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A Glimmer of Hope
Last Updated:
2024-11-29 21:56:44Related chapters
By Chance, By Fate Behind Close Doors
53AlexAs the car glided through the bustling city streets, Elena turned to me, her expression soft yet probing. “Alex,” she said quietly, her voice barely audible over the hum of the engine. “I know you’re grateful I dragged you out today, but this—this isn’t enough. You can’t just bury yourself in your room forever. What’s really going on?” I leaned back against the plush leather seat, my gaze fixed on the world outside. Neon lights blurred past, the city alive and unbothered, a stark contrast to the storm raging inside me. A part of me wanted to brush her off, to change the subject like I always did. But Elena wasn’t one to back down. If I didn’t give her something, she’d push until I cracked. I sighed heavily, running a hand through my hair. “Fine. You want to know what’s been going on?” I muttered, my voice tinged with frustration. She nodded, her green eyes unwavering, waiting for me to spill my secrets. “I’ve been trying to contact Liam,” I admitted finally, my chest t
Last Updated : 2024-11-29By Chance, By Fate Unforgiven
54Alex---My phone buzzed against the nightstand, the vibration cutting through the oppressive silence of my room. I didn’t need to look to know who it was. Charlotte had been calling incessantly since our last argument. I ignored it, letting the phone buzz itself into silence, but it barely lasted a minute before it started vibrating again. I clenched my fists, frustration bubbling to the surface. Another buzz. Then another. She wouldn’t stop. Finally, I grabbed the phone and stared at the screen. Charlotte. The name glared back at me, her persistence as relentless as ever. She’d sent a flurry of messages too, all variations of the same theme: Why are you ignoring me? Please call me back.I sighed, swiping up to answer. “What, Charlotte?” “What?!” she shrieked, her voice crackling through the speaker. “Is that seriously how you’re going to greet your fiancée? The woman you’re engaged to?” “Charlotte, I’m not in the mood for this right now,” I said, pinching the bridge of
Last Updated : 2024-11-29By Chance, By Fate Fix It!
55AlexI strode toward the door, each step heavy with determination, but Charlotte’s voice sliced through the air behind me like a whip. “Stop right there, Alex!” I froze, my back to her. My shoulders stiffened, fists curling at my sides. Her words held the kind of authority I’d grown to resent. I didn’t turn around. I didn’t have to. “What now, Charlotte?” I asked, my tone calm, though the exhaustion seeped through every word. “You think you can just walk out like that?” Her heels clicked sharply on the marble floor as she closed the distance between us. “After everything I’ve done for you? After everything I’ve sacrificed?” I glanced back at her over my shoulder, my patience worn thin. “I apologized. I said I’d try. What more do you want from me?” Her eyes glistened with tears, but there was nothing soft about her expression—only anger and desperation. “You think a forced apology is enough? You think you can just check a box and leave? I’m your fiancée, Alex! Your partner
Last Updated : 2024-11-30By Chance, By Fate I'm Done!
56AlexThe weight of my father’s text hung heavy over me. “Fix it.”Two words, cold and commanding, but that was his way. Always issuing orders, never asking questions. Being the son of the President of the United States wasn’t a privilege—it was a leash. One I had worn for as long as I could remember. I leaned back on the armchair, running my hands over my face. Fix it. Fix what? My relationship with Charlotte? Or the PR nightmare he feared was brewing in the background? The phone buzzed again, pulling me from my thoughts. Another text. "We have a meeting tomorrow at 8 a.m. sharp. Bring her." A meeting? With Charlotte? My stomach churned. It wasn’t enough that I was drowning in the wreckage of my relationship; now I had to parade her around like everything was fine? I knew how this would play out. He’d want a photo-op—a happy couple, arm in arm, showing the world that the First Son wasn’t as much of a screw-up as the tabloids claimed. I stared at the screen, my t
Last Updated : 2024-11-30By Chance, By Fate Flight For Italy
57Alex As the words left his mouth, a part of me wanted to laugh. Not because it was funny, but because it was exactly what I expected him to say. My father, the President of the United States, master manipulator, king of ultimatums. I should’ve been used to it by now. But hearing it—feeling the finality of it—still hit me like a punch to the gut.I swallowed hard, forcing myself to meet his icy gaze. I wouldn’t let him see how much it hurt. Not this time. “This isn’t about crawling back,” I said, my voice steady despite the turmoil in my chest. “This is about finally living for myself. For once.” He arched an eyebrow, his face unreadable, but I could see the faintest flicker of disbelief in his eyes. My father didn’t believe in people walking away from him. He didn’t believe in losing. “And what exactly does ‘living for yourself’ look like, Alex?” he asked, his tone dripping with skepticism. “Running off to some cabin in the woods? Disappearing from the public eye while the w
Last Updated : 2024-11-30By Chance, By Fate Italy, I'm here!
