Share

The news

Author: Moonbunnie
last update Last Updated: 2024-11-10 15:03:52

Alexander Hayes sat in his study, a room that hadn’t changed in thirty years. Dark wood paneling absorbed the lamplight, and leather-bound books lined the walls—not for show, but worn with use.

The old grandfather clock in the corner ticked away the seconds as he studied the documents spread across his desk.

“The evidence is conclusive,” Sterling said, standing by the window. “The poison they’re using on Damian – it’s experimental. Designed to mimic a natural illness while being virtually untraceable.”

Jackson paced the room, unable to contain his restlessness. “How did you get this information?”

“One of the research scientists at Blackwood Pharmaceuticals had an attack of conscience,” Sterling explained. “He came to us after Henry’s death made the news.”

Alexander’s weathered hands traced the chemical formulas on the page before him. “The same compound was found in Henry’s system during our private autopsy. A much higher dose.”

“They silenced him permanently when he got too close to
Locked Chapter
Continue to read this book on the APP
Comments (1)
goodnovel comment avatar
elseqnh+3
need more chapters. can't believe Serena kidnappes the baby. please, Jackson to the rescue
VIEW ALL COMMENTS

Related chapters

  • The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride   Ghost

    The antiseptic walls of the Hospital seemed to amplify Elara’s grief, her sobs echoing through the sterile room. Rose watched helplessly as her daughter crumpled under the weight of unimaginable loss, while James stood like a statue by the window, tension radiating from his rigid frame.“Everything was fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “Every single checkup. The baby was healthy.” His voice cracked on the last word.Rose reached for her son. “James, please—”“No, Mother.” He turned, his eyes blazing. “This wasn’t natural. Something happened to her during the delivery. The way the nurses were whispering, how quickly they rushed her into surgery...” He stopped, catching himself as Elara’s crying softened into quiet whimpers.“Water,” Elara whispered, her voice raw. “Please.”As Rose helped her drink, James’s phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number: “Grand Phoenix Hotel. Room 712. Come alone if you want answers about your sister’s baby.”He stared at the message, his hand tighten

  • The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride   Ghost

    Ghost’s smile widened as he raised his weapon, but before he could strike, the hotel room’s window exploded inward in a shower of glass. Jackson Hayes crashed through, landing in a controlled roll between James and the assassin.“Get down!” Jackson shouted, shoving James behind an overturned table as gunfire erupted from outside. Ghost dove for cover, his own weapon barking in response.“What the hell is going on?” James demanded, his heart hammering against his ribs.“Your sister’s baby wasn’t an accident,” Jackson said, keeping his eyes on Ghost’s position. “It’s part of something bigger.”Across the room, Ghost’s laughter cut through the chaos. “The Hayes boy himself. How convenient – two birds, one stone.”“It’s over,” Jackson called out. “Our people have the building surrounded.”“Your people?” Ghost’s voice dripped with mock concern. “You mean the ones in the lobby? Such a shame about all that gas they inhaled. Serena thinks of everything, you know.”Jackson’s face paled. “You’r

  • The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride   Wedding plan

    The private dining room at Le Blanc sparkled with calculated opulence. Serena Blackwood had chosen this venue specifically for its exclusivity – and the photographers she’d arranged to “accidentally” catch them leaving. Every detail mattered when orchestrating a public spectacle.“The merger will benefit both our companies immensely,” Edward Jones, Veronica’s father, raised his crystal glass. The candlelight caught the deep amber of the aged whiskey, casting warm shadows across the pristine white tablecloth. “To family.”“To family,” Serena echoed, her smile perfectly measured. Beside her, Damian sat quietly, his once-sharp eyes dulled by the cocktail of drugs flowing through his system. She’d increased his dose slightly for tonight – just enough to keep him compliant without appearing completely absent.Veronica, dressed in a designer gown that probably cost more than most people’s monthly salary, reached for Damian’s hand. “I’m so happy we’re finally making this official, darling.”

