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Chapter 76
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His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 77
Bernice stared at her phone display, the ominous flashing of the message from the kidnappers, words that were twisting within her stomach like a knife.“Luca…” she whispered, the feeling of helplessness weighing heavy on her chest. The world around her suddenly was unreal, as if she were living some kind of nightmare she could not wake up from. Of course, calling the police terrified her. What if it only served to make matters worse? What if Luca was harmed?"Mama?" a tiny shaking voice called out from the next room.She took one deep breath and pulled it together. "Yes, sweetie?" Her voice was even while she wiped her tears, but it quavered enough to give her away.Mia toddled into the living room, her big brown eyes wide with concern. She clutched her stuffed bunny tightly and stared up at her mother, her lip wobbled. "Mom, I miss Luca.” She said, her voice shaking. “When will he come back?”But the sight of her two-year-old daughter just made Bernice burst into tears; her heart si
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 78
"Bernice! Open the door!"The voice was insistent, a fist coming down in a series of pounds against the front door. Bernice jumped and her heart ran a race down to the door. She pulled it open and felt instant relief well up inside her at the sight of her cousin."Liam!" she exclaimed, flinging her arms around him. "Thank you for coming.""Of course," he said, embracing her tightly as he entered the house. "We're going to get Luca back. I promise."“Anything?" Anxiety etched its way into her tone as she led him toward the living room.“Not yet, but I've reached out to some contacts," he said. "We'll figure this out, together.Just then, Mia toddled into the room, rubbing her eyes in sleepiness. "Uncle Liam!" she squealed, running toward him."Hey, little buddy," Liam said, dropping onto his knees. "How's my favorite girl today?"The smile fell in an instant as Mia looked around. "Where's Luca?" she asked in that tiny voice that quivered a little.Bernice knelt beside her, a wave of fr
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 79
"Clara, I need you to come over," Bernice said into the receiver, pacing the living room floor while her voice shook. "It's urgent.""Bernice? Is everything okay?" Clara's voice came over the line, haloed with alarm.“N-no, not really. I-I need your help with Mia,” Bernice said, looking at her time. It was slipping away, and she could feel the weight of this decision weighing heavy upon her chest."Of course, what's going on?" Clara asked, urbane.“I cannot explain everything now, but I need you to take her for some days," Bernice said, biting her lip. "I have to. I have to do something.""What do you mean? What do you plan?" Clara pressed, rising in her alarm."Just trust me, all right? I'll explain everything when I get back," insisted Bernice while racing in her heart. "Please, just come.”"All right, I will be there in a while," Clara replied, then turned to clear her throat before adding, "But promise me you shall be careful.""I promise," Bernice whispered into the mouthpiece, h
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 80
"Where is she?" Alexander cut, his voice only marginally controlled as his eyes scanned the empty lounge.Clara jumped with his sudden entrance. "She didn't say exactly, sir," she stammered as she hugged Mia tightly into her arms. "She just asked me to look after Mia until she returns with Luca."A feeling of falling hit Alexander's stomach. He turned away from Clara, running a hand through his hair as a wave of panic overcame him. "She's gone to the hideout, hasn't she?""I…I don't know," Clara stammered. "She didn't say anything about a hideout. She just left all quiet. I thought she-"She went alone," Alexander muttered to himself, his eyes narrowing as realization came to him. "Of course she did. Dammit, Bernice!”Clara stepped back, her eyes rising at the storm brewing in his eyes. "Sir, is she in danger?”Alexander did not say another word. His fingers were already flying across the buttons of his phone, dialing Detective Marcus' number, and he was furiously storming across the
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 81
"Yes, positive?" Ethan's voice finally cut into the tension pacing the room, hands sunk deep into his pockets. Threw Olivia a sidewards glance, his face furrowing slightly with his doubt.Olivia did not raise her head from the phone still clutched in her hand. Her eyes were as cold as ice, calculating. "We do not have a choice, Ethan. She is coming. With or without the police, Bernice will not make it out alive. "Ethan froze from pacing up and down in the room; all his agitation was scribed across his face. "You are talking of killing her and the child."Olivia's gaze snapped up; her lips arced wickedly. "Precisely. The moment she steps into that hideout, it is over for both her and the child. They are loose ends, Ethan. We can't afford to leave loose ends behind.”He felt his back quiver as she said this so calmly, with not the tiniest hesitation, it shook him. "And what if she doesn't come with the police? If she shows up alone?""Then she's even more of a fool than I thought," Oli
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 82
