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Chapter 89
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
VictoryAnne ViceAtlas needs to get his house in order...
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[Cordelia]I didn't go straight back to the office. I couldn't. I needed time to think. So I rode the elevator to the bottom, stepped off, and took a walk around town. It doesn't seem to matter what I do, Angelica wins. Maybe I should just stop fighting. I have more important things to worry about right now than a romance between myself and the man who was supposed to be my brother-in-law.It is time that I build a life separate from Atlas Steele. Maybe we will come together when it is all over. Or maybe we will both have moved on. Either way, I need to create some distance between us. Not just for Angelica's recovery but for my own sake as well. My heart cannot take all this back and forth of emotions. If I let myself feel too much, it will continue to break my heart. I think of calling Tilly, or even Clark, but I already know what they are going to say and I don't want their opinions to cloud my decision. I need to remain strong, and if I am always looking to Atlas for validatio
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[Cordelia]The only thing harder than running the fashion department at Steele Industries is trying to be friends with Atlas Steele and watching him fall in love with my sister all over again. And I only have myself to blame. It was after all my idea. I’m the one who ended things before they even began. He wanted to date me in secret. I don’t want to be a secret, not if I am the type of secret that breaks my sister’s heart. So I told him that we could only be friends at the office and nothing more. The first few days I was fine with the new arrangement. If anything it was a relief. I finally have the space in my mind to dig deep into my work. Now that I’ve found a way to relate with everyone in the design and production departments, they are willing to listen to my ideas. The patterns from my collection are now scanned into the system and the cutting department and sewing department have been working hard to get everything made to my specifications. Tonight, we will be working on
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 92
[Cordelia]Atlas calls Theo in the design department to manage things in my absence as Angelica and her bridesmaids gleefully drag me out of the office and into the elevator.I have never met a group of grown women who can giggle as much as those four do and as they drag me into the back of a waiting car, I begin to question my sanity for agreeing to come along with them.But soon the car was zooming along taking us to our first wedding shopping spot. I don't know where we are going and I really don't care. If I could have figured out a tasteful way to exit this situation without looking like a total monster, I would have. Someone had opened a bottle of wine and had begun handing out glasses. When one was handed to me and I refused, a look of indignation crossed my sister's face and I had no problem glaring back at her while pointing to my very noticeably round stomach. "Doctor's orders," I snap. "You wouldn't want to hurt my baby, would you?" The truth is, I don't trust a glass of w
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 93
[Cordelia]When the car stopped in front of the most exclusive bridal salons in Los Angeles, my heart sank to the floor. I still remember the last day we were here. My mother brought me here without an explanation, letting it be a surprise that they had decided to marry me to Atlas in Angelica's place. I cannot remember the weather or the color of the shoes I was wearing when I entered the store, but I do remember the look of harsh judgment the owner made when she learned why I was there instead of my sister. The appointment had been made for Angelica, who had come the week before to have her measurements taken and her dress sized. Nobody would mistake me for her. "What kind of person takes her sister's fiance," she questioned me harshly as her rough hands cinched and pulled on a dress designed for a much curvier body. "Do you have no shame?""Perhaps," I remember answering, my body too stiff and stunned by the events of the week before, my face and arms still bruised from the acci
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[Cordelia]"Excuse me," I try to catch the owner's attention as she turns to leave. "I think there's been a mistake. I'm not the one getting married."The woman turns around not bothering to mask her disgust. "Are you sure? After last time how can you be so certain?"I am not going to justify myself to this woman. She doesn't need the intricate details of my relationship with the Steele Family. "Oh, Cordelia!" Angelica pops her head in. "Here you are!" She sees the way the woman is looking at me and twists her face in confusion. "Is there something wrong?"Pretending the woman's bad attitude doesn't piss me off, a skill I've mastered in recent days when dealing with Angelica, I smile brightly and sigh, "Of course not. I was just letting her know that I do not need the wedding dresses and I...""Oh! I should have told you," Angelica beams as if she had the best idea ever. "I thought it might be a fun idea for you to get to try on some wedding gowns as well since your wedding will be c
Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele Chapter 95
[Cordelia]I have no interest in trying on wedding dresses, but Angelica doesn't care. She pushes me into the room with enough force that I am sure she would lock it behind me if she could. Even without the lock, I know I am trapped. If I do not leave this room donning an appropriate wedding gown, I will have to face the wrath of the bride.Hesitantly I look through the rack of dresses. I don't know why I even bothered since it is clear that the shop owner has her own opinion about what a pregnant bride should wear, and the opinion is not kind.Still, determined to make Angelica happy, I try on each dress. I'm sure they are out there wondering about me since I don't bother with stepping out of the room to show them off. Even the ones that look like promising options make me want to cry with how terrible I look once I put them on. The worst one was a dress made of stretch satin that had so much ruching around the midsection that the champagne-colored silk made it look like I was naked
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[Atlas] It isn't every day that you receive a call from your banker asking about whether or not you authorized $500,000 in expenses at a bridal boutique in addition to $25,000 at a sex shop. Even with the financial struggles that Steele Industries has had, I am still a billionaire, but not all of those assets are liquid. I have enough money to cover it, but that doesn't mean I'm pleased with how much Angelica is spending. Even if this sham wedding were to happen, we'd still need to pay for a hall and decorations and food.We are going to need to speak about the budget before this gets more out of hand than it already is. I keep looking for signs that she remembers anything but she seems to be regaining her memories at a frustratingly slow rate. She now understands that it has been 5 years since she disappeared, but even that concession took weeks of convincing. What is she going to do when I tell her the truth? How will she react when she learns that when she disappeared I so casua
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[Cordelia]"Atlas..." My breath catches as his hand touches the edges of the veil. "May I,' he asks as he gently reaches for the lace corners that trail along the edges of my bodice. Afraid to shatter the magic of the moment with words, I nod. He steps up onto the raised platform and for a moment, time stops. My lungs fill with his clean scent, his body so close that I can feel the heat of him radiating outward, melting whatever ice was in my heart. It has been so hard since I told him I wanted to be friends. The more I see him with Angelica, the more it tears at my heart. But right now, at this moment, I don't want to think about her. It is just the two of us as he lifts the veil revealing my face as he places it gently behind my tiara. "You are so beautiful," he moves a strand of hair behind my ear and I close my eyes at the gentle touch. "Such a beautiful bride. How did I ever let you go?""Atlas," I try not to cry, but a tear slowly rolls down my face."Shhh," he gently wipes
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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
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
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[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
