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CHAPTER 14
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2025-01-08 23:50:41
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Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets CHAPTER 15
Isabella‘s POV I need to someone to take care of Audrey. I paused as I walked into the company's entrance with my eyes scanning all over the place looking for the befitting person to use and just then, my eyes landed on Kendall, Lucas assistant. She was busy typing some documents on her computer and she started acting more busy when she noticed my presence and that my eyes were glued to her. I smiled to myself as I was happy, cause I knew Kendall is going to be the right and perfect person to help me. I walked over to her desk with my heels clicking on the floor. As I approached her, she stopped typing as she looked up with a formal smile plastered all over her face. "Good morning Miss Isabella", she said as her voice was crisp. "How can I help you ma?" I smiled as I pulled the chair opposite her and sat down facing her. "Good morning Kendall", I said "I just want to have a little chat with you about a few things. Can I ask you something?" Kendall nodded still looking forma
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-09Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets CHAPTER 16
Audrey's POV I walked through the front door into my house feeling exhausted from the long day I spent at the hospital. Aiden's health condition weighted heavily in my heart and the piles of unpaid hospital bills in my center table seem to mock me. Just as I was about to sit down on my couch to relax my nerves, I heard a loud knock at my door and as I walked to the door to unlock it, I saw Claire standing with blue bag. "Hey, girl, I guessed that since today is Sunday and you won't be at work that you would be with Aiden. But when I went to the hospital I did not see you there", Claire paused as she walked into my parlor. "So, I figured out that you would be here, so I came here straight and on my way, I stopped at the eatery to get you rice, your favorite food. Here dear, you can have it". Claire said holding up the blue bag containing steaming hot food. My eyes welled up as tears gathered at the corner of my eyelid. "Thank you so much Claire, you are a lifesaver ". I said as I g
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-10Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets CHAPTER 17
Lucas PovThe next morning I arrived at the office earlier than usual. My whole head was a chaotic storm of emotion I couldn't seem to shake off. Audrey had taken up some permanent residence in my thoughts, and no matter how hard I tried to focus more on the memory of her smile, look, appearance, and the way her eyes lit up, it kept pulling me back aside.I wasn't even sure when it had started, but it's clearer now. I was drawn in a way that I couldn't explain, and I didn't want to, yet I knew I could not try to afford distractions, not with so much at stake; I mean, my whole life, my company, and my reputation are on the line. I can't afford to be distracted.I intentionally buried myself in work, hoping that the piles of reports and some kind of endless emails would drown out the chaos in my head. But calm was short-lived; it kept replaying what happened yesterday at the meeting. The investors actually noticed my lack of focus, and I pray they don't change their mind and withdraw fr
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-11Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets CHAPTER 18
Lucas POVOhh god!What is going on? Why do I feel like I am dragging myself into big trouble, a trouble that the stakes are higher than I can ever have imagined? I said to myself as I glanced through the text on my phone for the second time, the glow of the screen burning into my eyes. My fingers hovered over the keypad, unsure of what to respond. Was this some kind of sick joke or something? A warning? Or worse, a threat?For a moment, I considered ignoring it, brushing it off as a prank. But the deliberate mention of Audrey made my pulse quicken. Who is this? And how did this person know about Audrey?I quickly dialed the number. The number rang twice before disconnecting, and when I tried again, the number was out of service. My frustration shimmered just beneath the surface as I slammed the phone onto my desk.Who would send such a message? Isabella immediately crossed my mind. She had the motive and the temper. But this didn’t feel like her style. She was bold, confrontational.
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-12Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets CHAPTER 19
Isabella's POV As Kendal stood before me, the satisfaction that surged through me was almost intoxicating. She was more than an accomplice—she was my sharpest weapon. Her performance had been impeccable. I leaned back, letting a faint smile play across my lips, my tone deliberate and razor-edged. “You’ve truly outdone yourself, Kendal. The lies you told Lucas are just too seamless. He’s already starting to question Audrey. Exactly as planned.”Kendal’s smile widened, a flicker of pride glinting in her eyes. “Thank you, Isabella. It’s an honor to have the privilege to assist you. I take pride in my work.”I leaned forward, my voice soft but dripping with venomous intent, as though sharing a secret meant to stain the air. “Good. But now, we escalate, that is we are going to the next stage of our plans which is to make her life unbearable, subtle, precise, and devastating for her in this office .Push her into making small, fatal mistakes. Make her doubt herself and loose focus in her e
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-13Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets CHAPTER 20
