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XXXII

Author: Maya East
last update Last Updated: 2025-01-18 22:37:23
The coconut stand looks exactly like it did the last time we came. It is a small place by the beach with dimly lit chandeliers, and the scent of the sea mixes with the cool night air. A few wooden tables are scattered around the area, and only a handful of customers are enjoying their drinks.

Julian was already sitting at one of the tables, wearing a simple black T-shirt that made him look more chill than usual.

He raised his hand when he saw me, his smile wide as always. "You came," he said cheerfully as I approached. "I was worried you'd think I was crazy for asking you out at night just for coconut water."

"I guess I did think that," I answered, sitting opposite him.

He chuckled, handing me a young coconut ready with a straw. "But you came anyway."

I accepted the coconut without another word, taking a small sip of the water. It was fresh, sweet, and soothing. Perfect for the summer heat that doesn't even subside at night.

"I think you're obsessed with this place," I said, breaking t
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  • His Son, Her Secret   XXXIII

    It's getting late, and the coastal breeze feels cooler as Julian and I leave the shop. My house isn't far from here, just a few minutes' walk, so I decided to walk instead."I can handle walking, you know," I shoot him a quick look.He shoved his hands into his pockets, a sly grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Guess that makes me your chaperone tonight. Gotta keep the tradition alive, right?"I snorted softly, stepping down the sandy path that led to the beach. The sound of the waves was a constant backdrop, completing the cozy silence between us."You don't have to do this," I said again, though inwardly, I didn't mind his presence."I know," he replied casually. "But I want it."We walked in silence for a while, our steps matching the sound of the occasionally louder waves as the water reached the shore. The moonlight reflected off the surface of the water, giving it an almost magical atmosphere."I think you misunderstood me."I turned to him, slightly surprised by his serio

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  • His Son, Her Secret   XXXIV

    No alarm was going off, and I was not complaining about Max having to get up early for school. Instead, Max laughing and playing in the living room signifies that summer vacation has officially begun.I’m in the kitchen, rocking a work cardigan and high-waisted, wide-leg pants, casually spreading butter on toast. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the room, mingling with the sound of Clara humming softly while washing dishes in the sink. Everything seemed peaceful. "Mommy! Look at this!" Max's loud voice broke the silence.At least for a few seconds...I turned to him, seeing him sitting on the floor with his black Porsche electric mini car—an expensive gift from Clara’s uncle, Ricky—parked next to him. Max was excitedly holding the remote control while twirling the car's wheels."Max, you haven't had breakfast yet," I reminded him, placing a plate of toast on the table. "Please go to the dining table now."Max just mumbled, his gaze not moving from his car. "I'm not hungry, Mo

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  • His Son, Her Secret   XXXV

    "I can't believe it," I muttered, more to myself than anyone else in the room."Neither do I," Pascha replied, his slight smile growing more disturbing. "The world is smaller than I thought."I forced myself to take a deep breath, trying to get a grip on myself. But, my mind was in turmoil.He is here.Not just at work, not just in the Lantum Mining project that was already torturing me enough, but now also next door to my house. A place that should be a safe space for me—for Max.Max.My mind immediately jumped to the boy. I bite my lip, trying to hold back the worry that suddenly hits me like a big wave.What if Pascha see him? What if he knew? "Mr. Romanov, we've come to discuss about your complaint," Jonathan cleared his throat.Pascha turned to him, but his eyes only stayed on Jonathan briefly before locking back on me. "Sure," he said casually. "But it looks like the neighbor of mine doesn't realize the commotion she’s causing."I opened my mouth to reply, but no words came out.

    Last Updated : 2025-01-21
  • His Son, Her Secret   XXXVI

    The office that morning was bustling with activity. Computer screens on every desk displayed graphs, satellite maps, and data analysis that were at the core of the Lantum Mining project. I sat at the main desk, checking the latest report on data integration from HymnosTech."Ryan," I called, glancing over at him. "What's the status of the satellite data analysis? Is it synchronized with the main server?"Ryan nodded quickly, his eyes fixed on the screen. "Almost complete, boss. There was a slight glitch this morning, but I've fixed it. Now we need confirmation from HymnosTech for full synchronization.""Good," I replied as I jotted something in my notebook. "Make sure we get the final report before the end of the week. We must start creating a scheme for distributing heavy equipment to the mine site.""I've finalized the interface design for the field operational application. But, there is some feedback from the technical team at Lantum. They want offline access for some features." Sit

