LOGINChapter 178: A Footage Reese Alex snorted with laughter, nearly choking on his water. “If she’d stop being a hag then maybe—just maybe—someone might have a little mercy on her and show her what she's been missing.”“You’re disgusting,” Rosalie spat, her eyes shining with barely contained tears of rage.Alex raised his glass in a mock toast. “Thank you. At least I don’t lose my shit at the mention of a good head.” He grinned. “If you were a little nicer, then maybe you’d experience that. Head is good for the soul, Rosie.”I burst out laughing, the sound rolling deep from my chest. The absurdity of it all—the lavish dining hall with its untouched feast, the crystal glasses catching fractured light—made the family meltdown feel almost theatrical.“I can’t believe I’m related to you guys,” Rosalie muttered, voice trembling.“Likewise, sister,” Alex cooed sweetly.“You are all okay with this?” Rosalie pressed, gesturing wildly. “Did you all not hear what Father said? He isn’t happy!”“F
Chapter 177: A Mad Dog Reese My hand shot out, fingers wrapping firmly around Zahir’s forearm as he turned to leave. “Roman?” I asked, voice low and urgent. “My brother sent you?”He paused, turning just enough for that enigmatic smile to flash again under the golden glow of the chandeliers. His hand clasped mine in a firm, deliberate shake, skin warm and calloused. “Is that so difficult to believe?” His smile widened, revealing perfect teeth that caught the light. “Good night, Reese. We’ll meet again.”And just like that, he was gone. No second glance back. Not even toward Riley, who sat frozen with a mix of relief and lingering unease. Tariq and the guards melted out behind him, their footsteps echoing sharply against the floors before fading into the vast corridors of the manor. The heavy doors closed with a resonant thud that vibrated through my chest, leaving the dining hall feeling suddenly cavernous and exposed.Ryan was the next to rise. He didn’t spare a single look for
Chapter 176: Quite Charmed Reese “Yes,” Charlotte said, leaning forward with genuine intrigue sparkling in her eyes. “I’d like to hear all about it. Reese never struck me as the romantic type. I’m quite curious how he managed it.”I smiled to myself, already knowing exactly where Lizzie was headed. The atmosphere in this opulent dining hall was about to shift dramatically—and not in the way my father expected. The air still hummed with the remnants of Zahir’s bombshell contract and the lingering threat over our heads, but Lizzie had that glint in her eye. The one that said she was done playing defense.Lizzie smiled sweetly, her gaze sweeping slowly across the table, taking in every face. Her hand rubbed up and down my arm in absentminded affection, calming me even as chaos brewed. “Well, it was a very unusual proposal. But still the best.” She paused for dramatic effect. “We’re all adults here, aren’t we?”“Adults?” River repeated, blinking in confusion, her fork hovering over h
Chapter 175: Hit The Jackpot Reese “What does that even mean?” Ramsey asked, his voice cutting through the heavy silence like a dull knife. “Sir, so we become your children or what?”Zahir simply smiled, that wolfish grin never fading as he leaned back in his chair with the ease of a man who owned the room. “Maybe. Maybe not. That’s for me to decide.” His gaze drifted pointedly to Riley, lingering just long enough to make my blood simmer. “But one of the ladies has to take up the role of my wife. Don’t you think so, Riley?”She stared at him, horror etched across her young face, before quickly looking away. “No.”“But not to worry,” Zahir continued smoothly, waving off the tension like it was nothing more than a passing breeze. “Reginald is a capable businessman. I trust his vision. If he says this is solid, then it is solid. Just have a little faith in your old man.” He grinned wider, flashing those perfect teeth.I didn’t buy a single word. That grin was predatory, calculated. He
Chapter 174: About Ownership Reese“Reese, please sit down. He was merely joking.” Riley’s voice cracked slightly, her eyes pleading with me across the table. “It’s nothing serious. Please.” I narrowed my eyes at both of them, suspicion coiling tight in my chest like a living thing.I didn’t believe for a second that Zahir had been joking. Not after the way he’d looked at Riley. Not after the fear I’d seen flash across her face when she understood what he and Tariq were saying in Arabic. Of course I wasn’t going to demand a translation right here in front of everyone. Whatever Zahir had told her could be sensitive—something our father was never meant to hear. But as always, the son of a bitch loved to fuck things up.“What did he say?” Reginald asked, his voice deceptively calm, eyes locked on Riley like a hawk.Riley blinked, her lips pressing together as every gaze in the room swung to her. The weight of it made her shoulders tense. “He told me that he knew Reese from the airpor
Chapter 173: Tread Carefully Reese “Where do you know my brother from?” The words left my mouth before I could temper them, sharp and direct. The entire table seemed to lean in. Zahir didn’t flinch. He simply smiled that lazy, knowing smile, as if we were discussing the weather. “Business.” His voice was smooth, carrying easily across the long table. “Magazines and television. Good businessman, your brother.”“Yes. Indeed my son, Roman, is a giant in his field,” Reginald interjected, his tone dripping with paternal pride so fake it curdled the air. Like he hadn’t tried to murder Roman only two years ago. Hadn’t orchestrated half the horrors that still haunted our family. Now he sat there smiling like a doting father. “But unfortunately, he’s not here tonight. He can’t make it. You know how it is with kids. He has two little ones.”I rolled my eyes hard enough to feel the strain. The fakeness was nauseating. As if Reginald cared about the twins. As if he even remembered their name







