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Chapter 667

Author: Rosie Steppe
Everyone froze. No one thought Tanya had it in her to be the manager, but when I started clapping, they awkwardly joined in.

Standing next to me, Tanya soaked up the mix of shocked and half-hearted applause. I could tell she was holding her breath, like this was her big moment—the one she'd been waiting forever for.

She was the comeback queen, climbing up only to get knocked down again and again. But here she was, finally at the top. I could see the fire in her, the need to prove herself. That drive was exactly what I wanted—needed, actually. But only if I could control it.

I wanted to push her until that fire burned too hot, until she'd take risks that'd play right into my hands.

"Let's hear from Ms. Twain," I announced, nudging her into the spotlight.

Tanya hesitated, nerves clear as day, but she wasn't stupid. She pulled herself together and gave a solid speech.

Once the ceremony wrapped up, I led her to the manager's office. Of course, I took the main seat, leaving her to sta
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  • Love's Redemption   Chapter 668

    I glanced up, spotting an elderly couple shuffling in, hand in hand, their faces tight with worry.The desk officer was about to stand when I beat him to it. "Mr. Yule, Mrs. Yule."They turned toward me, startled. Mrs. Yule's face lit up, a brief flicker of joy breaking through the tension. "Narelle..." she started."She's not Narelle," Mr. Yule cut in gently, pulling her back. His tone was steady, but the heartbreak in his eyes was unmistakable.Mrs. Yule's joy shattered instantly, replaced by a deep sadness that made my chest ache. I stepped closer, trying to ground them. "Mr. Yule, Mrs. Yule, what's going on? Are you here to file a report?"I had stolen the officer's line, but he stepped in professionally anyway. "If you're here to report something, please follow me."But they didn't move. Instead, Mr. Yule started explaining, "For the past few days, someone's been banging on our door, yelling that if we don't behave, they'll hurt us badly."The words hit like a slap, and I s

  • Love's Redemption   Chapter 669

    "Huh?" Mr. Yule blinked at me, surprised, then turned to his wife. After a moment, he nodded. "Alright, thank you, R-Rea.""It's really no trouble. Honestly, I've been meaning to visit you," I admitted, guilt creeping in. Wade had given me their address weeks ago, but I kept putting it off.Now, I couldn't help but wonder if things might've been different if I'd reached out sooner. Maybe they wouldn't have spent days terrified before finally going to the police.The drive to their home was quiet, neither of them saying much. But I felt Mrs. Yule's eyes on me, and it wasn't just a glance. She was searching for something, seeing me through the lens of her memories of Narelle.When we arrived, I insisted on walking them up to their apartment. I needed to make sure they were safe.Mr. Yule stopped near the front door, pointing to a spot on the ground. "See those cigarette butts? They're from the guy who's been harassing us.""Don't touch anything," I said firmly. "Leave it exactly li

  • Love's Redemption   Chapter 670

    Mr. Yule set the tea down and walked over to the old photo on the wall. "This is my family portrait," he said softly. "I'm the only one left now.""Family portrait?" I asked, pointing to the little girl in the red dress. "She's part of your family too?""That's my younger sister. She was two when we took this photo," Mr. Yule replied, his voice heavy with sorrow."Where is she now?" My breath hitched as unease crept in. Was I wrong about the connection I thought I'd found?For a moment, Mr. Yule just stared at the picture. My chest tightened. "Mr. Yule?" I prompted."She went missing," he finally said, his voice trembling. "She disappeared the same day this picture was taken."My heart raced. "Missing? How? What happened?" My hand darted out, clutching his sleeve as if that could steady the whirlwind in my mind.His eyes stayed glued to the photo. "It was supposed to be a happy day. After this photo, my parents had a keychain made from it—turned it into a necklace for her. We we

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    The moment I called him "Uncle," his face crumpled, and he just lost it—tears streaming down his cheeks as he broke down right in front of me."He always said Narelle looked like her aunt. Now I see why you and Narelle resemble each other so much," Mrs. Yule said, stepping out of the kitchen with watery eyes. She came over, gripping my hand like she wasn't planning to let go.I pulled them both into a hug. From now on, it'd be the three of us.That was also when I learned their names: Damien and Abby.I brought them to my parents' gravesite. Someone—probably Matthew or his family—had left a bouquet of fresh flowers there. The irony wasn't lost on me. They were the reason my parents were gone, and now they wanted to play the remorse card with flowers? Like that could erase what they did.My parents wouldn't forgive them. How could they? They lost everything—their lives, their chance to see me grow up.Uncle Damien and Aunt Abby stood frozen in front of my mom's picture, crying lik

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    The silence of the night made the feeling ten times worse.A cold shiver crawled up my neck, and before I knew it, I was running.I didn't stop until I reached the car waiting at the curb. The driver glanced at me, out of breath and wide-eyed, and chuckled. "You didn't need to run—I'm not in a hurry."Neither was I. I was just scared out of my mind.I turned back to look at the alley I had just sprinted from. It was empty. Nothing there.But those footsteps—clear as day—had followed me. Someone had been there.Now, sitting in the safety of the car, I regretted not turning around earlier, not confronting whatever it was.The first thing I did was call Lena. After hearing me out, she laughed. "Sounds like you ran into a ghost in the middle of the night."A ghost? Yeah, right.I was about to tell her how ridiculous that sounded when she added, "Or maybe it was a perverted ghost."Okay, fine. Dim alleys and late nights were a setup for creeps, not ghosts. But if it was some stalk

