2025-04-02 14:51:00
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CHAPTER 75
Vanessa’s POV“You think I’m blind, Vanessa?” Collins’s voice sliced through the air, sharp and accusatory.I turned from the mirror, meeting his glare. “Excuse me?”He stepped closer, his fists clenched. “Don’t play dumb. Ethan drops all charges against you, just like that? After everything you did? You must’ve been screwing him.”I laughed, a bitter sound that echoed off the walls. “Is that what you think? That I slept my way out of trouble?”His eyes narrowed. “What other explanation is there? No one does something like that out of kindness.”I crossed my arms, leaning against the dresser. “Maybe he has a conscience. Something you wouldn’t understand.”He scoffed, pacing the room. “Don’t get smart with me, Vanessa. I know men like Ethan. They don’t do favors without expecting something in return.”I tilted my head, feigning curiosity. “And what about you, Collins? What do you expect in return for your so-called love?”He stopped pacing, his face inches from mine. “Don’t twist this
CHAPTER 74
Ethan’s POV A send-forth dinner was being held in Grandfather’s honor, his final bow as he prepared to retire to the countryside. I stood beneath the vaulted ceiling of the Sinclair Palace dining hall, surrounded by laughter, crystal chandeliers, and polished marble. The night wasn’t just his farewell; it was my coronation.A waiter floated past with a tray of aged burgundy. I took a glass, raised it half-heartedly as toasts erupted around me, then slipped toward the terrace to breathe.Inside, the speeches droned on. Cole was already on his third glass, face taut with the kind of smile that made my skin crawl. Victor barely concealed the clench of his jaw. But what could they say? The board had spoken. Grandfather had made it official.I had earned this.“Ethan!” Grandfather’s deep voice rang out. “Come, boy, they’re waiting!”I turned to him. The light hit his silver hair just right, making him look like some monarch from a time gone. But tonight, he looked more human than he ever
CHAPTER 73
Ethan’s POV“You’re telling me the bastard had them hidden all along?”Jordan’s voice snapped through the encrypted line like a whip, sharp and disbelieving.I gritted my teeth, staring at the gaping cavity in the wall behind Richard Hale’s massive mahogany bookshelf. The office smelled like mildew and rot like secrets that had festered too long beneath polished surfaces. The place was gutted, stripped of its former intimidation, but the ghosts of deception lingered in the dusty corners.“False panel,” I muttered, pacing. “He carved it out behind his first edition collection. I had to damn near dismantle the whole shelf to find it. Real classy hiding spot.”Jordan exhaled, somewhere between a sigh and a whistle. “He really thought he could bury it all there? After everything?”I pulled the documents from the aged leather folio, careful not to smudge the already fading ink. Twelve sheets total. Perfectly preserved lies.“He didn’t think he had to bury it deep. He thought no one would d
CHAPTER 72
Vanessa’s POV “You sold it?!” I shouted into the phone, pacing the length of my suite like a caged animal. The glass in my hand trembled from the sheer rage pulsing through my veins. Mr. Jacobs’ voice came through hesitant and weak. “We didn’t have a choice, Vanessa. The board… there was too much heat. Lawsuits piling up. Press breathing down our necks. Every investor pulled out.” “Every investor?” I spat. “Even you?” A beat of silence. “Especially me.” I hung up before I could scream. My heart pounded in my chest like a ticking bomb. I poured another glass of wine, number three? Four? I’d lost count, and swallowed it in one gulp. The warmth did nothing to cool the fury simmering beneath my skin. Hale Pharmaceuticals. The once-glorified empire my father had spent decades building, now unraveling at the seams. It had started small with whispers of expired drugs in poor neighborhoods, overdoses conveniently swept under the rug. Then the whistleblower surfaced. A former lab tech w
CHAPTER 71
Vanessa’s POV “He didn’t drink it? Are you kidding me?” I spat, slamming the cabinet door hard enough to rattle the glasses inside. My fingers clenched the edge as though sheer force could change the outcome.The voicemail kept playing, the bartender’s voice far too casual for what he was reporting. “Miss, he barely touched the rim. Just water. He left without a sip. Looked... focused. Like he knew.”My heart thudded against my ribs like it was demanding answers.“He knew?” I muttered, jabbing the end call button so hard I almost cracked the screen. “Of course, he knew.”I yanked the cork from the bottle and poured myself a glass, watching the wine coil into the bowl like a liquid curse. The rich red shimmered under the kitchen lights—mocking me.“You had one job,” I hissed at the silent room. “One simple, foolproof, idiot-proof job.”I stalked to the window, wine in hand, and stared out over the city. The night glistened, lights blurring like smeared ink. People bustled below, bliss
CHAPTER 70
Ethan’s POV“So let me get this straight, you flew to Paris without a plan, just vibes? Ethan, my guy, you’re officially a sick loverboy.”Jordan’s voice crackled through my phone’s speaker, thick with laughter and laced with mockery.“Shut up,” I muttered, tugging the collar of my coat tighter against the Parisian drizzle. The cold air bit at my face as I paced the narrow balcony of my hotel room. “I didn’t fly halfway across the world because I’m in love.”“Oh really? Then what do you call it when a man shows up in the most romantic city on Earth for the woman he ghosted months ago? Because ‘business meeting’ sounds like the worst lie you’ve ever told.”I groaned and leaned against the wrought iron railing, watching cars weave along the wet streets below. “God, you’re insufferable.”“And you’re predictable. Admit it, Ethan. You missed her. You’re just pissed she’s probably not still crying into her wine over you.”I didn’t answer. Not because he was wrong, but because I didn’t want
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