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Chapter 11
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2025-02-02 08:24:57
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Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 12
[Hunter]There is something about Addison Stone that is different from any other woman I have met.She is smart and strong, beautiful and brave. She didn't hesitate before jumping into the road to sweep Livy up into her arms, protecting my niece from the oncoming traffic. Addison didn't think twice about the harm that could have come had she not moved quickly enough. It was completely selfless. Even in my other work, I rarely find someone who dives into trouble without assessing all of the risks. But this woman did, for a child she didn't even know. And when I tried to reward her for saving Livy's life, she refused me offhandedly, as if saving a child is something that anyone would do. But she's wrong. Most people freeze when faced with impossible situations. It takes a special person to run towards the danger. She's exactly the kind of person I want standing by Livy's side. As I step out of the hospital, my assistant, Reggie, is waiting by the door. He is impeccable as always, as
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-03Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 13
[Addison][BACK AT THE HOSPITAL]I grip the phone tightly as Tracy, the woman who was once my closest friend says something I never thought I'd hear. "I hate to be the one to say this but," Tracy pauses, "I think he might be cheating on you." Everything stops. My heart, my breath. What would make Tracy think this? What could have been so damaging that she'd consider this possibility before anything else?"Let me explain..." she begins to unravel a tale of confusion and mistaken identities. When she had seen the two of them in the parking lot from her office window, she had gotten very excited. She and I had been very close in college and she remembered how much I wanted to start a family right away. Michael didn't want to, he wanted to start the firm first, and it was Tracy who held me when I cried about that discovery, only a month before our wedding. "I was hoping he was there with you, because, you know, you have always wanted kids. This woman and Michael seemed very friendly. F
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-04Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 14
[Addison]"How can you think that," my heart drops as the depth of his accusation seeps into my bones and the last of my righteous anger drains from my body. "I would never..." my heart is breaking, what is left of it falling into a thousand pieces. "Why would you...?""Because you're jealous," my husband says as he continues to spew his accusations. "Evelyn told me everything. She even showed me the messages you sent, threatening her if she came near me or our son. Jayson told me you made him play outside at night, and that the kidnappers almost got him too if Evelyn hadn't saved him."I should be mad. I deserve to be mad. But at hearing Michael's lack of faith in me, the last of my resolve evaporates like mist.And now my son is lying to protect her as well, making up stories to defend Evelyn. "I never said or did any of those things," my voice deepens, exhaustion settling into my bones. "I'd never put Jayson at risk. We were outside playing because he demanded we go out and then h
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-05Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 15
[Addison] I didn’t hear a response to my email. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. With the way Michael has been doting on Evelyn, he was probably too busy to read it. Making another attempt to get him to respond, I sent an email letting him know I was being released tomorrow and that I needed him to come by to at least sign the divorce papers. He did reply this time. “We’ll talk later,” is all the message said, an automatic response he has set in his phone at the press of a button. He didn't even bother to read it. As promised, Tracy showed up twenty minutes later with a pizza box. I laughed out loud when she pulled out a bottle of beer hiding in the recesses of her purse, just like when she used to sneak beer into the movies during our college days.By the time the pizza was eaten and the beer was long gone, we were fast friends once more. It was as if no time had passed between us, and we were as close as sisters again. Michael had discouraged our friendship, so after we were ma
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-06Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 16
[Addison]“Michael,” I take a small step back. “What is this about? Why are you home in the middle of the day?”Sitting up a bit straighter, he uncrosses his legs and places his drink on the table beside him. It settles with a heavy-handed thunk. “Why shouldn’t I be here to greet my wife?” he emphasizes the last word. “You wanted to talk, let’s talk now. What is this?”Michael throws the divorce agreement onto the floor between us, the edges crumpled from where he gripped it so tightly. Even lying curled on the ground I can see the imprint of his fingers.“Isn’t it obvious?” I reply evenly and carefully. “It’s a divorce agreement, Michael. I drafted it myself last night.”A silence stretches between us as we contemplate one another. Even though there are only a few feet between us, it feels like we are separated by an unpassable chasm of emotion and heartbreak. This man, my husband, has become somehow unknowable to me.. Before Evelyn returned, I’d have sworn that I understood him bette
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-07Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 17
