Chapter: Chapter 87 - New FindingsZayden’s POVI waited for my wife.The night stretched on, long and empty. I sat in my study, staring at the door, listening for footsteps that never came.She didn't show up.I told myself I didn't care. That it was better this way. I told myself I had made my point — she needed to learn that she couldn't come to me only when it suited her.But the truth was simpler. I was disappointed.I stood and walked to the window. The garden was dark below, the fountain still and silent. I could see her bedroom window from here. It was dark. She was alone, probably crying, probably hating me.I had sent her away. I had humiliated her. And deep down I knew she meant it when she said she wanted me.I ran a hand through my hair. I stood up, restless. I needed to see her even if it was just to remind myself why I was doing all of this.I left the study and made my way through the house and stopped in front of her door.I knocked once. No answer.I knocked again—still nothing.I opened the door slo
Última actualización: 2026-06-29
Chapter: Chapter 86 - The GardenBella’s POVI closed the bedroom door behind me and stepped into the hallway.For the first time since marrying Zayden, I knew exactly where I was going.Every step toward his study felt impossibly heavy, yet somehow lighter than carrying the weight of everything I’d left unsaid.I was done pretending.Done lying to myself.Done convincing myself that every look, every touch, every gentle moment between us meant nothing.I was going to tell him the truth.I barely made it halfway down the corridor before a calm voice stopped me.“Isabella.”I turned.Emerald Romano stood at the end of the hall, elegant as ever in a cream silk dress. Not a strand of her silver-blonde hair was out of place. She regarded me with the same unreadable expression she always wore.“Going somewhere?” she asked.I swallowed. I didn’t want to tell her I was going to see her son. “I was… just taking a walk.”She tilted her head like she could tell I was lying. “Perfect.” She said, “I was about to do the same. Wal
Última actualización: 2026-06-27
Chapter: Chapter 85 - Noemi’s BridgeZayden’s POVMy office was quiet now. I had told Noemi she could help me with Hiram, but apparently that wasn’t enough for her to leave.I had my face buried in between some documents. But I could feel her eyes boring into me. And I knew there was something she was itching to say. “You can say what you want, you know?” I said, without looking up at her.She exhaled as if finally letting something off her chest. “What’s your relationship with Bella like?”The question caught me off guard. I paused before finally answering. “It’s…cordial.”She raised a brow. “That’s one way to put it.”“Well, what would you have me say, Noemi?”“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I just didn’t expect you to be just cordial with your wife.”I leaned back in my chair. “Bella and I weren’t exactly a love match.”“But that doesn’t mean you’re not in love with her now,” Noemi said. That made me pause. “Noemi please.”"I'm serious." She leaned forward. "I saw the way you looked at her at dinner. And I saw the pa
Última actualización: 2026-06-25
Chapter: Chapter 84 - I Know YouZayden’s POV I closed the door and stood there. The silence pressed in around me, heavy and suffocating. I could still hear her footsteps fading down the hallway — slow, unsteady, broken. Each one felt like a defeat. I leaned my forehead against the wood and closed my eyes. I could still taste her on my tongue. Sweet. Salt. Something darker underneath. She had been so wet, so ready, so desperate. The way she had pushed back against my face, the way she had sobbed my name— It was everything I had wanted. Everything I had been waiting for. And yet, I had sent her away. I pushed off the door and walked to the window, my body still aching, my dick still hard and straining against my sweatpants. The city sprawled below me, dark and indifferent. It never slept and right now — neither could I. Because all I could think about was her. She had looked at me in a way that sent shivers down my spine. Her voice had cracked on her pleading words. Her body had trembled beneath my ha
Última actualización: 2026-06-24
