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Chapter 87
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His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 88
"She doesn't have any idea who's behind it?" Marcus growled; irritation laced his tone as he slung the newest report onto his desk. Liam nodded slow, his eyes focused outside at something unseen. "Not a single clue."Marcus slumped back in his chair; his fingers began to drum onto the wood. "It doesn't add up. There's a kidnapping, and the target has no enemies? No suspects?"Liam turned to him, furrowing his brow. "Bernice isn't lying. She's genuinely perplexed. Either someone's playing a long game, or… we're missing something crucial."I am not buying it," Marcus said, shaking his head. "Somebody gotta hate her enough to do this. I just can't fathom she's lived a perfect life, no grudges, no enemies."Liam paced the small office, letting out a sigh. "She's been cooperative, but every time we ask, she comes up blank. We're going in circles.""Circles?" Marcus said with much gall in his voice. "We're going down some rabbit hole. If we don't find something soon, we may lose momentum. T
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 89
"You are getting sloppy, Ethan," Olivia said in a cold tone that could cut like a knife.Ethan's eyes came up over the rim of the whiskey glass he was holding, his brow furrowing. He leaned forward on the couch, going unfocused-as if he might as well have been elsewhere. "It isn't sloppiness, Olivia," he said with measured slowness. "It's common sense. We have caused enough damage. You do know what the stakes are now?”Olivia stopped her pacing on an upward surge of frustration. The impression of eyes narrowing further, "What's at stake? Everything we worked for is. Don't tell me you're suddenly developing a conscience."He blew out a sigh, setting his drink down on the table. "It's not about that.""Then what's it about, Ethan?" Her voice rose; paranoia chiseled onto the edge. "You knew exactly what we were getting into. Don't act like you're surprised now.""I'm not surprised." He stood up, turned to her. "But things are spiraling out of control. Alexander nearly died, Olivia. A hig
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 90
"Alexander," Bernice whispered, shaking, her fingers tracing his hand.His eyelids moved and in that moment, she held her breath. Then he gave a sleepy yet determined blink; Alexander opened his eyes to the dim light of the hospital room, his head moving slow until it fell upon her, and his lips spread with a gentle weak smile."Bernice…," he rasped low, strained, yet unmistakably alive."Oh, Alexander!" She finally crumbled-the tumbling release of relief and pent-up guilt that finally escaped her as tears streaked down her cheeks. "I thought. I thought I'd lost you.""You know I wouldn't… leave you," he muttered, his hand squeezing hers as best as he could manage. "Not when I knew… you were waiting."She clung more desperately to his hand, her shaking smile slicing through her tears. "I… I was scared to death. This is all my fault," she repeated guiltily. "If it hadn't been because of me… you wouldn't be here fighting for your life."Alexander frowned, still clearly not fully in poss
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 91
"Is this what you do every day, Bernice?" Liam's voice shattered the silence, teasingly as he entered Alexander's hospital room. He was grinning, one of his eyebrows rising as he took in the scene before him. Bernice was methodically arranging the food she'd packed while Alexander watched her with a faint smile.She cast a glance up at Liam, her eyes rolling on a sigh. "If by 'this' you mean making sure Alexander doesn't have to live off of bland hospital food, then yes. You'd think he could survive without me being here every second.""Survive?" Alexander scoffed, exchanging a look with Liam. "I think I'd waste away without you.”“See?" Liam said, laughing as he plopped into a chair. "It sounds like he's completely dependent on you now. Are you sure it's not… something more?"Bernice felt a wave of heat creep up her cheeks, and she shot him a warning look. "Liam, please. We are not doing this right now.""Oh, come on, Bernice," Liam teased, falling back in his chair with a smirk. "Ad
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 92
"Alexander," Bernice said in a hushed, determined, yet melancholy tone, "I think the time has come for you to know everything."Alexander's eyebrows furrowed while his eyes sharpened at the seriousness of that tone. "Everything?""Yes," she nodded, sitting down beside him. "It's not just the recent threats of Ethan and Olivia. It's about what they did to me some years ago… how they destroyed my life." She took a steadying breath, looking down at her hands. "This goes back to why I left my previous life behind."Alexander listened, his face impassive, but his hand stretched out and lightly lay on hers. "Tell me, Bernice. I need to know everything if I'm to help you."Liam, who had been standing in the corner of the room, suddenly leaned forward, a sudden anger clouding his eyes. "You're right, Bernice. He should know what they did to you-how they manipulated and betrayed you.”She took a deep breath, and her voice came out steady, but low. "Ethan and I were… together once. We were enga
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 93
Two weeks have gone now, Alexander is fully recovered and back to work. "Bernice, what do you think about expanding to the European market?" Alexander leaned back in his chair and fixed his gaze upon her.Bernice was taken aback; her eyes widened in wonder. They were in her office, no doubt surrounded by plans and prototypes of the new fashion line their companies were collaborating on. It was a project she'd poured her heart into, and she knew Alexander had done the same. "Europe?" she asked, an eyebrow cocked. "I mean…it's a big leap. But why now?"“Because I do not rule out something of value beneath the mud," he said with the ghost of a smile. "And I know a company in Rome which would like a partner.”The mention of Rome stiffened her a little, but she masked it by looking over the sketches she had laid out on her desk. Clara, her assistant, sat in a chair beside her, writing furiously, and Alexander's assistant stood to one side, listening intently. Bernice forced herself to loo
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 94
"Are you sure about that, Bernice?" Liam's voice showed an underlined concern-a pause that managed to cross lines into Bernice's ears.She took a deep breath then, her fingers curling into the edge of her desk as if taking strength from its solid surface. "No," she whispered. "But I also can't keep running from my past, Liam. Sooner or later I need to face it, and… I'd rather do it now, with a plan in place."On the other end was Liam, who sighed, "You do know it's gonna get tough now, right? More with Rafael, too. You left everything behind, and now going back. that's just a lot you're asking of yourself.”"I know," Bernice replied softly, her eyes fixed on the wan reflection staring back from the window. Weary she appeared, yet with something in her eyes now that she hadn't glimpsed for many years. "But Alexander will be there. And… so will you. I won't be alone this time.""Exactly," Liam's voice was firmer now, just with a bit of warmth of an old friend that had been through thic
His uncle's sweetheart Chapter 95
"Do you even hear yourself, Olivia?" Ethan suddenly exploded into the silent room, as a shade of bitter venom crept into his voice.Olivia barely looked up from her phone onto which she was typing away with consummate ease. "Oh, don't be melodramatic, Ethan," she said nonchalantly, eyes fixed upon the screen. "Everything is under control."Ethan's jaw hardened. "Under control?" he repeated. Incredulous. "You just hired someone to… to murder, Olivia. In cold blood. When did you become capable of such things?"She finally looked up, her gaze cool, impassive. "When did you become so squeamish? They were nothing more than loose ends, Ethan. We can't afford to let anyone start talking, especially about us.”Ethan ran an angry hand through his hair, every action speaking volumes of his guilt and blame. "You're not the same person anymore. The Olivia I married-she would have never gone this far. Kidnapping, now murder… How much more are you going to do?”Olivia leaned back, crossing her arms
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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
