Christian’s breath hitched for a second. His body stiffened as his mind registered the woman in his arms. Allison.He wanted to say her name, wanted to ask what she was doing there, but he stopped himself. His throat tightened as confusion settled in. “What was my late brother’s widow doing in my arms?” he thought to himself.He had been making investigations about her, digging up one of two information and strategically planning on how to meet and confront her. He just didn't expect that the would officially meet like this…in a place like this.He glanced around, wondering if she'd come to the bar with David, but he saw no sign of him anywhere. His grip loosened slightly, and Allison took the chance to steady herself, stepping back just enough to look up at him. She caught the way his expression shifted, filled with shock, disbelief, maybe even something else—and inwardly, she smirked. To Christian, it was a moment of confusion, but to Allison, it was a victory. She assumed he m
Christian led Allison through the crowded club until they reached his table. His friends, already deep in conversation, looked up as they approached."Guys," Christian started, placing a hand lightly on Allison’s back, "Meet my new friend…"Allison flashed them a charming smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Rachael. It’s nice to meet you all.”Christian’s eyes narrowed slightly the moment Allison introduced herself with a fake name. Rachael?A sneer tugged at the corner of his lips, but he quickly masked it. So, she was playing games. That much was clear. His suspicions grew stronger. If she had nothing to hide, why lie about her name? Allison was definitely up to something. Still, he didn’t call her out. Instead, he decided to play along. "Well, Rachael," he said, his voice holding the slightest edge of amusement, "these are my friends—Jake and Mark." He gestured at each of them as he introduced them, and they nodded in greeting.
Allison glanced at Christian, truly taking in his features for the first time. He was incredibly handsome—strong jawline, piercing eyes, broad shoulders. There was no denying it. Emma really did have great taste in men. Just then, Christian’s deep voice cut through her thoughts. “What are you thinking about?” Before she could react, Christian’s fingers gently lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. His touch was light, almost teasing. Allison blinked, feigning innocence. “Oh… it’s...its nothing.” But then, she quickly decided to add another layer to her act. She lowered her lashes and let out a small sigh. “I was just thinking about how I don’t want to go home,” she murmured. “I have a… really crazy boyfriend.” Christian’s brows lifted slightly. “Crazy boyfriend?” She nodded, biting her lip for dramatic effect. “Yeah… that’s actually why I came to the bar. To clear my head.” Christian leaned back, watching her carefully. Crazy boyfriend? Was she talking abou
The hotel room was silent, but the tension in the air was thick. Allison felt like the walls were closing in on her, but she forced herself to stay calm.She had expected this night to go differently. Everything had been planned perfectly. She was supposed to be in control. But now, as she stood there, staring at the man sitting in front of her, a cold shiver ran down her spine.What was he doing here? How did he find her? Most importantly…what the hell was he doing with Emma's boyfriend?The older man had sharp eyes that held a knowing look, like he had been waiting for this moment. His presence alone made her feel trapped.Christian’s voice cut through the silence. “Do you know this man?”Her eyes darted from Christian to the older man sitting across the room, trying to understand the relationship between the two of them. The old man's sharp eyes bored into her, searching, waiting.Christian leaned forward, his eyes dark with something unreadable. “Do you know this man, Rachael?” h
Darkness surrounded her. A faint voice echoed in the void, calling her name. “Allison…” At first, it was distant, like a whisper carried by the wind. Then it grew clearer. Someone was calling her. A light tap on her cheek followed. “Allison.” The touch jolted her back to reality. Her eyelids fluttered open, and the blurry figure hovering above her slowly came into focus. Christian.He was staring down at her, his sharp features impassive, his expression unreadable. “You decided to go all Sleeping Beauty on me,” he said dryly, amusement flickering in his voice. “Turns out, that’s not going to save you.” Allison blinked rapidly, her mind struggling to catch up. For a few seconds, she simply stared at him, dazed. Then everything came rushing back—the confrontation, the revelation, the sheer terror that had paralyzed her. Christian was her brother-in-law!She jerked upright, her heart hammering against her ribs. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for an escape rout
Silence stretched between them. Allison’s stomach twisted. She clenched her fists as Christian’s words hung in the air. Her heart pounded—not from fear, but from the weight of the choice she had to make. She felt trapped, with no way out. She had married into the Muller family because of her pregnancy, and when her husband died, she received a large inheritance because of Henry. That money gave her security—a future. If she admitted that Henry was Nathaniel’s son, Christian would take him away. And if that happened, she would lose everything she had built with David. But if she said Henry was David’s son, she would lose all that inheritance. And to think that David only stayed with her because of Henry. Her son was her only source of power in the Lawson family. Without Henry, what did she have? Nothing. She had spent years securing her place beside David, making sure he saw her as the mother of his child. That title gave her status—a reason for him to keep her close. If
