2024-10-28 14:47:59David’s words stunned everyone in the room. Except for Liam, no one could believe how things had turned out.
Yona stammered, “G-Grandpa, you must be mistaken! You really believe Mia’s lies? She must be fabricating everything to protect her reputation!”
“Grandpa, we cannot let someone with such loose morals lead the Stevens family! She’ll ruin everything!”
Yona was panicking. She had set up what she thought was the perfect trap, but now everything was spiraling out of control.
David studied Liam’s face. As soon as he entered the room, something about him looked familiar. Then it clicked—Liam was the grandson of his old friend.
“I’m sure I haven’t made a mistake,” David said calmly. “Liam, your grandfather is...?”
Liam answered politely, “Grandpa David, my grandfather is Shawn Moran, the current head of the Moran family.”
David smiled in satisfaction. “Good! Excellent! I was afraid Shawn might not keep his word, but it seems he really sent his grandson.”
Mia was completely confused by everything happening around her. “Grandpa, what’s going on?”
Yona, still in disbelief, shouted, “Grandpa, you must be mistaken! How can someone like him, a man who looks like a beggar, possibly be a part of the Stevens family?”
David’s face darkened at Yona’s words. In a sudden flash of anger, he slapped her across the face.
Yona stood stunned, holding her cheek, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at David.
David then calmly declared, “Don’t you know? Shawn was a close friend of mine when we were young. We made an agreement to marry our grandchildren. Liam is Shawn’s grandson, and he’s here to fulfill his marriage contract with Mia.”
“Mia, didn’t you already know about this? You were just calling him your fiancé earlier.”
Mia’s mouth dropped open in shock. She stammered, “I… I… yes, I…”
She quickly glanced at Liam, silently pleading for help.
Liam smiled reassuringly. “Actually, it was all fate. Mia and I met by chance, and I didn’t know at the time that she was my fiancée. It was only later that I learned her name and told her the truth.”
“She thought I was joking, but luckily, Grandpa David is here to confirm the engagement.”
David sighed and chuckled. “Mia has always been rebellious. I was afraid if I told her about the engagement, she’d resist marrying you even more.”
Liam continued, his tone calm yet firm, “But now, it seems that everything has worked out.”
David gave an ambiguous smile as he looked at the two of them. “Well, it’s decided then. Tomorrow morning, you two will go to register for the marriage. If you need anything, just let me know. I know the Moran family isn’t exactly wealthy, but that’s fine! The marriage between the Moran and Stevens families isn’t about money; it’s about the friendship between me and my old friend!”
The Moran family isn’t wealthy?
Liam scratched his head, surprised that his grandfather seemed to be hiding the truth. The Moran family was one of the wealthiest in the world, with trillions of dollars in assets! If they were poor, then everyone else in the world must be a beggar!
“By the way, dinner is at my place tonight. I’ll introduce you to everyone at the banquet,” David added, giving Liam a pat on the shoulder.
“A banquet? But Grandpa, the Stevens family never invites outsiders to our banquets…” Yona quickly interjected.
“Don’t be so talkative,” David scolded sharply, glaring at Yona before pulling her out of the room. “We’ll leave now, so you two lovebirds can have some private time.”
He closed the door behind him, and his words left Mia’s face flushed. However, as she glanced at Liam beside her, her brows furrowed.
A marriage contract? She didn’t want to marry someone like Liam!
Her ideal partner would either be a business genius or a super-talented individual. Why would she settle for someone like him?
She looked at Liam, her tone cold. “You’re not going to the family banquet tonight. I’ll handle things with Grandpa, and afterwards, we’ll annul the engagement. We’ll stay out of each other’s lives.”
Liam furrowed his brow. He didn’t particularly care for Mia, but as the heir to the Moran family, he had to honor his family’s promises.
If engagements could be broken so easily, the reputation of the Moran family would be ruined!
However, Mia didn’t give him a chance to speak. She grabbed her bag and stormed out of the room.
Liam shook his head helplessly and changed into his clothes.
Annul the engagement? That was impossible. He had to follow his grandfather’s wishes unless both David Stevens and his grandfather agreed to cancel the marriage.
He walked downstairs and out of the motel.
Just as he reached the front door, several luxury cars drove up and stopped in front of the motel.
An elderly man got out of the lead car and walked up to Liam. He bowed slightly.
“Sir, I’m Jack Gunter, responsible for the Moran family’s business in Springfield.”
