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Chapter 181
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
VictoryAnne ViceCordy and Atlas are going to need to have a long talk if they are going to keep this relationship going...
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[Cordelia]I was tempted to snuggle up in bed with Atlas, wait until he wakes up, and tell him exactly how I feel. But when I checked in on him and saw that he was passed out, half-dressed, and reeking of booze and sick, any temptation I had to get closer lept out the window. So instead I left him a note. "I'll be at the studio. Come find me when you're feeling better," signing it, I placed it on his nightstand. "Cordelia," Atlas groans in his sleep as he rolls over.I almost answer, but when I hear a gentle snore, I realize he is talking in his sleep. "Don't leave," he continues to mutter. "I love you. Please stay."My heart stops. He sounds so sad in his sleep. I take a few steps closer. And a few more. "Atlas." I kiss his clammy forehead. "Why did you do this to yourself? You silly, silly man." I turn to walk back to the door, but he grabs my arm. "Please, stay," he begs. "Just...let's talk." I try to explain that he needs his rest, that he is still a bit drunk, and that now
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[Cordelia]"Atlas, I can see why you're nervous, but he genuinely seems to be coming from a good place. Maybe he investigated me and found out the truth, but we have no idea why. Maybe he used to work for the fertility clinic and felt guilty. Maybe he is working for one of the families and came across my information. He could be doing all of this from a positive place."Atlas considers this for a moment but then shakes his head. "I'd still feel better about things if you brought me with you next time you think about retrieving whatever is in that safety deposit box. We don't know what his motives are. It could all be part of some elaborate trap."I would say he is being paranoid, but I can understand his fear after what happened with Jude. Jude also seemed to be my friend. Am I too trusting?"Can I see the list of names," he asks cautiously. "Maybe I can have someone look into it."After I agree to show it to him tomorrow, his body relaxes and he leans into me. "You know," his breath i
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 184
[Cordelia]After a wonderful, reaffirming weekend of bliss, Atlas and I return to the business of clearing my reputation and making a name for myself in the fast-paced world of fashion. Today is the day of the photoshoot. Our contestants for the competition have been selected, five young hopefuls from LA and beyond along with Sydney and myself. Last night, Atlas and I returned home, bringing some belongings from his house and my studio, deciding that we will not live separately anymore, but start our life together moving forward. "We should have a party here," he suggests, "after the first day of shooting. It could be a housewarming party. It would be an excellent way to show our family in a soft light. Maybe if they see that the Steele family is just like any other, they may grow softer in their opinion of us." I love how he says, "us" and not "you," even though the problem with this publicity is mostly mine. Steele Industries is large enough to survive a little bad press. Cordeli
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The man is dragged out of the studio by security, but the damage is already done. "We'll edit that part out," Clark's drones lower from their previous hover. "Nobody will see that footage.""But my dress," I looked down at the black paint all over the beautiful green silk and a tear fell from my eyes. I hate how these damn pregnancy hormones make me emotionally weak. Tilly comes up from the front row of the audience. As she passes Clark I see a moment of connection as she moves past him, a small smile on her lips. There is no ring on her finger anymore, but the light in Clark's eyes when he looks at her tells me that things must be on the mend. "I have just the thing with this," Tilly pulls me backstage into a dressing room where she has me strip off my dress. Behind a wardrobe, she pulls out a 5-gallon bucket and a gallon jug of white vinegar. I watch in astonishment as she makes the stains disappear. "Did you prepare for this," I eye her suspiciously. "How did you know I'd need a
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 186
I don't hear the rest of what Atlas says, my mind reeling from what I just heard a moment before.How could she?! And why didn't she tell me? Why didn't she warn me? Tilly and I just spent the last 45 minutes cleaning my dress, and she said nothing about this. I look over at Tilly. "I'm sorry," she mouths silently as she takes her place by Sydney's side. Sydney smiles sweetly up at Tilly before turning to me and sneering. Oh, what I wouldn't give to smash her face into something right now. "Cordelia," Someone says my name and I snap my head to attention, coming out of my fog of anger and disappointment at Tilly's betrayal to listen."I'm sorry," I blink up at Atlas. "Can you repeat what you just said?""Cordelia," Atlas takes a deep breath. "We are still looking for the right designer to guide you," he apologizes, his eyes sad, "but we are narrowing it down to a few great options.""I see," I look down at my hands. He didn't tell me either. The two people I love more than anyone cho
