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Chapter 22 – Unraveling Truths
Last Updated:
2025-03-20 01:47:19
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Maxwell’s POV The drive home was silent, except for the hum of the radio. My fingers gripped the steering wheel, but I wasn’t tense—I was thinking. Calculating. Lila sat in the passenger seat, her small legs swinging, clutching her stuffed teddy against her chest. She was quiet but observant—just like me. I glanced at her, my expression unreadable. Could she be mine? The DNA test was tomorrow, but I already knew. Those green eyes staring up at me were all the proof I needed. But Amelia? I sighed, barely sparing a thought for her. Whatever we had planned for tonight didn’t matter anymore. Things had changed. She’d either understand or she wouldn’t. Either way, it wasn’t my problem. As I pulled into the driveway, I exhaled slowly. Lila turned to me with those big, questioning eyes. “We’re going to meet someone very special to me today.” She blinked. “Is she nice?” I smirked. “I guess we’ll find out.” Inside, the house smelled like vanilla—Amelia’s favorite scent. The di
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Amelia POVFor the first time, I had seen Maxwell’s walls crack, allowing me the smallest glimpse into the man hidden beneath the ruthless exterior.And for a fleeting moment, I believed—hoped—that he would finally let me into his world.But as quickly as he had opened up, he shut himself off again.“Never mind,” Maxwell muttered, standing abruptly. His expression hardened, and the warmth in his green eyes vanished, replaced by the familiar cold detachment. “Forget I ever said anything.”Disappointment curled inside me, but I knew better than to push him.I merely nodded, watching as he strode to the door, his posture rigid. When the door clicked shut behind him, I exhaled, sinking back into the bed.The lingering warmth of his presence faded, replaced by the cold realization that he was still keeping me at arm’s length.I shouldn’t be surprised.Yet, somehow, it still hurt.I turned onto my side, forcing my thoughts to quiet down. But sleep didn’t come easy that night. My mind kept c
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Maxwell POVI woke up with a start, my breath uneven, my heart slamming against my ribs. My eyes darted to the space beside me—empty.For a moment, dread coiled in my gut. The dream… it felt too real. Too true. Amelia disappearing. The money. The betrayal.I reached for my phone on instinct, my fingers swiping across the screen, searching for any sign that it wasn’t just a figment of my imagination. My jaw clenched as I checked my messages. Nothing. No unknown number. No offshore transfer.Just a dream.Exhaling slowly, I ran a hand through my hair, trying to shake off the unease settling in my chest. But something about it lingered, a foreboding sense of inevitability. It was as if my subconscious was warning me of something I wasn’t ready to acknowledge.I forced myself out of bed, pushing the thoughts away as I entered the hallway. The faint sound of clattering dishes reached my ears.The kitchen.I followed the noise, stopping at the entrance when I saw her.Amelia.She stood at t
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Maxwell’s POVThe air in my office was thick with tension. The moment my secretary walked in, his usually composed demeanor faltered, and I knew something was wrong.“Sir…” His voice wavered as he fidgeted with the file in his hand. “The deal—”“Out with it,” I snapped, my patience already thinning.He swallowed hard. “We lost the merger to Wellington Industries.”Silence.For a moment, the weight of his words didn’t register. Lost? That was impossible. I have never lost, not before and not now. Every move and every negotiation had been executed with surgical precision. The board had practically handed the deal to me on a silver platter.Yet someone had managed to take it right from under my nose.A slow, simmering rage coiled inside me. My grip tightened around the pen in my hand until it snapped in half, ink splattering onto my desk.“Who?” My voice was dangerously low.The secretary hesitated. “Sir… I—I don’t know. But it had to be an inside job.”Inside job. A traitor.My jaw cle
