The house was eerily quiet as Ryan sat in the sunlit living room. The rays filtered through the curtains, but their warmth did little to lift the fog that clouded his mind. He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. It had been weeks of the same routine. Bella left early for the office, and he was confined to the house. The walls seemed to close in on him more and more each day. "Rest," she kept saying. "You need to rest and fully heal."But he felt fine. His body was stronger. His mind? That was another story. He couldn't shake the flashes, those brief moments of clarity when another version of his life danced before his eyes, only to vanish like smoke. His thoughts were interrupted by the creak of the front door. Bella stepped inside, dressed immaculately as always, her high heels clicking against the marble floor. She smiled when she saw him, but there was something behind her eyes. Something he couldn’t quite place." Ryan, love," she called, setting her bag on the counte
“You’re lying,” she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. “This can’t be true.” “I wish I was lying,” Luca said softly, his voice filled with regret. “But it’s the truth, Ivy. And now that you know, you’re in danger too.”Ivy shook her head, refusing to believe what she was hearing. “No,” she said, her voice rising. “This can’t be happening. My mother… she wouldn’t…” “She would,” Luca said firmly, cutting her off. “She’s done worse. And she won’t hesitate to get rid of anyone who stands as a threat to her if she thinks you’re a threat.” Ivy’s legs felt like they were going to give out beneath her. She stumbled back, collapsing into one of the armchairs, her mind racing. “Why are you telling me this?” she asked, her voice barely audible.“Because I care about you, Ivy,” Luca said, stepping closer. “I couldn’t stand by and watch as you were kept in the dark. You deserve to know the truth—so you can protect yourself.” Ivy looked up at Luca, her vision blurred by tears. “What do I do
Bella sat in her sleek new office at the top of the Kendrick tower—now rebranded as Vector Empire. She gazed out the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking over the city as it shimmered under the midday sun. A sense of triumph washed over her. She had nearly everything she ever wanted: the power, the company, and control over the entire Kendrick fortune. Yet, as she swirled the glass of wine in her hand, the victory felt hollow.“If only Ryan had loved me,” she muttered to herself. “None of this would’ve been necessary.”Her mind wandered back to that fateful night, the night that had set everything into motion. It was the night she had finally decided to take control of her destiny and cement her position in Ryan's life—by any means necessary.She had asked him out for lunch that day, trying to act casual, like the friend who had always been by his side. Ryan had been distracted, his thoughts clearly elsewhere, but Bella had insisted. "You’ve been so stressed with everything going on,
His tall, imposing figure cast a shadow across the room, and Bella could sense something was wrong immediately."Bella," he said, his voice low, "we have a problem."She raised an eyebrow, setting her glass down."What is it?"Victor sat down across from her, his hands resting on the armrests of the chair. "It’s Luca He’s been digging into our past. He knows about the offshore accounts."Bella’s heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean? How could he know?""He’s not as clueless as we thought," Victor replied, his eyes narrowing. "Luca has been working. He's been investigating us for weeks, and I think soon he might find the accounts we’ve been funneling Kendrick's money into."Bella’s mind raced as she processed the information. "So what do we do now?"Victor leaned forward, his gaze cold and calculating. "We can’t wait any longer. We need to move faster. If Luca takes it to Ryan and then he takes this to the board, everything we’ve built will crumble."Bella gripped the edge of her desk,
Ryan sat in the passenger seat of Luca’s car, the city lights flickering through the window as they sped through the quiet streets. His thoughts raced faster than the car, the weight of everything pressing down on him—Bella’s betrayal, Victor’s manipulations, the company slipping through his fingers, and now this meeting with Luca. He needed answers, and he needed them fast. Luca drove in silence, his grip tight on the steering wheel. They both knew they couldn’t afford to raise suspicion, especially with Bella’s guards likely watching Ryan’s every move. The less noise they made, the better their chances of discovering the truth.Finally, they pulled into the driveway of Luca’s secluded house on the outskirts of the city. It was a modern, minimalist home, surrounded by high walls and trees that shielded it from prying eyes. Luca parked the car and gestured for Ryan to follow him inside.Once they entered the house, Luca led Ryan to the living room, motioning for him to sit on the l
Chapter 103Ryan sat on the edge of the bed, staring at Mrs. Jessica with an expression of helplessness and frustration. The weight of everything was suffocating him his company stolen from under him, his heart torn apart by the fact that the woman he truly cared for was still being held captive. He had failed at everything, and it was killing him inside.Mrs. Jessica lay in the bed, her frail body barely moving. Her eyes, however, were full of fire as she looked at Ryan with a mixture of disbelief and resentment. She had endured so much, and Ryan knew that his words were not enough to make amends for the pain she had suffered."I’m sorry," Ryan began softly, his voice trembling. "I... I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through. I didn’t know I couldn’t have known. Please... forgive me."Mrs. Jessica didn’t respond immediately. Her hands tightened into fists under the blanket as she glanced away from him, clearly struggling with her emotions. “You have no idea what I’ve been t
Chapter 104Ryan sat frozen, his eyes locked on Mrs. Jessica as she unraveled the dark and tangled web of his family's past. The shock of what she was saying hit him like a tidal wave, leaving him reeling with disbelief and confusion.“I knew your father had skeletons in his closet,” Ryan muttered, shaking his head slowly, “but I never imagined it would be this bad.”Mrs. Jessica’s eyes were weary, filled with years of pain that she had buried deep inside. “Ryan,” she said softly, “you were just a child when all of this happened. You couldn’t have known. But the truth is, your family has done unspeakable things.”Ryan shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying to process it all. “So, my father… he forced you into a relationship?” He glanced at Luca, who remained silent, watching the conversation unfold with a grim expression.Mrs. Jessica nodded, her voice filled with a mixture of shame and bitterness. “I didn’t want to do it,” she explained. “I knew it was wrong. I knew being involve
Mrs. Jessica sat at the edge of the old, creaking hospital bed, her frail hands trembling as she reminisced. Her eyes, tired from years of pain, glistened with unshed tears. It had been so many years since Mr. Kendrick took her other twin, Ivy, and not a single day passed without her feeling the crushing weight of that loss.“Ever since Mr. Kendrick took Ivy,” Mrs. Jessica began, her voice hoarse from the memories she had buried for so long, “I haven’t been the same. Every day, I wake up thinking about her. What does she look like now? What has she become? Does she know I exist? Does she remember me?”Ryan watched her closely, a knot forming in his throat. The weight of the revelations from the previous night still hung heavy in the room. His mother had torn apart this woman’s life, and now, here she was broken, yet still standing, fighting for her daughter. He couldn’t help but feel responsible for the pain his family had caused her.“Mrs. Jessica, I’m so sorry for everything,” Rya