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  • His Son, Her Secret   XXXVII

    I was silent for a moment, his words hitting something fragile inside me. But I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me shaken. "In fact, your Mom is much more understanding than her son," I snorted.He chuckled lowly. "I wonder. Did you tell her all your reasons?""I did," I replied, shrugging.His phone rang as he tried to answer me.Pascha reached into his pocket casually and took out his ringing phone. His eyes remained locked on mine for a moment before finally answering the call."Да?" he said in a low voice. I didn't need to be a genius to know it meant "yes." The Russian I hadn't heard in a long time made my ears perk up, even though I didn't understand all of it."Нет, подождите. Я закончу здесь." No, wait. I'll finish it here. He spoke in a calm tone and occasionally glanced in my direction.I pretended not to care, busy taking a sip of coffee that now felt bland in my throat.When he finally ended the call, I heard a final murmur from him, barely audible but enough t

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  • His Son, Her Secret   XXXVIII

    "Mommy!" he exclaimed excitedly, waving his little arms from where he stood. Wet sand clung to his knees, and his face shone as brightly as the afternoon sun.I wanted to turn around and run away before everything unfolded, but it was already too late. Pascha turned his head slowly towards me, and the cold gaze he cast made my body stiff.He stood up, with his hands still clutching the small shovel. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Max running towards me, leaving a small trail in the sand. But I can only focus on Pascha—his sharp, dagger-like gaze, filled with something I can't quite decipher, maybe anger, maybe shock, or even both."Mommy, look, Daddy and I made a big sand castle!" Max said in a voice full of pride, his little hands pointing toward the big hole they had just dug.I was stunned.The world seemed to spin slowly. The word "Daddy" echoed in my head, destroying all the walls of defence I had painstakingly built over the past five years. Pascha must have noticed how much

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  • His Son, Her Secret   XXXIX

    FLASHBACKCampus was filled with students preparing for our end-of-semester exams. In a quieter corner of the study room, I sat with my head resting on the desk, my hands pressed against my stomach. It felt like a fire burning inside my stomach, consuming every bit of energy I had.“Why are you so stupid, Bel?” Mikaela sat on the chair next to me, looking at me with a half-worried, half-exasperated expression. She snapped a finger in front of my face. “I told you yesterday, don't drink too much coffee, you know your body isn't built for it.”“I have to study,” I muttered weakly. “You know, this IT major is no joke. Those codes won't compile themselves.”“And your body won't heal itself either if you keep treating it like this!” Aurora, sitting next to Mikaela, chimed in while shaking her head. She thrust a mineral water bottle at me. “Drink this. You look like you're going to faint.”I took the bottle with trembling hands, trying to swallow some water even though my stomach felt too fu

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  • His Son, Her Secret   XL

    FLASHBACK“Belva, are you okay?”I shook my head slowly. With my last bit of strength, I typed in the last line of code and hit the “Submit.”When my laptop screen displayed the Submission Complete message, I immediately put my head on the table.“Belva, you look so pale,” Kiano said in a worried tone. His warm hand suddenly touched my hair, stroking it lightly. "You should go to the clinic. I'll help you.”I don't know why, but my tears started to flow at that moment. Maybe it was the pain, the exhaustion, or the feeling of hopelessness that I had been holding back. I cried, with my head still resting on the table.“Hey, Bell, don't cry,” Kiano sounded panicked. "Belva, you're done. You're great. It's okay now.”My sobbing intensified, and Kiano kept trying to calm me down, but I only sobbed harder."Why did you make my girl cry?"The voice stiffened my body. I raised my head slowly, tears still rolling down my cheeks. Pascha stood before the table, his sharp eyes looked directly at K