  • The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride   Move on

    The morning sun filtered through the hospital window, casting long shadows across Elara’s bed. She hadn’t slept, couldn’t sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw those photographs – Damian with Veronica, smiling that empty smile she didn’t recognize.James burst through the door, his face flushed with anger. He was clutching a newspaper, his knuckles white against the crisp pages. “Have you seen this? The nerve of them, parading around like...”“I saw,” Elara cut him off quietly, her voice raw from crying. “On the news last night.”Rose, who had refused to leave her daughter alone, shot James a warning look. “Maybe we should focus on getting you well enough to leave the hospital, sweetheart. The new doctor said—”“The doctor said I can go home today.” Elara pushed herself up, wincing at the physical and emotional pain radiating from her core. “And I think... I think it’s time I stopped hiding.”Both Rose and James stared at her. “What do you mean?” James asked carefully.“Seren

  • The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride   Escape

    The orderlies had just reached the mansion’s grand foyer with Damian when the first window shattered. Glass exploded inward as three masked men in black tactical gear burst through. The security alarm blared, its shriek mixing with Serena’s surprised scream from the study.“What is the meaning of—” One of the orderlies started to protest, but a swift punch to his jaw cut him short. The second orderly released Damian, reaching for what appeared to be a concealed weapon, but another masked figure was faster. In seconds, both medical staff lay unconscious on the marble floor.Damian, still groggy from the sedative, could barely process what was happening. Through his drug-induced haze, he registered rough hands grabbing him, a black bag being pulled over his head. Someone was shouting – his mother, he thought – and there were sounds of struggle.“No!” Serena’s voice cut through the chaos. “You can’t take him! Do you know who I am? I’ll have you all—”“Shut up,” a gravelly voice commanded

  • The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride   The search

    The safe house was a rustic cabin deep in the mountains, far from the city’s reaching fingers. Jackson watched as Damian thrashed in his sleep, his hand instinctively moving to his left shoulder where a faded scar remained - the place where Serena’s bullet had struck him nine months ago.“Don’t... the papers...” Damian muttered, sweat beading on his forehead. “Not my mother... never was...”Jackson pressed a cool cloth to his friend’s forehead, guilt and anger warring in his chest. He should have acted sooner, should have realized something was wrong when Damian suddenly stopped calling. But Serena’s web of lies had been masterfully spun— even he had initially believed the story about Elara abandoning Damian at a point.“How’s he holding up?” Chen, one of Jackson’s most trusted team members, appeared in the doorway, his military training evident in his alert stance.“Still fighting the drugs,” Jackson replied, checking Damian’s pulse. “But he’s remembering. That’s something.”“Mmm.”“

  • The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride   The truth

    The morning dawned cold and gray over the city, a fitting backdrop for the day that would shatter the foundations of one of its most powerful dynasties. The first news alert came at 6:47 AM: “BREAKING: FBI RAIDS BLACKWOOD TOWER.” By 7:15, every major network had camera crews positioned around the gleaming skyscraper that had long stood as a monument to Serena Blackwood’s power.They were all there to witness her fall.Inside her penthouse office, Serena stood perfectly still as federal agents swept through the room, methodically dismantling the careful façade she’d maintained for thirty-one years. Her signature pearls – Elizabeth’s pearls, really – lay in an evidence bag, along with the contents of her private safe: passports, birth certificates, and a single, faded photograph of two sisters smiling on a Swiss mountainside.“Sarah Winters,” the lead FBI agent read from her warrant, “you are under arrest for identity theft, conspiracy to commit murder, fraud...”The list continued, but

  • The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride   Ashes of the Empire

    In the days following Serena Blackwood’s arrest, the city seemed to hold its breath, awaiting each new revelation that would shake the Blackwood empire to its core. The carefully crafted public image Serena had cultivated for decades had crumbled, and now the full extent of her crimes was being laid bare.At the center of the unfolding scandal was Detective Morrison, the man who had worked tirelessly to bring Serena down. As the FBI sifted through the trove of evidence seized from Blackwood Tower, Morrison began piecing together the connections that would ultimately unravel Serena’s web of deceit.One name kept surfacing in the financial records and encrypted files— Travis Blackwood, Richard’s younger brother. “We always suspected there was more to Travis’s role than simply being Richard’s brother,” Morrison told reporters, his stern expression betraying none of the triumph he surely felt. “But the depth of his involvement in the Blackwood family’s downfall is staggering.”According to