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 187
[Sydney]Our plan didn't work. When I called my friend and asked for some assistance, he was sure this would be all that we needed. "She's feeling very vulnerable right now," he assured me. "Lost and unsure of her place with Atlas. She just needs a little push to send her over the edge."So I trusted him. My dad's friend has been a great help in the past. He was always quick when it came to delivering the meds I used in the wine. The man with the sign was supposed to scare that stupid Greyson girl away from the competition, maybe even cause her to argue with Atlas about the safety of the show. The dead bird was an added bit that I thought up, and at first, it seemed to work like a charm. She went running off the stage, her beautiful dress ruined, so close to tears. I was sure she would have started yelling at Atlas the moment she made it out of the dressing room in a hideous borrowed dress.But none of what happened seemed to shake her. If anything she seemed more poised and elegant
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 188
[Angelica]I have to warn Cordelia. Something is coming, something bad.Magnus called me last night right as I was getting ready for bed. I almost didn't reach it in time with my movements as limited as they have been since the accident. It has become so inconvenient, stuck in this wheelchair even with all of the help my parents hired. He was brief and to the point. Essentially, I'm being replaced. By Sydney. I'm not surprised really. As soon as she showed up I knew my days were numbered. Ironic considering she is the one person we've been able to find to save me from my other problems. "What have you done to win Atlas back?" Magnus demanded. "You should be of better use to me injured and weak, but you have missed a perfect opportunity to guilt Atlas into wanting you."He's right and I know it. But to be honest, I don't care anymore. I stopped caring the moment he pushed me in front of that bus. I am so tired of all this bull. I miss Jude. If Jude were here, I probably wouldn't ev
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[Cordelia]I can barely catch my breath as my body rocks with the ferocity of the pleasure his fingers just gave me.Did he just ask me to marry him? Tonight?"Marry you?" panting, I push him away just enough to see his face. "Are you serious?" I gasp. "Like tonight? But what about a wedding and...""We tried that before and it didn't work out," he reminds me as he smooths down my skirt and helps me steady myself. "And I don't need all the drama and cameras and everything else that comes with it, do you?""I don't want the mess from last time," I admit. It was a nightmare. Not only was it a grand, glorious affair with all the trimmings, but both the bride and groom were miserable, simply meeting the requirements of a contract signed when a different bride stood in my place."So you've agreed," his eyes light up, a boyish grin spread from ear to ear. Grabbing my hand he pulls me with him, "Let's go.""No wait," I pull back. "I didn't m
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[Cordelia]Once we were airborne and free of Canadian airspace, the tension level of the passengers on the plane immediately relaxed, as if we had passed some kind of test.Even Suzanna breathed a sigh of relief when we landed in New York City. But then she does something I wasn't expecting. She dismisses most of our guards. They nod, taking her word as a commandment, leaving us with only three security members in one of the largest airports in the United States. "This next leg of our trip will be on a commercial airline," she explained as we gathered our belongings. "We will call too much attention to us with that many guards. I'm calling in some of my own for when we arrive." She replies when I question her judgment. "Magnus likely put a tracker on this plane. We need to trick him, and there's no better place than New York City. But if we continue to move in a large pack, we're bound to attract attention." "Reste près," my mother Cristine held out a hand for me to hold as she hel
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[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
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[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
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[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
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[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
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[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
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[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
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[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
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[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
