Library

Maghanap

Home / Romance / The Widow’s Game / Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Widow’s Game: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

17 Kabanata

Chapter 1- A Hollow Kind of Goodbye

She didn’t shed a single tear because she was sure that someone in the crowd had killed him, and she was going to find out who.The wind tugged at the hem of her black long dress as if it was daring her to move, to flee, to disappear into the line of cars parked in the parking lot. But Genevieve Holloway stood rooted at the graveside of her husband, her gloved hands clasped loosely in front of her.The casket shone under the weak sunlight—polished mahogany, gold-plated handles, expensive and spotless. Just like him. Even in death, Charles Holloway looked perfect. Or rather, the image of him that they presented to the world did.Genevieve had been married to him for three years. Three long, beautiful, ugly, pretentious years. And now here he was—six feet of rot and secrets about to be lowered into the ground with everyone pretending that he was a saint.Mourners surrounded her in solemn, carefully choreographed grief. His business associates, political allies, an aging senator, a sprink

Chapter 2- The Invitation

The house was too quiet.Genevieve had always hated the way the Holloway mansion was at night—too quiet, like it was hiding secrets. After the funeral, the staff had left the mansion with polite condolences and eyes that didn’t really meet hers. Now, she wandered the halls of the mansion alone, her black heels in one hand. Silence pressed down on her body like a second skin.She stood in the master bedroom, staring at the untouched bed. It was still well-made and cold. She hadn’t slept in it the weeks before Charles died. Not after what she had seen on his phone, not after the night he came home smelling like a perfume she didn’t wear.On the nightstand sat the envelope Celeste had given her.She picked it up and walked into the en-suite bathroom. Under the bright vanity lights, she peeled the black veil from her hair, letting the pins scatter across the marble tile. Her makeup was barely smudged.In the mirror, her reflection stared back at her, the dark circles underneath her eyes v

Chapter 3- The Rules of the Game

“Ladies,” Celeste said, her voice warm but edged with command. “Meet our newest member. Genevieve Holloway.”Their eyes met hers, assessing her, filled with curiosity and also guarded. The women were dressed in black, none of them was younger than thirty, and older than fifty. They didn’t smile. They studied her like she was a specimen to be used for an experiment.Genevieve straightened her shoulders and gave a polite nod.Celeste gestured for her to an empty seat while she sat at the head of the table.Genevieve sat, keeping her back straight and her expression neutral, though every instinct in her screamed at her to run.“She came,” one of them murmured, voice clipped. “Didn’t think she’d have the spine.”“Shut it, Harper,” another said sharply.Harper. Genevieve’s gaze snapped towards her. Harper was strikingly beautiful. She had shoulder-length auburn hair and eyes that looked like they had seen a hundred betrayals. She sat with her arms crossed.“Is this what we’re letting in no

Chapter 4- The Package

The morning sunlight passed through the curtain linen drapes like a blade. Genevieve stirred under the duvet, tangled in both sweat and confusion. Her body ached with the weight of too much silence in the house.Ravenhurst Lane had felt like a dream—or a nightmare. The way Celeste had spoken, the photos, the rules, the wall filled with photographs of widows, everything felt like a dream.She sat up slowly, the silk bedsheets cool against her legs. For a moment, she sat in her dimly lit bedroom, listening. There were no footsteps or the usual sounds that came from downstairs when the workers were around. Just the ticking of the wall clock on the fireplace mantel.She checked the time. It was 9:42 a.m. She had overslept.Her head throbbed dully as she got up from the bed. The silk robe of her nightwear that laid at the foot of the bed was cold to touch, but the floor was even colder.She heard her phone buzz from the dressing table.She shuffled towards it, tension already knotting in h

Chapter 5- The First Encounter

The message stared back at Genevieve from the screen, each word was like a quiet thunder in her chest.Hello, Mrs. Holloway. Shall we begin?Genevieve reread it twice, then a third time. There was no name. Her first instinct was to call the number, but the line clicked dead before it even rang.She dropped her phone on the table. So this was the start. The beginning that Celeste had promised, and whoever was watching her was probably already close.Sleep didn’t come easy that night. When it did, it was thin, filled with half-formed dreams of fog, fire, and a man she had not yet met.By morning, she checked the message from the unknown number again. It still sat on her screen; there were no new messages from the number.At 9:00 a.m., the doorbell rang.Genevieve walked barefoot in her robe to answer the door. She found a woman standing on her doorstep. She was tall, slender and wrapped in a grey trench coat that was secured neatly at her waist. Her hair was packed into a sleek bun, and

