Semua Bab Keep Your Merry Christmas to Yourself: Bab 1 - Bab 9

On Christmas Eve, my parents and my fiancé, Ivano Dominici, finally agree to accompany me to Iberion to see the aurora. But when I arrive there, they never show up no matter how long I wait.I send messages to ask. They reply helplessly that something urgent has come up at the last minute and tell me to go to the observation point and wait. I stand alone on the icy field, turning back every few minutes to look at the road behind me.When my hands grow numb from the cold, I scroll my social media feed and see a recent post from my younger sister, Giada Soave.Holding gifts in her arms, she sits beneath a luxurious crystal Christmas tree with my parents embracing her from both sides.Ivano stands behind her with his hand resting lightly at her waist and his eyes full of tenderness.The caption reads, "Merry Christmas, I'm grateful to spend the holiday with those who love me most!"The comments section buzzes with blessings, praise, and envious messages.I stare at the screen for a long t

The project coordinator suddenly jumped to his feet. His voice barely contained his excitement as he exclaimed, "This piece has a soul! Every line seems to be breathing."The room erupted in awe.I sat in the corner. My hand gripping the pen was slick with sweat.This was the ark I'd built through countless sleepless nights. It was finally going to carry me out of this torment.The shortlist would be announced the next morning.But the night before, just as I finished double-checking the data and preparing to encrypt it, the screen suddenly flashed, turning into a blinding blue.A string of garbled code scrolled rapidly, and within seconds, the system froze completely.I tried rebooting, updating, and controlling in the background, but the screen remained still.Tens of gigabytes of design data were gone.A cold shiver ran up my spine.I suddenly remembered that Giada had boasted on social media about meeting a "genius hacker" just a few days ago.In that instant, the string

Cristina's POVIvano called me more than a dozen times, but I didn't pick up.That night, to obtain the necessary family identification for my visa application, I slipped back into Soave Manor under the cover of darkness.The living room lights were dimmed.Just as I reached the shadowed entrance, I heard a loud crash from inside. A thick folder was slammed onto the table.Ivano stood with his back to me, radiating fury.Giada, who had been lying on the couch scrolling through her phone, jumped at the sudden noise.When she saw the screenshots scattered across the table, her face drained of color."These are your dark web hire records and overseas account transfers."Ivano's voice was icy. "Giada, who gave you the nerve to pull these underhanded tricks right under my nose to ruin Cristina's future?""Ivano… I…" Giada's lips trembled violently, and her eyes reddened instantly.Ivano didn't say a single word. He simply stared at her, his gaze as cold as if she were a stranger.

The day after I received my Fennaris visa, I went back to the private investigation firm.The office windows were tightly shut.The investigator, Elmo Gullo, sat behind his desk. Wiping sweat from his forehead, he pushed a sealed document envelope toward me."Ms. Soave, investigating Mr. Dominici and the Soave family's secrets is far too dangerous. We were planning to abandon the investigation and refund you."He swallowed hard and said in a low voice, "But just last night, a top-tier hacker from overseas breached our system and sent us this confidential file."My heart skipped a beat. "A hacker from overseas?"Elmo looked at me. "The hacker had no malicious intent. They left only one message."My breath hitched.I suddenly remembered that anonymous sender. That night, when my life's work was gutted, and I was teetering on the edge of despair, they had helped me recover all the data and told me never to be confined."What did they say?" I asked.Elmo handed me a printed note

Without any hesitation, I blocked all of their numbers.After that, I sent the evidence of the Soave family's underground casino laundering, tax evasion, and Ivano's assassination dealings to the police's email.At the same time, the confidential file about Giada's true identity was also made public.Having done all this, I took a cab to the airport.The terminal was crowded with people, but I found a corner to sit in.In my suitcase were just a few old clothes and the design drafts for "Midnight Sun".I looked down at my phone, and as expected, the internet had exploded."The Soave family is suspected of massive international money laundering and tax evasion. Tatum Soave and his wife, Florina Cannella, have been arrested. Their assets are frozen!"In the pictures, my high and mighty biological parents were shown being arrested with handcuffs, their faces a picture of disgrace.Meanwhile, forums overseas were buzzing with the revelation of Giada's true identity. Countless enem