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Latest chapter

  • His Son, Her Secret   CLXXXI : aching laughter, restless monsters

    "Why do humans even watch horror movies if they end up too scared to use the bathroom?" Max's voice rang out loud and clear, laced with heavy sarcasm."Because humans are stupid and sometimes like to create problems for themselves." Mischa added with an eerily calm tone, completely emotionless,I choked a little on my tea, trying not to laugh.At the dining table, Kyara and Aurora sat looking like zombies freshly risen from the grave. Kyara's hair was a mess, she was wearing my hoodie with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, while Aurora was still in my house dress, sleepily munching on breakfast. They were both sluggishly shoving pieces of toast into their mouths."Don’t tease Auntie Kyara and Auntie Aurora, Max," I warned him."But Mommy," Max protested, pointing at Kyara, "Auntie Kyara slept on the couch hugging my bike helmet! And she was mumbling in her sleep!""And she said 'don’t open that door, it’s a trap' three times," Mischa added flatly, staring at Kyara’s toast like it w

  • His Son, Her Secret   CLXXX : Karma Never Knocks, It Breaks In

    The dinner table was packed with small dishes. Lasagna, garlic bread, spinach salad, and a big bowl of mashed potatoes that Aurora had prepared with scientific precision. In the middle of it all, Max and Mischa sat side by side, both wearing plastic aprons with robots and unicorns on them.“So...,” Aurora muttered, “you have two kids now?”“It’s... an emergency situation.”Kyara, sitting beside Aurora, immediately jumped in. “Emergency? Emergency? From where I'm sitting, that mini-Russian has already claimed territory in your house.”Max, his mouth full of cheese, pointed at Mischa. "She's cool! She’s teaching me Russian! Now I can say ‘robot’ in a badass voice! Robot." Max said, with an accent that was... highly questionable.Mischa just kept chewing her bread, unfazed. Her gaze was blank yet sharp, like a tiny Wednesday Addams who had wandered into a happy family dinner."I don't need an invitation," Mischa said casually, shrugged. "I'm already here."Aurora raised an eyebrow. "You

  • His Son, Her Secret   CLXXIX : We Never Go Out of Style

    That morning, the sun hung low over the San Francisco skyline, casting a soft glow that danced across the glass walls of the headquarters. I stood in front of the final presentation slide for the Lantum Mining project, the hum of the air purifier quietly filling the room, and my heart beat in an unfamiliar rhythm: slow… but heavy.Around me, the tech team was assembling the final report and prepping the soft launch of our AI-based ground stability monitoring system, soon to be deployed at the last satellite mining site. On the screen, every indicator was green. All the data integration, tech synchronization, and final testing. Flawless.“This,” I said, clicking the last slide on the remote, “is our final milestone. We’re officially done.”There was a soft round of applause. Not wild. But enough. Because this wasn’t just about finishing a project, it was validation. Of our work, our choices, our resilience.And for a moment, I just stood there. Staring at the screen.Then the breath ca

  • His Son, Her Secret   CLXXVIII : you drew stars, but never stayed to see them fall.

    I was driving with one hand, the other resting under my chin. Kyara sat in the passenger seat, wearing oversized sunglasses that looked like they belonged to a celebrity fresh off a Vogue shoot.“I still can’t believe it,” she said. “She’s pregnant, Bell. And you… you just—” She twisted toward me and let out a strangled noise of pure frustration. “—offered yourself up like a sandwich he dropped five years ago!”I clenched my jaw. “Ky…”“No, seriously.” Her voice was low and sharp. “He slept with Mikaela when you were about to marry him, then you got pregnant, and now Mikaela is pregnant and you slept with him again. I’m sorry, but this isn’t a soap opera anymore. This is Shakespearean tragedy with WiFi.”I gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I know. I… know.”But knowing wasn’t enough. Not when the shame crawled from the back of my neck to my cheeks, hot like a slap from the reality I’d refused to face. I ran a hand over my face, fingers trembling slightly.“Shit,” I muttered. “I fee

  • His Son, Her Secret   CLXXVII : The Morning After Never Ends

    Glass shelves, matte-black drawers, and a line of clothing racks stretched from one end of the room to the other. Filled with suits, shirts, and, oddly, rows of women’s clothes.I pulled open the third drawer, just like he said.And there it was.A pale gray knit sweater, wide-necked and slightly stretched around the collar from too much wear. I took a quiet breath as my fingers brushed the fabric. I knew this sweater.It used to be my emergency jacket when New York suddenly turned cold in Pascha’s penthouse. Back when we were still living together after graduation, before everything turned to rubble. It was the sweater I wore while eating instant ramen at 2 a.m., waiting on the couch for him to get home late from Romanov HQ, watching criminal series he never quite understood.I shut the drawer slowly, my breath trembling in silence. Then I glanced at the clothing rack beside it.Dresses. Blouses. Sweaters. Trousers. Silk pajamas. All… in sizes that, in a way far too strange, fit me e

  • His Son, Her Secret   CLXXVI : I Know Better. I Just Don’t Do Better.

