The room was dim, the wan gray light creeping through holes in the drapes. Eliana stood with arms crossed against her chest at the window, observing as the sky changed — black to blue, as if the world breathed in.She didn't catch the door's opening.Didn't catch the steps.But sensed him.Nathaniel."You should be sleeping," he whispered, his eyes closing as he closed the door.She didn't glance around. "So should you."A silence.Then his arrival at her."I couldn't sleep," he admitted.Her whisper a secret shared. "Neither could I."He stood behind her. Close enough to reach out and touch. Close enough to inhale the scent of her.But he didn't.Because he knew better.For if he'd have touched her back at the time, Nathaniel wasn't sure he ever would have let her go."Do you remember Nathaniel," Eliana gasped, "the first time we met?"Nathaniel smiled faintly. "It was your birthday that time ,You got mad at me easily?"Eliana smiled bitterly. "You were arrogant.""You were fire.""I
For an instant, the room held its breath. No one breathed. Even the fire paused in its flicker, as if respecting her silent declaration of war against the life she did not desire.Then Nathaniel moved back as if she had slapped him."Eliana," Nathaniel growled, "you don't have to—"“But I do,” she cut in. “You both keep looking at me like I’m going to fall apart. Like I’m not capable of making hard choices.”She blinked fiercely, her throat tightening. "But I've made hard choices since the day your dad enter into our lives. Since the day I learned your dad planning to kill me and he included my brother Saben. And then you came along with your deals and your sweet lies, and I let myself think—I for a split second believed—maybe I could have something normal."Nathaniel opened his lips, but nothing came out.Damian stood stock still, as if someone had winded him.Eliana let go of the back of the frayed armchair as if she were the sole thing holding her together."Do you think I want thi
Benedict's icy glare felt like a winter storm, chilling Sabrina to her core. Her heart raced with a mix of fear and heartbreak as she faced him. He was Benedict Thompson, the only heir to the Thompson estates, a man known more for his wild ways than for his business brilliance. At a young age, he became a billionaire and led BMX Estates, a huge architectural firm. Now, he paced angrily in his family’s luxurious living room, each step echoing the thick tension in the air.“Last night, you seduced me,” he spat, his voice sharp and filled with anger. “What trick did you use to make my mother force me into this marriage?”Sabrina welled up with tears, trying to find the right words. She had never seen him like this; in pain and disbelief."I... I didn’t trick you," she stammered, her voice trembling. "I've liked you since we were kids. That’s all."His harsh laugh cut through her, deepening his rage. “You think I would believe that? The wedding, everything—it’s just a trap, isn’t it?”“I’
The next day came, though her feelings had been utterly smashed the night before, the wedding preparations continued on. Sabrina hardly recognised who peered back at her as she sat in the bride's suite: white, pale, tear-rimmed eyes, but still, a beautiful silken cloth hugged her body, soft curls framed her face.Her mother, Leila, entered and sat beside her. Her face etched with despair."Sabrina dear," she whispered softly, "do you really want to do this? You don't have to do this."Sabrina shook her head. New tears formed in her eyes. "Mom, what am I suppose to do?" she whispered in a barely audible voice, her voice barely above a whisper, quivering with uncertainty. "I love him, but he…. He hates me."The burden of her heart pressure weighed upon her chest so heavily that it became unbearable to breathe. She felt lost and scared, like standing at a crossroads with no signs guiding her.Then her eyes questioned her mother to seek solace as well as find answers that seemed really too
Locked with fury in her eyes, Teresa gripped Benedict's arm tightly with her fingernails digging deep into his skin. He was in the middle of an idle conversation with his friends, and the force of his mother's yank thrust him back into harsh reality. The smile dropped off his face, replaced by irritation."Turn around now and go back to Sabrina!" Teresa hissed to his face, her voice low but full of a venom that brought him up short. "This is your wedding! You're supposed to be with your wife, not out here screwing like some irresponsible idiot! Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is? How much shame you're bringing to our family?fix this Now!"She snapped her eyes to his with a warning so sharp he felt a jolt of anger-cum-tethers him to the moment. She wasn't letting this slide past. She gave one last withering glare to ensure the point had been wholly impressed, then turned and stormed off, heels clicking impatiently on the marble floor.Benedict clenched his teeth, pinioned and
