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Chapter Thirty-One
Last Updated:
2025-03-19 23:54:51
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Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix Chapter Thirty-Two
𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐚My mouth is still agape as Dad nods in response, his countenance completely serious. I vaguely hear Mom laugh softly from beside me before she cups my jaw and pushes it back up to close my mouth. I swallow hard, blinking repeatedly. “Y-You’re… serious, Dad? This isn't some kind of joke?” I ask, chuckling in disbelief as I glance from him to Mom and back again. Dad nods once more, giving me a small smile. “We are, princess. Deathly serious, in fact.”“But that would mean…” I trail off, the realization crashing over me like a tidal wave. My birth family aren't just rich—they’re the elite of the elite. They don't just exist within high society, they define it. Their reach extends across various industries from the finance industry to the mining one, which our jewels and jewelry division, GemsThorne, is largely a part of. And so, for me to be the head of that… it sounds very, very unbelievable. I swallow hard, my heart hammering in my chest. “It feels so surreal t-that you
Last Updated : 2025-03-20Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix Chapter Thirty-Three
𝐀/𝐍: Selena's name has finally been changed to Aretha so from now on, her POVs will be tagged 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚I make my way into our family dining room, only barely registering the warmth and light rays of the morning sun spilling through the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the front yard of our grand mansion. My mind is too preoccupied, my nerves strung tight like the familiar keys of a piano before a musical performance. Two weeks of thorough research, two long weeks of sleepless nights spent burning the midnight oil, and two whole weeks of meticulous planning have led to this very day, and to this moment—where my proposal pitch to the prestigious Lancaster Luxe will be taking place.Anxiety eats away at me when I'm reminded once again of how truly important today is. Today isn't simply about securing a partnership deal with a business empire as reputable as our family's. But it is also about proving myself, and reclaiming my rightful place. It's also about making a
Last Updated : 2025-03-21Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix Chapter Thirty-Four
𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚My car rolls to a halt by the curb and after briefly thanking the driver, I step out, lifting my gaze to take in the skyscraper looming over me and every other passersby. The Lancaster Luxe headquarters is a towering, sleek high-rise building that gives off a modern yet old-money charm with its mirrored windows that reflect the morning sun combined with limestone accents. The building, as a whole, exudes a kind of influence that only generational wealth can command.I make my way toward the grand entrance, waving at the guards stationed there as I walk underneath the golden chandelier and through the automatic doors. The interior of the building is just as lavish and breathtaking as the exterior with their crystal chandeliers and the tiled marble floorings but I'm too preoccupied with my task here this morning to pay any attention to the decoration. Besides, if it all goes well today, I'll be seeing more of this in the nearest future.I step up to the receptionist counter
Last Updated : 2025-03-22Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix Chapter Thirty-Five
𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚I take a deep breath, steadying myself as I stand before the long, polished, marble conference table, my flash drive connected to the projector. The large screen behind me displays the opening slide and heading of my presentation: “Lancaster Luxe x GemsThorne: A Partnership of Timeless Elegance.”The room is silent, save for the faint hum of the air conditioning. Seated before me are the board members of Lancaster Luxe—men and women of influence, their sharp gazes fixed on me, assessing, waiting. They exude power, each one a formidable presence in their own right, yet none feel as intense as his.Cameron Lancaster.He sits at the head of the large table, his figure an embodiment of unshaken authority. Impeccably dressed in a charcoal-gray suit that seems molded to his tall, broad frame, his posture is deceptively relaxed with one hand resting against his chin and the other drumming lightly against the surface of the table. His expression is unreadable, and yet his eyes…
Last Updated : 2025-03-23Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix Chapter Thirty-Six
𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧I step into Elena—or rather, Aretha's path just as she tries to make a quick getaway from the room. The expression on her face pulls an amused smirk from me as I stop right in front of her, my stance completely calm and nonchalant as I shove both of my hands into my pants pocket, my gaze resting heavily on her. If she thinks I'm going to let her walk out of here just like that, without having her acknowledge my presence at least, then this gorgeous bird is sorely mistaken because I am not about to let her slip through my fingers again—the guys and I aren't about to let that repeat itself. Not when we've finally found her again after nearly two months of searching. I stare down at Aretha, taking in this woman that'd played her way into our lives like a haunting yet melodious tune, when in reality, she's a force to be reckoned with, a mystery. A woman who looks so dewy-eyed and delicate on the surface, but deep down within her, she hides an intricate web of secrets and c
Last Updated : 2025-03-24Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix Chapter Thirty-Seven
𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚Dinner at home later that night is a warm affair, filled with laughter, the clinking of utensils against our respective plates and the delectable aroma of my mother's home-cooked meal. Despite having more than enough servants to handle every task in the house, Mom always insists on preparing dinner for the family herself. She always says that nighttime is the only time we truly come together to dine as a family, and thus, she would never miss the chance to feed us all then. The effort, the warmth—it never fails to remind me that I'm part of a new family now. A family that truly cares for one another. It's the kind of comfort that wraps around me like a familiar embrace, something steady and grounding after the whirlwind of today's events.Dad sits at the head of the table, swirling a glass of red wine in his hand with a bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild wine beside him, which is quite a surprise compared to his usual glass of water, juice or cup of tea— while Mom busie
Last Updated : 2025-03-25Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix Chapter Thirty-Eight
𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚I stare at the email from Lancaster Luxe, a frown taking over my face as I skim through the contents again.‘Congratulations, Miss. Aretha Hawthorne,’ reads the beginning before it delves deeper into further details.My proposal has passed the initial stage, it says, however, there’s one final hurdle left to cross. And for that, I’ll be required to visit the company again tomorrow.I should be excited—this is exactly what I wanted. But instead, I'm equal parts filled with confusion while unease also curls lowly in my stomach. I'm confused because even though they had instructed me to come to the company tomorrow, they hadn't included any information on whether I'm required to bring anything with me or to prepare in advance for something. Besides, while I was studying and preparing for the presentation, it hadn't been included by Lancaster Luxe in the business magazine that there would be two stages of trials before the final decision is made. Not even Dad had mentioned it
Last Updated : 2025-03-26Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix Chapter Thirty-Nine
𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚The chessboard between us is akin to a battlefield—at least to me—every move a calculated strike and every counter-move a defense against impending defeat. The once-lighthearted game has shifted into something far more intense. The air between Marcos and me is charged, the occasional click of chess pieces the only sound filling Cameron's vast office.Marcos moves his knight, eliminating one of my rooks with a sharp and precise flick of his fingers. “Check,” he murmurs smoothly, leaning back, utterly at ease while wearing the same secret smile that's been on his face since the start of the game.I inhale through my nose, forcing my features into calm neutrality, even as my mind whirs. I’ve lost two pawns, my other rook, and a knight. But I’m not out of the game yet.Sliding my queen forward, I capture his remaining bishop. “Not so fast.”Marcos grins, eyes glinting with amusement. “Nice save, darling.” He moves his own queen diagonally, putting pressure on my remaining pie
Last Updated : 2025-03-27
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Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix Chapter Sixty-Nine
𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧Everything about this meeting screams a trap.I sit in the backseat of a nondescript black SUV, eyes trained on the quiet stretch of road as we drive out of the city. The address I was given isn’t the Barsamian mansion where we had the last meeting—it’s a guesthouse tucked into the outskirts of a neighboring city. That alone is a red flag. But what makes it worse is that I was explicitly asked to come alone.Of course, I’m not that foolish.A second vehicle trails behind, discreet and distant—my hired security detail, professionals I trust with my life. I keep my phone in my hand the entire ride, fingers tapping idly against the screen, sending occasional location updates to my manager just in case.Because this? This feels like the kind of story that ends in a disappearance headline.The guesthouse is impressive in a quiet, understated way. Rustic wood beams, a sweeping stone terrace, and tall windows that reflect the gray morning sky. Inside, it smells like lavender a
Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix Chapter Sixty-Eight
𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧The moment I shut the door to my suite, I loosen my collar and finally let the smile fall from my face.I’ve been wearing it like armor all day—through the suffocating politeness, the backhanded compliments, the curt dismissal of logic from a spoilt heir with too much money and too little sense. The matriarch was composed, yes. Graceful even. But her silence when her son spat that sexist garbage…That silence said more than I liked.I sink into the armchair by the window, the city of Yerevan sprawled beneath me like a glittering mosaic. I should let it go. But the tension stays, coiled tight between my shoulder blades.With a sigh, I reach for my phone and dial.“Hey,” I say when my marketing manager answers. “I need you to pull up alternatives. If the Barsamians don’t get back to us, we need other options for that stone.”“You’re thinking they’ll back out?”“I’m thinking their prince of a son might poison the whole deal. I just want to be ready.”We talk logistics, pro
Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix Chapter Sixty-Seven
𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚The car ride back to the hotel is quiet.Not awkward. Not tense.Just… still.Cameron alternates between texting on his phone and staring out the window, one of his arms draped over the backseat with his fingers tapping out a silent rhythm against the leather. I watch the landscape blur by—stone buildings and narrow alleyways, ancient churches perched atop hills. The sky is beginning to burn orange at the edges, and for the first time all day, I feel the adrenaline ebb from my body like a tide retreating after a storm.I messed things up. I know I did.But I’d do it again in a heartbeat.We enter the hotel lobby without a word, both of us nodding politely to the concierge who greets us. The golden glow of the chandeliers bathes the space in warmth, but I feel anything but. My shoulders are still tight, my hands still restless.We step into the elevator together, side by side. The polished gold doors slide shut, enclosing us in a gentle hum of silence.I glance at him. “Yo
Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix Chapter Sixty-Six
𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚By the time we arrive, the estate looks like something out of an oil painting—ornate gates, lush grounds, cobblestone paths winding toward a home that could easily double as a museum. The sky has softened into a lazy afternoon haze, and I still haven’t fully shaken the image of that gun pointed at our driver. But Cameron and I are both dressed in our game faces now, and like good little liars, we smile.A housekeeper ushers us into a sitting room where the matriarch waits.She’s nothing like I expected.Older, yes, with the kind of face carved by time and quiet power, but there’s nothing soft about her. Her posture is steel, her eyes sharp behind thin, gold-rimmed glasses. She wears a high-necked black dress and sits with the kind of stillness that makes you feel like you’re the one being examined.“Mr. Lancaster,” she says to Cameron, voice low and smooth like aged whiskey. “And Miss…”“Hawthorne,” I offer with a polite smile, extending my hand. She doesn’t take it. She j
Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix Chapter Sixty-Five
𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚The door slams shut behind him.Cameron is gone.And I’m frozen.My pulse hammers so loud I can barely hear the silence that follows. That kind of silence that only exists when something horrible is about to happen. The kind that makes your stomach twist and your lungs forget how to breathe.I press a hand to my chest, trying to ground myself, but the cold leather of the seat beneath me feels more surreal than comforting.Outside, I can see them—Cameron’s tall frame moving like a slow fuse toward a man with a gun. A gun. Pointed directly at our driver, who still stands with his hands raised, eyes wide and pleading. The wind catches the hem of the driver’s jacket, and for a second, he just looks so human. So fragile.I curse under my breath and lean forward to get a better view. My fingers grip the edge of the headrest so tight they ache.What the hell is going on?This was supposed to be a business trip. Silk deals, rare jewels, Cameron flirting too much and me pretending
Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix Chapter Sixty-Four
𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧The next morning, we hit the road.Our driver, an older man with warm eyes and an encyclopedic knowledge of Armenian history, doubles as a tour guide. As the SUV glides through the countryside, he tells us about the Barsamians—how their lineage traces back centuries, how they built an empire from silk and spice and sheer force of will.Aretha listens, chin resting in her palm, her gaze drifting between the window and me. I catch her watching me from the corner of her eye for the fifth time.“What?” I ask, smiling. “You’re staring.”“I’m calculating.”“Calculating what?” I stretch my arm along the back of her seat, not touching her but close enough that her hair brushes my fingers.“Whether this trip is worth enduring your company for another forty-eight hours.”“Ouch.” I clutch my chest with exaggerated pain. “You wound me. And here I thought we were starting to bond.”“I don’t bond with trouble.”“You sat next to me. That makes you complicit.”She snorts and turns back
Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix Chapter Sixty-Three
𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚Yerevan greets us with a soft haze over the mountains and the thick warmth of afternoon sun pressing against the tarmac. The capital feels like a secret whispered between the ancient and the modern—a city made of stone, sky, and silent stories.Several hours after we land, I expect we’d be whisked straight to our client. That’s what I signed up for. Business. Strictly business.Instead, we end up checking into a hotel nestled in the city center—a luxury boutique place that smells faintly of rosewater and cedar. I wheel my suitcase into a suite that could easily host a cocktail party, then march back out toward Cameron’s room, irritation simmering just under my skin.He opens the door already dressed in a crisp linen shirt and slacks, smelling like something expensive and maddening.“Why are we here?” I demand, arms crossed. “I mean—here, at a hotel? Shouldn’t we be heading to the client’s estate or... at least contacting them?”Cameron’s smile is entirely too relaxed for
Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix Chapter Sixty-Two
𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚The airport is already buzzing when I arrive—suitcase in hand, coat slung over my arm, and a knot of mild anxiety sitting in my chest. I barely slept last night. My thoughts kept circling back to Cameron’s smug face, the glint in his eyes when he said “I’ll take that as a yes.” It irritated me more than I care to admit.Still, I’m here. Against my better judgment, I’m here.I pull out my phone to check my itinerary again when a sharp ding draws my attention. A new notification.My brows knit together as I stare at the screen.A credit alert?The amount is exact—down to the cent—of my flight ticket.What the…?I spin around and march to the nearest cashier window. “Hi, sorry—can I ask about a refund I just received? I don’t remember requesting one.”The woman behind the glass taps a few keys on her terminal, blinking at her monitor. “Yes, ma’am. It says here the refund was requested and approved on your behalf.”“By who?”I hear it before I see it.“Well, well,” comes a dr
Aretha Hawthorne: The Rise Of The Phoenix Chapter Sixty-One
𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚I’m still in Marcus’s arms, chest to chest, as the crowd roars around us in a frenzy of triumph. My pulse hammers in time with the chant echoing through the stadium. His hands are firm against my waist, anchoring me, while mine are curled around his shoulders, refusing to let go. It should be awkward—hell, it is—but in this bubble of noise and adrenaline, nothing else exists. Just us. Just this moment.Then I feel it.A shift.My eyes flicker down to his lips. They’re parted, breathless from cheering. There’s a softness there. A dangerous invitation. And I—I’m not thinking pure thoughts. At all. I want to kiss him. God, I want to kiss him.But his voice breaks through the haze, low and amused, “We’re just friends, remember?”It’s like cold water on heated skin. My smile is tight, reluctant as I pull away. “Right. Just friends.”We fall back into our seats, cheering as the team does their victory lap, but the electric charge between us doesn’t fade. Not entirely. Every bru
