2025-05-02 21:47:29
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Chapter 242
Natalia chuckled bitterly, the sound hollow. She gave a slow, sarcastic clap, her expression cutting. “Yeah, yeah. It’s always about what you can get from people. Always by using me.”Thelma’s eyes widened in sudden outrage. “No, you—”“Enough.” Natalia’s tone dropped, sharp and steady like glass under pressure. “You always go to extreme lengths to use me to get what you want.” Her eyes burned, but her voice stayed calm. “The last time, you did a terrible thing to Taylor just because of greed and selfishness. Nothing good can come out of you.”Her words hit like cold water.Thelma froze, her mouth parting, eyes searching Natalia’s face as though hoping she’d take the words back.But Natalia didn’t.Instead, she exhaled deeply, the kind of exhale that carried years of frustration and silent pain. Then, with the calmness of someone too tired to fight, she turned away. Her footsteps were soft but steady as she walked toward her room, her mother’s words echoing behind her like a wound she
Chapter 241
Natalia stepped back into the house, her heels clicking lightly against the tiled floor. But just as she turned toward the living room, she stopped dead in her tracks.There, on the rug, her mother and sister were knee-deep in the boxes of gifts Heath had brought. Bright fabrics, designer perfumes, expensive wines, and golden-wrapped boxes filled the space. Laughter echoed between them.“Oh my goodness, Joyce, look at this one!” Thelma gasped, holding up a shimmering scarf. “This fabric alone could buy a whole shop.”Joyce giggled, running her hands over a crystal vase. “Mother, he even brought imported wine and chocolates! He’s such a gentleman.”Thelma turned, smiling dreamily. “I told you. It would be amazing if we could have a relationship with the Grover family. Heath is a gem.”“True, Mother,” Joyce agreed, clutching one of the gift boxes to her chest. “The Grovers are a big deal. Heath’s so thoughtful too. I mean, who visits a friend’s family with this much? He did all this to
Chapter 240
Natalia’s tires crunched softly against the paved driveway as she pulled into her house after a long day’s work. The streetlamps outside threw pale streaks across her windshield, the faint hum of the car’s engine the only sound in the quiet evening. She exhaled, shutting off the ignition and leaning back against the seat for a moment, her shoulders slumping in quiet exhaustion.Her fingers brushed over her handbag on the passenger seat. She reached for it but paused, her thoughts drifting unbidden to Nathan.A deep breath escaped her lips. Should I… go see him? she wondered, her eyes momentarily softening.She sat still, staring at the steering wheel, torn between logic and emotion. “Shouldn’t I have stopped by his house to get the food containers I used to bring dinner for him last night?” she muttered, half to herself, half to the night air. Her hand lifted to check her wristwatch. “It’s just past seven… not that late.”She frowned, hesitating as her fingers brushed the car key agai
Chapter 239
Braxton gave a slow nod, the kind that said he’d heard and internalized every instruction. “Understood,” he murmured, voice low and sure. He straightened, palms flat on his knees for a heartbeat, then rose, the movement soft and rehearsed. “Other than having the mechanisms for Nathan’s death prepared,” he added, leaning in a fraction, “I’m already digging his grave.”Heath’s smile sharpened into something almost approving, then the expression cooled. He folded his hands on the desk and watched Braxton with an appraising gaze. “Impressive,” he said, and the single word carried approval like a benediction. But the smile didn’t last. A tightening around his mouth told Braxton the rest of the thought hadn’t gone away.“What’s wrong?” Braxton asked, sensing the change and stepping closer, curiosity and hunger braided in his tone.Heath ground his teeth just briefly and the sound was small but hard. “Two days ago,” he said, measured, “that insolent fool—Nathan—earned another promotion at D
Chapter 238
Leo hesitated the tiniest of seconds, as if weighing whether to argue for the hotel he’d suggested, then gave a stiff nod. He slung the luggage over his shoulder and moved toward the hallway, every step measured, every breath controlled.Alaric followed, cloak-like and undeniable, his presence a shadow swallowing the light. He moved with the immaculate calm of a ruler confident he had set every piece in place. Amelia watched them go down the hallway, the sword sheathed again, the echo of Alaric’s cane, a metronome marking the way she had been ordered to live.She let out a sound that was half sigh, half sob, but she kept it low. The room felt suddenly cavernous and cold. She had the photograph folded in her palm like contraband; its edges bit into her skin.When the footsteps faded, when the door clicked softly behind them, she turned away, her breathing heavy in despair and petrification.After showing Alaric his room, Leo made his way back downstairs, his footsteps quiet against the
Chapter 237
Amelia’s heart thudded so loud she was sure the sound filled the room. The silence that followed Leo’s bowed apology stretched thin and dangerous; it felt as if the walls themselves were waiting for the next strike. She turned her head a fraction, unable to force the words from her throat, and found that she could not meet her father’s eyes. She couldn’t order Leo to obey her now, not with that sword between them and Alaric’s temper like coiled steel. So she pleaded with him in the only way left, through the tilt of her chin and the desperation in her eyes.Leo’s defiant stance softened the instant their gazes connected. The stoic set of his jaw eased; the hardness that always lived behind his calm softened into something almost like concern. Amelia mouthed the single syllable she had rehearsed a hundred times in the nights alone: “Please.”Leo looked at Alaric. The pause felt like an interrogation. Then, with formal dignity that had nothing to do with the sword at his throat and eve
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