LOGINVincentI sat on the bed, going through some financial news reports on my phone when it began to vibrate violently in my hand.An incoming call.My gaze drifted toward the unfamiliar number flashing across the screen.No caller ID.I already knew who it was… Sarah.After I blocked her numerous numbers, she had somehow managed to get hold of another phone.I'd warned her to stop calling me. If she needed anything, she was to contact my lawyer, yet she continued crossing the boundaries I had set.My thumb hovered over the decline button for a second, but I paused and decided to answer."What part of my warning didn't you understand?""Vincent..." Sarah's soft, broken, trembling voice drifted through the phone. "I... I've been trying to reach you, but you wouldn't answer any of my calls."Wasn't that obvious already?"What is it?" I asked flatly."It's Aaron. His condition... it's getting worse." She broke down into a sob. "The doctors said the heart attack was far more severe than they
JasmineThe thermoflask felt strangely heavy in my hand.I stood outside the hospital room, staring at the door, and took a long breath. If it had been entirely up to me… I wouldn't even be here.The only reason I had dragged myself to this hospital was because Collette kept asking about him."Have you visited your father yet?""How is he doing?"“Should I come with you to see him?”Those words had followed me around for days until they eventually became impossible to ignore.So here I was. Standing outside a room I desperately wished I could avoid.The thermoflask contained homemade soup—not because I wanted to cook for him, but because it was what a dutiful daughter was expected to bring.A perfect daughter.A caring daughter.What an amusing lie.I inhaled one last time before pushing the door open.The television was blaring loudly.A football match.Carl lay comfortably against the raised hospital bed, completely absorbed in the game. One leg was propped up while a bowl of fruit
Olivia"I wouldn't do that if I were you."Every head turned at once.I felt my breath catch the instant I saw Shawn walking toward us.His usually gentle expression was gone, his face frighteningly cold as his dark eyes fixed solely on Rick.The moment Rick's eyes landed on Shawn, every bit of confidence disappeared from his face.His entire body stiffened. The hand he had raised earlier slowly dropped to his side, like his body had forgotten how to move."Sh—"Before Rick could utter the word, Shawn was already standing in front of him.BANG!His foot slammed hard into Rick's right leg."Aahhh!" Rick let out a painful scream as his knee buckled beneath him.He crashed onto the pavement, clutching his leg with both hands while his face twisted in agony.The entire student center fell silent. Even the students walking nearby stopped to stare.I stood there, completely stunned.I had never... not once... seen Shawn like this before.The Shawn I knew was calm, easygoing, and patient. He
Olivia"We're here."I turned off the engine and looked at Shawn with a smile.He was already staring out the window, his gaze fixed on the sprawling campus before us.The grand entrance proudly displayed the words: Westbridge International University."So this is where your brother studies," Shawn murmured, taking everything in."It is.""It's... bigger than I imagined."I laughed softly."I said the same thing the first time Mom brought me here."Mother had practically begged me this morning.She had been rushing around the kitchen before leaving for work, carefully packing one of Sam's favorite meals into insulated food containers.Her homemade baked lasagna, along with a small container of chocolate chip cookies she'd baked that morning. She knew it was one of his favorite meals and insisted he needed a proper home-cooked meal during exams.She had looked at me with those pleading eyes only mothers possessed... How could I possibly refuse?Besides, she had been swamped with work l
AxelI was working on my laptop when a knock suddenly echoed through my office."Come in."The door opened, and Derek stepped inside."Sir, I just received a call from one of the security men at the hospital. They called to inform me that Mr. Pierce regained consciousness a little while ago."I paused.Jasmine's father had finally woken up from a coma.I slowly closed the laptop before looking directly at Derek."Has my wife gone to see him?""The guards haven't seen Mrs. Reynolds arrive yet."I frowned. That was unusual. Unless she hadn't been informed yet...Without wasting another second, I reached for my phone on the desk and unlocked it. My thumb hovered over Jasmine's contact, and just as I was about to press the call button... I suddenly stopped.The investigation report...The report the officers had handed over a few days after Carl had been injured inside his apartment resurfaced vividly in my mind.Every detail came flooding back: the inconsistencies, the unanswered questio
Aaron"What have you done, Mother?!" I roared, my voice echoing through the parking lot. "How could you let Vincent deceive you like that?"Mother recoiled like my words had struck her. Her lips trembled, and fresh tears spilled down her cheeks."I... I did it for your own good, Aaron...""I don't want to hear it!" I cut her off sharply. "You should have fucking held back! Vincent would have caved eventually! He always does! Just like every other time!"She shook her head frantically."No... no, Aaron. Your father was serious this time."Her voice cracked as she wiped at her tears."If I hadn't begged him... if I hadn't begged over and over again... if I hadn't agreed to all the conditions he gave me..." She swallowed painfully. "He was really going to let you rot in prison."I froze.Conditions?My heart skipped."...Conditions?" I repeated slowly.Not condition...Conditions... plural.My eyes narrowed immediately."What other conditions?"Mother's breathing grew uneven. She lowered
Axel I could already hear him before I could sense how close he was. The sound of heavy shoes scraping against the ground came to a stop right in front of me. Too close. I tightened my grip around my walking aide, my fingers curling hard around the smooth handle. My heart started to pound, not bec
Axel “What exactly is going on, Axel?” I walked into the study, my body rigid, my blood simmering from what had just happened at the dining table. I clenched my fists at my sides. “Isn’t it obvious?” I said, unable to keep the edge out of my voice. “Aunt Katherine and her daughters were deliberat
Jasmine Collette clapped her hands once, and immediately, the doors to the dining hall opened wider, and servants began to file in with flawless coordination. One dish came after another, as if everything had been carefully planned in advance. Servants lifted the silver lids at just the right mome
Jasmine Axel stepped out of the car first. I watched him from my seat as he stepped down and straightened his jacket, walked towards the other side of the car and reached for the door, pulling it open. I smiled faintly and stepped down, the gravel crunching softly beneath my heels. “Thank you,”