Chapter: Chapter 83 - DesperationBella’s POVZayden stared at me for a second, then grabbed my wrist and dragged me inside, slamming the door shut behind us.“What do you mean by that?” he asked, backing me against the wall, his body caging me in.I opened my mouth to speak. My heart was pounding so loud I could barely hear myself think."I—" I swallowed. "I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about—" I stopped. Shook my head. "Never mind. This was a mistake."I tried to move past him but he didn't let me."Bella." His voice was low and patient. But I could hear the edge underneath. "It's 3 a.m. You banged on my door like the house was on fire. Now you're standing here in nothing but silk, shaking like a leaf, telling me you couldn't sleep." He tilted his head. "What exactly do you want?"I looked away. "I don't know.""Try again.""I—" My voice cracked. "I don't know how to say it.""Yes, you do." He stepped closer, his chest almost brushing mine. "You know exactly what you want. You just don't want to admit it."My thr
Última actualización: 2026-06-19
Chapter: Chapter 82 - I Want YouBella’s POVI couldn't even cry in peace. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face. The way he had looked at me after I slapped him. The way his cheek had reddened beneath my palm. The way his voice had dropped when he said "I've had enough."I touched my lips.I could still feel him there. The pressure. The heat. He had kissed me so forcefully yet so gently like I was his chaos and his calm at the same time.Why could I still feel it? I hated that I could still feel it.I sat up in bed, pulling my knees to my chest. I wiped the tears from my eyes and took in deep short breaths.The room was dark. Silent. But my mind was anything but that. Why did I go to him?I had told myself it was because I was worried. Because he looked broken. Because I was just being a decent human being.But that was a lie.I went because I wanted to see him. Because something in me had pulled me toward his study like a magnet. Because watching him walk away from that dinner table had made my chest ache i
Última actualización: 2026-06-19
Claimed By My Ex’s Stepbrother
“IS IT TRUE?” Grayson’s voice thundered through the room.
“Yes!” Tessa said softly. “Yes it is!”
“So you’ve been cheating on me, haven’t you?” He spat.
Her hands trembled. “No, I swear, it’s not like that.”
He grabbed her arm, his grip bruising her wrist as she squealed in pain.
“Then whose baby are you carrying, huh?” His voice was ice cold.
Tessa shivered, tears blurring her vision.
“I don’t know.”
**********
Pregnant with the powerful Roman Blackwood’s child, while engaged to his unstable stepbrother — Tessa Quinn becomes the key to a ruthless inheritance war where love has no place.
As secrets unravel and danger closes in, Tessa must protect her unborn child while trapped between love, vengeance, and men who want to own her fate.
Leer
Chapter: Chapter 202 - I’m InRoman sat in his car, parked outside his own house.The engine was off. The night was quiet. But inside the car, the only sound was the relentless beep of a call that wouldn't go through.He pulled the phone from his ear and stared at the screen."What the hell Tessa?” He murmured.He had called her seven times today. Fourteen times this week. Dozens of times over the past month.Yet, no response.The line just kept beeping. No ring. No voicemail. Just... nothing.She blocked me.The thought sat in his chest like a stone.He understood things had been difficult between them. He understood she was hurt, angry, confused. But to block him completely? To cut him off without a word?That was more frustrating than he’d like to admit.He groaned and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat.His eyes fell on the items beside it — flowers, chocolates, a small velvet box he hadn't touched. Romantic things. Hopeful things. Things he had planned to give her tonight.Now he just looked stupid.He
Última actualización: 2026-06-11
Chapter: Chapter 201 - The Painful AftermathThe sound of Eleanor's heels against the marble floor echoed through the corridor.She had faced many difficult situations before. Boardroom battles. Social scandals. The return of a dead husband. But this — watching her son be led away in shackles while the world watched — this had to be the most humiliating.She put on her dark glasses and continued down the corridor."Eleanor."The voice stopped her cold.She turned.Salima and Roman walked toward her, side by side. Roman's face was unreadable. Salima's was not.Eleanor exhaled sharply. "Salima. Roman." She adjusted her sunglasses. "I believe you are here to gloat."Salima stepped closer, her shoulders high, her chin lifted. The years between them seemed to collapse into a single moment."Do you remember," Salima said quietly, "months ago... in this very courthouse... you stood there after you tried to lock up my son. And you told me that it was just the consequences of his bad decisions?"Eleanor's jaw tightened. She said nothing.
