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Chapter 72
The Silence BetweenThe limousine cut through the night like a blade of polished obsidian. City lights flashed across its tinted windows, but inside, silence reigned.Clara sat poised, hands clasped in her lap, staring out at the blur of neon. Her mask had been removed, leaving her face pale in the dim interior. Her chest rose and fell in measured breaths, but Ethan, sitting beside her, could see the tremor beneath the composure.His own mask lay discarded on the seat, forgotten. His gaze never left her. He had faced boardroom wars, courtroom battles, and shadows that threatened empires, but nothing compared to the gnawing weight of unanswered questions now pressing between them.Finally, he spoke, his voice low, deliberate. “That song. You froze the moment it began. You knew it.”Her lashes fluttered. She did not turn toward him. “It was nothing.”“Don’t insult me.” His words cut sharper than glass. “Nothing doesn’t shake you like that. Nothing doesn’t leave your hand trembling in mi
Chapter 71
Masquerade ShadowsThe chandeliers of the Astoria Grand glittered like constellations trapped in crystal. Light poured down in cascades, igniting polished marble floors, mirrored pillars, and velvet-draped walls with a brilliance that seemed almost theatrical. It was a masquerade, but not merely for pleasure—this was theater, politics, and spectacle disguised as charity.Clara descended from the sleek black car at Ethan’s side, her hand slipping into his as though she were anchored by his steady presence. She wore ivory silk embroidered with threads of pale gold, the gown flowing like water around her every step. A silver filigree mask framed her eyes, concealing yet accentuating their depths. She looked ethereal, untouchable—a vision sculpted from light.Ethan himself was a dark counterpart to her radiance. His mask was black, sharp at the edges, designed not to charm but to command. In his midnight suit he stood tall, a figure carved from restraint and quiet dominance. Together, th
Chapter 70
Shadows of AllianceThe silence in the Sterling penthouse was not the silence of peace. It was the kind of silence that pressed down like a weight, full of unspoken words and sharp edges. Clara sat by the long glass windows, arms folded tightly across her chest, her eyes following the city lights below. Ethan stood near the bar counter, pouring himself a drink he wouldn’t taste. Both were in the same room, yet they felt worlds apart.And yet, despite the wreckage of the last forty-eight hours—the shouting, the accusations, the revelations—they were still here. Together.The decision to form an alliance hadn’t come easily. Ethan had resisted it until the very last moment, his pride wounded by Clara’s accusations and his own guilt gnawing at him for failing to protect her. Clara had hesitated too, wary of giving her trust to a man who seemed determined to keep her at arm’s length. But Kane had made sure they had no other choice. His moves were tightening around them like a noose.Now,
Chapter 69
Shattered WallsThe silence between them had grown unbearable. Clara could feel it, like a storm cloud that had settled into the penthouse and refused to move. Days of Ethan’s clipped words and sharp looks had stretched on, punctuated only by the long absences when he left for the office before dawn and returned after midnight.And yet, despite the distance, Clara still felt Kane’s presence, prowling in the shadows. She had caught glimpses of that tattooed guard twice more, always watching her, always too still. She felt him everywhere, even in the hollow corridors of their building.This morning, though, she wasn’t willing to let the silence stretch further. She stood in the kitchen, her hands wrapped tightly around a mug of coffee, when Ethan walked in. He looked as polished as ever, his suit sharp, his tie perfectly knotted, his hair immaculately combed.But his eyes… his eyes were tired, bloodshot from nights of little sleep.“Ethan,” she said carefully, her voice soft but determi
Chapter 68
Splinters of SilenceClara didn’t sleep that night. She couldn’t. The echo of Ethan’s words — “I don’t know if I can forgive this” — kept replaying in her head like a cruel melody. She lay awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling while Ethan remained in his study, the door closed, his presence a ghost in the penthouse.When dawn broke, the tension was still thick enough to choke on. Ethan emerged, perfectly dressed, crisp suit, immaculate tie, as if the night had left no mark on him. His eyes flicked toward Clara once — cold, unreadable — before he grabbed his briefcase.“You’re leaving without saying anything?” Clara whispered, her voice hoarse from silence.He paused at the door, his back to her. “There’s nothing left to say right now.”Her heart crumbled at the finality in his tone. “Ethan—”“Don’t.” He didn’t raise his voice, but the weight of that single word slammed into her chest like a hammer. “Don’t make this harder than it already is.”And then he was gone.The sound of the
Chapter 67
Fractured TrustThe silence in the penthouse was heavier than any argument they had ever endured. Ethan sat in the armchair near the window, his jaw tight, his gaze fixed on the city lights below. Clara stood by the closed door, her hands still trembling from the confrontation. The air was sharp, filled with words unsaid, questions unasked.For a long moment, she couldn’t breathe. His silence was worse than any explosion of anger. Ethan Sterling was not a man who fumed or shouted — when he went quiet, it was like a blade pressed to the throat.“Say something,” Clara finally whispered, her voice cracking.Ethan’s gaze slid toward her, his eyes dark and unyielding. “What do you want me to say, Clara? That I didn’t see what I saw? That the woman I married isn’t sneaking around behind my back in my own home?”Clara flinched as if he’d struck her. “It’s not what you think. I wasn’t—”“Wasn’t what?” His voice cut through her like ice. “You weren’t spying? You weren’t following a thread you
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