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Chapter 125
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Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 126
I pull away from the warmth and comfort of Atlas' arms. "You aren't seriously considering their offer, are you?" I look at both men incredulously. "She is blackmailing you with photos of our private memories, ruining both of our businesses and for what? Sydney's pride?" "Our stocks went down 23%" Atlas states as if that answers all of my questions, as if the financial elements should outweigh any emotional concerns. "5 of our biggest vendors just pulled out. If we don't make a deal, Steele Industries could close for good, not to mention your business," Atlas points out. "With the EPA issue hanging over it, and the accusation of design fraud, nobody is going to put trust in your brand or your name--even if she comes forward and corrects her statement." "No." I insist, literally put my foot down as I stomp to add emphasis to my words. "We are not doing this. I do not want that viper anywhere near you, me, or our baby" I look around at my two best friends, "Any of us. She's toxic."
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 127
[Angelica]Seeing this whining little girl on the news broadcast makes me want to scream and break things. The way she simpers as the newscaster asks her questions is so cringe. Every part of the way she moves and the way she speaks makes me want to vomit. Especially her face. Her cute, perky, innocent-seeming face with her honest hazel eyes and glowing blonde waves cascading to her shoulders. He couldn't even be original when seeking out my replacement. He found someone who looked exactly like me. My family home line rings. Three times and then hangs up. Two times.I'm not surprised Magnus wants to talk to me. This whole situation stinks like him. "What kind of sick game are you playing at, Magnus?" I growl as I grab the phone in the kitchen and take it out into the main gardens so that nobody would overhear us. "Reinforcements," he replies smoothly, as if blissfully unaware of the chaos his actions created. "Sydney is the girl I found when you decided to not return. The best pa
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 128
[Cordelia]As soon as the decision is made to fight, we all get to work. It's a big job, but together, maybe we can face this problem and find a way to come out on top again. After discussing our situation and breaking it down into parts, we all go off on our separate paths to work towards a resolution.Atlas contacts his legal team. He made a deal with the Bryants to help free Sydney, but having her then go straight to live TV and verbally attack the Greyson and Steele families goes against their good-faith agreements. The Bryants might fight it, but Atlas' attorneys are better. Tilly is using the full weight of the Matilda Madison name and calling all of her contacts, including several of Steele Industry's vendors. "None of the money came from her family funds," she explains over and over again. "She's clean of her family's crimes. Cordelia Louise has, and will always have my continued support." Meanwhile, Clark is busy on his laptop making a montage of my creation process. He has
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 129
Everyone looks my way. She's so loud that it is hard to have another conversation in the room with her raging at me. I'm not even on speakerphone but you wouldn't know that by how loudly she is screaming.Quickly I rush to my bedroom and close the door. Nobody needs to hear her berate me. "What is it this time, Mother?" I am truly exhausted by all of her recent dramatics. It seems that no matter what I do I cannot do anything right. "Angelica is having a meltdown and it is all your fault," she accuses. "You need to let her get on with her life. You're done with Atlas Steele. You're pregnant and engaged to his brother! Why can't you let Angelica have her happiness?"I want to shout at her about how wrong she is. I want to ask why she doesn't love me as much as she loves her. But what would be the point? She only hears what she wants to. "Mother, I cannot control Atlas any more than I can control you," I explain. "Besides, we have more important things to worry about.""What could b
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 130
The room is pin-drop silent after Atlas shares his news."She wants what?!" Clark asks indignantly as if he were the one being dragged down the aisle. I feel my heart sink. Atlas is so worried about me, and about our businesses, he might just do it to help me save face. Never mind how much it will break my heart to see him go down the aisle with my sister--a vision that has haunted my dreams for years.I was never supposed to be his bride. She was. If she hadn't tried to run from her responsibilities, if she had stayed and worked things out with Atlas in the first place, that's exactly where she'd be now--married to him."I told her no," Atlas eases all of our fears. As the tension drains from all of us, he takes my hands in his. "I won't do that to you. I love you, Cordelia Steele. We might not be married anymore, but I still take my vows to you seriously.""So what do you suggest we do?" Clark demands. "We told them no, so I'm assuming you made a counteroffer?"Atlas goes over their
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 131
[Atlas]As I watched her walk out the door, my heart sank to the floor and shattered into a thousand pieces. She asked me not to follow her so I didn't. She wants her space. Needs it. This request has finally pushed her too far. I've already asked so much of her. And here I am, asking her again. "You are such an idiot," my brother shakes his head as he places a hand on my shoulder. "I mean, I already knew you were a bit of a fool, but I didn't think you were a complete moron." "Why are you two letting Angelica make such a fuss," Tilly asks, her hands on her hips, angry for the sake of her friend. "I know she's your old sweetheart, but she is a danger to herself and other people. Why hasn't she been placed in an institution better capable of meeting her needs?"She has a point. "It isn't my call to make. I am not her next of kin\," I point out. "I am not her husband." And never will be, if I can help it. Clark begins pacing, twisting his hands with nerves. "You know, before you came
