not even cover the cost of a single pair of shoes she used to buy on a whim, but it would be hers. It would be a shield against her mother’s relentless, razor-sharp scoldings. Linda’s voice had become a permanent soundtrack of disappointment in the house, and the prospect of being able to say, “I have my own money,” was the only thing keeping Leslie’s pride from completely disintegrating.But as the bus lurched through the evening traffic, the candle of hope began to flicker and dim under the weight of reality.She opened her designer purse and peer
CHAPTER 100
THE DAWN OF REALIZATIONThe clock on the wall of the grocery store breakroom ticked over to 4:00 PM with a heavy, mechanical finality. For Leslie Smith, that sound was more than just the end of a shift; it was the end of the longest, most gruelling day of her twenty-four years. Her legs felt like heavy weights, and her lower back carried a sharp, persistent throb, a reminder that her body was no longer just her own but a vessel for a child that was growing more demanding by the hour.She untied the green polyester apron. As she hung it on the designated hook, she caught her reflection in the small, cracked mirror above the sink. Her hair, once styled by the city’s most expensive salons, was frizzy and dampened by sweat. Her makeup had long since faded, leaving behind the pale, drawn look of a woman who was running on nothing but adrenaline and fear.She picked up her purse, a designer leather bag that now felt like a relic from a prehistoric era, and walked out the service exit af
CHAPTER 99
A USELESS HUMAN ITEMLinda stood by the window, her back to her son, watching the dust motes dance in the stagnant air."Did you get a job, Bernard?" she asked, her voice flat, lacking the sharp maternal edge it usually carried.Bernard shifted on the velvet sofa, the fabric groaning under his weight.He looked down at his hands, soft, pale, and currently trembling slightly from the adrenaline of a day spent in a world he didn't recognise."I did what Leslie said," he muttered, his voice thick with a mixture of pride and resentment."I did not go for the executive suites today. I went to the loading docks, the warehouses, and the back-alley recruitment centres.&n
CHAPTER 98
AN EMERGENCY MEETINGThe glass doors of the Rothwell Tower seemed to glow with a shady light as Linda stepped into the lobby. The air conditioning was so precise it felt sterile, a sharp contrast to the humid, dusty atmosphere of the abandoned Arthur-Smith headquarters she had just fled. She adjusted her blazer, smoothed her hair, and channelled every ounce of her former social standing into her pace. She was no longer a scavenger; she was a woman on a mission of diplomacy.She approached the reception desk. The receptionist was a young woman with a sharp hairstyle and a professionally impenetrable gaze. She didn't look up until Linda was standing directly in front of her."I am here to see Harnes," Linda said, her voice pitched with an authority she didn't entirely feel. "It is a matter of extreme urgency."The receptionist’s fingers paused over a silent keyboard. She looked at Linda, her eyes scanning the subtle wear on Linda’s shoes and the slight franticness behind her eyes tha
You may also like
Rise Of The Student Billionaire
Dragon Sly227.8K viewsRise Of The Disrespected Trillionaire Heir
Blaq82.1K viewsRise of Power: Return of The Pathetic Commoner
Iwaswiththestars76.3K viewsThe Ruthless Son-in-law
Bella Starr139.8K viewsHidden and Almighty: The God Of War’s Final Days
Clinton88 viewsFrom Busboy To Iron Lord: The Almighty Rowan Lachlan Returns
Little Goddess 260 viewsSovereign of the Seven Armies
Kripke 403 viewsShadow Of Kingscity
LeonardSmart 111 views