As the applause subsided and guests resumed their own conversations, Benedict didn't hesitate to pull Sabrina aside. The phony smile he'd donned during their dance was gone within an instant, exchanged for a look of icy indifference. They stepped out of the ballroom, away from the crowd, and into a quiet corner of the reception hall. No warning, of course-just leaned and caught her by the arm, his fingers digging into her skin as he turned her to face him."You succeeded," Benedict spat, voice low but full of venom. "You managed to marry me, but don't for one second believe you'll ever have my heart.".She felt her eyes grow wide with the bitterness in his tone. Now she knew that he did not love her. But this was different-he said it all. On their wedding day, too. A sick feeling was in her belly as tears threatened to well up inside her once again. She bit down hard on her lip and kept them from falling."I don't love you," he continued, his eyes dark and unfeeling. "And I will never
Sabrina stood as a statue in the dim lit hall, her heart a racing and tears flowing ceaselessly down her cheeks. His curt words kept ringing in her ear; each syllable in his speech a burning hole reminding her of the schism between them. She slapped her hands on her chest, trying to hold herself inside."I will never have his heart," she whispered to herself, feeling the weight of his rejection settle heavily on her shoulders. "What did I expect? That love would conquer all?"That reality struck her like a chilly wave. The man with whom she had wished to spend all of life had just crushed all those hopes into pieces with a few brutal words. Wiping away tears, she heard the approach of footsteps.It was Teresa-the mother-in-law-whose expression seemed both full of concern and disappointment. "Sabrina? Okay?"Sabrina smiled, though it felt like shards of glass were lodged in her throat. "I'm fine, just. tired."Teresa narrowed her eyes. She didn't believe it. "You don't look fine. Where
And so she'd walked away, his words stabbing her ears as they struck home."You think you can just waltz in here and play like you're good enough to have my love? You'll never have it, Sabrina," he had sneered, the disgust spewing from him like acid that cut into her heart. Every step was hard as she moved through the grand house now that had become a cage of gilded bars and memories bitter with the poison of anger.She was lost in this world he created, full of resentment and anger. "Why even bother?" he had shouted at her, his face distorted in rage as she tried to reach out to him. "You're just a reminder of everything I hate about my life!"Yet still, she gave in . Deep down, there was still some love from her side of his body that seemed mutually less, but still true love between two souls. She had still not given up. Still catching for breath, "I'm not giving up on you," she could still stare at tear-stained mascara and tears, and hurt etched upon her face staring back from the
For an instant, the room held its breath. No one breathed. Even the fire paused in its flicker, as if respecting her silent declaration of war against the life she did not desire.Then Nathaniel moved back as if she had slapped him."Eliana," Nathaniel growled, "you don't have to—"“But I do,” she cut in. “You both keep looking at me like I’m going to fall apart. Like I’m not capable of making hard choices.”She blinked fiercely, her throat tightening. "But I've made hard choices since the day your dad enter into our lives. Since the day I learned your dad planning to kill me and he included my brother Saben. And then you came along with your deals and your sweet lies, and I let myself think—I for a split second believed—maybe I could have something normal."Nathaniel opened his lips, but nothing came out.Damian stood stock still, as if someone had winded him.Eliana let go of the back of the frayed armchair as if she were the sole thing holding her together."Do you think I want thi
The room was dim, the wan gray light creeping through holes in the drapes. Eliana stood with arms crossed against her chest at the window, observing as the sky changed — black to blue, as if the world breathed in.She didn't catch the door's opening.Didn't catch the steps.But sensed him.Nathaniel."You should be sleeping," he whispered, his eyes closing as he closed the door.She didn't glance around. "So should you."A silence.Then his arrival at her."I couldn't sleep," he admitted.Her whisper a secret shared. "Neither could I."He stood behind her. Close enough to reach out and touch. Close enough to inhale the scent of her.But he didn't.Because he knew better.For if he'd have touched her back at the time, Nathaniel wasn't sure he ever would have let her go."Do you remember Nathaniel," Eliana gasped, "the first time we met?"Nathaniel smiled faintly. "It was your birthday that time ,You got mad at me easily?"Eliana smiled bitterly. "You were arrogant.""You were fire.""I
Dmitri’s smile stretched slow and serpentine across his face, eyes glinting like a blade catching light. “Good. Very good.”Nathaniel was on his feet in an instant. “You’re playing with fire, Eliana.”She stood tall, despite the quake in her chest. “Then let me burn.”Damian whistled low. "Remind me never to mess with you."Dmitri clapped once, the sound echoing through the warehouse like a shot. "Now we're getting somewhere. I like her. Too bad she's saddled with idiots."Nathaniel's glare could've softened steel. "If she gets hurt—""You'll do what? Growl at me?" Dmitri teased. "Relax, Harper. I'm not asking her to smuggle plutonium. Yet." He winked at Eliana.She didn't flinch. "What's the delivery?"Dmitri pulled out a weathered manila envelope from a locked drawer beneath the bar. “Coordinates. Names. A package.” He tossed it on the table. “You’ll take it to an old contact of mine. Neutral ground. He’ll trade it for something that might just help all of us survive William Harper.
