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The peace is Shattered

last update publish date: 2026-06-15 07:02:00

The media was already waiting when I arrived at Sterling Tower.

I saw them from the car window, a swarm of vans and cameras and shouting reporters pressed against the security barriers like a tide threatening to break through. My phone had been buzzing since six in the morning, but I had silenced it after the fifth call from an unknown number. I had thought it was routine. A quarterly report leaking early. A disgruntled former executive giving an interview. The usual background noise
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  • Craving Their Touch    The Deal with Leo

    The safe house was a nondescript apartment on the north side of the city, one of several properties Arthur had acquired years ago for emergencies he never thought would come. It was spare and functional, furnished with the bare essentials, the windows covered with thick curtains that blocked the pale morning light. Leo Sterling sat on a plain wooden chair in the center of the living room, two security guards flanking the door behind him.He looked terrible. Thin to the point of gauntness. His hair was unwashed and matted, his clothes rumpled and too large for his frame. The polished, arrogant half-brother who had tried to destroy me in the boardroom was gone. In his place was a hollow-eyed man who flinched at sudden sounds and could not meet my gaze for more than a few seconds."Thank you for coming," he said. His voice was hoarse, scraped raw. "I know you had every reason to refuse.""I almost did." I sat down across fr

  • Craving Their Touch    The Deal with Leo

    The safe house was a nondescript apartment on the north side of the city, one of several properties Arthur had acquired years ago for emergencies he never thought would come. It was spare and functional, furnished with the bare essentials, the windows covered with thick curtains that blocked the pale morning light. Leo Sterling sat on a plain wooden chair in the center of the living room, two security guards flanking the door behind him.He looked terrible. Thin to the point of gauntness. His hair was unwashed and matted, his clothes rumpled and too large for his frame. The polished, arrogant half-brother who had tried to destroy me in the boardroom was gone. In his place was a hollow-eyed man who flinched at sudden sounds and could not meet my gaze for more than a few seconds."Thank you for coming," he said. His voice was hoarse, scraped raw. "I know you had every reason to refuse.""I almos

  • Craving Their Touch    Leo's Return

    The call came at midnight, from a number I did not recognize.I was still awake, sitting in the library with Marcus and Julian, surrounded by shareholder records and legal filings. The three-week deadline was burning in my mind like a countdown clock. Alexander was consolidating power. The board was fractured. Every ally we had was under attack. And now my phone was ringing with an unknown caller."Let it go to voicemail," Marcus said.I almost did. But something stopped me. Some instinct I had learned during ten years of surviving David Miller. I picked up the phone. "Who is this?""Clara." The voice was hoarse, ragged, and familiar in a way that made my blood run cold. "It is Leo. Please do not hang up."I did not hang up. I put the phone on speaker and set it on the desk. Marcus stiffened. Julian's eyes went wide. Leo Sterling. The half-brother who had tried to destroy me. The

  • Craving Their Touch    The Numbers

    Julian arrived at Sterling Estate before dawn, carrying a laptop and a grim expression that told me everything I needed to know before he said a single word.The library had become our war room. Maps and documents and legal filings covered every surface. Marcus was already there, nursing a cup of black coffee. Arthur sat by the window, staring out at the gray morning. Harold had posted additional security around the perimeter. The estate was locked down, sealed against a threat we could not see but could feel everywhere.Julian set his laptop on the desk and opened it. "I have spent the last seventy-two hours analyzing Alexander's holdings. The acquisition was not a sudden move. He has been buying Sterling Global stock for years. Decades, in some cases. Through proxies. Through shell companies. Through intermediaries who did not even know who they were working for.""How much does he actually own?" I asked.

  • Craving Their Touch    The Conference

    The broadcast began at noon.I was in my office at Sterling Tower, reviewing the latest security reports with Marcus, when Helena Vance burst through the door without knocking. Her face was pale, her tablet clutched against her chest like a shield. In the months since I had appointed her chairwoman, I had never seen her rattled. She was a former federal judge. She did not rattle."Turn on the television," she said. "Now."Marcus grabbed the remote. The screen flickered to life, and the noise of the newsroom filled the office. A press conference was already in progress. The podium was set up in a sleek, modern space I did not recognize. The logo on the backdrop was unfamiliar. A stylized letter A, sharp and angular, like a blade.And behind the podium, calm and polished in a dark suit, stood Alexander Vane."If you are just joining us," the anchor's voice cut in, "billionaire inve

  • Craving Their Touch    The Alliance Fractures

    I found Sophia in the cottage, standing over an open suitcase with shaking hands.The drawers were pulled out. Clothes were strewn across the bed. Kate's schoolbag sat by the door, already packed. The curtains were drawn, the lights off except for a single lamp in the corner. It cast long shadows across the walls, and in those shadows, Sophia looked like a ghost."Harold told me about Dominic," I said from the doorway. "I came as soon as I could."She did not look at me. She kept folding clothes, her movements mechanical and frantic. "He is Kate's father. Her real father. David lied about the paternity test. He lied about everything. Dominic has been searching for her for seventeen years.""I know. He came to the estate. He made his demands."That stopped her. She turned, a blouse clutched in her fingers. "He was here? Inside the estate?""Harold let him thro

  • Craving Their Touch    Surrender

    I stood in the doorway of the main bedroom and took a slow breath. The lights were dimmed low. The large bed was turned down with fresh white sheets. Julian and Marcus were already there, shirtless. Their bodies looked strong and ready under the soft glow of the lamps. David sat in

  • Craving Their Touch    Desire and Jealousy

    I stood alone on the private beach as the sun began to set. The sky turned a deep orange and soft pink over the calm ocean. The waves rolled gently onto the sand, making soft sounds that should have felt peaceful. But my mind was anything but peaceful. I wrapped my arm

  • Craving Their Touch    The Vacation Trap

    The next few days passed in a strange and heavy blur. I moved through the house like someone walking through deep water. Every smile I gave David felt like broken glass in my mouth. Every time he touched my hand or kissed my forehead, I had to fight the strong urge to pull away. I k

  • Craving Their Touch    The Apology

    Chapter 18: The ApologyI woke up the next morning to the soft sound of the bedroom door opening. Sunlight was just starting to fill the room. I blinked slowly, still feeling heavy from the night before. David was there, pushing a small breakfast cart into the room. He had a gentle smile o

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