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Chapter 199
Last Updated:
2024-07-19 03:12:52
VictoryAnne VicePoor Cordelia. Don't worry more updates coming soon. I still have three more chapters for you all today :) If you are enjoying the story, consider giving it a gem or two in appreciation. Thank you all!
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Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 200
[Cordelia]"Atlas," I gasp. "That was Atlas.""You don't know that," Tilly says as she picks up the spilled cups and takes them to the garbage. "We don't know anything for certain.""It was Atlas. I know it." Doctors rush after the gurney that disappeared around the corner. Whoever it is, they need immediate, intensive help. They say it isn't Atlas, but I know in my heart that it is. Tilly and Clark try to convince me to go back to my room, to my bed, but I refuse. Once they realize I refuse to budge from my seat, they gather some of my things and bring me sweatpants and a sweater, along with a new cup of cocoa.Three hours pass before we hear anything. A haggard doctor comes to the nurses' station and the nurse points at Clark. "Mr. Steele?"Clark rises and follows the man into a small room near reception. Twenty minutes pass. Thirty. When Clark emerges, he looks even more tired and broken than before. "Clark?"He looks up but turns his face away as he gulps down a huge cry. "It
Last Updated : 2024-07-19Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 201
[Cordelia]It's funny how many things happen at the Steele Family Hotel and Spa.After taking a proper shower and putting on some fresh clothing, I find myself standing outside of a familiar hotel suite, my hand poised near the door ready to knock. Only this time, I'm not here to find Atlas.I know where he is.This time I'm here to meet someone else who might become very important to me soon.As soon as my hand connects with the wood, Crissy Devaroux Bryant opens the door. She looks out of breath as if she ran to open it so that I didn't need to wait in the hall."Come in," she steps aside, her face bright. "I am so happy you called.""Are you sure?" I duck my head, embarrassed at the thought of being a bother."Of course," she leads me to a couch to sit on and offers me something to drink. I gladly take a warm cup of tea from her hands and she tells me about how she has wanted nothing more than to get
Last Updated : 2024-07-20Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 202
[Cordelia]"Come with you? But what about Atlas?" I gasp. "How could I leave him when he is so vulnerable? I'd be by his side right now if they'd let me.""I apologize if this sounds crass," she holds her hands out expressively as she talks, using them for emphasis as she says, "He is in a coma. We don't know when he'll be back."If ever.She doesn't say it but we both know that he may never come back. He could die in his sleep tonight, never waking from his medically induced stupor."I know that if were him, and you were my wife," she smirks raising a knowing eyebrow, "I'd want you to take care of yourself and your baby. All this stress is not good for you." I hadn't even told her about the bedrest. If she knew about that, she might not let me leave the room."You need the time to rest and recuperate. I'm not saying you should stay in Vancouver forever, but maybe a week or two of rest will be exactly what you need to fight your next b
Last Updated : 2024-07-20Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 203
[Cordelia]"I found some writing," I announce, running my fingertips underneath the writing that is almost too small to read. "Fisher Pharmaceuticals. Have you ever heard of them? The name sounds familiar.""Nope," Tilly shakes her head as goes about making up a new batch of popcorn. "Sounds important though."Fisher. Where have I heard that name before?And then it strikes me. Looking through my things, I find the card that Magnus had given to me before when we met for hot chocolate. I compare it to the one on the envelope.It is identical. Both the card and the envelope have the same fish logo."Magnus Fisher," I mumble aloud as I drop the envelope, not wanting to touch it more than necessary.I'm not worried that he poisoned it, although maybe I should considering everything he's done. I'm worried that whatever is in that envelope might poison my mind in some other way.Sometimes words can be the most
Last Updated : 2024-07-20Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 204
[The Nurse]When my shift started this evening, I was handed a contract.That is an unusual start to my day, even with the week we've had with injured celebrities and the police in and out of this ward. But my supervisor assures us that we will receive bonuses far above our usual hourly rate for providing this service, a service we are not allowed to know about until after we sign this document stating that we understand our legal rights.I need the money, so I take the contract and read it over. It's a pretty standard NDA, so I don't bother with going over the details too closely, satisfied that this document will help protect my rights as much as the rights of the patient.Once I return the contract to my supervisor who takes me to another room. With procedures like this, something can easily go wrong. Concentration is important, maybe even more so than experience or knowledge. What I'm being asked to do feels wrong, but I am not to question my orders or the wishes of my client, who
Last Updated : 2024-07-21Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 205
[Cordelia]"Well if you won't open it," Tilly takes the envelope from me. "I will."With a deft finger, she swipes open the package and carefully pours the contents onto the coffee table next to me. Inside is a note, a passport, a credit card, a copy of my birth certificate, and approximately 50,000 USD.The note is handwritten in a beautiful script, like something out of a forgotten time when people still wrote with quills. In long, fluid letters it read:__________________________Ms. Bryant,You neglected to collect your early present from the bank, so I thought it might be more convenient to have it delivered to your door. I hope you don't mind my forwardness in assuming you might need these materials as you start your new life. If you ever need help, please don't hesitate to reach out.In Fidelity,Magnus Fisher. ___________________________"So this is what was in the safe deposit box," Tilly picks up one of the stacks of cash and thumbs through it. "What is he helping you plan
