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Chapter 53

Author: Belle Jameson
last update Last Updated: 2025-04-25 17:33:21

LIAM

As I stepped into the storage room, the strong smell of blood hit me, a clear reminder of the seriousness of the situation. I rolled up my sleeves, the dim light illuminating the grim scene: Trevor was tied to one chair, his body bruised and battered, while two other men were similarly restrained nearby. My men had done a thorough job. Felix stood at the forefront.

"Three men," he explained, nodding toward the lifeless form sprawled on the floor, "but one got caught in the shootout and didn't make it." His gaze flicked toward the surviving trio, a predator sizing up his prey.

One of the men, a scrappy guy with a wild look in his eyes, squirmed in his chair, a desperate plea creeping into his voice. "Look, I'll cooperate! I'll tell you anything you want to know, just don't kill me."

A humorless grin stretched across my face, a reflection of my disdain for his delusions. "You really think you'll walk out of here alive?" I stepped closer, my presence looming over him. "Who sent you?
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Latest chapter

  • Queen of the West   Chapter 57

    MONIQUEI had control issues, and ballet school made me become a perfectionist. When I started getting bullied, our dance instructor from Italy—Costanza—had made a joke about my weight. She told me I was missing steps because I had fat arms and calves. The girls laughed and they used it to make fun of me every single day till I left that school.This made me a control freak. If things didn't go my way, I would want to tear things apart. But while I was in hiding, Don Antonio had a girlfriend, she was French and she was a lot younger than him and closer to my age. We bonded, in a way. She was a ballet instructor, too, and one of the few people who didn't make me feel inadequate. She showed me how to use my frustration and lack of control to fuel something productive, something that could center me.My years in hiding taught me more than patience and strategy. They tau

  • Queen of the West   Chapter 56

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  • Queen of the West   Chapter 55

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  • Queen of the West   Chapter 54

    MONIQUEThe number of work meetings had drastically reduced. As Liam's assistant, I not only gained access to his world but also front-row seats to the spectacle of it crumbling, piece by piece. Each passing day, I watched as the empire he had meticulously built seemed to unravel, and though I was part of it, I couldn't help but feel a certain satisfaction. There was a power in watching someone so formidable brought down by forces they couldn't control.I was seated in my office, scrolling through pictures Sophie had sent of Star. The fluffy Persian was curled up in a ball in one image, playfully batting at a string in another. I smiled absently as I flicked through them. There wasn't much else to do today. Liam had been out handling God-knows-what, and the office felt unusually still, like a quiet before an impending storm.I almost didn't notice when the door opened. Liam walked in, the tension radiating off him like heat from a furnace. I locked my phone and rushed to meet him. He

  • Queen of the West   Chapter 53

    LIAMAs I stepped into the storage room, the strong smell of blood hit me, a clear reminder of the seriousness of the situation. I rolled up my sleeves, the dim light illuminating the grim scene: Trevor was tied to one chair, his body bruised and battered, while two other men were similarly restrained nearby. My men had done a thorough job. Felix stood at the forefront."Three men," he explained, nodding toward the lifeless form sprawled on the floor, "but one got caught in the shootout and didn't make it." His gaze flicked toward the surviving trio, a predator sizing up his prey.One of the men, a scrappy guy with a wild look in his eyes, squirmed in his chair, a desperate plea creeping into his voice. "Look, I'll cooperate! I'll tell you anything you want to know, just don't kill me."A humorless grin stretched across my face, a reflection of my disdain for his delusions. "You really think you'll walk out of here alive?" I stepped closer, my presence looming over him. "Who sent you?

  • Queen of the West   Chapter 52

    LIAMThe warehouse was eerily silent when I arrived, tension so thick you could slice through it. The four workers stood before me, a mix of fear and confusion on their faces. I could see it in their eyes—none of them had a clue what was happening, or at least, that's what they wanted me to believe. I wasn't buying it. I didn't trust anyone fully at this point. One of them could've easily been in on it.I looked each one of them in the eye, my gaze hard. "What do you know about the attack?" I asked, my voice even but carrying a sneer.One by one, they fumbled through their answers, all variations of the same thing—we don't know anything, boss. Their voices desperate and nervous. It was hard to tell who was genuinely clueless and who was faking, because I was completely blinded by rage.But I was also not a fool. Trust wasn't something I handed out easily. After what happened, if one person could betray me, then why not all of them? Maybe they were in this together, covering for each o

  • Queen of the West   Chapter 51

    LIAMA week had passed, and still, we hadn't found the thieves. Whoever they were, they covered their tracks well, leaving no trace behind. Each passing day felt like a ticking bomb. It wasn't just the financial hit—though that alone was staggering—it was the cracks it had started to create in my reputation.The rage boiled inside me as the reality of the situation grew clearer. Half of my investors had begun pulling out. Contracts that had taken months, even years, to secure were suddenly being terminated. The trust they had in me, in my operation, was slipping through my fingers like sand. And I didn't even have enough money to pump into my company anymore. All of it—both business above and underground—were evaporating before my eyes.I slammed my fist against the desk, the sharp crack of wood and bone reverberating through my penthouse office. I couldn't even keep track of how many times I'd lost control in the past month. Everything was spiraling, slipping through my fingers.Was

  • Queen of the West   Chapter 50

    MONIQUEYou know how, when you spotted a trail of ants invading your yard, and after following their line, you finally found the nest? That moment when you crushed it, watching them scatter in chaos—that was exactly how it felt watching Liam and his people scramble in the aftermath of what I had done to his so-called empire. There was something deeply satisfying, almost intoxicating, about seeing their destruction unfold. It had been a whole surge of power.I got home from work and poured myself a glass of champagne, one of my most expensive bottles. The cool fizz hit my tongue as I leaned back against the kitchen counter, savoring the taste. The bubbles burst with the same satisfaction I'd felt earlier when watching Liam fall apart from the news of his robbery.I couldn't help but replay the scene in my head, how I had given him that reassuring shoulder, offering to help find the people responsible for the theft. It had been seamless. And after the night we spent together, the way I'

  • Queen of the West   Chapter 49

    LIAMMy empire felt like it was crumbling, piece by piece. First, the warehouse attack, and now, the possibility that someone on the inside was behind it. It didn't sit right with me. Maybe it was just random thieves, desperate and stupid enough to try their luck against me. Bandits selling off the stolen goods in some lower market to make a quick buck. But it didn't add up. The lack of trust had slowly crept into my life, and I couldn't shake it.I was always careful, selective about the men I let into my organization. Loyalty was everything in my business. These weren't just street thugs; they were men who had stood by me, bled for me. But that didn't mean one of them couldn't turn two-faced and stab me in the back when I wasn't looking.The thought gnawed at me as I sat in my office. Monique was reading through some stock reports and going over schedules, her voice clear and calm as she listed off everything in a way that helped me focus, even in moments like these.The door to my

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