Rain hit the hospital's glass windows, each drop reminding her that time was escaping her. Disinfectant and cold wind were the scents as Eliana stood stock-still in the hallway, her trembling hands clasped around the railing.Nathaniel Harper towered above her, his blue eyes veiled in desperation."You don't understand, Eliana. My dad—he's dead." His words were a growl, the words cutting through the air like the fine tooth of a blade.Eliana's swallow was concrete in her throat. "What do you mean?"Nathaniel sucked a rough breath into his chest, standing on the muscles in the back of his neck. "Vincent. My second. He's hunting me. Hunting you." His jaw hardened. "My father wants me to hurt. And he'll start with you."A chill ran through Eliana's body. As she thought about her answer, her ears picked up a voice that conquered the tension in the room.“I’d love to see him try Damian.”Damian Wolfe.Eliana had just time to see him leaning against the doorframe of the hospital room. His
The stillness of the hospital corridor had seemed so alien from the tempest of thoughts racing through Eliana's head. She sat with her elbows on her knees and fists clenched firmly together along the edge of a waiting-room chair.All this happened too suddenly yesterday.Damian Wolfe rested in his bed at the hospital, injured but recovering. Nathaniel Harper had defied his father and stood by her. And William Harper—cruel, killing, harsh—still existed, patiently waiting.She gasped sharply, trying to calm down.And then, in the midst of familiar quiet that was habitual, a voice interrupted."So… who's it going to be?"Eliana turned her head to look up at Sabrina Auburn looming over her, arms crossed, the wicked glint in her icy eyes.Eliana frowned. "What am I saying?"Sabrina chuckled, tilting her head to one side. "Come on, Eliana. I'm not dim. Two handsome, seriously sexy males hovering around you like wolves, ready to tear each other apart into shreds? It's practically a bloody mov
William spat out a bitter laugh. "Luck had nothing to do with it."The doctor hesitated. "You need rest. Pushing yourself—"William's glare cut him off. "I don't have time for rest."The physician huffed but nodded and left the room.William beside him, he placed a call on his phone.A mechanical voice answered. "Yes?"Harper in steel tones. "I want them all killed."There was a man in a suit beside him, tension in his shoulders. His voice even, controlled. "Understood. But. Your son, sir, is Nathaniel."William's fists were fists. Searing pain lightninged across his side, but he didn't care. He'd been shot once. He'd bled before. That wasn't paining him.Betrayal was.His own blood betrayed him.His own son.William's lips twisted into a sneer-grimace. "Not anymore."The man staggered. "Sir—"William's tone was icy. "I do not care how much it costs. I want them dead. All of them."There was silence. Then finally, a gentle, "Understood."The door closed with a crash.William took a sh
Nathaniel Harper stood in the dark of the hospital room, his fists clenched.The doctor had closed them into this small space, forcing them to confront each other in the intimate light of the bedside lamp.Years of their past hanging between them like a gauntlet.Damian spoke the first word softly."Trust you?" His voice was harsh, from pain and anger. "After all your family's done?"Nathaniel didn't blink. "I did not choose my name."Damian snorted with a bitter laugh. "No, but you damn well profited for years on it."Nathaniel's breath came harshly. "And now I'm suffering for defying it."Damian's glacial stare cut through him, searching for deceit.He was seeking to uncover a coward.A traitor.But what he did uncover instead?A man who'd lost everything.Nathaniel's voice lowered, a rough tone edging in. "William won't quit. You know that."Damian's jaw was locked. "Yeah. I know."Nathaniel paused, then moved closer. "Then let me help."Damian laughed. "Help? The last time I trust
There was an awe stricken silence that swept over the room.Sabrina's breathing, too, had ceased. "What?"Eliana's mouth was dry. "He planted the bomb at the convention. And when that didn't work, he tried to kill me. If not for Nathaniel and Damian." she broke off her voice,".I would not be alive."Benedict's expression turned cold. "That abomination."Saben wasn't swallowing it, however. He was cold with anger. "And we're doing this on his word? He's a Harper. His father attempted to kill you. And now we're going to accept his word that he defected from his father?"Nathaniel's voice cut across him, hard but controlled. "I'm not my father."Saben snarled, advancing as if to hit him. "You carry his name, don't you?"Before this was allowed to go further, a third individual appeared in the room.Tap of cane on marble floors.Wendy Taylor.Leslie Auburn, Sabrina's mother, behind her. The two women who managed the families entered the room, their white faces contorted with horror and a
His own son—his own blood and flesh—had betrayed him.The treachery blazed hotter than the fires receding in the horizon."Shut up, Nathaniel," William snarled, striking his fist into the metal belly of the airplane.Seated across from him was one of his most dependable men, Marcus Steele, wiping blood from his mangled lip. "Sir, we should rethink. The Thompson family is not going away. They have money, they have connections—William's glare was toxic. "I don't care what they've got." Dead, deadly tone. "Eliana Thompson stole everything from us. And now my own son has the decency to be standing with her?"He spun on his pilot. "Faster. We have to get out of the city before the authorities surround it."Marcus hesitated before continuing. "Sir… Nathaniel can still be of some use. Maybe we could—"William pulled Marcus by the collar, dragging him towards him, inches from Marcus's face, his breath smelling of rage. "Nathaniel is dead to me. Hear me? DEAD."Marcus gulped hard, wide-eyed,