Last Updated : 2024-07-21Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 206
[Cordelia]Tilly touches my shoulder. My mouth forms the words "Atlas is dead," but I can't hear the sound of my voice over the loud hum building in my ears as my blood pressure skyrockets and my vision blurs. The sound of Tilly calling Clark in the background feels like a low buzz of white noise. Placing my hands on the table, I take large, gasping breaths. How did this happen? They said he was in a coma. How can you have a heart attack in a coma?"Please don't be true, please don't be true, please don't be true." The universe would not be so cruel to bring us together only to tear us apart right as we finally find one another. Tilly looks in my direction as tears roll down her cheeks, "Cordy..." she steps forward, setting her phone down gently on the table as she collapses on the floor next to me, holding her arms open. I accept her silent offer and allow her to rock us both back and forth as we cry together. I don't hear Clark come in, but I do feel his familiar warmth as he and
Last Updated : 2024-07-21Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 207
That night, after burying Atlas and reading of his will, I flew to Vancouver with my mother, Cristiana. Although now I just call her mother, as over the last two months she has been a remarkable treasure, a best friend I always needed and didn't know I was missing. Once we were given the chance to know one another, we bonded instantly. With my help, she finalized her divorce from my father, David Bryant.I had a suspicion that he was behind a lot of Sydney's mischief, and with a little bit of digging, we were able to uncover evidence that he had been supplying her with money and other resources to break up me and Atlas. With my knowledge of the events and timing, we also found receipts that showed huge amounts of the aphrodisiac she had used to drug the wine ordered through David Bryant and shipped to her in California.At first, he protested, refusing to give her a divorce, knowing that after 30 years of marriage, she'd be entitled to half his wealth. Especially since they never sign
Last Updated : 2024-07-22
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Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 407
[Cordelia] Today is our 20th second anniversary. We've lost count of the first one, forgetting it entirely as a moment of sadness. Instead, we honor the day when we took our vows and meant them, 7 years later in Napa. Usually, we leave Los Angeles and take the week for just the two of us. Even after two decades, we haven't lost our hunger for one another and I look forward to our time away where we can just be two people together and in love. But this year, my husband is feeling a bit nostalgic. This is why I'm in the lobby of the Steele Hotel and Resort, recreating a memory I wish I could forget. When he sent me the cryptic text this afternoon, I confess I was more than a little bit confused. Why, of all places, would he want me to meet him there? At least this time I'm not wearing a hoodie with a dress tucked into a pair of loose sweats. And while my face is covered with large sunglasses, it's more to protect my identity and not draw too much attention. I am far too recogniza
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 406
[Clark] "Come on. Dad!" My daughters pull me along by my arms. I've never been able to deny them anything they wanted but tonight they are asking too much. "It's only a blind date!" "Girls," I admonish, "What have I said, I'm not ready to let someone new into my heart. Your mother was more than enough for me." Cassie stares up at me with her starlight eyes, as deep and black as her mother's, and doesn't relent. "You promised you'd let us have anything we want for our birthday. Grandma helped us pick her out. You have to try, Dad. For us!" "Grandma Suzanna or Grandma Jenny?" I grump, "Who do I need to send a thank you note." "Both!" the girls giggle. "You owe us, Dad," Cassie counters. Her red curls bounce as she stomps her foot. "Do you know how weird it is to look on a DATING AP for potential girlfriends for our father? It's so gross. You should be grateful" "Yeah," Maddie chimes in, swinging her hair over her shoulder as she twists her lips just like Tilly used to, her hand
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 405
[Jude]If the universe were fair, I wouldn't have lived to see today. If karma took her toll, I wouldn't be friends with Clark and Atlas Steele, our children growing up side by side. Once the shadow of Magnus was lifted from our shoulders, and Angelica and I were finally able to go about our lives the way we always should have been able to do, It became easier to make good with my life. Angelica and I were married shortly after Mathilda's funeral. It was a small ceremony on the family medical boat, just before the two of us set sail with our daughters, Melanie and Veronica. When the DNA showed that they were indeed my children, and NOT Magnus', that his experiment had never stuck, it was easy to adopt them. In their mind, Angelica is their mother. When they are old enough, we'll tell them the truth about Aunt Sydney, but for now, we are sparing them the burden of her insanity.And we give them love, all the love of a couple who has always wanted children of their own.Angelica, it tu
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 404
