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Chapter Four : The enemy’s secret
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-02-16 02:07:50The moment the news segment ended, the air in the villa thickened with tension. The flickering light from the television cast uneven shadows across the walls, but Juniper was focused solely on Adrian.
He stood near the couch, his jaw clenched so tightly she thought it might crack. His fists were curled at his sides, the tendons in his forearms visible beneath the rolled-up sleeves of his crisp white shirt. He hadn’t moved since the broadcast started, but his silence was louder than any outburst.
Juniper crossed her arms. “That was quite the headline,” she said, her voice cutting through the stillness like a blade.
Adrian didn’t flinch. Instead, he reached for the remote, his movements precise, and turned off the TV with a sharp click.
“News exaggerates,” he said smoothly, but there was something too controlled about the way he said it, as if he were gripping the edges of his patience.
Juniper narrowed her eyes. “Right. And you just happen to be the unfortunate billionaire caught in the middle of a ‘misunderstanding’?”
He exhaled sharply and turned toward the bar cart in the corner. The crystal decanters gleamed under the dim light, their contents sloshing slightly as he poured himself a drink.
“I don’t have time for this,” he muttered, raising the glass to his lips.
Juniper followed, closing the distance before he could take a sip. She planted her hands on the counter, blocking him. “Make time, Blackwood.”
He paused. His grip tightened around the glass, but he didn’t move.
“You really think I’d be stupid enough to get caught if I were actually doing something illegal?”
“I don’t know,” she said, tilting her head. “You do a lot of stupid things.”
That got a reaction. Adrian’s eyes flicked to hers, sharp as glass, piercing and unreadable.
“Careful, Hale,” he murmured, his voice low and warning. “You’re in my house.”
She didn’t back down. “And you’re in a mess. The question is, are you guilty, or just arrogant enough to think you could get away with it?”
Adrian’s fingers twitched at his side. He was a man who prided himself on control, yet something about this accusation was unsettling him.
Juniper studied him carefully. “You’re hiding something.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked. “Drop it.”
“No.”
He turned away, shoulders tensing. “Then enjoy chasing ghosts.”
The conversation was over.
For now.
Later That Night
The storm had passed, but the sky remained thick with heavy clouds. The distant rumble of thunder echoed over the ocean, and the rhythmic crash of waves against the cliffs filled the night air.
Juniper paced the dimly lit hallway of the villa, her bare feet silent against the cool marble floor. She had tried to sleep, but Adrian’s behavior kept replaying in her mind. The way he had avoided her questions. The tension in his posture. The cold finality in his voice when he told her to drop it.
Adrian Blackwood was hiding something.
And Juniper Hale had never been good at letting things go.
Her gaze flicked toward the hallway leading to his office.
She had seen the way he retreated there after dinner, shutting himself away with his laptop and a glass of whiskey. He had barely spoken to her, lost in whatever secrets he was keeping.
If Adrian Blackwood had a truth he didn’t want her to find, she was going to dig until she unearthed it.
She moved carefully, stepping lightly, her breath steady. The villa was eerily silent, the only sound the faint hum of the wind outside.
Reaching the office door, she hesitated, pressing her ear against the wood.
Silence.
She wrapped her fingers around the handle and twisted.
Unlocked.
The moment she stepped inside, the scent of leather and expensive cologne surrounded her. The office was dimly lit by the moonlight filtering through the tall windows, casting long, jagged shadows across the sleek furniture.
Juniper moved toward the massive mahogany desk. Adrian’s sleek laptop sat open, the screen dark.
She tapped the trackpad.
The screen flickered to life.
A folder sat on the desktop labeled CONFIDENTIAL.
Juniper hesitated.
Then double-clicked.
A password prompt appeared.
Figures.
She glanced at the papers scattered across his desk—financial reports, lists of transactions, notes scribbled in Adrian’s bold, slanted handwriting.
Then, a sticky note caught her eye.
A.B.1989
She typed it in.
Incorrect.
She frowned. Maybe his mother’s name? His company? His yacht?
She tried Blackwood, Avalon, even Whiskey123 out of pure curiosity.
Nothing.
Her fingers drummed against the desk, frustration creeping in.
Then, beneath a pile of reports, another note.
A date.
The same one he had told her about during the storm.
The year his father had locked him on the boat.
Her heart pounded as she typed it in.
1999Storm
The folder opened.