Chapter 6- The Gala

The afternoon sunlight spread across the Holloway mansion, spilling gold color over the marble floors. Delilah stepped into the kitchen. She carried herself with her usual cool elegance, but there was a spark of purpose in her eyes.Genevieve was making her lunch- eggs and bacon.“We have somewhere to be tonight,” Delilah announced, her soft French accent present as always. “It’s a charity gala. Dominic Rourke will be there, and you need to make an impression better than the last one.”Genevieve’s pulse quickened. The last meeting at Halcyon had been brief, almost frustrating. This had to be different. She knew Dominic was a difficult man, but she was determined to get Dominic to fall for her and to infiltrate him.Genevieve nodded in acknowledgement and turned her attention to the eggs in the frying pan in front of her.When she was done with the food preparation and eating her lunch, she headed towards her room to call Delilah downstairs to eat.“Delilah, your food is -“ Genevieve sa

Chapter 7- A New Friend

The morning after the gala, Genevieve woke up and spent minutes replaying the way Dominic Rourke’s eyes had cut across the ballroom, catching hers for that single second; she also kept replaying the compliment he had given her.A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. Delilah entered, immaculate as always. Her sleek black coat had no wrinkle, and her hair was packed in a perfect chignon. “You made an impression last night,” Delilah said, placing her leather-bound folder on the table. “Though fleeting, it was enough. Dominic noticed you. That is more than the others ever achieved.”Genevieve sat up straighter on her bed, her silk robe falling around her in soft folds. “Noticing isn’t enough, is it? I still have a lot to do.” Delilah’s lips curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Proximity is power. You must keep circling him until he lets you in. Luckily, fate or rather, the Club has given you the perfect excuse.” She opened her folder, sliding a document toward Gen

Chapter 8- Lines and Trust

The next day, Genevieve woke up before dawn. Her heart was racing; she had a nightmare, but the details were blurry when she woke up. She tried going back to sleep, but she couldn't.For a long moment, she lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. The Holloway mansion was silent; the staff had not yet resumed. Genevieve made a mental note to send a message to the chief housekeeper later in the day to tell all the staff to resume the next week. She needed to hear the sound of the staff working every morning, she didn't like how quiet the mansion was.She rose and wrapped a robe around herself and moved to the window. Outside, the day was only just beginning to brighten. The outside world looked calm. Harper’s words from the tearoom replayed in her mind.'The Club always has two games running. The one they tell you and the one they don’t.'Genevieve exhaled slowly. She had known from the first day that she met Celeste that she was dangerous. The president of the Widow’s Club could never

Chapter 9- Friends?

Immediately the door of Dominic Rourke’s office closed behind Genevieve; Benedict, his assistant, stepped in. “That woman is dangerous,” Benedict said carefully. Dominic did not raise up his head from the papers in front of him. His hands moved across the table to pick a file. “Dangerous how?” Dominic asked. Benedict hesitated. “Not in the obvious way. She’s a tool, and you are aware of this.” Dominic finally raised up his head, one eyebrow raised slightly. “You’re worried.” Benedict had been Dominic's assistant since he took over Rourke's Technologies. Their relationship had grown from boss and assistant to friends. He always looked out for him, almost as if he was possessive of him and didn't want anything that screamed danger in the slightest way around him. “I&rsq

Chapter 10- The Will

The Holloway Estate had always been intimidating, even before Genevieve married into the family.The estate sat on a hill; it had walls made of stone and gates made of iron that never opened unless permission was given. When she had gotten married to Charles, arriving at the estate made her stomach tighten, her voice soften, and her shoulders relax timidly. She had learned quickly that agreeing to everything that was said by Viola Holloway, Charles's mother, without objecting was the best way for anyone to earn approval in that house.Today, as Genevieve stepped out of her car, dressed in a black silk dress, she felt none of that, only confidence.The air was cold against her skin. The gravel in the estate made crunchy sounds beneath her heels as she walked toward the house with her chin lifted and back straight. The doors to the mansion opened before she reached them, and everyone inside turned to her at once.They were waiting for her. She was sure that she was on time and that she

PREV

NEXT

I-scan ang code para mabasa sa App

DMCA.com Protection Status