58Alex “Anything.”“Don’t give up on this family. On your future.” His eyes bore into mine, intense and unwavering. “You’re too important to us—to me—to walk away.”I swallowed hard, his words reverberating through me like an echo in an empty chamber. A lump formed in my throat, but I managed to nod, unable to summon a response. His unrelenting gaze stayed with me even as I turned to leave, and by the time I reached the hallway, a seed of something new had planted itself within me. It wasn’t guilt. It wasn’t rebellion. It was resolve.This trip wasn’t an abandonment—it was a declaration. An opportunity to shed the suffocating weight of my name, my legacy, and figure out who I was beyond them. The next hours flew by in a blur of paperwork, diplomatic clearance, and hurried goodbyes. I packed my essentials, my mind running on autopilot, already a world away. Before I left, I ran into Liam. He stood at the entrance of the house, hands in his pockets, a slight frown on his face. “A
Last Updated : 2024-11-30By Chance, By Fate Come Back Now!
59AlexThe next morning, the buzz of my phone jolted me awake. My head ached, my body heavy with exhaustion. The long flight, the late night with Francesca’s family—it had all caught up to me. I groaned and buried my face in the pillow, ignoring the insistent vibration.The phone kept ringing.“Ugh, stop…” I mumbled, blindly reaching out toward the nightstand. My hand hit the edge of the small table, fumbling for the phone. It slipped from my grasp and clattered onto the floor.I let it ring again. And again.Finally, I gave in, dragging myself up and grabbing the phone from the ground. I didn’t even check the caller ID. Pressing the answer button, I slurred into the receiver, my voice heavy with sleep. “Hello?”“Alex.”The voice on the other end froze me in place. It was cold, sharp, unmistakable. My father.All traces of sleep vanished instantly. I sat up straight, my heart pounding. “Dad? What…? What’s going on?”His tone was clipped, business-like. “I need you to come back to the
Last Updated : 2024-11-30By Chance, By Fate Just for a Gala?!