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 132
[Cordelia]It felt so good to slam the door and walk away from all of that nonsense. Standing in the same room while Atlas continued to make excuses for Angelica was the last straw. I had told them what had happened, what I had suspected, fears I was afraid of voicing because I was worried about how Atlas would receive it only to discover it didn't matter anyway. Atlas doesn't believe me. Or he doesn't believe that I know what I see and hear with my own eyes and ears.I'm not sure what would be worse--him thinking I'm a liar or him thinking I'm foolish. And Atlas--so much for not caring if others see us, or about the world and what it might think of us and our relationship. As soon as things got difficult, he hid behind his usual "just business" mindset and used it as an excuse to not follow through. I'm not sure why I thought things would be different between us. One beautiful night together isn't enough to change a lifetime of bad habits. I should have told my mother off and hu
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 133
[Cordelia]Even though I don't know this man at all, I find it surprisingly easy to open up to Magnus. As we sat in the diner, the storm outside got stronger, and my feelings poured out of me like the torrent of rain on the street. Maybe it is because I probably won't ever see him again, but I told him everything about Atlas, my sister, and my work. He didn't have a single negative thing to say, he simply held my hand while I ate large amounts of carbs and wept about potential futures gone sour. "It'll be okay Miss Cordy," he pats my hand as my words finally slow and I finish off another waffle. "You are young. You have so much life ahead of you. Even if things do not work out between you and your young mister, there is still so much more out there for you to discover."I guess so," I sniffle, blowing my nose on a napkin and then looking around for somewhere discreet to hide it, feeling gross and a bit rude. "Sorry." He snaps his fingers and gets the attention of one of the waitstaf
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Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 369
[Atlas]Delilah Fisher steps around the corner in a long, silver gown, her makeup flawless, and her smile large and welcoming.She looks so much like Angelica did when I first met her that my heart stutters. I love Cordelia with my entire being, and yet a part of me still reacts to the memory of the shining girl who captured my attention almost a decade ago. But this isn't Angelica. Delilah, while beautiful and poised, lacks the immaculate grace that Angelica exuded. Each of the sisters has a unique nature that shines through, despite having almost identical faces."Atlas Steele," her heels click in the silent room as she steps into the light. "Why is it so hard for you to believe your brother? Haven't you seen enough wonders in this world yet to understand that anything can be possible?""There's no such thing as mind control," I repeat. "Believing in psychic powers is for fools.""And you pride yourself on not being one," she smirks, amused. "But a true wise man would keep his mind
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 368
[Jude]Sydney. Now that she has me under her control, I'll never be free of her. When I came to save her, I was convinced she was pregnant with my child. She had sent a distress signal to me using our private channels letting me know of her pregnancy and it was enough to get me to betray the Steele family and derail their plans to find their cure. Using what I knew about Atlas' missing mother was just a distraction.My goal had always been to claim my son.But then I discovered that beyond all logic Angelica is still alive.I should have realized this was possible and known that Magnus wouldn't give up such a valuable tool so easily. Angelica had been Magnus' toy for years before she was sent into my world. I knew he had modified her, and turned her into the perfect weapon, but I had no idea how deep those modifications went until I saw her face staring at me on that magazine cover.She shouldn't have survived that explosion. And yet here she is, unscathed, awaiting a new uterus in
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 367
[Atlas]I twist my arm away from the guard in black. His face is blank as he reaches forward again. "Don't." My voice carries forward, and although it isn't loud, it holds a note of command that makes the armed guard pause."Sir," he blinks retracting his hand. "You are trespassing. I was ordered to take you into holding." My face remains still as my voice rings out again, "You will not touch us. You have no right." The guard swallows, taking a step back, my words hitting him with the force of a slap. "We will leave," I inform him. "You will report our apologies to your boss." He nods, accepting my command. "Atlas," Clark calls my attention to our situation. Blinking I snap awake, and pull my gaze from the guard. As soon as I blink, the guard stumbles backward shaking his head in confusion, as if my words and stare alone were enough to entrap him in some kind of trance. Around the edges of my vision, I see more guards headed in our direction. If we are going to make it out of h
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 366