[Addison]“This is insane, Michael! Let me out!” I shouted, rattling the locked door, my fists pounding against the painted wood. “You can’t keep me here!”“You need help, Addy!” he shouts back. “I’m calling Dr. Greene. He'll come and give you something to ease your anxiety. You're still shaken from the kidnapping. Don't worry, he'll get you fixed up."Michael's voice grows happier as he continues to speak, truly believing his own lies.""You'll see, Addy. You'll be yourself again soon." Dr. Greene is Michael’s psychiatrist. Ever since Evelyn left, Michael has been seeing Dr. Greene once a week. I don’t know him very well, having only met him once or twice during fundraisers and social functions, but he is an old-school doctor who believes in heavy medication. And who knows what Michael is going to tell him about me. Whatever it is, Evelyn will likely have a hand in it. Opening my purse, I see the contract and business card from Mr. Grant. He had said I could call him about anythin
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-09Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 18
[Hunter]My shoulders ache. I'm too tired to be at work, but I need to keep up appearances.The raid last night was successful. Millions of dollars of contraband were seized at the harbor because of our efforts, putting a squeeze on the local black market. But then after making a few arrests and making sure the evidence was properly locked away for the evening, I still had to make an appearance at the club. I needed a steel-clad alibi, so I switched with my double at the gym, took a shower, and reappeared in the lobby, looking as if I had finished a very good workout. Which of course I did, just not in the way anyone knows. And of course, being Hunter Grant, I had to go out to the top dance club in the city, The Rooftop Revue, which I started as soon as I moved back into town. I have a solid reputation as a playboy that I need to maintain. It also provides the perfect cover for reconnaissance. If the mobsters think you're just as dirty as they are, they'll open up. Last night my
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-11Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 19
[Addison]"Addy!"There are loud, rapid footsteps followed by the heavy sound of someone falling to their knees. Warm arms reach around me and cradle me to their chest, their heart beating rapidly against my ear.My husband, Michael, is shaking with fear as he looks down at me with wide, frightened eyes. "Addison! What have you done!" His voice shakes as he looks up at the open window and then back at me. "Why? Do I make you so miserable that you are trying to kill yourself?""Don't forget, you're still pregnant!" He blamed me.The sadness in his voice makes my heart skip. I scoffed in my mind. There was no child anymore.Does he really care about me underneath all of this anger and angst? Am I the one pushing him away with my jealousy?"Michael, help, I fell," I whimper pathetically. I hate how weak I sound, how defenseless I am. I don't want his help, but what choice do I have? I was foolish to think I could climb out the window to get away. In the distance, my son's small voice
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-13
Bab terbaru
Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 55
[Addison]Hunter blocks the view of the cameras with his wide back, creating a barrier between them and me as he shouts, "No comment," over his shoulder. Cameras continue to flash as he leads me toward the door of an elegant six-star luxury resort.We're just going out to lunch, but from an outsider's point of view, seeing billionaire Hunter Grant walking towards a hotel with a young woman must look salacious. It won't matter that we are only friends, or that we aren't planning to enter any of the bedrooms. It will look bad enough that we are entering the resort at all. "What about Jessica Jackson?" the photographer shouts. "Does she know about her?"Jessica Jackson? Isn't she the 19-year-old model making headlines during fashion week? The "it" girl for all the leading brands? Annalise? I know he has a reputation for having many lovers, and he's my boss, but I can't help but feel the sting of jealousy burning from my gut. "No comment," Hunter repeats as his driver pulls open the doo
Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 54
[Addison]Looking up into Hunter’s deep blue eyes, I’m unsure if I’ll ever be okay again. For a moment neither one of us moved, both looking just as unsure of what to do next as the other. Blinking, I take a shuddering breath. “It’s okay, Hunter, I…it was just a bit startling.” “Livy, you need to be more careful,” he reprimands her gently, his voice taking that soft touch he only has for her. “I know you are just being affectionate, but you could have hurt one of us. You scared me, Livy, and poor Miss Addison. That was too much.” “But I wanted a hug too,” she blinks innocently enough. Maybe all she needed was a hug. Maybe that’s all I needed too because I still haven’t stepped out of his arms.“Did I hurt you, Auntie,” her large hazel eyes look up at me innocently, although I see a touch of mischievousness around the corners of her mouth when she adds, "I'm sorry, Auntie Addison. I can kiss it to make it better.” Livy leans forward and places a small kiss on my waist. “Now Uncle,
Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 53
[Addison] The rose petals brush my fingers as I take the bouquet from Hunter, their gentle kiss like silk against my skin. “These are for me?” I stumble over my words, my heart rate spiking as I force myself to grasp the long, thornless stems. “Why?”The questioning uncertainty in my tone wilts the edges of Hunter’s smile as the shine in his eyes dims. “I was wrong, for bringing in Professor McCannon without your consent.”He seems genuinely sorry. If it had been any other flower, I'd have been more gracious in accepting them. Feeling guilty, I look away.Did Hunter know how this would affect me? Did he do this on purpose tit?“Ah,” I nod, swallowing hard as I look down at the flowers. They’re beautiful, the brightest shade of yellow I’ve ever seen, sprigs of lavender and baby’s breath mixed within, enhancing their natural sweet scent. Whoever put this bouquest together did so with meticulous care. I just wish I could appreciate their efforts. But I can't. TheBut I can’t stand to
Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 52
