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Chapter 648

Author: Rosie Steppe
"What do you think you're doing?" I shouted.

The men turned to look at me, their eyes scanning me from head to toe. One of them, his gaze practically dripping with greed. "Well, well. Since when does Lindale get girls this pretty?"

Another one chimed in, "What's it to you, sweetheart? You looking to rent a place? Or are you friends with the lady in here?"

"Seems to me I was the one asking the questions," I said, my tone icy.

The man pounding on the door swaggered over, his expression oozing sleaze and menace. "We're just here looking for pretty girls. And look at that—we found one."

As he spoke, he reached out a finger toward my chin.

I dodged his touch. He let out an amused "Huh."

He said, "Oh, feisty. I like that. Feisty girls are more fun."

He signaled his companions with a quick look. "Looks like this trip wasn't wasted after all," he said smugly.

Before I could react, they started closing in. I stepped back, dodging hands as they reached for me. The situation was spiralin
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  • Love's Redemption   Chapter 649

    The man fumbled with his phone and quickly rattled off an account number. Without hesitation, I transferred the $300,000."Now, the IOU," I demanded, holding out my hand.They passed it over begrudgingly, one muttering under his breath, "Damn, didn't think you were this rich."I met his gaze. "I'm not just rich—I have connections. If you ever come back to harass her again, you might hold the money, but I promise, you won't live long enough to spend it."Sometimes, you just have to bring the heat.Their cocky smirks vanished as they slinked off, but one couldn't resist tossing a jab at Demi over his shoulder. "With a rich bestie like her, why take out a loan?""Get lost!" I snapped.They scurried off, but Demi didn't relax. Her whole body trembled."It's over now. They're gone," I said softly, stepping forward to pull her into a hug."Ahhhh—"Her wail ripped through the silence, raw and full of anguish.I didn't say anything. I just let her release everything she'd been bottl

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    Screwed her over?I frowned, sending back a quick: [?]Lena's reply came in hot: [Nate's here!]Oh, the hotel stunt. I smirked, fingers flying across the screen: [Hope you enjoy the romantic alone time I created for you guys.]Lena: [Romantic, my ass! I'm about to go into surgery!]Me: [...]***Lena wasn't kidding, and no, the surgery wasn't some lame excuse to dodge Nate—it was real.Sure, she could've handed it off to another doctor, but nope.This was her subtle way of saying, 'Guess what, Nate? The universe doesn't orbit around you.'Why should she rearrange her whole life just because he finally decided to pop back in after ghosting her for months in favor of work?By the time she wrapped up, it was already pushing 11 p.m.Her first move? Check her phone. Maybe Nate had sent a text—or even a string of desperate ones.But nope. Nada. The notification bar was a wasteland.She tapped on their chat. The conversation hadn't moved an inch since his earlier 'I'm back ' mes

  • Love's Redemption   Chapter 651

    Nate left the hospital with Lena, and she just assumed they were headed for a hotel. But as soon as they got in the car, he asked, "Mind if we go to your place instead?"Lena blinked, caught off guard. "You're just trying to see if there's some guy at my place, aren't you?""Nope," he said.She rolled her eyes. 'Sure, Jan. Guys and their fragile egos.'Before she could call him out, he added, "I just don't want to be treated like every other guy."Lena froze. Well, that shut her up.So, yeah—she caved and brought him back to her apartment.Her place wasn't exactly Grand Central Station; aside from her parents and Keira, no one ever stopped by. Not like she had anything to hide anyway.When they got upstairs, she unlocked the door but didn't step inside. Instead, she threw her arms around Nate's neck. Barefoot now, she realized how much shorter she was. Standing on her tiptoes didn't help much either.Frustrated, she commanded, "Pick me up."Nate obliged. He lifted her easily

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    Aaron's gaze locked on Nate. "I'll stay at a hotel. I just came to check on you."Lena let out a relieved breath. "Oh, good. Did you book one yet? If not, I can—""No need," Aaron cut her off. "You two sit. We need to talk."His tone was pure authority—like some family elder calling the shots—even though he was only a year older than her.Nate caught on instantly. After sitting down, he took Lena's hand, his voice calm but firm. "Lena and I are in a serious relationship, with marriage as the goal."Aaron didn't even blink. "And has she agreed to marry you?"Nate glanced at Lena. "Not yet."Lena jumped in. "I've liked him since school. If he wants to marry me, my answer's yes."Aaron stayed silent, his expression unreadable, but the tension in the room felt suffocating."Mr. Ace," Nate said, his gaze steady. "You can be sure—if Lena agrees, I'll visit Mr. and Mrs. Lane to make everything official."Lena could feel the pressure closing in on Nate. If she'd known the night would

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    Nate finally brought it up. Lena had thought about it before, so when he asked her now, she didn't even hesitate with her answer."What about you? Why not come back and work here?" she countered instead.Nate stilled for a moment. "I can't right now."He didn't offer an explanation, and Lena didn't push. Instead, she said, "I don't want to move overseas."That was the end of it. Sensing her mood dip, Nate pulled her close. "I'll apply to come back next year.""Okay," Lena murmured, her eyes fluttering shut."You get some rest. I'll take a quick shower," Nate said, getting up and heading to the bathroom.Lena opened her eyes but didn't move, staring blankly at the ceiling. She'd always thought long-distance relationships were no big deal, but now she knew just how exhausting they could be.Suddenly, Nate's phone buzzed. Lena glanced at the screen, spotting the name. "Nate, it's Retta," she called out."Answer it," Nate replied casually from the bathroom, his tone completely unf

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    "Whose secret?" I asked, keeping my tone casual.Demi glanced at me, her lips parting like she wanted to spill, but something held her back.Then I remembered what she'd said about it possibly costing her life. Raising a hand, I stopped her. "You don't have to tell me. I'll figure it out myself.""Keira, don't. You don't need to dig into this, and you definitely don't need to get involved in my mess anymore," she said, her voice tinged with guilt. "You've already done enough—helping me pay off all that debt. I'm grateful, okay? That's enough."I studied her, my mind running wild with guesses about the "secret" she was hiding."I'll pay you back. Bit by bit," she said quietly, avoiding my gaze.We both knew the truth. With the way she was earning now, it would take her a decade—probably longer—to pay back the $500,000 I'd lent her."You don't have to worry about that," I said firmly. "All I care about is you being safe and okay."But Demi just shook her head. She was set on repa

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    I took one step forward, then froze. Demi's words replayed in my head: someone had a secret. Could it be him, the guy I just spotted?If so, was he wrapped up in the Drago family's shady business too?The thought of the Johnstons and Dragos teaming up to take out my parents made my blood boil. I was so caught up, I didn't notice someone behind me until Cole's voice broke through."Lost on the way to the restroom?" he teased.Snapping out of it, I played it cool. "Nah, just got my period. Need supplies."His smirk was straight-up smug. "What a coincidence. I'll have someone grab them for you."And he actually did. A staffer brought me some pads, leaving me no choice but to take a quick restroom break and roll with it.By the time I got back, Cole's so-called "models" had already lined up. All six feet tall, ripped, and ridiculously good-looking, like they'd been plucked straight out of some glossy magazine ad.They greeted me, perfectly synchronized."These guys are pros," Cole

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  • Love's Redemption   Chapter 967

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