Juniper’s stomach tightened as a list of encrypted files appeared on the screen. The file names were a mess of numbers and letters, but one word stood out among them.
“Langford.”
Her breath caught.
Victoria Langford.
Adrian’s ex-fiancée.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. What the hell was she doing in his private files?
She clicked on the file.
Another password.
Juniper clenched her jaw. The fact that these files existed at all meant something.
She took out her phone to snap a picture—
A noise outside.
Juniper froze.
The sound of footsteps. Slow. Deliberate.
Her pulse pounded. She quickly shut the laptop and backed away, her breath shallow.
The footsteps weren’t coming from Adrian’s room.
They were coming from the hallway.
A prickle ran down her spine.
She swallowed hard and reached for the light switch. But just as her fingers brushed it—
The power cut out.
Darkness swallowed the villa.
Her breath hitched.
Somewhere nearby, a faint creak echoed—the unmistakable sound of a door opening.
Someone was in the house.
Juniper pressed herself against the wall, her phone clenched tightly in her fist.
Her fingers trembled as she typed a message.
Juniper: Someone’s here. Where are you?
Seconds passed.
Then her phone vibrated.
Adrian: Stay where you are. I’m coming.
A cold chill slid down her spine.
She didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe.
And then—
A shadow passed by the office door.
Bab terkait
Stranded with the Billionaire Chapter Five : Trust Fall
Juniper’s pulse pounded in her ears as the shadow outside the office door shifted. The villa was too quiet, the usual crash of the waves against the cliffs suddenly feeling distant, muted by the suffocating silence.She gripped her phone tighter, her body pressed against the wall. Where the hell was Adrian?The doorknob twisted.Juniper’s breath hitched.Before she could react, the door burst open, and a dark figure lunged inside.She spun away, scrambling toward the desk, her hands fumbling for anything she could use as a weapon. Her fingers wrapped around a heavy glass paperweight just as the intruder reached for her.“Don’t,” she warned, lifting the makeshift weapon.The figure hesitated. The dim moonlight filtering through the windows revealed a man dressed in black, his face partially concealed by a mask. His stance was tense, calculated.Not a burglar. Someone with a purpose.“What do you want?” she demanded, inching toward the door.The man didn’t answer. Instead, he took anoth
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-16Stranded with the Billionaire Chapter Six : Ghosts of the past
The villa remained quiet, with only the waves striking the rocky shore in a rhythmic motion.' The storm had passed, and the stillness of it was lingering on Juniper's skin. A faint semblance of rain washed in the air, along with the salty water and sea salt present below. With her pulse racing, she sat in Adrian's office clutching the photograph she had found. Its age, curving edges, and faded colors over time. Yet, the picture itself was evident. Caroline Hale, the mother of the person featured in the picture, was seated beside a man wearing slit-coloured clothing. The shadows obscured his face to some extent, but Juniper knew. She felt a tightening of her chest and the familiar curve of his jaw, its commanding presence even in the stillness. Adrian. She was struck with force by the realization. Suddenly felt so thick inside her, the air slammed into place as the implications settled in. How long had he known? For what period of time was this kept from her? (No question asked)
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-25Stranded with the Billionaire Chapter Seven : The Walkaway
The sharp wind of New York City whipped against Juniper’s face as she stepped out of the taxi, her coat billowing around her. The city felt colder than she remembered, harsher, less forgiving. Or maybe she was just different.A week had passed since she had left the island. Seven days since Adrian had told her to walk away. Seven days of silence, of questions echoing in her mind, of restless nights spent staring at her ceiling, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do now.Adrian Blackwood was no longer just the billionaire she loathed. He was a man tangled in her past, in the deepest wound of her life, her mother’s death. And instead of answers, all she had was his cryptic confession and the slamming door of his villa.She tightened her grip on her purse, forcing herself to focus. Whatever had happened between them, it didn’t matter now. The past was a ghost she had no intention of chasing.She walked briskly through the glass doors of The Hale Foundation, her nonprofit’s headq
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-25Stranded with the Billionaire Chapter Eight : Reckoning