Lucas POV The chair scraped gently against the polished floor as I pulled it out for Isabella to sit with my eyes momentarily locking with hers. The dim lighting bathed her face in a warm glow, softening her sharp edges and momentarily clouding the doubt swirling in my chest. “Thank you, Lucas,” she said, her voice as smooth as the wine we’d yet to order. Her smile held a kind of radiance that could disarm anyone—but not me. I pulled a chair and sat down across her as the weight of guilt pressed down on me like a physical force. I knew that I didn't just want Isabella to be here, she's not the woman that I have interest in and that I want to have anything to do with but right now I don't have a choice. I just knew it deep down, but I couldn’t bring myself to admit it aloud. After my outburst earlier in the office, this dinner felt like a necessity. An apology I owed her, that's the least I can do, it won't take me anything. “Isabella,” I began, my voice steady as I reached for
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-14Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets CHAPTER 21
Audrey's POV Gosh! I'm late again! I quickly walked into the company's building and headed to the receptionist table to sign my name on the attendance. The stress of my son's health, the weight of the hospital bills and the responsible I had to face at work toll really hard on me. I headed to my office after signing my name on the attendance and then I walked slowly, with my eyes scanning the tables of my other colleagues as I walked pass them. The sound of the clicking of keyboard just seem muted today and I feel like I was walking through a fog. I unlocked my office door and sat at my desk trying to shake off the feeling of unease that I felt all over me. I settled down after some minutes and was calm and then I began to go through my emails but then my mind kept wondering back to Aiden. I could see his small body hooked up to the machines and wires in the hospital bed. I could hear the beeping sound of the monitor and the soft whisper of the nurses voice. Tears filled a
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-15Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets CHAPTER 22
Audrey's POV "Lord please, make Lucas to be too busy that he won't see this mistake".I prayed in my heart as I walked back to my office. I closed my eyes and tightened my fist and tried to calm myself down. I have to do something to fix this. So I quickly took the correct files and scanned them and sent it Lucas, I just hope he won't notice the mistake.But as I learned back on my chair after sending the correct files, I couldn't just shake off the feeling of unease that I felt. I had just made a very terrible mistake and that could just lead to a serious consequence I was not ready to face now.Still lost in my thought, my phone buzzed with an email notification, it was from Lucas. My heart sank and I swallowed hard after reading the subject line of the email, it says "Regarding the Johnson's File".I waited for some minutes and then I took the courage to open the email but my hands were still trembling like I was about to commit murder. And then, I saw the words that made my heart
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-16
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Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets CHAPTER 163
(Audrey's POV)We had narrowly escaped the fortified compound, and now every step was a leap through a tube of fire and uncertainty."Audrey, stop!" Lucas's roar was one of warning and defense as we sped into a narrow service tunnel. My mind was a jumble of fear and crazy love. I couldn't get the message delivered in advance out of my head—"The final reckoning is near." Each phrase was a death anvil, telling me that Michael's threat loomed over us. We emerged into the chilly morning air. The city was shrouded in fog, the skyline faintly visible behind rolling fog. I could sense my heart pounding as we reached the waiting security vehicle. In the small interior, Lucas's eyes never left my eyes. His eyes were firm, with determination and worry.“I trust you, Lucas. But I’m scared.” My voice wavered with raw emotion. “I’m scared of losing you, of losing Aiden… of what Michael might do next.”Lucas pulled me towards him, his mouth inches from my ear. "We're together now, Audrey. I promise
Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets CHAPTER 162
(Audrey's POV) We had narrowly escaped the fortified compound, and now every step was a leap through a tube of fire and uncertainty. "Audrey, stop!" Lucas's roar was one of warning and defense as we sped into a narrow service tunnel. My mind was a jumble of fear and crazy love. I couldn't get the message delivered in advance out of my head—"The final reckoning is near." Each phrase was a death anvil, telling me that Michael's threat loomed over us. We emerged into the chilly morning air. The city was shrouded in fog, the skyline faintly visible behind rolling fog. I could sense my heart pounding as we reached the waiting security vehicle. In the small interior, Lucas's eyes never left my eyes. His eyes were firm, with determination and worry. “I trust you, Lucas. But I’m scared.” My voice wavered with raw emotion. “I’m scared of losing you, of losing Aiden… of what Michael might do next.” Lucas pulled me towards him, his mouth inches from my ear. "We're together now, Audrey. I
Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets CHAPTER 161
Meanwhile, doors swing outward into a corridor of burning neon lights that seethe with maddened intensity.Lucas's bodyguard had captured a group of men attempting to break into the boardroom. They had masks over their faces, but there was one man with a red tie in his hand—a detail which I'd seen in Michael's reports the last two years.I felt sick. "Lucas, is that you?" I stuttered into the receiver, speaking the words out loud.I received only mumbling answers over the phone. My tears began recalling Lucas's vow to stay with me, and I vowed to myself only that I would fulfill the vow to the very core of my soul. Soft knocking on the door of the safe room persisted. My throat had been grabbed and I pushed my ear into the door, pushed the door. "Who is that?" I shrieked, trembling.Low murmuring, soft breathing, "Audrey, I'm here. Open it."I was shocked and didn't want to open it for her. The voice was soothing, yet it wasn't anyone special—I didn't know who it was. My phone beeped
Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets CHAPTER 160