Última actualización: 2026-06-10
Chapter: Chapter 200 - The TrialThe courtroom was already packed by the time the deputies brought Grayson in.The chains around his wrists rattled softly with each step.For the first time in his life, Grayson Thorne looked small.The expensive suits were gone. The arrogance was harder to maintain in a prison uniform. Bruises still lingered along his jaw from the night of his arrest, and dark circles sat beneath his eyes.A murmur swept through the gallery as he entered.Roman watched silently from the front row.Grayson’s eyes immediately found him.The hatred there was instant.Raw and unfiltered.A deputy guided him toward the defence table.On the opposite side of the courtroom sat Eleanor and Liam.Eleanor looked immaculate as always. Perfect hair. Perfect makeup. Perfect posture.But her hands were clenched tightly together in her lap.Liam sat beside her, his expression unreadable.A few seats away sat Bernard.Salima occupied the space between Bernard and Victor.The arrangement hadn’t been planned, but Roma
Última actualización: 2026-06-09
Chapter: Chapter 199 - Trials And TribulationsRoman stood before the mirror, adjusting the cuff of his sleeve. His suit was jet black, crisp and expensive. His watch clicked into place — a gift from his father, years ago, before everything fell apart.He barely recognised himself.Not because he looked different. But because he felt lighter than he had in months.It had been four weeks.Four weeks since the fire.Four weeks since Grayson had been dragged away in handcuffs while screaming threats into the night.And now the day had finally arrived.The trial.Grayson would finally face consequences. And Roman could breathe.The door opened behind him."Hi, Mom," Roman said without turning. "Good morning.”Salima stepped into the room, her heels soft against the carpet. She was dressed in a deep navy dress, understated but elegant. Her hair was pinned back. Her face was calm."Good morning," she said. She walked up to him and reached for his tie. "Let me."Roman laughed. “You know I can do that myself.”“Clearly not very well.” Sal
Última actualización: 2026-06-08
Chapter: Chapter 198 - The Weight Of ChoicesTessa sat propped against the pillows, her wrists still bandaged, her arms spotted with healing burns. The room smelled like antiseptic and flowers — too many flowers, brought by people who didn't know what else to do.Daniel sat on her left. Her father, Peter, stood by the window. Gina was curled in a chair in the corner, pretending to scroll through her phone but really just watching."How are you feeling?" Daniel asked."I'm fine," Tessa said. "I've said that three times already.""You keep saying it. Doesn't make it true." Daniel said.“Maybe.” She tried to sit up. “But I’m going to be fine.”“You should just have stayed home,” Daniel said. “Told you not to go see Roman. But you wouldn’t listen. Now see where you end up.”Tessa sighed. "Daniel, please. I don't have the energy to fight with you.""Good. Because I'm not going to fight either." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "I'm here to tell you what we've decided."Tessa's eyes narrowed. "We?""Dad and me." Daniel glanced
Última actualización: 2026-06-07
Chapter: Chapter 197 - Fire With Fire"When you said fighting fire with fire, I didn't think you meant literally," Alec said as Roman uncapped the gasoline container in front of him.Behind him, Bernard stood still, arms crossed, saying nothing.Alec leaned against a wall, phone in hand, watching but not interfering.Roman didn't look back. He knew what he was doing. He didn't care.Grayson's cars were lined up in a row in the compound — the black Mercedes, the silver Porsche, the matte grey Lamborghini he never drove but loved to show off. Roman had seen them all before. Had listened to Grayson brag about the engines, the custom interiors, the price tags.None of it mattered now.Roman unscrewed the cap and started pouring.The liquid splashed across the hood of the Mercedes, dripped down the windshield, and pooled on the ground. He moved to the Porsche. Then the Lamborghini.The smell was thick, acrid, and familiar.The same smell Grayson had left after he tried to kill Tessa.Roman's jaw tightened.He finished the cont
Última actualización: 2026-06-06