The glass doors of Blackwood Industries slammed open as Juniper strode inside, her heels clicking against the marble floor like gunfire. The receptionist barely had time to gasp before Juniper’s voice sliced through the tension in the room.“I want to see him. Now.”The young woman hesitated. “Mr. Blackwood is in a meeting, Ms. Hale, and he…”“I don’t care,” Juniper snapped, her pulse a war drum against her ribs.Everything was unraveling. The lawsuit. The accusations. The million-dollar donation. And AdrianHe had known. He had known something about her mother, about her death, and he had stayed silent.She stormed past the receptionist, ignoring the shouts of protest, and pushed open the heavy mahogany doors to the boardroom.The scene inside was chaos.Adrian sat at the head of the table, his expression carved from stone as his board members hurled accusations like daggers.“This lawsuit will cripple us.”“The shareholders want you gone.”“The Blackwood name can’t afford another sca
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-25Stranded with the Billionaire Chapter Nine: Fever Pitch
The storm had passed, but its ghost lingered in the heavy air, thick with humidity and the distant scent of salt. Juniper sat by the massive four-poster bed, watching Adrian’s chest rise and fall in uneven breaths. His skin was pale, damp with sweat, his usually sharp features softened by exhaustion.The fever had taken hold quickly, one moment he’d been standing in the boardroom, defiant in the face of his ousting, and the next, he had collapsed, his body finally surrendering to the relentless pressure.Now, he was barely conscious.Juniper dipped a cloth into the cool water beside her, wrung it out, and pressed it against his forehead. He let out a quiet sigh, shifting slightly toward her touch.It was unsettling to see him like this. Adrian Blackwood was always in control, always commanding. Seeing him vulnerable and weak did something strange to her chest.He murmured something incoherent.She leaned in. “Adrian?”His lashes fluttered.“Stay,” he rasped.Juniper hesitated.She sho
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-25Stranded with the Billionaire Chapter Ten : Poison
The sharp click of Juniper’s heels echoed through the marble hallways of Blackwood Industries, each step a warning. A storm brewed inside her, seething beneath her composed exterior. She barely registered the passing employees, their hushed whispers a backdrop to the white-hot fury coursing through her veins. Her hands trembled as she clutched the printed research reports, the damning evidence of sabotage.Someone had tampered with her findings.Not just anyone—her.Charlotte Laurent.The ex-fiancée. The woman who had swept back into Adrian’s life like a hurricane, leaving destruction in her wake.Juniper’s chest tightened, fury and betrayal intertwining in a suffocating grip. The numbers in the reports didn’t lie. The funding allocations had been altered, the environmental impact data manipulated beyond recognition. What was once a promising, groundbreaking initiative had been twisted into a disaster on paper.She stormed into Adrian’s office without knocking.Adrian sat at his desk,
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-27Stranded with the Billionaire Chapter Eleven : Sacrifice
The lab's entrance was covered in streaks of paint, with red and blue flashing lights on the NYPD squad cars causing damage. Smoke drifted into the night sky, a somber image of the devastation that had occurred just minutes prior. The scene was grim. As an ambulance sat on the back, Juniper's hands were shaking and her ears persisted in ringing from the explosion. The wounded were being treated by medical personnel surrounding her. Despite bruises and coughing among her team members, no one had been killed. That was the only consolation. Then she saw Adrian. Standing near the wreckage, he spoke to a police officer with an incomprehensible look. He was confused. The blood streaks on his shirt were a blend of his and others. The reason for Juniper's breath being choppy was his determination to hold himself upright. The man was on the brink of entering a war zone, aware that his chances of winning were slim. She walked past the paramedics and ran towards him. "What's taking place wit
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-27Stranded with the Billionaire Chapter 12 : The Truth
Docks stretched out in the background, with salt and moisture clinging to the surface.' Juniper's boots were covered in slick wooden planks, and the fog was curving around her ankles. But her heart sank in against her ribs, and she held on tightly to the phone. The reason for Adrian's imprisonment was her. Without the truth, she couldn't depart. A paused clap was heard in the background.? “Brave little Juniper.”. Juniper's stomach clenched. Victoria Langford. A slim black trench coat, blonde hair pinched in, and a face made of solidified ice as she stepped into the dimness of stifled dock lights. Juniper ingested the terror that was gripping her throat.'". “You sent the note.”. Victoria smirked. “You came alone. How noble.”. Juniper leaned back. "You have to give me something to say.". With her heels racing against the stump, Victoria circled around. Aren't you the hero of this tale, too? With her fingers clasped tightly around her phone, Juniper expressed:
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-27
Bab terbaru
Stranded with the Billionaire Chapter 39: No Way Out
The Warning. “You shouldn't have come here.”. The voice swayed like smoke across the cave. Low. Rough. Hungry. Juniper's breath hitched. She felt the weight of those words shivering against her skin, colder than the damp air inundating around them. She ran around, scouting the dark as it changed. The chamber was spacious and staring out at them, the torchlight illuminating darkened stone walls. Its. They migrated like uncannible spirits, decomposing into hollows, turning shapes into nightmares. Somewhere in the gloom, movement. Subtle. Controlled. Her pulse pounding against her ribs. Adrian's arm protruded in front of her, creating a silent and instinctive barrier. His stance—wide, steady—was pure defense. A wall of quiet fury. When it came, his voice was composed. Too calm. “Show yourself.”. Silence. Then—footsteps. Slow. Measured. They resonated throughout the cave, filling the void between pulses. A person came out of hiding.. Tall. Scarred. Armed. Juniper's muscles
Stranded with the Billionaire Chapter 38: Nowhere to Run
ImpactPain.Juniper’s body slammed into the water like a stone thrown from a rooftop. The impact ripped through her, knocking the air from her lungs in a violent rush. Cold, unforgiving darkness swallowed her whole.The river closed over her head, pressing in from all sides. The weight of it was suffocating, the churning currents dragging her down, down, down into the abyss.Her body twisted violently, spun like a leaf in a hurricane. Her limbs flailed, her lungs screamed.Up. Where’s up?She had no sense of direction, no light to guide her—just the numbing cold and the thunderous roar of the waterfall above.She kicked hard, fighting against the relentless pull of the river. Her muscles burned, her chest tightened. She was running out of air.Then—a burst of light.She broke the surface with a desperate gasp, sucking in air so fast it burned.The waterfall roared behind her, monstrous and deafening. The river wasn’t done with her yet—it dragged her forward, shoving her downstream li
Stranded with the Billionaire Chapter 37: Into the Abyss
The Fall. Cold. Violent. Endless. Juniper slammed into the water. The impact was brutal, unforgiving. Her body was in agony as it dislodged the air from her lungs. She was being pulled down by the river, which had engulfed her like no other. She was suffocated and cold, with darkness covering her like a veil. Her body was twisted by the force of the current, which caused her to spin like a ragdoll in twilight. Despite her body hurtling with pain, the river's frozen texture tugged on her like a string of iron chains. Up. I need to get up. Her chest gashes, desperately seeking oxygen, yet she couldn't determine which direction to kick. Her sense of direction was lost to the river, leaving only chaos and panic. Wildly, Juniper's arms waving their wings as he held something. Then—a hand. Strong. Unyielding. Familiar. Her wrist was gripped by it, unyielding and relentless, lifting her upwards toward redemption. Adrian. They broke the surface together. Juniper gasped, heaving f
Stranded with the Billionaire Chapter 36 – Freefall
The Jeep plunged. Wind blew through the windshield, biting Juniper's hair and hitting her like a thousand tiny knives. Her stomach flipped violently, causing a sharp, nauseating lurch that sent her packing. Outside, the world shifted into a chaotic blur of trees, rock, and sky. The ground rose excessively quickly.? The Jeep fell to the ground as Juniper's hands searched for something to hold onto, but it was a free-falling metal coffin. The force of her seatbelt caused her to contract an almost fatal injury by biting her ribs. Then—a hard yank. The arm of Adrian was encircling her waist, his strength commensurate with his stiffness against hers. With a hot and ragged breath, he pulled her closer with his hand to touch her cheek. “Brace yourself!”. CRASH. The impact was akin to hitting the spine. Glass exploded. A metal scream came from behind the Jeep as it ran under the canopy, snapping branches like broken bones. The globe swayed in opposite directions, then changed directi
Stranded with the Billionaire Chapter 35: Under Siege