"Where is he?" Bernice's voice betrayed a slight quake through her eyes that stared solid as rock. She was in this hideout with two men standing over her, both carrying guns."You think you just walk in here and demand your kid like it is nobody's business?" the scar-faced man sneered, hoary as weathered leather.She straightened, fists bunched against her hips, her heart racing. "I'm alone. No police, just me. I came to take Luca and leave. This doesn't have to go sour."The other kidnapper stepped closer; he was bigger and more threatening than the first one, his gun showing at his hip. "We know you're alone, lady. But it's not up to you how this goes down."A lump swelled in her throat, but she refused to back down. Their stare weighed on hers, cold and unfeeling, but everything else fled from her mind now that there was Luca. Each second dragged like a lifetime."Where is my son?" she tried again to ask, this time her voice carrying well. “I need to see him.”The little man snorte
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 83
"Get down!" Alexander boomed into the room as he burst in. He saw the gun against Bernice's head and in less than a second, launched himself forward.The next second, a shot rang in the air. Bernice screamed as her world came crashing down and her mind refused to believe that horrific scene playing right in front of her eyes."No!" she screamed, her voice hoarse and animal, as Alexander fell before her, his body heavy upon the ground. Blood flowered across his shirt, dark and bright.The room exploded into chaos. The tall kidnapper whirled about, gun now shaking in confusion, but it was too late. Liam and Marcus flowed forward like a tide, pinning the gunman to the floor."Secure the room!" Marcus yelled as he drove scar face down onto the floor, wrestling the gun from him. "Take them both out of here!""Alexander!" Bernice gushed as she dropped to her knees beside him. Her hands shook as they hovered over his chest, uncertain where to touch or how to help.Alexander breathed shallowl
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 84
"You can't leave me. Not like this," Bernice whispered, shaking. She sat in the cold sterile waiting room. Staring blankly at the double doors of the operating room. Her hands clasped tightly in her lap were stained with dried blood. His blood. She had scrubbed them repeatedly but could not seem to shake the feeling from them.Liam paced further, his gaze always back at time. "It has taken too long. What's taking them so damn long?""Surgery takes time," Detective Marcus finally said, trying not to break his voice. Not that he was that kind of man, but tonight was an exception. "We just have to wait."How am I supposed to just wait?" Bernice's voice broke; her eyes came up to theirs. "He's in there because of me. He took that bullet for me. I should've-""No." Liam's voice cut sharp as he stopped his pacing, turned to face her. "Don't start that. You didn't make him do anything. He did it because he cares about you. You know that."She had dragged in a chest, by Liam's words so desper
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His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 108
Bernice grasped the wheel as if to hold it for dear life, the minute she pulled into Rafael's office parking lot. Today was supposed to be routine-quick, business-focused, in and out. Yet, for some reason, that old tension that always hung in the air where Rafael was concerned seemed to ratchet a notch higher today. She steeled herself and exhaled in an attempt to keep her cool through whatever new turn this meeting might take.She entered the office, heel to toe, clicking softly on shining marble floors, and prepared herself by silent rehearsals for yet another strained-for-civility professional encounter. But as she went into Rafael's office, what greeted her was not the now-familiar figure behind the large desk but the large, empty room: the leather chairs there, the mahogany desk stood as it ought. But without Rafael's presence, the room sounded silently unread, unfinished.Frowning around. Where was he? So engrossed in steeled words and curbed emotions, she was quite caught of
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 107
"Why are you being so hard, it doesn't have to be this way," Rafael was saying in a low tone as he relaxed back into his chair, the intensity pulling at her stomach. "We've shared… a lot more than just business, haven't we?"She met his gaze steadily, hiding the frustration bubbling just below the surface. "Rafael, please," she said calmly. "Why don't you get it and just stop making this harder than it already is."He huffed, his head tilting as if he was studying her. "You make it sound so cold. I'd hoped…” He let the silence hang a little too long."I'd hoped we might find a way back, somehow. Clear the air. If not now, then perhaps… over dinner?""I don't think that's such a good idea. I'd rather keep things professional," Bernice shot back.“Professional,” he repeated, a bite to his words as he leant forward almost scoffing. "Is that really the way you want to play this?"Bernice's fingers closed over the edge of the table. "It's how it needs to be, Rafael. You made your choices.
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 106
Alexander's head had whipped toward the hall the instant Ethan's cell phone had buzzed on the coffee table."Ah, I need to take this," Ethan muttered, snatching up his phone and moving toward the door. He turned back to Alexander, his brow furrowing briefly with suspicion. "Be right back."Take your time, Alexander said with a wave of his hand, even as he settled back into the couch in that same nod of the head, waited for the door to click shut behind Ethan before springing up himself in one swift second, his expression going from one of relaxation to one of focus in that same swift second.Here it was.Alexander padded down the narrow hall, his eyes flashing to either side into the rooms on both sides. Light of foot and keen-eyed, scanning for any sign that might hint at where the burner phone was. It would not be out in the open; Ethan was too careful for that. But a man could get sloppy when he thought he was safe, and Alexander had no intention of leaving without a closer look.