Children were running across the playground, climbing monkey bars, and playing on slides. Among them, two young girls sat on the swings, their small legs kicking forward as they tried to soar higher. Claire giggled as she swung back and forth, enjoying the light breeze against her face. Beside her, her classmate and friend, Emily, smiled, trying to match Claire’s rhythm. “This is fun!” Emily said, gripping the chains tightly. Claire smiled brightly. “I told you! Swinging makes you feel like you can fly!” Just as Emily was starting to relax, a shadow suddenly loomed over them. A bigger boy, taller and older than them, stood in front of the swings with his arms crossed. His dark shone with arrogance, and he tilted his chin up in a display of confidence. His name was Lucas, Claire and Emily's classmate, and everyone in school knew him. He was the son of a very wealthy and influential man, and he never let anyone forget it. “Get off right now,” Lucas ordered the girls in a sh
Christian quickly masked his expression, forcing himself to remain composed despite the unexpected revelation. He hadn't anticipated running into Allison’s son like this—let alone seeing how close he and Claire had become. His mind was still racing when Henry, his tone curious, spoke up. “Claire, why do you call him Uncle Chris instead of ‘Dad’?”Claire blinked at the question, glancing up at Christian with a nervous smile. She didn't even know when she had addressed Christian as ‘Uncle Chris’ in front of everyone, whereas everyone thought he was her dad. Before she could respond, Christian smoothly stepped in, flashing his usual confident grin. “Well, you see, Henry,” he said, crouching slightly to the boy’s level, “Claire and I like to play a little game sometimes. She calls me ‘Uncle,’ while I call her…” He trailed off for a little dramatic effect, turning to Claire with an amused smirk. “What’s that name again? Oh, right! My little tornado.”Claire groaned, rolling her eye
Allison lay on her bed, wide awake, staring at the ceiling. The ticking sound from the clock was the only noise in the quiet room, and it felt like it was making her more nervous with each tick. Her mind kept thinking about the same scary thought again and again.Would Christian really send that DNA report to David?She squeezed her eyes shut, her chest tight with panic. Christian's voice from the previous day still echoed in her head, cold and sharp: "Twenty-four hours, Allison.”But the hours were slipping away too fast. She had given it a thought to just apologize and get it over with, but the fear of humiliation had held her back.Now, her nerves were on the verge of snapping.Finally, Allison forced herself out of bed. She washed her face, dressed up, and made her way to the hospital. She felt so exhausted after she got home from the hospital last night and now, she was heading back there.The moment she stepped out of the elevator and turned the corner toward Henry's room, sh
Allison smiled, thinking that her manipulation had worked on Christian. The moment she saw the falter in his steps, she knew the hook had sunk in deep. Gathering her courage, she stepped closer, her voice sweet and calm."Listen, maybe we could cooperate," she suggested, her lips curling into an almost innocent smile. "We both want something, Christian. You want Emma, and I want David. Why don’t we help each other? That way, it’s a win-win for both of us."She paused for a moment, waiting to see any sign of agreement from him. When he didn’t respond, she leaned in a little closer, lowering her voice to a soft, tempting tone."I even have a way of helping you. A way to ensure Emma completely belongs to you."Allison felt pleased with herself, thinking the game was already in her hands. Christian had always been sharp, but even the sharpest men fell for the right kind of persuasion — and she thought she had found the perfect bait.But in the next second, her confidence shattered.Chris
Allison stormed back and forth across the hospital room angrily. The more she thought about it, the more furious she became. Her mind replayed David’s voice over and over — the way he’d spoken to her, like she was the villain in all of this.“How dare he?” she hissed under her breath. “After everything I’ve done for him! After everything I’ve given up to be with him! He thinks he can threaten me — scare me into apologizing to Emma? To that woman and her brat?”Isabel sat quietly on the chair as she watched her daughter paced around in anger.“Allison…” Isabel finally spoke. “Trust me, it wouldn’t hurt to just —”But before Isabel could even finish talking, Allison cut her off. “Apologize?” she asked. “You too, Mom? So now you’re siding with them? When I need you the most, when I need my own mother to stand by me — you’re here telling me to apologize?”Isabel opened her mouth to speak, but the words faltered under the weight of her daughter’s bitter glare.“I don’t need your advice i