[Cordelia]15 hours later I place my feet back in LA for the first time in 6 months. We have been gone for so long that I had forgotten how loud it is, or how oppressively hot it can be in summer. Clark met us at the runway alone, the girls with their grandparents. "I hope you don't mind, but I wanted to drive you home. We could have sent a driver but," he explains, "I wanted to be the one to welcome you home." He does his best to smile, but as his melancholy grin drifts to how I hold on to my husband's hand, I can see how much this is costing him. "I'm glad it was you," I reach forward to give him a hug. "Thank you." Atlas, who has been receiving a slew of messages from Theo as soon as we landed, asks to be dropped off at the new Steele Industries building. "Looks like they need me," he apologizes, kissing my hand. "I'll make it up to you tonight," he whispers in my ear and I shiver in anticipation. "I'm going to hold you to that," I whisper discretely in his ear, trying to be mi
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 403
[Cordelia]The rest of that day went by in a blur. I insisted we rush back to the compound even though everyone had received the news that Tilly was gone. I couldn't believe it. My mind couldn't process the possibility of a world without Mathilda Madison. She wasn't just my best friend, she was my sister. So I couldn't let her go. Clark was distraught. He and Tilly took a while to find one another, and when they did finally make the right connection, they fell for one another hard. It was beautiful watching my two best friends fall in love--they were perfect for one another. But not all stories end with a happily ever after. That was a hard lesson for me to learn as well. I wanted nothing more than to watch Tilly raise her daughters. When we made it back an hour later, her body had already been collected. I had wanted to see her, to give it a chance to see if I could have brought her back: just one touch, one spark. I was convinced that I could have been the one to save her. The
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 402
[Sydney]Why can't they just let me die? It would be so easy, I'm already cut and bleeding. Why bother with the IVs and the monitors? It doesn't matter anymore. Did it ever matter?My entire existence has been a fraud. If my hands were free I'd count the ways on my fingertips all the ways I've been lied to and used.A madman altered my DNA and injected me into the wrong mother. I was raised believing I was special only to discover I was the offspring of my enemy. The man of my dreams was married to the daughter my mother was supposed to have, and I was just a cheap copy of the woman he once loved, my genetic twin, Angelica. Was this life ever really mine to begin with? Even now they aren't honoring my desire to die. "She needs more blood," the doctor announces over my head, her clear voice cutting through the din of the operating room chatter. "Her blood pressure has dropped to dangerous levels. We can't use the anesthesia. She'll need to be awake for the procedure."Procedure?"I d
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 401
[Clark]The dissection of Magnus' brain was one of the most intensely fascinating and uniquely horrifying things I have ever experienced. Using my computer to guide the charge, we attached wires to his brain, fed through a divide that my mother had retrieved from her vault. "This will disrupt his signal. It will keep him from making a full memory transfer. Hopefully whomever he's jumped into will have a fighting chance." Everything my mother has said since I volunteered for this task has sounded like something from a science fiction movie. The duplicates we had seen in Delilah's footage of her father's secret lab were all designed to hold Magnus's memories in an artificial extension of his life. Not all of them looked like his current body, as often it was useful for him to become someone entirely different for spying purposes. "Is this how he always seemed to know everything?" I ask aloud. We had wondered how he managed to get around all of our codes, to find ways to learn about wh
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 400
[Cordelia]"Wally?" Holding my hand above his head, I pause, hesitating. Just a moment before I was about to take this man's life without even the smallest shred of remorse. It was necessary to protect my family. My children and my husband. "Cordelia," He blinks, his eyes roving my face and the surroundings like a caged animal. Licking his dry, salty lips, his body is otherwise completely still. "I don't have much time. He's fighting me...I..."Wally's muscles spasm, shaking Atlas as well as he holds him in place. Closing his eyes, his body stills, as if the effort of keeping still is so great that he cannot do anything else at the same time. He whispers something that I can't quite make out, so I lean in, trying to capture his words.As my hair brushes his cheek, he repeats himself. "You need to end this, Cordelia. Don't let him escape to harm another. His other mind is gone, Suzanna saw to it, but he can still jump to someone else.""Wally, what are you saying," I shake my head. "No
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 399
[Cordelia]Atlas and I raced down the hall to the exit, soldiers moving out of our way as we passed, nobody bothering to stop us as my husband's icy glare and dominant aura kept them pinned in place. Magnus is dead and I have never been more terrified in my life. The door to the outside pushes open and we are instantly blinded by the overhead sunshine that covers the beach with an oddly bright gray that stings the eyes. It is warmer than it had been earlier, the wind having died down, trapping the moisture of impending rain, held in place by the gathering storm. "Jasper," I call out gently, scanning the beach. "Wally?""Atlas do you see Jasper?" I grab my husband's arm. His pulse is rapid beneath my fingertips as we move forward as one and find the abandoned picnic blanket and Jasper's little galoshes next to a much larger pair. "Wally!" I scream out towards the waves and find him standing in the water, at the far edge of the beach. There is no sign of my son. None. It's as if the
