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The Weight of Secrets
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Fading Embers: The Search For Lost Love Unraveling Shadows
“Cal!” Willia called out, rushing toward Calista the moment she spotted her. Calista quickened her steps, meeting her sister halfway and clasping Willia’s trembling hands.“Tell me everything, Willia. Where did they take Father?” Calista’s voice wavered as the tears she’d been holding back during her journey back to California finally spilled over. Seeing her sister so distraught shattered what little composure she had left.“I have no idea, Cal.” Willia’s voice shook as she struggled to hold back her own tears. Her hair was disheveled, a clear sign she had fought hard before they managed to take their father. “Dad was beaten and mishandled. I thought we paid them off already.”Calista’s heart clenched at the revelation. Her father had been harmed. If this situation unraveled, she knew she would never forgive those responsible—not even Signoral.“They didn’t touch you, did they?” Calista asked, her eyes scanning her sister.“No,” Willia replied, gripping her sister’s hands tightly as
Fading Embers: The Search For Lost Love The Turning Point
“Call,” Ranya ordered, leaning back in his chair as Valerie dialed the number. She handed the phone to him, but he gestured for her to keep it.As the phone rang, tension thickened the air. Ranya quickly texted Linn:‘Calling my father now. Block every location access. He must not know where I am.’Linn responded almost immediately:‘On it, sir.’The call went unanswered after several rings. Calista sighed, her anxiety palpable.“I had a feeling he wouldn’t pick up,” she said, frustration edging her voice.“He’s probably busy. Maybe now isn’t the right time,” Valerie suggested.“If he’s involved, he won’t deny it,” Willia chimed in. Mrs. MacQuoid quietly excused herself to the kitchen, returning with a tray of fruit juice.Calista couldn’t help but admire her mother’s hospitality, even under stress.“Thank you, Mrs. MacQuoid,” Ranya whispered as she handed cups to him and Valerie.Mrs. MacQuoid nodded and retreated upstairs, leaving them alone.“You’re really smart,” Ranya complimente
Fading Embers: The Search For Lost Love The Price of Love
Minutes after Signoral ended the call, a message beeped on Ranya’s phone.Valerie opened it and turned to her boss.“It’s a video, sir.”“A video?” Ranya echoed, baffled. Had Finn found something significant and decided to send a clip of whatever he discovered?“Who’s the sender?” he asked, his eyes lingering on Calista.There was an invisible barrier between them, one he couldn’t seem to cross. Calista appeared reluctant, and he understood perfectly well why.Calista had her head buried in her arms, navigating through the storm of betrayal by someone she had once trusted. She had never expected Signoral to use such cruel tactics just to get Ranya away from her.“How could I have been so blind all along?” Calista murmured, unable to shake the heavy weight of betrayal. She had always considered Signoral a sister, never imagining that she would go to such extremes.Emily had been everything she wanted in a friend. Now, she wasn’t sure if their meeting years ago was a coincidence or a ca
Fading Embers: The Search For Lost Love The Sicilian Pursuit
“I was just indoors, putting things in order while trying to believe that my husband was safe. Minutes into it, a phone suddenly rang. Believe me, I was extremely frightened at first,” Mrs. MacQuoid said, her voice trembling slightly as she recounted the experience.They all stood around her, listening intently.“That must have been when Dad was trying to stop one of them from searching Mom’s closets. She had expensive jewelry that he bought for her when he was still working,” Willia speculated, her fingers nervously covering her mouth.“Maybe Mr. MacQuoid took the phone. I think he did that so he could be found, or so they could be found,” Ranya added, a flicker of hope in his eyes.“Did you answer it, Mama?” Calista asked.“No,” her mother replied. “I knew right away that it wasn’t your father’s or Willia’s.”Calista nodded, noting that her mother hadn’t touched the phone with her bare hands. It was wrapped in a white handkerchief. A small smile played on Calista’s lips, wondering if
Fading Embers: The Search For Lost Love On the Edge of Desperation