[Atlas]Damn it, Cordelia!"Pick up, pick up, pick up," the phone rings but nobody replies. "This number is unavailable as dialed, please try again," the message on the other end informs me as my blood pressure rises and my hands shake.A moment ago I had been talking to my wife. And then the line was dead. I sent her to Canada to keep her and our children safe, and she chose to bring herself to Magnus' attention. Sending a quick message to the guards in charge of watching over my family, I stare at my screen waiting for word of their status. "Atlas, is there anything I can do to help?"Blinking away from the screen I look up at my brother as our rented van parks a few blocks away from the luau. Our driver informs us of our arrival and waits for further instructions."I'm sorry, Clark," I close my eyes, rubbing my temples. "You were saying something?""Is everything okay?" He tries again and I groan. "No." I groan honestly. "Or at least, I hope everything is fine. Lately, it seems
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 365
[Clark]The message "Tilly SOS" flicked across the screen three times before winking out, leaving my screen blank. I open my email that I keep under an alias on a secure server. There is a single message alerting me to new information available on my server. I've used this system when working with people who needed to keep their identities safe and their messages secret. The last time I needed it was working with Jude while he was still under Magnus' watch.Even though it has been months since I used it, my fingers remember the passcodes. Soon, I'll be on the server. Two emails are waiting for me, both are from Tilly's parents. In the first message, they inform me that they have landed and are settling in their new place. It is a secure facility, surrounded by several acres of land, disconnected from the distant towns and cities. The Madisons, sparing no expense, went to extra lengths to include copious additional security.They are, after all, securing their legacy. Tilly is their o
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 364
[Cordelia]There is a loud explosion just to the right of the airplane. "What was that," I lower the phone, turning it off as I gaze out the window to see what had caused the noise. "Nothing, Ma'am," the co-pilot says over his shoulder, "Just a little turbulence.""Turbulence?" I shout back as another boom resounds just outside the passenger's cabin as a curtain goes up between the pilots and the rest of the plane, blocking our view. "But we aren't even in the air yet!""Calm yourself, Mrs. Steele," Jake, the security guard, takes his phone from my numb hand. "Sit next to your children and trust your staff to get you out of here safely. We've got this, Mrs. Steele."He almost seemed offended in my lack of faith as he types into his phone what I'm guessing is a message to Atlas to calm his nerves and let him know we are alive. "But nobody is telling me what's happening," I grumble as I buckle in next to Jasper and the little girl I've decided to call Saphira until I learn her real na
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 363
[Atlas]"What do you mean gone," I barked into the phone, my hand clenching it tight enough to hear it crunch. These new smartphones seem to get flimsier with each model. I've broken 3 in the last 6 months from anger or nerves. I love my wife, but I'm pretty sure she's going to stress me into an early grave. "Your mother created a distraction, Sir," my lead guard, Jake, apologizes over the phone, not making excuses as much as stating facts. "Mrs. Suzanna Steele arrived late last night along with a young man she called Sasha. The next morning, while your mother and Ms. Devaroux kept me distracted searching for a false threat, your wife and this young man escaped."Cordelia has always been sneaky when she needs to be, and until this point, he had been very good at keeping her from falling into mischief. I wasn't expecting my mother to be part of the problem. At least now I know where she ran off to. Her room had been empty when I returned to the boat yesterday. "Are you sure it is m
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 362
[Clark]There are things that I need to keep secret from my brother, not because I do not trust him with my secrets, but because I do not want to burden him with them.Which is why I needed to get away. Without Tilly, there is no reason for me to stay on the boat."I'll meet you later, when it's time to go to the luau," I promise Atlas as I give him a hug and take my leave. I know that I could just stay at our family hotel, but I need to be somewhere else, somewhere that nobody recognizes me. And also, I want to ensure that what I am about to do is as untraceable as possible. "Mr. Janus," the man at the front desk smiles when I hand him a wad of cash in exchange for a key card. "Enjoy you stay. Please call down if you need anything."Adjusting my sunglasses, lower the bill of my baseball cap, grab my small bag, and make my way through the other guests milling around in the hotel lobby. Located along the beach it has a spectacular view of the the ocean.And the location of tonight's
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 361
[Jude]Opening the door, I push back the clinician waiting for Angelica to rise. The poor man looks lost, most likely expecting Angel to greet him and not a gruff guard in black."Excuse me," he calls out as I walk down the hall. I don't owe him any excuses or explanations. I'm her bodyguard. I can be seen coming and going from her room. Besides, I don't have time for niceties. I'm already late reporting to work. The guards all bunk together in a large room on the basement level. There are beds and a shared shower as well as a kitchen so that we don't disturb the rest of the house as we take care of our daily necessities. There weren't any free bunks when I arrived, so I sleep on a camping bed on the floor. As I march down there, the leader of the group raises his eyebrow. He can tell by the unused state of my sleeping area that I haven't been back to rest."Late night?" he questions me as I walk down the stairs, "Whoever she was, she better be worth it." He smirks. "Mr. Fisher will
