Mag-log inMary’s POVThe sound of metal being shredded by bullets was deafening. The SUV driven by Julian shook violently every time the muzzles of the three pursuit cars behind us spat hot lead."Julian! We have to go to a hospital! My dad... the bleeding won't stop!" I screamed hysterically. My hands trembled uncontrollably as I tried to press down on the gaping wound in my father's abdomen using the shredded fabric of my dress. However, fresh blood kept seeping through, pooling on the leather seats with a metallic stench that made my stomach churn."No! We can't go to any public hospital in Chicago, Mary! Victor has definitely hacked their security systems and planted his men there!" Julian roared hoarsely, swerving the steering wheel to dodge a hail of bullets. "My private doctor is already waiting at our hidden jet runway! We are heading there right now!"In the backseat, Roman, who had been returning fire through the shattered window, finally pulled the trigger on his rifle until it cl
Mary’s POVAfter those horrifying words left Dante's mouth, it took a few seconds for my brain to process the reality: Ryder's father was coming for my head.I clamped both hands over my mouth, stifling a scream of pure terror. My father swiftly grabbed my mother's hand, holding it in a tight grip."We have to go. NOW!" Dante grabbed my arm roughly, ushering us out of the master bedroom.However, we had barely run a dozen steps down the penthouse corridor when a deafening sound made my heart stop.TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!A brutal barrage of gunfire echoed from the direction of the main penthouse lobby behind us. The sound of shattering glass and the wild shouts of guards thundered through the air. My blood instantly froze. They had breached the perimeter. My mother trembled violently beside my father."They're attacking from the main entrance! Hold this corridor! Deploy all your weapons!" Dante roared to his remaining guards through his comms radio. He then turned to me. "Hurry, Mi
Ryder’s POV The bloody night in London was over. Through the glass window of my private jet, which was climbing high to pierce the clouds, I could still see the bright orange flames devouring the Starling residence down below. One threat had been eradicated. No one would ever dare disturb my wife and child's peaceful sleep again. I leaned my head against the leather cabin seat, closing my eyes to soothe the adrenaline still boiling in my veins. The air inside the cabin was completely still, accompanied only by the faint hum of the jet engines speeding above the pitch-black expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. However, that silence was brutally torn apart. "Sir!" Silas suddenly yelled from the cockpit, his voice filled with a panic I had never heard before. "Radar is detecting high-speed projectile movement! Anti-aircraft missiles have locked onto our coordinates!" My eyes snapped wide open. My muscles tensed. "What?!" "Evasive maneuvers! Dive this plane right now!" Silas
Ryder’s POVTonight will be the darkest night in the history of the Starling family.I sat in the silence of my private jet's cabin, speeding through the night sky toward London. In my hand, an iPad glowed, displaying the CCTV feed from my penthouse's Medical Wing. My eyes didn't blink as I stared at the screen; staring at Mary's pale, sleeping face, and the thick blanket covering her stomach.That is where my life lies. That is where my future and the heir of my flesh and blood breathe.My throat tightened. A single tear slipped through, sliding down my cheek that still bore a fading bruise. I am going to be a father. The thought hit me with an overwhelming sense of emotion, while simultaneously triggering the darkest murderous instinct at the bottom of my soul.I swore to build a happy little family with her. But before I returned to kneel and beg for her love again, I had to eradicate every threat that could touch them. The Starling family had to perish tonight. Because if I le
Julian’s POVBoth of my hands gripped the hospital bedsheets so tightly I felt like ripping them apart. My blood boiled violently as my eyes remained glued to the live broadcast from Chicago on the wall-mounted television. There, Mary and that bastard Vance dared to sit together at the same podium, right after the lawsuit I had filed against him."The CEO of Vance Group just held a press conference broadcasted live worldwide, Sir," Roman reported with a clenched jaw, his eyes also locked on the screen beside me. "He's making a statement to clear his name from the kidnapping charges we filed."A harsh breath escaped my lips as I watched my wife speak. Voluntarily, Mary exposed my mother's cruelty to the public."Regarding the news of Mr. Richard Collins' attack and kidnapping last night... it seems Vance is behind all of this," Roman muttered quickly, his brain piecing the puzzle together. "He took Miss Mary's parents hostage to threaten her into testifying and twisting the facts in
Ryder’s POV"You have to choose right now, Mr. Vance! Miss Mary's life... or her baby's life?!"Dr. Evans's question hung in the air above the deafening blare of the heart monitor alarms. Time seemed to stand still. A suffocating weight crushed my chest, robbing me of breath.Inside, Mary's body continued to convulse, blood endlessly seeping into the white sheets.That baby... the fetus she was carrying was Julian Kessler's seed. The child of the bastard I hated most in this world. But I knew, for Mary, that baby was her life. If the fetus died, a part of Mary's soul would die with it.But if I had to lose Mary... no. I could never endure living in a world where she didn't exist.My jaw clenched. My absolute despair and selfishness as a man took complete control. I grabbed Dr. Evans by his surgical scrubs, glaring at him with bloodshot, tear-filled eyes."Save the mother!" I roared, my cracked voice echoing down the medical corridor. "To hell with Kessler's baby! I only care abo
HENRY’S POVThat bastard's words rang in my ears on a loop, drowning out the frantic whispers of the students in the corridor.Mary Collins is mine now.My hands clenched into tight fists at my side. Nineteen years. For nineteen years, I was the only man allowed to hold Mary’s hand. I played the pe
MARY'S POVThe morning sun of Chicago pierced through the penthouse's floor-to-ceiling windows, waking me from a restless sleep on the sofa. I sat up, my eyes immediately locking onto the walk-in closet across the room.Last night, I had almost run away.But this morning, as the arrogant face of Hen
Ryder's POVThe chime of the elevator shattered the silence of my penthouse. I didn't move from where I leaned against the marble pillar, letting the damn smirk I'd been holding back since last night finally etch itself clearly onto my lips.I could barely focus on anything all day. I even had Dant
MARY'S POVI pulled my scarf tighter as the freezing Chicago wind lashed against my face.Vance Tower rose arrogantly above the city skyline, all black glass and steel, towering over everything around it like a silent threat.Of course Ryder Vance lived here.The Vance family owned half of Chicago.