“Can you just sit?” Her voice was strained as she watched him pace relentlessly around the room. “You’re making me uneasy.”He glared at her, his eyes burning with defiance and anger. How could she say that when she was the reason for his restlessness? If he dared step outside the confines of this room, his secret would be exposed, ripe for the prying ears of the media to feast on for weeks. That would jeopardize his chances with the only person who had ever truly warmed his heart.What tormented him even more was the thought of Ranya possibly positioning himself as Calista’s partner and earning her family’s trust. Maybe right now, they were on the verge of having dinner, and he could picture Ranya sitting where he always sat, right next to Calista.His fists clenched in fury. He hadn’t even been able to attend his father’s ceremony because of Athena’s threats.Anthony couldn’t be sure if Athena’s threats were true. What if he got rid of her, only for everything she warned about to co
Fading Embers: The Search For Lost Love Where Danger Meets Comfort
“The flight will take twelve hours…”“Make it seven,” Ranya commanded. His tone left no room for negotiation, even though the pilot knew the request was impossible, regardless of the route or speed.“We can’t, sir…” the pilot, a man in his mid-forties, responded hesitantly. The two other pilots beside him exchanged nervous glances as Ranya’s intense gaze bore into them.“What?” Ranya’s voice, though quiet, carried a weight that made the men flinch. “Those guys made it in eight hours. How can you say otherwise?”“They made it in ten,” Valerie interjected, bowing slightly. “Mr. MacQuoid was taken around 7 a.m., and by the time we located him, it was already 6 p.m.”The pilots exhaled in relief, sensing Valerie’s presence as a lifeline.“I believe they took a brief detour before torturing Mr. MacQuoid for hours,” she continued, her voice even.Calista shut her eyes tightly. The thought of her father suffering because of her made her want to scream. She had unwittingly condemned him to th
Fading Embers: The Search For Lost Love Edge of Darkness
5:42 AM.“We’ve arrived in Sicily. Please prepare for disembarkation!”Calista winced, stretching under the blanket. She blinked a few times, disoriented by the sudden announcement and the early hour.As she sat up to buckle her seatbelt, she realized it was already fastened.“Sorry your sleep was interrupted,” Ranya’s gentle voice came from in front of her. She looked up to see him smiling softly. “Good morning.”“What time is it?” she asked, her voice still groggy. He glanced up briefly from the tablet in his hand, earplugs nestled in his ears.“5:50.”“Oh.” She turned to Valerie, who was engrossed in her laptop, barely acknowledging her with a nod.“You both seem busy,” Calista observed, noticing the focused intensity on their faces.“Yes,” Ranya replied curtly, not looking up.Calista had seen him like this countless times—the seriousness, the way he immersed himself in work. It was one of the traits she had helplessly fallen in love with. Watching him so deeply focused made her w
Fading Embers: The Search For Lost Love Be my guest
Signoral leaned back in her chair, her gaze locked on her phone. Calista should have called by now. Or perhaps Ranya. One of them should be groveling, begging her to release Mr. MacQuoid, while she seized her true prize—Ranya, all to herself.That was the plan. It was why she revealed herself in the first place. She wanted Calista to know who was in control, to remind her that this time, Signoral held all the cards.Her fingers tapped rhythmically against the leather armrest. It had been years since she felt this level of fury... Well, maybe that wasn’t true. Ever since she’d aligned herself with Calista, anger had become a near-constant companion, especially after that idiotic contract linking her to Ranya.But, as always, she was winning. Calista would vanish for good this time, leaving no trace. And she would pay dearly for her meddling.Her thoughts darkened as she remembered how her father had once intervened, costing him his livelihood. She had uprooted her life to monitor him,
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Fading Embers: The Search For Lost Love Be my guest
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Fading Embers: The Search For Lost Love Unraveling Shadows
Fading Embers: The Search For Lost Love The Weight of Secrets