[Addison]I was still more than a little upset at Hunter for his stunt today with Professor McCannon. How could he set me up like that? I begged him not to include him in my mess, and yet Hunter Grant, like always, decided he knew what was best.He means well, but he needs to be better at communicating his intentions. "You should go back to school," the professor advised. "Complete your master's degree. You shouldn't have ever left school just because Michael wanted you to." I had always intended to go back after Jayson got a bit older, I explained, "And now I have a job, I have Livy to watch, and I don't think I'll be able to find the time.""Nonsense," McCannon waves away my excuses. "Sometimes you need to be a bit selfish, and that time is now. If not now, then when? How much of your life are you going to put on hold for other people?"I hadn't thought about it that way but I guess the professor is right. "I don't know, professor, I'll think about it," I promise. "I don't want any
Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 51
[Hunter]“Mr. Grant!” I hear her voice call out even one floor up. “You jerk! Come out and talk to me!”Snickering, I look up at Reggie, who shakes his head. “She isn’t wrong, you know.” When I raise a defiant eyebrow he shrugs, smirking. “What, Hunter, I call it as I see it. You know that. It’s one of the reasons you like me. Besides, sir, you know you could have given her a heads up before she came in this morning so that she could be prepared.”“I honestly had no idea that she was being sincere when she said she didn’t want him here,” I make a weak attempt at excusing my behavior. “I thought she was being humble.” Now it is Reggie’s turn to raise an eyebrow and I groan. “Alright, you got me. I owe her an apology.” “Flowers or jewelry?” Reggie’s face is deadpan. He’s serious. “Or something larger? Maybe a new car, a villa.” “We aren’t a couple, Mr. Carter,” My face burns as I turn away from him, shuffling papers from the right side of my desk to the left waiting for him to look s
Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 50
Do I still love Michael Stone?Michael swears he still loves me, that there is nothing between him in Evelyn, that my family needs me, that I need him.But do I still love my husband?Thinking of everything he’s done, everything he plans to do makes my blood boil and my vision turn red. The embarrassment I felt as each interview went sour because he was determined to keep me at his side, the shame and hurt I felt at losing my family fortune. How can I love someone who treated me so cruelly?And yet, how does one start over after caring with all your heart for more than half a decade. I put everything that I have into this family--heart and soul. It is hard to set something that is deeply ingrained within me aside, and even harder to deny it. “Maybe," I admit, although it shames me to do so. "I wish I could just throw it all away, but how can I? There was love there, Professor, once. I don't want Michael anymore, but part of me might always love him." “That’s unfortunate,” the old
Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 49
[Addison]The elevator closes and then descends, taking Charley with it. I receive a text immediately after from her, stating that she'll meet me at the reception desk tomorrow for the rest of our orientation. Fuming, I turn back towards my current situation. The professor is watching me patiently, waiting to see my next move. I know he's analyzing me even now, judging me in his intuitive way. My skin crawls under his scrutiny even as I turn away, looking up and down as if the solution to my situation were in the ceiling or floor. I thought Hunter and I were becoming friends. But friends don’t set other friends up for emotional abuse. Friends don’t hold each other hostage, denying them the chance to leave the building. Friends don’t do…whatever it is Hunter Grant is doing by bringing me to this apartment to be alone with my professor. He’s going to hear from me. This whole situation is absolutely infuriating. I didn't sign up to come in and be harrassed by my old professor. “M
Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 48
[Addison] I’m not sure that I heard her right, so I ask Charley to repeat herself. “Mr. Grant says he needs you to complete onboarding before you leave and to check in with payroll to make sure everything is in order,” Charley tries to smile, but it looks strained and unnatural, her cheeks trying too hard to make her lips stretch pleasantly across the mountainous peaks of her perfect cheekbones and chiseled jawline. She’s almost aggressively masculine in her beauty, and it is clear that she is used to making her way through life using her muscles and her wit more than her charm. “Fine,” I sigh, forgiving her for relaying his message. It’s not like Charley had any say in her orders. She’s just doing her job. At least he isn’t asking me to talk it out with the bully professor. I don’t know if my psyche could take another go around with him. I don’t know why that man hates me so much. It always felt personal, as if I were somehow slapping him across the face every time I did
Heart of Stone: Her Revenge Unleashed Chapter 47
[Addison] The elderly man stood a bit straighter, scanning me with his critical eye in the way he does a law brief, meticulously and with the ability to see everything. As if he has been frozen in time these last 5 years, nothing about him has changed--not his tattered tweed suit or the way he looks down his nose at you, inspecting you like one might ponder a particularly nasty problem to be solved. When people think of the autistic savant, the person with no emotional tact but with a keen mind that can see what others cannot, they could be discussing Professor Magnus McCannon. My teacher, mentor, and the hardest professor I ever knew. I was considered smart. Very smart. It was the reason I was admitted into law school so young, after completing my undergrad studies. I entered Harvard Law with perfect grades and several letters of recommendation. But my mind is nothing compared to Professor McCannon’s. As a child he was deemed a super genius, his complex mind and his ability
