REBEL : THE DEADLY HIERESS のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

DANIELI found her.The moment I stepped into the grand estate, my gaze locked onto Rebel. She sat stiffly on an ornate velvet chair, her expression unreadable. The opulence of the place was suffocating—high ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and furniture that screamed old money. But none of it mattered.What mattered was the way she looked at me.Relief flickered in her eyes, but it was buried beneath something heavier—confusion, doubt. The kind of uncertainty that twisted my stomach into knots.Seated beside her were two people I recognized from my research: Jacque Rhodes, billionaire mogul with power in all the wrong places and more, and Princess Carly Rhodes, royalty with an air of untouchable grace. Rebel’s birth parents.Carly turned her sharp gaze on me, assessing, already deciding I wasn’t good enough. Jacque, on the other hand, looked more amused than anything, like he was waiting to see how I’d react.I knew their type. People who thought they owned the world. People who though

KLAUS The vehicle was too damn quiet.Not quiet enough to give you calm. This was more the sort that clung to the air, heavy on your chest, forcing it to struggle to breathe. It was oppressive, thick with things unspoken, tension so fragile it would cut you.Daniel was beside me in the passenger seat, as stiff as a rod of steel. His hands had not moved since he got into the car-still fists, still pressed against his thighs like he was holding himself together with determination.In the back window, Rebel was sitting back there with her back to the glass. I couldn't tell what she was feeling, but I could see the tension in her posture. Her shoulders were back, she was rigid. Like she was steeling herself for something.She didn't know.Daniel was not just angry. He wasn't just irritable.He was scared.And I'd never seen him do that before.I gritted my teeth and gripped the wheel. The ride went on, nothing but the vibration of the road beneath the wheels and the occasional shift of R

REBEL The house was too quiet as we returned, yet I was pissed, so much so that I hadn't spoken a word as we returned home. It wasn't the quiet of a peaceful stillness that had settled over the house when everything was all right. It was the heavy, crushing quiet—the kind that sat on my chest and made breathing difficult. I stood in the middle of the living room, my arms crossed so tightly they ached. Daniel sat opposite me, his posture unselfconsciously loose. But I knew it for what it was. His hands were jammed into pockets, his feet firmly planted, and his face impassive. But the tension emanating from him was tangible. He knew I was mad this time around. He's always gone overboard but this was crossing a line he shouldn't have and the consequence is dawning on him now. He knew what was going to happen. I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice level. "How long?" Daniel didn't pretend not to know. He breathed slowly and deliberately before speaking. "A while." I cle

MIA I didn't need Robert, not really. But I was here anyway.I came because no matter what it is that I do, he'd never even look at me. Once upon a time he cared, he never loved me but he cared. He used to give me every material and I never cared about his many whores yet immediately he met her, he wouldn't even let any female close to him. What is it that she has that I don't?, What makes her different or special? Now, I've discovered that she is the daughter to my employers who are practical royalties rolling in their billions, their heiress. She has everything without even trying. The restaurant was upscale, the kind of place where corporate executives cut deals over hundred-dollar steaks and old whiskey. Dark, quiet, reserved. The perfect place for a conversation that no one else needed to hear about. I smoothed my silk shirt over, ignoring the tightness in my chest. The last I'd had the displeasure of seeing Robert was when he'd stood in the shadows, watching with that sneeri

MICHAEL I arrived ten minutes early to the restaurant. It was a habit I never quite broke, the urge to scope out a place before sitting down. Old habits don't die, not when you've spent years protecting someone. Rebel wasn't here yet, which didn't surprise me. She wasn't one who hurried into meetings, especially ones she hadn't agreed to attend in the first place. I had no doubt she was already deciding whether to step through that door or turn around and pretend she never got my message. The waiter stopped by, menu in hand, but I waved him away. I was busy looking at the door. And then, like clockwork, she walked in, shoulders squared, eyes slitted. She was dressed casually, but there was nothing casual about her. Rebel walked like a person on the hunt for a brawl. She spotted me immediately and walked over, she's wearing a short black dress and ankle boots. She gives me a hug and a peck before sliding across the seat from me. You look good," I said, inspecting her. She d