  • Love's Redemption   Chapter 673

    "I don't know," I mumbled, staring at the blank wall. "I miss him so much, but then I remember how he lied to me—let me think he was gone when he wasn't—and all I wanna do is punch him. Maybe kick him too."Lena gave me a knowing nod. "Totally fair. If he shows up, I'll hold him down so you can get a solid kick in. He deserves it for putting you through all this crap."Honestly, my busted knee turned out to be a decent excuse to take a breather. The next morning, though? Absolute torture. The pain was so bad I couldn't even crawl out of bed.Too bad I only had one day to chill. The big light show was the day after tomorrow, and the human light display—my genius last-minute idea—was 100% my problem.So there I was, limping my way onto the venue. Ron took one look at me and froze. "Whoa. Should I grab you a wheelchair or something? You look like you're dying."I sighed, rolling up my pant leg to show him the damage. His jaw dropped. "Holy crap, that's bad! I thought it was just a br

  • Love's Redemption   Chapter 674

    Hayden?It had to be him. That same silhouette I'd seen in the alley that night.Last time, I blew it—I fell and missed my chance. Not this time. I stepped forward...and forgot about my busted knee. Yep, down I went, crashing straight to the floor."Wow, if you wanted me to catch you, you could've just asked," Cole quipped, smirking as he helped me up.I ignored him, my focus glued to the stage. Without thinking, I yelled, "Turn on the lights!"The models froze mid-rehearsal, and the backstage area stayed pitch black."I said, turn on the lights!" My voice was louder, desperate.Ron walked in just then, eyebrows raised. "What's happening? Turn on the lights, now!"His tone worked like magic. The lights flooded on, way too bright, making everyone blink like deer in headlights—including me.But I didn't care. My gaze darted from face to face until it landed on the one in the center.Hayden.The face I'd dreamed of, cried over, whispered "I miss you" to in the dark. Right there

  • Love's Redemption   Chapter 675

    "Two years?" I repeated, my stomach sinking further.Hayden had only been gone a few months. There was no way this could be him.But why did he look so much like Hayden?Was it just some weird coincidence? Or was it something more, like the unsettling resemblance between me and Narelle?I stared at the guy, my thoughts spiraling. I didn't even notice Wayne had shown up until he spoke."You don't look so good. Feeling sick?" Wayne asked, his sharp eyes picking up on my obvious disarray."She's injured," Cole cut in smoothly, his tone just a little too pointed.Of course, when Cole said "injured," he wasn't just talking about my knee. He totally brought that Hayden lookalike here on purpose, knowing exactly how it'd mess with me."She scraped her knee pretty bad," Ron chimed in, acting like my unofficial spokesperson.With these two around, I didn't even need to open my mouth.Wayne's brows knitted together as he crouched beside me. Before I could pull away, his hand shot out,

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  • Love's Redemption   Chapter 959

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  • Love's Redemption   Chapter 958

    This question—"Willing?"—kept echoing in Lena’s mind. It haunted her so much that she spent yet another sleepless night. Her answer was clear: she couldn’t. She knew Aaron had made his move and wouldn’t give up easily. But she simply couldn’t agree. And if she didn’t say yes, there was nothing he could do about it. Besides, she truly saw him as her younger uncle—there was no way she could see him as a boyfriend. “Dr. Lane, not sleeping well lately?” the hospital director asked as soon as he saw her. One glance, and he could tell she looked exhausted. “A bit of insomnia,” Lena admitted honestly. “Is it because you don’t have a boyfriend? Want me to introduce you to a few?” The director, ever so responsible, even took it upon himself to worry about her personal life. Lena glanced at the sparse hair on his head and chuckled. “Director, I’ll find someone myself. No need for you to concern yourself.” Aaron hadn’t gotten an answer from her, nor had he pursued her aggressively

  • Love's Redemption   Chapter 957

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  • Love's Redemption   Chapter 956

    "Cough, cough..." Lena started coughing uncontrollably as Ron casually spoke. Even a real son-in-law wouldn’t start calling his girlfriend’s mother "Mom" right away, let alone someone pretending to be one. Lena stared at him blankly, and Ron winked at her with a gesture that seemed to say "Don’t worry." He then turned to speak to Briana on the phone. "Mom, I’ve been with Lena for a few months now. She’s been too shy to introduce me to you because she was afraid you wouldn’t approve of me... Yes, yes, we’re basically an underground couple." Lena rolled her eyes in disbelief. What kind of nonsense was this? She tried to grab his phone, not wanting to hear any more of his fabrication, but Ron dodged and continued speaking to Briana. "Mom, I’m really her boyfriend, not fake... Otherwise, why would she be here with me so late at night, right?" Ron certainly had a way with words, and Lena realized that asking him to pretend to be her boyfriend might be the best decision she’d made

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