LOGINShare
Chapter 228
Last Updated:
2024-07-30 02:32:21Related chapters
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 229
[Atlas]As soon as the girls left the office, I could hear the sound of Clark closing all the blinds and turning on the light."You might as well come out," he grumbles. "I know you heard everything."I press open the panel where my hidden office rests. From the outside, it just looks like an ordinary bookshelf, but if you know how to access it, the bookshelf slides out of the way opening into a small but well-stocked room, barely bigger than a desk, with a private bathroom and a minifridge. It's not so different from the type of panic rooms that many executives have built into their office spaces, and that is likely what this room will become once the charade is done.From this hidden office, I listen in on meetings and conversations, sending Clark text messages or emails to help him negotiate trickier situations. He is a good enough businessman to handle most of the day-to-day work on his own but I still feel responsible for the success of S
Last Updated : 2024-07-31Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 230
[Cordelia]We followed Clark and the police officer to a private office away from the rest of the hospital. It didn't have the antiseptic feel of the emergency room, nor the unflattering overhead florescent lighting. Instead, it had soft chairs and sunshine. Just outside the window is a beautiful rose garden. It seems wrong that we are disturbing this space."This the hospice wing," Clark explains and it makes sense. This is the part of the hospital where the very old and the terminally ill come to spend their last days. They want those days to be peaceful and pleasant. "I recognize it from Grandpa Jasper," his voice is soft and sad. He looks at little Jasper bundled in my arms and his eyes fill with tears. "Why did they bring us here, Clark?" my voice is shaking and Tilly grabs my arm. A doctor walks through the door and takes a chair across from us. "I brought you here because I am hoping you'll allow me to be your specialist. After looking at your son's scans, I am certain I can h
Last Updated : 2024-07-31Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 231
[Cordelia]"Doctor, are you saying my little boy is seriously ill? That it isn’t just a cold?"I can't remember what he says next because everything else is a blur. His words rush past me in a whirlwind of confusion. More scans, more tests, more treatments that may or may not work. Apparently this virus is so lethal that it kills most of the people who catch it. It’s also extremely rare. Steele Labs had been working on a cure for this virus and several others by making a miracle treatment that would work on everything from this illness to infant lung cancer.They died before they could ever share it with the world. And now my baby, my perfect baby boy, might be dying like so many other Steele babies before him. "He's a strong, healthy child," the doctor assures us, "And while there is no perfect cure for an illness like this, but with treatment he has a chance. We were able to save Atlas and Clark from this illness, maybe some of the same treatments will work for Jasper.""But it mi
Last Updated : 2024-08-01Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 232
[Cordelia]"Magnus?" A cold chill runs down my spine. "Magnus Fisher.""If I had only known," Atlas runs his hands through his hair, "I could have alerted the police when he first appeared to you. I could have stopped this disaster from tumbling out of control."Something clicks, something Angelica said before she died. "Atlas, before Angelica died she mentioned something about there being someone out there who she was trying to protect me from, somebody more terrible than I could imagine. She said he was the reason she was doing all the terrible things that she was doing to drive us apart," I blink up at Atlas. "Could that person have been Magnus?"Atlas looks startled. "If that's true, how deep does this go?" Atlas wonders aloud. "If Magnus had a hand in Angelica's disappearance, or even in our relationship..."Atlas' eyes brighten with realization, but then his face falls as the meaning sinks in. "How many people has Magnus sen
Last Updated : 2024-08-01Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 233
[Cordelia]When we returned to Steele Industries, my mother was waiting anxiously. Sydney was nowhere to be seen, buried deep in the archives. She looked lost, despondent, and so alone my heart ached to see it. Being around Sydney is only causing her pain. I think of my other mother, the one who raised me, and wonder how she is doing. I haven't spoken to her since that awkward tea. Mr. Greyson, the man I grew up calling father, has called a few times and left a few messages. He even sent a small care package when Jasper was gone. But I haven't been ready to forgive them. Seeing Crissy Devaroux is making me question whether or not I have been fair to them. Yes, I never felt showered with their affection, but maybe that isn't entirely their fault. Maybe as a younger child, I would have always felt like I was living in my older sister's shadow. Maybe, I should give them another chance. "Maman, are you okay," I sit down next to her and wrap my arms around her to give her a sideways hu
Last Updated : 2024-08-02Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 234
[Cordelia]After rocking Jasper to sleep and saying goodnight to my mother, I went about preparing for my evening. I never had wedding jitters, Atlas made it quite clear that first night that he would not be touching me and that he never had plans to consummate our union. He hated me for reasons we have since realized were foolish.But tonight I have jitters. 6 years later, ironically enough, on the same night as our original wedding. I had been a spring bride. April showers bring May flowers and the world was abloom. It was supposed to be romantic. Unfortunately, those same April showers also brought disaster.It isn't raining tonight. The sky is clear except for a few clouds glowing in the moonlight over the ocean. This is a beautiful location. Jaxon Steele picked a paradise to build his home on and raise his family. Hopefully, if things go well, Jasper will live and we'll raise our family here as he would have.With Atlas by my side, we'll
Last Updated : 2024-08-02Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 235
[Sydney]"Alright, Ms. Sydney," Stelly, our security guard comes up to remind me it is time to go for the evening. "You are the last one left in the building. Again.""Oh dear," I look around pretending that I hadn't noticed. "I guess I did it again. I guess I'll have to continue my work at home." Picking up a stack of manila folders and my notebook, I jam them into my leather bag."You work too hard," he comments, shaking his head. He's a big teddy bear of a man, 6'2" and as wide as he is tall.I know he finds me beautiful, so I let him think I might be interested when he helps me open the door. It never hurts to have a person like him in my back pocket."Thank you," I bend over to pick something up, knowing that he can't help but watch. "I do appreciate how you make such an effort to care for me."His face is the perfect shade of cherub pink as I wave to him on my way out to my car.I need a drink. It's been
Last Updated : 2024-08-03Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 236
[Cordelia]Atlas has come to me every night since he revealed he is hiding here living in the walls like a voyeuristic specter, watching our day-to-day life. That is when he isn't haunting Steele Industries, making sure that Clark doesn't accidentally run the business into the ground. Until we gather enough evidence to prove our case, Atlas needs to remain in the shadows.In the meantime, we need to make the best of our situation. Every night we make love, reaffirming our commitment to one another. And every morning as the first rays of the sun appear on the horizon, he leaves me alone in a cooling bed, the scent of him on my skin. With my mother still in the house, we cannot risk her finding us and discovering Atlas' secret.Too many people already know he is still alive for it to be safe. In some ways, the police were right when they recommended we stay apart. Now that we are back together, I can't keep a goofy smile off my face. If someone is watching m
Last Updated : 2024-08-03
Latest chapter
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