    Morning sunlight slipped through the gap in the thin linen curtains, fluttering gently in the sea breeze.Warm. Soft. Peaceful.Too damn peaceful.My eyes fluttered open, and the first thing my brain registered was the ceiling—too high... and way too unfamiliar.Pascha’s mansion.I froze.My body tensed as I realized the warmth wrapped around my waist from behind wasn’t a blanket. It was an arm.Long. Strong. Bare.Wrapped around me like a gate I couldn’t break through.“Fuck,” I breathed out, almost like a prayer caught in my throat.A long sigh escaped my lips as I tried to piece things together. Didn’t take long. My head throbbed faintly. My neck still felt kissed. My legs still tangled in the mess of last night.Damn it.“Fuck me,” I whispered again.“Already did, Pchelka. More than once.”I jolted and half turned. “Pascha!”His eyes were still closed, face half-buried in the pillow, but a smug smile tugged at his lips.One of his arms was still draped around my waist, pulling me

  • His Son, Her Secret   CLXXV : Lips Red, Knees Weak, Soul Gone [21+]

    The cold air brushed against my skin as Pascha pulled the fabric of my T-shirt, which was roughly uncovered until it pooled under my chin. My breath caught. I didn't have time to be embarrassed, let alone protest, because his eyes were already smouldering like a hungry animal spotting prey.“Shit.” His voice was hoarse, guttural like he was choking himself with desire.And then...Heat.His tongue swipes over my nipples in slow motion, too conscious, too deliberate, like he wants to memorize every earthquake he triggers in my body. I squirm, my back arching without realizing it, hands gripping his short hair. Whether to pull him away or to bring him closer, I don't even know."Pascha...” his name came out as a moan, broken by the vibrations he left behind every time his lips sucked, every time his teeth pressed with sweet menace.He growled, the vibrations flowing straight from his mouth to my chest, to my spine, to the rest of my body. His one hand gripped my hip, holding me immobile

  • His Son, Her Secret   CLXXIV : Out of My Hands

    Jullian hadn’t even made it fully to his feet when Pascha’s second punch slammed into his face. The sound was thick, flesh meeting bone, followed by Jullian’s groan as he crashed back down into the sand, his hand flying to his cheek, already red and starting to bruise.“Don’t you ever touch her again,” Pascha growled, his chest heaving, and I didn’t recognize this man at all.I threw myself between them, shoving at Pascha’s chest with both hands. But his body was like stone.“Stop! ARE YOU INSANE?!” I screamed, my voice caught somewhere between panic and rage.He didn’t answer. His eyes stayed locked on Jullian, who was now sitting up, propping himself on one arm, breathing hard.“He touched you,” Pascha shouted at me.“YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!” I snapped, standing in front of Jullian now. “You don’t get to decide when you’re my son’s father, and when you’re—whatever the hell you think you are!”Pascha finally turned to me.His eyes were burning.I swallowed hard. “You can’t just show up an

  • His Son, Her Secret   CLXXIII : even gentle hands can’t erase the ones that bruised you first

    I froze.The sea breeze that had felt cool just moments ago now stung my skin like tiny needles. An inheritance?An heir?That... didn’t make any sense. My father was not someone who gave me anything. Not love, not protection, not even a place to return to after everything that happened at St. Sophia. He was the man who sat in the old armchair in our living room with those dark eyes that demanded A+ on every test, the man who raised a wooden ruler with a cold hand because of a single B.The man who, along with his wife—my biological mother—kicked me out of the house with one sentence: You’re a disgrace.And now... five years later, wrapped in a thin blanket under the night sky, hearing that the daughter they once labeled emotionally broken and too stubborn to love, the one they said could never compare to Ben—own everything they once used to crush me.My hands clenched the edge of the blanket. “Isn’t Ben the one managing everything?”Javier nodded . “Yeah. He handles the operations.

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