Latest chapter

  • The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride   The mother she deserved

    Daniel Regars stood before her, his presence filling the small visiting room with an intensity that made Serena’s breath catch. Gone was the man she once knew. This Daniel was different. Cold. Calculating. His eyes held a depth of contempt that made her skin crawl.“I didn’t expect you,” Serena whispered, her voice a mixture of surprise and apprehension. Her hope of seeing her daughter had been cruelly replaced by this unexpected encounter.Daniel’s lips curved into a slight, cruel smile. “Really?“Serena’s mind raced. Her current state; imprisoned, stripped of power, tormented by her cellmates, was already a punishment. But the look in Daniel’s eyes suggested he had something far more devastating planned.“What do you want?” she asked, her once-powerful voice now reduced to a desperate whisper.Daniel’s eyes bore into Serena, his posture rigid and controlled. He had come with a proposition. A lifeline that could potentially free her from the suffocating prison walls. But Serena’s wor

  • The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride   Sarah

    Serena sat down in her prison, biting her fingers nervously. She had tried her best, given it her all, to contact her daughter, but to no avail. What could have happened to her? She was getting worried day by day. Her once-powerful status had crumbled, leaving her vulnerable and trapped.“Hey, what is wrong with you?” someone yelled at her, but she refused to answer. Her thoughts were far away from where she was. “How dare you ignore me?”“What the heck are you doing?” Serena screamed as two of the prison women held her hands on Laura’s command.Laura stood up, approaching her with a sly smile on her face. “You should listen to what I’m saying, bitch.” She pulled her hair. Serena tried to protest, but before she could utter a word, Laura hit her face.“How dare you!” Serena screamed. “Do you know who you’re treating like this?”“Who the heck are you?” Laura spat. “In here, you are nothing but a lowly person,” she added, hitting her on the belly with her leg.“Ah,” Serena cried out, fa

  • The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride   Vera

    The tension in the room intensified as Vera broke away from the kiss, her gaze fixed on Jackson’s face. His expression was gentle and vulnerable, just as she had hoped. She reached out to touch his cheek, a deliberate move to draw him further into her grasp.“I’ve been so lost without you,” she whispered. “There’s something I need to tell you, something important.” She led him to sit beside her on the plush sofa, her movements deliberately hesitant. “It’s about Elara.”Jackson stiffened at the name. “What about her?”“I’ve heard... troubling things.” Vera’s voice trembled perfectly. “About her connection to certain criminal elements. People who’ve been released from prison recently.” She watched his expression shift, doubt creeping in like a shadow.“She isn’t the type.”“Are you accusing me of lying, Jack?" she interrupted, cutting him off. “You’ve known me since we were kids.”“Vera.”“You don’t trust me, do you?” She stopped. “Or do you still believe I have feelings for Damian and

  • The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride   Out

    Daniel Regars stood outside the towering iron gates, a free man for the first time in years. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the crisp air of freedom, but it did little to soothe the rage simmering beneath his calm facade. Freedom meant nothing to him, not when his family was shattered, his father dead behind prison walls.He didn’t know why he was released so soon, but he could take this opportunity to destroy both of them.Daniel clenched his fists, a dark smile flickering at the corners of his mouth. “They’ll pay,” he murmured to himself. “For my father, for my family. They will both pay.”He didn’t know when or how, but vengeance had been his only thought, the one idea keeping him alive in that cell, counting down the days to his release. Who knew he could be released sooner? Now he was out, and nothing would stand between him and retribution.Daniel didn’t waste time. He knew he would need allies, someone who shared his hatred for Elara and Damian. His mind circled back

