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Chapter 273
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
VictoryAnne ViceThank you all! This story will start speeding up now as we barrel forward towards the finish line. I appreciate each and every one of you! Victory
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[Atlas]A month has passed since Cordelia and I went our separate ways to save our family and bring everyone home. A month of hell. Everything irritates me. The sound of Delilah's voice as she brings me my morning coffee and the latest fashion news. Clark as he shows me yet again that Cordelia has sent him a message, HIM and not me. And the photos. Jude, the man who kidnapped Cordelia and trapped her on an island with my first love, Angelica, is asking me to trust him with my child. Somehow he got my cell phone number and has been sending me photos discretely. Photos of my son being cared for by two enemies--Sydney and Henri. I'm not sure if he is trying to comfort me or torture me, but considering our history, likely both. "I wonder if Cordy is also receiving photos," Clark wonders at one point. "She's been getting messages and we haven't been." "Does it matter," I muse, "I still don't trust him." Fall Fashion Week is just a month away. Steele Industries plans to make a big sh
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[Jude]She isn't Angelica. No amount of wishing her to be Angelica will make her into the woman that I once loved. That I still love--I don't think it is possible for me to ever stop loving her. I knew what she was about when she started flirting, but I was lonely enough to not care. Now I just wish she'd go away, that I could forget we even started this mess. This isn't right, this fooling around. Especially now that I know she is playing around with my affections just to keep me under Magnus' control. I wish I hadn't seen that text on her phone. I could have gone on believing we had something real if I hadn't"It's 5:30," I nudge her foot and she groans, rolling over, her beautifully round breasts cresting the comforter. "It's time for you to get back to your job. Jasper will be hungry and Henri will be worried." "Do I have to," Sydney pouts, her eyes still closed as pulls the blankets roughly over her naked form, flashing her other assets in the process. Closing my eyes, I turn aw
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 276
[Cordelia]My husband took long enough to read and decipher my message. I guess I could have made it easier for him, but I didn't want to risk Magnus finding out the truth. I arrived last night. Officially I'm staying in a hotel in Downtown LA while I prepare for my presentation at LA Fashion Week. My mother and I have created a satellite version of Devaroux Designs here in LA located just across from Steele Industries.My plan to pretend at a hostile takeover of Steele Industries as a way to get control of Atlas' holdings and find the location of the cure to give to Magnus is on target. With Clark's help, I have "purchased" stock from several board members, including himself and Atlas, to have the controlling share--38%. This is more than I need to shut Atlas out of his own company. As the disgruntled current wife who refuses to give Atlas a divorce, I am using all of my might as Mrs. Atlas Steele to take him down piece by piece--first socially, then financially, and finally I will
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[Cordelia]I've never been so happy, to get so little sleep. But in the morning the reality of our situation came to rest on us both as a crushing weight. We need to lure Magnus into our trap, but how?"We need to make a loud, public show of it," Atlas decides as he runs a finger up my naked spine, using my back as a prop as he maps out our plans, his fingers dancing along my ribs. "We need to taunt him into coming forward, get him to want to come to us." The problem is, that Magnus is an intelligent, complex man. He must know that someone at his headquarters is feeding us information. He's very likely testing Jude with this information that our baby's time is limited. "Do you want to risk that though," I sit up, grabbing a nearby robe. "What if Jude's report is correct? Our son will only have weeks to live without his treatment. "What he needs is the cure," Atlas looks up towards the attic. "But if we put the cure out there, he'll steal it. There is no way around it.""What if we
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 278
[Cordelia]Two hours later, give or take 15 minutes, we finally separated ourselves from one another long enough to get dressed and eat. Once breakfast was done, we needed to set our plan into motion. But first, we need the cure. We know WHERE it is, or at least we think we do. The problem is that Susanna Steele was just too good at creating locks."This is an awful lot of lock for a kid's treasure chest," I observe as I lift and drop the lock for the third time, baffled as to how to open it. "Couldn't we just break the damn thing?""The treasure chest is made of titanium. She was tired of us breaking all of the toys she'd invented for us, so she started having them crafted out of titanium. She made this chest in our shop out back. She manufactured a lot of her special gadgets out there.""That shop out there is your mom's?" I don't know why I'm so surprised. From everything he's told me, his mother was just as much a master craftsperson as her husband who built the house. "They sh
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 279
[Cordelia]Atlas turns the book around and shows me the pages in the book where his mother explains the locking mechanism she installed on the box. According to her notes, she had finished the lock only a week before she died."She knew," a tear fell on the yellowed paper. "She must have known he was coming for the cure. She made this lock knowing. And the key," he shows me her drawing of the comb with rays of light bouncing from the gems. It is a lovely rendering, the comb looking like a precious bit of treasure."She made sure it was something that would stay in the family," I marvel, laughing. "The first real present you ever give me turns out to be the key to saving our family. You weren't kidding when you told me it is priceless."There were so many moments when this precious heirloom could have been lost forever. I almost left it behind at the first fashion expo, it nearly burned in the fire that had been set at my studio as well. I almost gave it up for collateral for what ended
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[Cordelia]Now that we have a focus and a goal, our team was able to leap into motion. While I called the media to set up our first interviews, Atlas and Clark worked hard on coding a message asking Jude for a supply list and the name of someone trustworthy to be our scientist for this little production we are creating in Magnus' honor.None of us are going to contact Magnus directly. The thought is, that if we make enough things around him turn, he'll come to us. Which is why I'm now sitting on a sound stage next to my husband, our hands joined. "So, Mr. and Mrs. Steele, Atlas, and Cordelia if I may," the interviewer, a tall slender man with a bright smile and shining hair grins to the cameras while also managing to look sincere. "Tell us more about this miracle cure. How is it that two fashion designers find themselves manufacturing a potential cure for a deadly virus."Altas leans in as if telling a secret as he speaks to both the interviewer and our audience, "It all started wit
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[Cordelia]The plan requires Magnus to come to us. Either in person or on the phone. We need to find out the location of the facility. We are almost 100% certain that our message system has been compromised. We aren't sure if it is on Jude's end, our end, or both, but considering we each have a Greyson sister it could be either one. Neither Sydney nor Delilah can be trusted. Thankfully, we didn't have long to wait. Once my interview went viral, Magnus began reaching out. First I received a text. "Mrs. Steele. That was very bold of you. You called me out by name. There will be consequences." When I showed Atlas, he had to be the voice of reason. "He's bluffing," he tried to convince me. "He can't hurt Jasper because he needs him. But he's also at risk with our reward. He needs to make a deal with us soon and he knows it."I want to believe them, I do, but each subsequent message is more and more verbally suggestive.And then he begins showing pictures of Jasper. He is starting to l
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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
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