The ExplosionBOOM.The door exploded inward.Splinters shredded the air, slicing through the dimly lit cabin.Juniper barely had time to duck before the blast wave ripped past her, sending a storm of wood and dust flying.Adrian grabbed her, yanking her down. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, shielding her.Gunfire erupted.The walls shook as bullets ripped through the cabin. Glass shattered, wood splintered, and the air filled with the acrid scent of gunpowder.Ethan cursed, returning fire. His gun barked in rapid bursts, each shot precise. “They brought a damn arsenal!”Adrian’s grip on Juniper tightened. “We have to move.”Juniper’s breath came short, fast. Her ears rang from the blast.“They’ll see us,” she gasped.Then—a voice.Deep. Cold. Familiar.“Give it up, Blackwood.”Juniper’s chest seized.Damien.His voice cut through the chaos like a blade. Calm. Unshaken.He was here.Adrian’s jaw clenched. A muscle ticked in his cheek. “Like hell.”Ethan’s gun clicked empty. He m
Stranded with the Billionaire Chapter 34: The Crash
A Split Second Before ImpactThe SUV hurtled through the air.Juniper’s breath locked in her throat. Weightless.The world slowed.Adrian yanked the wheel, muscles straining, but there was nothing to control.Then—impact.Metal shrieked.Glass exploded.The SUV smashed down, nose-first, onto the pavement below. The force slammed Juniper forward into her seatbelt, knocking the air from her lungs.Adrian fought the wheel, but momentum was against them. The car spun.Juniper’s vision blurred as the world tilted sideways.BANG.They hit the guardrail.The sound was deafening—steel on steel, tires screeching as the car fishtailed out of control.Ethan shouted. “Hold on!”Too late.The SUV tipped.For a terrifying heartbeat, Juniper felt herself floating.Then—a drop.Her stomach plunged.The SUV pitched forward off the road, crashing down into a steep ditch.BOOM.Metal crunched. The impact whipped Juniper sideways, her skull smashing against the window.Pain exploded.Darkness threatened
Stranded with the Billionaire Chapter 33: Nowhere is Safe
Juniper’s fingers curled tightly around her phone as she stared at the message on the screen.Unknown Number: You think this is over?A chill prickled down her spine. Her stomach knotted.“Adrian,” she said, her voice sharper than she intended. “We have a problem.”Adrian’s focus stayed on the road, his hands gripping the wheel like a lifeline. “What now?”She turned the screen toward him. The glow of the text cast an eerie light over his face. His expression darkened instantly, jaw locking, eyes flashing with something cold.Ethan leaned forward from the back seat. “That Damien?”Juniper’s mouth felt dry. “Who else?”Adrian’s fingers flexed on the wheel. His knuckles were bone-white. “He never gives up.”Ethan scoffed. “Yeah, no shit. What does he want now?”Before Juniper could answer, her phone vibrated again. Another message.Unknown Number: See you soon.A shiver ran through her.Ethan let out a low curse. “That’s not ominous at all.”Juniper forced a breath through her nose, ste
Stranded with the Billionaire Chapter 32: No Way Out
“Adrian!”Juniper’s scream barely cut through the chaos.The SUV hurtled between two massive trucks, scraping so close that she swore she heard metal screeching against metal. The blinding headlights swallowed them whole, and for a fraction of a second, time seemed to freeze—her pulse hammering in her throat, her breath caught between terror and adrenaline.Then—BAM!The SUV shot out onto the open road. Behind them, the trucks blared their horns, slamming on their brakes to avoid crashing into Damien’s pursuing vehicles.Ethan clung to the headrest, his knuckles white. “Are you trying to get us killed?”Adrian’s grip on the wheel was a death vise. “If I stop, we’re dead anyway.”Behind them, Damien’s men weren’t letting up. Another blacked-out SUV tore through the intersection, plowing over the curb and speeding toward them like a missile.Juniper turned, her stomach twisting. “They’re gaining!”Adrian didn’t hesitate. “Hold on.”He yanked the wheel right—hard.The SUV skidded, tires
Stranded with the Billionaire Chapter 31: All or Nothing
“Go! Go! Go!”Adrian slammed the gas pedal to the floor. The SUV roared forward, weaving dangerously through the tight alleyway as bullets pinged off the metal frame.Juniper clutched the door handle, her knuckles white. “They’re still on us!”Ethan twisted in the back seat, his gun raised. “Yeah, no kidding! Hold this thing steady!”Adrian swerved hard left, nearly clipping a row of parked motorcycles. “Steady? Not an option right now.”Behind them, Damien’s black sedans were relentless, their headlights cutting through the darkness like hunting knives. More gunfire erupted, shattering the SUV’s back window.“Shit!” Juniper ducked. “That was way too close.”Ethan cursed, returning fire. A bullet struck the windshield of the nearest sedan, causing it to swerve. But the driver corrected fast. “They’re not backing off!”Adrian’s grip on the wheel tightened. “We need to lose them.”“You think?” Ethan snapped.Juniper’s heart pounded. The speed. The gunfire. The deafening roar of engines.
