Semua Bab Lust & Love: Bab 91 - Bab 100

Xavier didn’t sleep. He didn't even leave his study. He spent the remainder of the night sitting in the leather chair behind his desk, staring into the dark expanse of his office while the words I love you repeated in his mind with the relentless, maddening precision of a ticking clock.The early morning light was just beginning to bleed through the skyline when he finally stood up, his joints stiff. He needed to get a grip. He needed to handle the logistics of the situation. He walked to his desk and hit the intercom button for his private security detail."Miller," Xavier said, his voice a low, gravelly rasp. "Prepare the paperwork for Mrs. Evans' move. I want the new apartment finalized and ready for her immediate occupancy. I want her moved out by noon."There was a long, uncomfortable silence on the other end of the line."Sir?" Miller’s voice came back, sounding hesitant. "Sir, I… I don't think that will be necessary."Xavier’s brow furrowed, a dark, dangerous edge creeping into

Xavier didn’t care about the laws of the road, the traffic, or the icy rain that hammered against the windshield of his Maybach. His mind was a frantic, terrifying loop of a single destination: Brooklyn. He arrived at the small, aging apartment building, his knuckles white against the steering wheel, his pulse hammering against his throat with a ferocity he had never known.He climbed the stairs two at a time, his breathing ragged, and pounded on the door. It wasn't just a knock; it was a desperate, primal demand to be let into the life he had so carelessly discarded.The door swung open, and Chloe stood there, her eyes widening into daggers the moment she saw him. Her face went cold, a mask of pure, protective fury. Before he could even open his mouth, she blocked the entrance, her hand gripping the doorframe."What are you doing here?" Chloe hissed, her voice vibrating with venom. "Get out before I call the cops.""Where is she?" Xavier rasped, his voice tearing through his throat.

Hazel physically stumbled backward, her hand flying up to grip the edge of the door. Her brain completely short-circuited, entirely unable to process the sight of the multi-billionaire CEO standing on her cracked wooden porch in upstate New York.He didn't look like the flawless, untouchable king of Vanguard Holdings. He looked completely, utterly wrecked.He wasn't wearing his heavy overcoat. He was just in a dark, wrinkled suit jacket, the collar of his white shirt undone and missing its tie. His dark hair was messy, blown wild by the winter wind. There were deep, bruising shadows under his sharp blue eyes, making him look completely exhausted, as if he hadn't slept a single minute since the night he threw her out.And his hands—Hazel’s eyes darted down, her breath catching when she saw the dark, bruised scabs and dried blood cutting across his knuckles.Xavier didn't say a word at first. He just stood there, his chest heaving as he looked at her. His icy blue gaze swept over her in

The kitchen stayed silent for a long time after her mother left.The bacon hissed softly in the cast-iron skillet. The smell of butter and toast drifted through the old farmhouse, but Hazel no longer felt hungry. She just stood by the doorway, her arms wrapped tight around herself, staring at Xavier as if he were a stranger who had somehow wandered into the wrong life.He slowly set the spatula down. Then, without warning, he moved away from the stove, crossed the kitchen, and dropped to his knees right there on the worn wooden floor.Hazel froze. Her breath caught so hard it hurt. She looked down at him, her heart pounding with a strange, panicked rhythm. He kept his head lowered for a second, one hand braced on the floor, the other resting at his side like he wasn't sure whether he deserved to touch anything at all."Xavier—" Hazel started, but the rest of the word died in her throat.He looked up at her then, and the sight of him on his knees made something in her chest twist painf

A month in the villa had changed the shape of Hazel’s days, but not in some big, movie-perfect way. Nothing felt magically easy. The nausea still hit her like a truck some mornings, and her moods could swing so fast she’d snap at nothing and then hate herself for it five minutes later. Her clothes didn’t fit right anymore. The baby bump was obvious now four months along, round and firm under her skin and she kept catching herself resting a hand on it without thinking, like she was checking it was still real.Xavier had turned the place into something that actually felt like home. The long white walls held the paintings she’d picked out herself. Thick rugs warmed the floors, and the living room was full of the cushions he used to tease her about. The garden out front was bright with flowers she’d chosen, not just neat hedges. He’d even set up a quiet medical wing with nurses and a doctor on call, not because he was trying to control her, but because the memory of almost losing her stil