Isabel nodded slowly. “You heard me. First, he gave Claire 5% of the company shares, and now he’s planning to hand over the manor too. Can't you see the handwriting on the wall?”Allison’s throat tightened. Her hands curled into fists on her lap. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. How could this be happening? How could Emma, after all these years, still manage to take everything away from her? And now her daughter too was being pushed right into the place Allison had tried to hold onto for herself and for Henry.It wasn’t fair. None of it was.The jealousy twisted painfully inside her. "Emma always takes everything," Allison muttered bitterly. "She always does.”Isabel’s gaze lingered on her daughter, as if she were staring at a reflection of her own past. She could see it all written across Allison’s face — the sharp glint of hatred, and that silent burn of anger… Isabel knew that feeling all too well.When she married Mathew, stepping into the life Emma’s mother had lef
Allison was busy going through her phone in the hospital ward, trying to kill the boredom surrounding her, when she suddenly heard the door open. She looked up, and her eyes met her mother’s. Isabel stepped inside with her usual calm expression, closing the door gently behind her.For a second, neither of them spoke. Isabel walked over and placed her handbag on the chair before sitting down beside her daughter.“Mother,” Allison greeted, putting her phone aside and straightening up a little.Isabel returned her greeting with a soft nod, her sharp eyes scanning her daughter’s face, as though trying to read her emotions. After a short silence, Isabel spoke first.“How’s Henry doing?” she asked in a quiet tone.Allison sighed, her face pulling into a tired frown. “The doctor said his heart was a bit weak from too much running around. That’s what made him collapse, but... they assured me he’s getting better.”Isabel gave a small nod, her fingers lightly tapping against the armrest. “That
Emma?David stepped onto the terrace, his eyes immediately drawn to a figure curled up in the corner.Emma sat there, her back against the wall, knees drawn to her chest, and her face buried in her arms. Her shoulders trembled with each silent sob. The sight of her like this tugged at David's heart.He approached slowly, careful not to startle her. Without saying a word, he sat down beside her, leaving a respectful distance. The silence between them was heavy, but not uncomfortable. Emma didn’t lift her head right away. She stayed still for a long moment, her face hidden behind her arms, as the tears quietly soaked her sleeves. She could feel David’s presence sitting beside her without saying a word. He didn’t rush her or ask questions. He simply waited.Finally, after what felt like forever, Emma slowly raised her head. Her eyes, red and swollen from crying, met his. There was no need for words between them. The moment their eyes locked, without a second thought, he reached out and
David stood by the door, watching quietly as Emma spoke in hushed tones with the doctor treating Claire.He couldn’t hear what was being said, but his eyes stayed fixed on the two of them—on Emma gently rubbing Claire’s back, brushing a few strands of hair from her daughter’s forehead, and then wrapping her in a soft hug. Claire clung to her for a moment before Emma leaned in and kissed her on the forehead.There was something in the way Emma lingered for just a second longer—like she didn’t want to let go for a second.And then, she walked away through the opposite side of the hospital room.David remained where he was, unsure for a moment whether to stay or leave. But something in his chest tugged him forward. Maybe it was guilt. Maybe it was concern. Maybe it was something he didn’t even want to name.He slowly stepped into the room.Claire was sitting up on the hospital bed, her small fingers toying with the edge of the blanket covering her. She looked up when she heard his footst
David stepped out of Henry’s room, the door clicking softly shut behind him. His hands were stuffed deep into his pockets, his brows knit tightly in thought. He hadn’t even taken more than a few steps before he spotted Emma walking briskly down the hallway toward him, her posture rigid, her expression unreadable. He paused when he saw her. Emma's father had been the one to call him and had told him about the sudden collapse, about how Emma had performed CPR on Henry, and how it was thanks to her that Henry was still alive at all.But Mathew hadn’t told him everything.He hadn’t told him how Allison had managed to pin the blame on Claire and accused the little girl of being responsible.The mere idea felt absurd. Claire? The gentle, sweet, innocent child he'd met? No. That couldn’t be.As Emma neared him, she showed no sign of stopping. She looked straight ahead as if he wasn’t even there. David saw the slight tension in her jaw, the determination in her eyes. She was angry…rightful
David burst through the door of the hospital room, his face pale with worry.He scanned the room, his eyes immediately falling on Henry, who lay unconscious on the bed, surrounded by beeping monitors and sterile white sheets."What happened?" David's voice trembled slightly.He rushed quickly to Henry’s side, looking from the doctor to Allison."Is he going to be okay?"Allison, standing at the foot of the bed, flinched at his arrival. She had been standing there, her eyes so glued to Henry that she didn't realize the moment he entered.David’s eyes darted between the doctor and Henry. He needed answers… now."The doctors are still evaluating him," the nurse at the side of the bed murmured. "But he’s currently out of immediate danger. He’s stable for now."David nodded absently, his mind still racing. He quickly turned back to Allison."What happened, Allison?" he repeated, his voice growing more urgent. "Why didn’t you call me sooner?"Allison shook her head, trying to hold back her