60AlexThe car ride to the White House was suffocating. My fists stayed clenched the entire way, my nails digging into my palms as I stared out the tinted windows at the streets of Washington, D.C. My anger churned in my chest, a wildfire threatening to consume me. Why had he called me back? Why couldn’t he at least explain what was so urgent? The trip to Italy had felt like a lifeline—an escape—and now it was ripped away before it even began. The car finally pulled up to the White House gates. Familiar security guards nodded as the vehicle passed through. As the massive building loomed closer, I felt the weight of its walls bearing down on me. I wanted to march straight in, demand answers, and not leave until I had them. Once inside, one of my father’s aides—his right-hand man, Mr. Lewis—was already waiting for me in the marble-floored foyer. “Mr. Alex,” he said briskly, adjusting his glasses. “The President is expecting you. He’s in his study.” Of course he was. The study
Last Updated : 2024-11-30
Latest chapter
By Chance, By Fate 83
83AlexDuring the day, even the maids couldn’t stop whispering about Liam Brighmore’s engagement to his best friend, Sophia. Their voices floated through the corridors, stinging my ears every time I overheard their chatter. I clenched my jaw, trying to block out their words, but they echoed in my mind nonetheless. Marrying her? Liam? The same Liam who used to tell me I was the love of his life? The same Liam who swore he’d stand by me when we exposed our relationship? I rubbed my temples, pacing my room as the weight of his betrayal pressed down on me. “It doesn’t make sense,” I muttered to myself. “He’s gay. He told me... he told me he loved me.” Lie. All of it. Lies. The realization hit like a punch to the gut. Liam had lied about everything. About us. About the future he told me he dreamed of. And now, he was engaged to her? My throat tightened as I thought of Sophia, with her perfect smile and flawless reputation. The world adored her. Of course, they did. She was everyth
By Chance, By Fate 82
Alex The next day, I was brooding in my room when there was a soft knock at the door. I stiffened, knowing it could only be one person. After our last argument, I wasn’t exactly thrilled to face her.“Come in,” I called out flatly, my voice still tinged with bitterness—not just from last night, but from our previous clash.Elena poked her head in, her brow furrowed with concern. She hesitated at the doorway, as if gauging whether I’d throw her out. “Alex? Can I talk to you for a minute?”I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms defensively. “What is it, Elena? Come to tell me again how I should marry Charlotte and save the family's reputation?”Her expression faltered, a flash of guilt crossing her face before she closed the door and stepped inside. “Alex, I didn’t come to argue. I heard about the news... about Liam Brighmore’s engagement.” She studied me carefully, her voice soft. “How are you holding up?”I scoffed, shaking my head as I turned away. “Why do you care? I’m sure yo
By Chance, By Fate 81
81Alex "You've got to be kidding me," I mumbled under my breath, still staring at the screen.Liam Brighmore. The words on the screen felt like a slap to my face. Prince Liam Brighmore... marrying Sophia Belleville in three days. I sat frozen, staring at the screen, my mind struggling to wrap around what I was seeing. This wasn’t just news—it was a punch to my gut.Liam? Marrying her? My fingers trembled as I gripped the remote tighter, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away. His smiling face, so composed, so damn perfect, was plastered all over the screen. The same Liam who had once begged me to be with him, the same Liam who’d whispered sweet promises into my ear like he was the only one who could make me feel alive. And now? Now he was getting married."Unbelievable," I whispered, my voice raw with disbelief. How? How could he do this? How could he go from swearing he was in love with me to... this? It was as if everything he'd said to me had been a lie.A tight knot formed in my ches
By Chance, By Fate 80
80AlexWeeks had passed since I walked out on Charlotte and Damon, and now the weight of the situation was beginning to settle heavily on my chest. The tension in our family had only grown, each day making me feel like a bad son. The guilt gnawed at me like an insistent pest, threatening to swallow me whole. I could barely sleep without the nagging thought that I had somehow failed them all. But I couldn’t undo what I had done, no matter how much it haunted me.I was walking through the hallway of the mansion when I heard my father's voice booming from the study. His words were sharp, and the anger behind them was unmistakable. I paused for a moment, feeling the tension build, knowing I had to face him."You've put me in a hell of a position, Alex!" My father's voice rang out, his tone like a whip, crackling with fury. "I had everything under control until you decided to act like a damn child!"I could feel my heart race in my chest as I approached the door, the air in the house thic