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 105
"Alexander, I have an update," Detective Marcus said, the sound of his voice crackling through the phone, the seriusness of his tone a prologue to the weight of the news he was about to deliver. "We figured out the phone used to contact the kidnappers."Alexander's hand tightened on the phone as he traversed the expanse of his study. "And?""It was a burner phone. Disposable. Untraceable beyond the initial purchase, but enough to confirm someone's trying hard to cover their tracks."Alexander exhaled low and narrowed his eyes. "So Ethan and Olivia think they can outsmart us. It only makes me sure they're hiding something."For a couple of seconds, Marcus didn't say another word, his voice low. "Be careful, Alexander. If they are in this, they are playing with fire already."Alexander's jaw clenched. "I know that, and that's just what makes me have to keep pushing. Thanks for the update, Marcus."As Alexander tucked the phone back into his pocket, he hung up the call. New determinatio
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 104
"Ethan," Alexander said, his tone silky, deliberate, as he sat down opposite him, easing his body into the leather chair with a casualness that didn't quite fit the discussion about to take place. "We don't get to sit down like this often. Thought it'd be nice to… change that."Ethan's eyes fluttered, shoulders guarded. "I didn't realize you were interested in spending time… outside of business."Alexander hunched his head forward and loosed a low husky laugh; the sound broke up in a relaxed clap of hands. "Business, business," he muttered wryly, flashing Ethan a sly smile. "Seems that's all I ever talk about these days. I figured you'd understand-the need to unwind a little."Ethan nodded shortly, eyes narrowed at Alexander guardedly. "I don't have many people I. trust, to put it mildly.”Alexander lifted an eyebrow; his face slackened just enough to show empathy. "Oh, I get that. I've heard enough about Rafael's dynamic relationships to understand loyalty is hard to come by around h
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 103
"Business, Rafael," Bernice's voice cut, keen as a knife, as she looked up from the table, her eyes like steel. "That's what we are here to discuss-the partnership. Nothing else."Rafael leaned back in his chair, one corner of his mouth tugging upwards in a smirk as his eyes lingered on her. "Oh, but Bernice," he said innocently, "you make it sound so. impersonal. We have history. Surely that entitles us to a bit of friendly conversation?"She didn't bat an eyelid. "This is a business meeting, not a reunion.”Rafael's head leaned in, but that smirk never faltered. "You always did know how to cut straight to the point." A soft clearing of a chuckle emitted from him at the rhythmic tap of his fingers against the table. "Can't deny that's something I missed about you."She bit back, choking down her urge to roll her eyes as her gaze fell onto the stack of documents in front of her. She was ready for this, knew all of Rafael's games. It didn't make a difference to being incensed over it.
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 102
"Tell me, Bernice," Rafael's tone was indolent, but his eyes flashed with something darker as he leaned back in his chair, never once looking away from her. "Are you really ready to work with me?"Bernice met his gaze, her eyes unflinching. "That depends. Are you?"A smirk played on his lips, his eyes masking their true expression. "You were always… amusing. I've missed that about you."She cocked her head to one side, undisturbed by his words. "I don't miss anything about you, Rafael."He chuckled low in his throat. "We'll see about that."Alexander stood across the room, his jaw clenched, while this all transpired. Every time Rafael so much as looked in Bernice's direction, his entire being bristled. He hadn't wanted her to agree to this, and every second she spent in Rafael's presence felt to him a willful and calculated attack on his own resolve.Bernice sailed through the conference in detached grace, her voice flat and professional, her face a mask of resolve. When Rafael ventur
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 101
"Rafael has agreed to the deal," Gabriel began, his voice cool, even, as he spoke to Alexander and then Bernice in the silence of the posh restaurant's private room. The next words to leave his lips, though, were laced with the weight of a complication neither could easily disregard. "On one condition—he wants to work directly with you, Bernice."Alexander's eyes narrowed and his hand tightened around the edge of the table. "Of course he does," he muttered, speaking low enough that his frustration did not escape.She sat silent, composed, her face unreadable. She had expected this move from Rafael; it was just the kind of strategic play she had anticipated. Rafael didn't want a simple business arrangement; he wanted an opportunity to draw her back into his orbit, to see if he could unsettle her."Is that all right with you, Ms. Bernice?" Gabriel asked as if he hadn't seen the clenching of Alexander's jaw or the way Bernice's fingers rested tautly upon her thighs.Alexander turned a s
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 100
Bernice shut the door of her hotel room, feeling this weird mix of triumph and something unsettling, like a ghost she thought she'd long since buried was whispering just behind her. She took a deep breath, leaning her head back against the door, replaying the events of the day in her mind-the meeting, Rafael's silent, searching gaze, and the way she had remained poised and unwavering. She'd hardly let herself look at him, hardly allow him to register as more than another face across the table.But of course, it wasn't that simple.She muttered to herself, as though the silence could be broken by firm resolve. "It doesn't matter anymore. None of it matters."But she knew it wasn't quite true. She could still remember the incredulous look that had crossed his face that night, the fire of his anger blazing in his eyes. And how he had cut her out of his life without a single question, without letting her explain what had happened. She didn't know today how that stranger had been in her
