Novelas de victoryfegaoju

Sophia held the investigation file with trembling hands. She drew in a slow breath before opening it. Most of it contained routine records from the orphanage—admission logs, medical reports and donations. Slowly, her eyes stopped on a handwritten note from the orphanage's oldest caregiver."The infant was admitted with a tiny black mole at the nape of her neck. The mark was so distinctive that the staff often used it to identify her.”Her breathing stopped. A tiny black mole… Her fingers instinctively flew to her own neck.Twenty-three years ago, there had been a tiny black mole hidden beneath the baby's soft hair.Just below her hairline. Sophia used to kiss it every time she cradled her newborn.She had called it her lucky mark. A tear rolled down her cheek.Her breathing became uneven."Oh... my God..."The investigator shifted uneasily."Mrs. Ryder?"Sophia slowly closed the file, her chest rose and fell unevenly."Continue the investigation.""Of course.""I want every record co

I hurried after Liam, and the door clicked shut behind us. "You promised separate rooms.""At Blackthorne City."Liam loosened his tie without looking at me."You didn't expect my mother to know we needed separate rooms."The words knocked the argument right out of me.He was right."I'll take the sitting room," he said simply.That ended the conversation. I let out a quiet breath and disappeared into the bedroom.The bathroom smelled faintly of lavender. I stood beneath the warm shower longer than necessary, hoping it would calm the strange feeling sitting inside my chest.By the time I crawled into bed, exhaustion claimed me almost immediately.The next morning, sunlight slipped through the curtains and settled across my face. I stretched lazily before remembering where I was. Santorini.A smile tugged at my lips. The bathroom door suddenly opened. I instinctively pulled the duvet up to my chin.Liam stepped out with a white towel wrapped low around his waist. Water droplets slid f

"You may now kiss the bride."For a second, I thought I had imagined it, then the hall erupted."Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"My heart slammed against my ribs. I turned toward him. His face remained as calm as ever, but his eyes searched mine for a brief second. Then he stepped close enough for only me to hear him."Do I have your permission?"The question caught me off guard. He didn't have to ask. I looked into his eyes, there was no pressure, only quiet respect. I swallowed the lump in my throat and gave the smallest nod."Yes."He lifted my chin gently with two fingers. The entire hall disappeared, then his lips touched mine. Soft, gentle, and careful.For a second, I forgot how to breathe. This… This was my first kiss. Not with Ethan but with Liam Kingsley. My lips remained stiff until I slowly relaxed, just enough to return the kiss. A loud chorus of cheers exploded through the chapel. Victoria screamed loud enough to shake the ceiling.He pulled away, then gently lifted his thumb and w

Again today, I woke up to silence. No angry phone calls, no reporters camping outside my apartment, no fresh scandal waiting to ruin my day. It felt... unnatural.I stepped out of the bathroom, rubbed a towel through my damp hair when my phone buzzed on the bed. Mrs. Kingsley.I smiled broadly before I even opened the message.Wedding Gown Fitting — 2:00 PM.The appointment details were attached beneath it. My eyes drifted to Liam's chat, still nothing. His last message was from yesterday — “ignore social media.”I stared at the screen for almost a minute before forwarding the appointment. “Please be there.” The message was delivered instantly. I waited a few seconds, but no reply. I sighed and placed the phone face down."Well... at least I tried."My gaze wandered around my apartment…Today would probably be the last morning I'd wake up here.I looked at my tiny living room, This apartment had watched me become every version of myself. The hopeful girl, the broken woman, and now…the

Over the past two weeks, every morning had begun with bad news, but today...No disturbing phone calls, no angry messages, no reporters waiting outside my apartment. Just the sound of birds outside my window, which felt strangely out of place.Yesterday's conversation with Victoria, and Liam's brief message telling me to ignore social media, had somehow quieted the storm inside me.My stomach growled. "I guess chaos burns calories," I muttered.I wandered into the kitchen, made myself breakfast and had barely lifted the first spoonful when my phone rang. Unknown number, my hand froze.For a few seconds, I stared at the screen before finally answering."Hello?""Hello, my dear."The warm voice instantly relaxed every muscle in my body. "Mrs. Kingsley!"A soft laugh drifted through the speaker. "Really, Nora?"Heat rushed to my face. "M... Mum.""Much better."I smiled despite myself."I'll get used to it.""I know you will." She paused before continuing. "Can you come to the estate t

"We'll announce the engagement tomorrow morning."Mr. Kingsley said it as casually as if he were discussing the weather. Colour drained from my face. I hadn't even recovered from the scandal surrounding Ethan and Elara. The thought of my name exploding across the internet again made my chest tighten. Liam's hand closed around mine."Let's go."I nodded and followed him out.The ride back to my apartment was quiet. Collin drove while Liam sat beside me, scrolling through emails as though nothing important had happened, meanwhile, my life was hanging by a thread.When the car finally stopped outside my apartment building, I turned toward him."Can you ask your father not to announce the engagement?"Liam looked up from his phone. "Why?""Because the internet already hates me."He said nothing."Ethan and Elara practically turned me into a public villain. If this engagement becomes public, people will just find new reasons to attack me."Liam leaned back."I don't think so."I blinked.