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Breaking Point
AriaWhen I heard the sound of the metal above us groaning like it might give way at any second, I was so petrified by fear that I didn’t know what to do or how to even react. It felt like this was unreal. This could not be happening, but as I heard the metal overhead creak more, that’s when it hit me, this wasn’t a dream. It was real.After I shook off the fear, I scrambled forward, trying to loosen the knots around his arms, but Ellen’s voice stopped me cold.“You know, I could end this right now,” she said. Her tone was light, almost casual, like we were talking over coffee instead of standing in a room where Zion’s life was hanging by a literal metal thread.I turned toward her instantly, my eyes raw with desperation. “What are you talking about?”She smirked softly, and it was calm in a way that made my skin crawl. “The beam, ropes. All of this. I could stop it right now. If you do one thing for me.”My heart dropped at the mischief in her tone. “What thing?”“Let him go.” She sa
Fractures
AriaYou know when someone looks you dead in the eye and starts pulling out things you didn’t even know you’d said out loud? No? Well, I’ll tell you what it’s like. It’s like having someone pull off your skin, your privacy, and your deepest, most intimate fears to the very person that made you have these fears. That was what Ellen was trying to do to us. She stood between us like some twisted host of a game show, with a smug face, acting like she was about to reveal the grand prize. Only, in our case, that prize was pain. “You know what’s funny?” she said, and I swear my skin crawled. “Neither of you really trusts the other. You put on a pretty picture, all hand-holding and soft looks. But underneath? Oh, it’s nothing but cracks.”Zion stiffened beside me, and his voice turned sharp. “Ellen, stop!” He yelled, but she just steamrolled right over him, like always. “Do you want to know what he told me, Aria?” She asked, leaning in, then glanced at him again before looking back at me.
The Darkness Lifts
AriaI think I may have been unconscious for a long time, because when I opened my eyes, it felt like I had been underwater too long. Everything was blurry, my ears were ringing, and for a second, I couldn’t remember where I was. I blinked slowly, trying to pull the pieces back together. What was I doing here? How did I get here? And that was when the pounding ache at the back of my head reminded me.The warehouse. I was at the warehouse for Zion!I was lying on the cold floor, with my cheek pressed against the rough concrete. My hands felt heavy as I pushed myself up, and the effort made my head spin so hard I almost collapsed again. I took in a deep breath and forced myself to stay upright, even though my body begged me to lie back down.The room was dim now, lit only by a single bulb that swung slightly overhead. I could see shadows stretched across the walls like long fingers, and for a second, I wondered if I was alone. That was when I heard it again. The faint sound of Zion’s vo
Shadows and Silence
AriaBy the time I reached the warehouse, my hands were already hurting from how hard I had been gripping the steering wheel. I parked the car a little way off, because I didn’t want anyone to notice a vehicle that didn’t belong in this deserted part of town. For all I knew, if Ellen was really here, she could have some of her goons staking out the perimeter. Come to think of it, it’s what she probably wanted. For me to walk into a trap. The silence outside didn’t help either. Everything felt eerie, felt strange, heavy, almost like it was staged, and it made me move more slowly as I climbed out of my car and shut the door quietly.The air was damp and sharp with the smell of rust. The ground crunched under my shoes as I walked toward the building, and every sound seemed so much louder than it should have been. My heart was pounding in a way that felt impossible to control, and I kept whispering to myself to breathe, to stay steady, even though I felt anything but calm.The warehouse
Missing
AriaI knew something was wrong the second the clock ticked past midnight, and my phone still hadn’t buzzed. Zion had said he needed some time to think things over and would let me know what he had settled on today. He was never late without a reason, and he always made sure I knew where he was. Even if he was too busy to call, he would send me a quick text, just to let me know. He had never left me waiting like this, and the silence pressed heavier with every passing minute.At first, I told myself not to panic. I made tea and sat by the window, trying to calm down. Maybe he had been caught up in something, I thought. Maybe he was sorting through everything in his head after what I told him about Ellen. He would need time, I told myself. He would come back with answers. But as the minutes dragged into hours, my chest grew tighter, and the tea went cold, untouched.I scrolled through my messages again, even though I already knew I hadn’t missed anything. I called him once, then again,
The Lock on the Door
ZionThe room went quiet after my words. My chest was still tight, and the echo of Ellen’s last outburst hung heavy in the air. Still, she stood there, her eyes wide, and her lips trembling, like she wanted to speak but couldn’t decide which version of herself to let out, the furious one, or the soft one she thought might convince me.I remained standing and couldn’t sit, not with my heart racing the way it was. My arms were crossed tightly over my chest, though I wasn’t sure if I was protecting myself from her or from the way her words had cut.“You think I’m crazy,” Ellen finally said, looking up at me. Her voice was lower now, steadier, almost eerie after the shouting match we had just gone through. “But I’m not. I’m the only one who’s been honest with you, Zion. I’m the only one who sees what’s real.”I shook my head slowly and heaved a tired sigh. “You’re holding me in some hidden place, Ellen.” I began softly. “You staged a hack to ruin Aria. You tried to steal her identity. Tha
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