By Chance, By Fate 79
79LiamThe silence stretched so long it felt like it could suffocate me. I turned to my mother, my jaw tight as I tried to keep my frustration from boiling over.“Mother,” I said sharply, my voice trembling with the effort to stay calm, “how could you plan a wedding without even asking me? Without—without us?”She raised a perfectly arched brow, clearly unimpressed with my outburst. “Liam, don’t be dramatic. The two of you have been together for months. The entire kingdom expects this. It’s what’s best for all of us.”I scoffed, pushing my plate aside with a loud scrape. “Best for all of us? I haven’t even proposed to her! I haven’t given her a ring, a proper engagement—nothing! And now you’re telling me we’re to marry next week? How does that make sense to you?”Sophia flinched at my words. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, and for a split second, I saw it—the fear she wasn’t showing to anyone else. Her hands were clasped so tightly in her lap her knuckles had turned whi
By Chance, By Fate 78
78LiamWeeks had passed, and I could feel myself getting better. The wound had healed completely, though the emotional scars from everything that had happened were far from fading. But now, there was something else weighing on me—something even more pressing and annoying.My mother had been relentless in her insistence that I marry Sophia. We’d been pretending to be a couple for months now, all so I could keep my secret—my real identity hidden from the world. She had warned me about the consequences if I didn’t comply, but I had begged her, and as always, she couldn’t refuse me. So here I was, stuck in a game I didn’t want to play.Today, we were all gathered around the grand dining table in the palace. My mother, ever the queen, was seated at the head. Anders, my wicked brother, sat beside his equally wicked wife—Evelyn. She had a name that seemed to fit her too perfectly, like the kind of name you’d give to someone who knew how to make your life miserable with just a smile. And the
By Chance, By Fate 77
77 Alex Turning to Damon and Charlotte, I took a deep breath, trying to steady my voice. "I'm not going to marry her. I don't care what you say or what happens to my family's reputation. This isn't my problem, and I'm not going to fix it." Damon's expression hardened, his eyes narrowing. "You don't have a choice, Alex. This is the only way to save your family." "Then let them burn," I spat, my voice dripping with venom. "I'm done with this. I'm done with all of it." I turned and headed for the door, my heart pounding in my chest. I could hear Charlotte's voice behind me, her tone shrill and demanding. "Alex! Where do you think you're going? You can't just leave!" I didn't turn around, my pace quickening as I made my way towards the exit. But just as I reached for the door, I heard her voice again, this time laced with a hint of desperation. "Alex, wait! You can't leave without a car. How do you plan to get home?" I paused, my hand on the doorknob, and turned to face her. Her e
By Chance, By Fate 76
76Alex The tension in the room was palpable. The fire crackled and popped, casting flickering shadows on the stone walls. But the warmth it offered couldn’t soothe the chill running through me. Damon Nightshade, as smug and composed as ever, sat in his chair, his dark eyes gleaming with quiet amusement.Beside him, Charlotte leaned back in her seat, a glass of red wine in hand, her smile far too pleased. I stood there, arms crossed, trying to keep my emotions in check. I had been dragged here under duress, but there was no way in hell I was going to make it easy for Damon or Charlotte.Damon leaned forward slightly, his gaze never leaving mine. “Alex, I know this isn’t easy for you. But sometimes, life forces you to make hard decisions.”“Hard decisions?” I scoffed, my voice filled with disbelief. “What the hell are you talking about? You think I’m just going to roll over and play your game?”He didn’t flinch, his lips curling into a smile. “I don’t think you have much of a choice,
By Chance, By Fate 75
75AlexThe fire crackled softly, its warmth doing nothing to ease the icy tension in the room. Damon Nightshade leaned back in one of the leather chairs, exuding a relaxed authority that made my skin crawl. He studied me like I was some pawn on a chessboard, waiting for me to make a move he could exploit. “Have a seat,” Damon said, gesturing to the chairs opposite him. His voice was smooth, calm, but it carried an undertone of command that left no room for argument.I stayed standing, crossing my arms. “We’re not here to make ourselves comfortable.”Damon tilted his head, a faint, amused smile on his lips. “Suit yourself. Though, I find negotiations go smoother when everyone’s relaxed. Charlotte, what will you have to drink?”Charlotte, who had made herself at home on the chair beside him, smiled like she belonged there. “A glass of red wine, Damon. Something bold.”“Of course,” Damon said, nodding toward one of the silent attendants who stood in the shadows near the door. The man d