  • The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride   Elizabeth

    Elizabeth’s living room settled into a delicate quiet, broken only by the baby’s soft coos and the gentle tick of an antique clock on the mantel. Her hands trembled slightly as she smoothed her skirt, decades of stolen life weighing heavily in the air between them.“You must have so many questions,” Elizabeth said, her voice carrying the weight of unbearable loss. “About what really happened. About her.”Damian sat on the couch beside Elara, who was still cradling their son. His eyes hadn’t left the baby’s face, as if memorizing every detail he’d missed. “Start from the beginning,” he said, his voice tight. “Start with how Serena stole everything.”Elizabeth’s composed demeanor cracked, revealing raw pain beneath. “She was Father’s illegitimate daughter. My half-sister. But being Father’s secret child wasn’t enough for her – she wanted everything. My life. My identity.” She paused, struggling with the memories. “The day you were born, son... the happiest day of my life became my worst

  • The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride   Mother

    Damian’s car wound through the quiet streets of the suburban neighborhood, each turn bringing them closer to the address Ghost had provided.Elara’s fingers drummed restlessly against her thigh, her heart pounding in her chest with each passing moment. The sun cast long shadows across the pavement, a reminder of how their world had shifted since Nina’s revelation just days ago.“It’s just around this corner,” Damian said, his voice tight with an emotion Elara couldn’t quite place. He had been unusually quiet since they’d left the house, lost in thoughts he seemed reluctant to share. His knuckles were white against the steering wheel, betraying the tension coursing through him.The car slowed to a stop before a modest two-story home, its white exterior pristine against the backdrop of a well-maintained garden. Rose bushes lined the walkway, their blooms adding splashes of color to the serene setting. Elara reached for the door handle, but Damian’s hand caught her wrist, stopping her.“

  • The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride   My child

    Elara felt Damian tense beside her, his hand tightening around hers.“The baby,” Nina said, her voice barely above a whisper. “The one my mother had killed... he’s alive.”The words hung in the air, seeming to suck the breath from Elara’s lungs. Alive? How could that be possible? She had mourned that child, had borne the devastating grief of his loss for months.“What are you saying?” Damian asked, his voice tinged with a desperate hope that Elara dared not give in to.“I overheard her,” Nina explained, her gaze fixed on the ground. “Giving instructions to the assassin, Ghost... she wanted the baby dead, to sever the last tie between you and Elara. But I... I couldn’t let him do it. I begged him, pleaded with him, until he agreed to spare the child’s life.”Elara felt the world tilt on its axis, her heart racing as the implications of Nina’s words sank in. Their child, the one they had been robbed of, was alive. Alive and out there, somewhere, all this time.“Where is he?” she demande

  • The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride   The truth

    “Nina, my daughter,” Serena called as she spoke softly to her. “Thank you for coming.”Nina smirked, studying the frail woman before her with cold eyes. She hadn’t come out of concern or love. The only reason she was here was her mother’s manipulative threat of self-harm. The text message still burned in her mind: Come see me, or I’ll end it all. Another one of her mother’s desperate plays for attention.A bitter smirk twisted Nina’s lips. She may have been forced here, but that didn’t mean she had to pretend this was a happy reunion.“What do you want?” she asked, her tone sharp and irritable.“I know you must be angry with me, my dear daughter,” Serena said.She cut her off. “What do you want?”Serena drew a theatrical sigh, her shoulders slumping. “Please forgive me,” she whispered, her voice honeyed with practiced remorse. Her fingers clutched at the fabric of her sleeve. “You need to get me out of this place. I don’t belong here.” Her eyes darted around the stark walls before fix

  • The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride   Healing the Blackwood name

    After the trial, the city of Blackwood experienced a sense of relief, as if it had finally escaped the shadow of the Blackwood dynasty. The streets, once under the family’s influence, were now vibrant with a renewed energy and hope for a brighter future.Damian, driven by his own painful past, assumed leadership at Blackwood Industries, spearheading a transformation with Elara and their loyal allies. Together, they tackled the challenging mission of rooting out the long-standing corruption within the company.“It’s going to take time, but we’re committed to making this right,” Damian told a gathering of employees, his voice steady and resolute. “Serena’s crimes may have shattered the Blackwood name, but we’re going to rebuild it - piece by piece, if necessary - into something this city can be proud of once more.”The road ahead was not an easy one. Restoring the company’s reputation, repairing the damage done to its financial standing, and regaining the trust of both customers and sha

DMCA.com Protection Status