Audrey's POVI sat on the railing of our penthouse balcony as the city awakened askew under the wan, uncertain dawn. The sharp morning air did little to placate the storm raging within. Lucas had been so firm last night, so firm that he would shield us. Even now, I could not shake the disquieting fear that Michael's promises were far from over with us. I gripped my phone hard, reliving that anonymous text:"The truth is still hidden. Prepare for what comes next."It resonated within my mind like a curse. I could not help but wonder if it signaled another turn, another betrayal lurking just around the bend.Inside, Lucas walked into the room. His footsteps were measured, every sound sharp in the quiet stillness."They inform us that someone was seen outside the hotel last night—someone with a black hoodie. And now we receive new warnings from the estate."I shivered down my spine. "Do you think Michael's men have come back?"Lucas shifted his head slowly. "I don't know, but we must pre
Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets CHAPTER 159
Audrey's POVI sat quietly in our penthouse as the aftershocks of the boardroom battle slowly faded from my mind. The adrenaline high was gone, but my heart thudded angrily against the walls of my chest. The phrases Lucas uttered during the meeting still lingered in my mind, every sentence a mix of pain and protest. I could not shake the threat of Michael as well as the uncertain future that lay in wait for me.I gazed out the window at city lights burning below like false promises. The silence was heavy with my own hope and fear. I didn't know if our love, hard-won, could even shield us from the forces of darkness on the horizon.Lucas entered the room quietly. He sat with me on the old creaky sofa, his hand extended for mine. I felt his heat, comfortable and strong, and all was right in the world for that moment. But that moment was like glass.Audrey, he started, his voice barely above a whisper, "I couldn't help but wonder what Michael had said. I think he's got other ideas for us
Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets CHAPTER 158
Audrey's POVThe sun was up in the sky, but its light was miles away from me. My heartpounding as I remained there in the quiet of our bedroom, still warm from last night on my body. Lucas slept beside me, his even breathing a reminder of how much I longed for peace. But as I looked at him, doubt consumed me. I stood up quietly, not to disturb him, and moved towards the window. The ocean sparkled below me, endless and merciless. I looked around warily—someone was there. Within seconds, my world was turned right-side up. Lucas stood before me to take another step, his eyes taut with urgency. "Audrey, we must leave—now!" he commanded, his voice firm and gentle simultaneously.Guards let out low commands of warning as security cameras tracked our every step. I could sense a tempest building—a tempest that would tear all we'd built apart.In the car outside, Lucas's grip on my hand was tight, knuckles white. "Something has happened," he breathed rapidly. "The board… they're having an eme
Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets CHAPTER 157
Audrey's POVThe soft roll of the ocean was ringing in my head as I sat with Lucas on scorched sand. Blazing kisses and blazing vows had set the night ablaze, but now there was some unhappiness within me that churned a storm within, thudding my heart with an arrhythmic beat.Lucas had his arm across my shoulders and looked up at the moon that hovered above a sea that withdrew from it."Sometimes I think we can really leave it all behind," I told myself more than anything else. A tug in the heart—a mixture of hope and fear—warned me the peace was only temporary.I barely got the next word out before my cell phone rang in my hand. I answered it in hope. On the screen, a new message from an unknown number:"You can hide in love, but secrets always come to the surface."My gut roiled over, and I looked up as Lucas's eyes began filling with fear. "What did it say?" he snarled, his voice harsh but uncertain.I wrapped my hand around the paper into a fist, breathing nearly silently. "It says
Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets CHAPTER 156
Audrey’s POVSea salt surrounded me as I walked along the beach of the private island, my feet sunk in the warm golden sand. Blue waves caressed softly, like the kiss of a lover. Everything was so calm, so like a dream—a false guarantee of the next storm. Lucas? Not even close to being calm. He was a couple of feet off, looking at me with that infuriatingly smug grin, his top half-shirt open, the golden sheen of the setting sun on his chiseled chest. He had something concealed behind his back."What are you hiding?”"So impatient. Aren't surprises supposed to be fun?I folded my arms. "Not if you're the one who does the surprising." Lucas flashed a smile and moved in on me, gradual and deliberate, the type of pace that got my heart skipping a beat faster. "You hurt me, Audrey. Suppose I told you it was a gift? Something that I specifically picked out just for you?"My gaze flew down to his hands, but he quickly moved to fold them behind his back again. "Lucas," I cautioned."Oh, you c
Faking Love, Making War: The CEO’s Dirty Secrets CHAPTER 155
Audrey's POVLucas didn't move. Because he knew. I stepped forward carefully. "Yes, I do." I took another step forward. "What do you want, Isabella?" She laughed. I breathed in. She was furious, out-of-rhythm. One misstep, and this would end in blood.Lucas stepped forward with me. "Isabella, listen— She shoved the gun into Lucas. Her face twisted in rage. "Say it." He looked at her. "I never loved you." A scream was torn from her body. "You liar." And she turned on me. I had no chance to defend myself before she fired. Bang. Lucas caught me before I hit the ground. "Audrey!" His voice frantic, his hands on my wound.Isabella smiled. "See? Now we're even." And then, before anyone could stand up and take her— She put the gun to her head. Lucas strained. "No—" Bang. Her body crumpled to the ground. Silence. The world ended. I felt the thudding of my own heartbeat, racing. Lucas was trembling, with me in his arms. Then there were voices. Guards rushing in. Somebody called for an ambula
