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Chapter 25: Bridges of Hope
Last Updated:
2024-12-12 05:41:03
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The Club Star Ex-Wife He Wants Back Chapter 26: Truths and Consequences
Mandy’s POVI sat at the kitchen table, my fingers running over the edges of the letter, the words blurring together in front of me. It was a letter from the club’s manager, something about my canceled performances and some backdoor deal that had been made to cover my financial losses. The numbers were high, too high for someone who had been in my shoes for the past few months. It was generous, but it felt wrong.I hadn’t asked for this. I hadn’t wanted it. It felt like someone had swept in and fixed things for me without asking if I needed them fixed at all.The realization hit me like a cold wave, one that I couldn’t ignore Lucas. He had done this. He had found a way to fix my mess, just like he always tried to do—whether I wanted him to or not. Part of me wanted to be grateful. Hell, it was hard not to be, considering how close I’d been to losing everything. But the other part of me felt suffocated by his actions, trapped in this constant cycle where I was always the one needin
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Last Updated : 2024-12-12The Club Star Ex-Wife He Wants Back Chapter 28: Shadows of the Past
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Last Updated : 2025-01-01The Club Star Ex-Wife He Wants Back Chapter 29 : Frustration and Helplessness
Lucas’s POVDriving myself away from Mandy's apartment, the city lights blurred into streaks of gold and white as the weight of the evening pressed heavily on my chest. My hands gripped the steering wheel, tighter than necessary, but I couldn’t seem to loosen them. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts—frustration, confusion, and a gnawing helplessness that refused to let go. "What went wrong?" I wondered to myself.One minute, Mandy and I were laughing, sharing a moment that felt almost normal, almost like the way things used to be. And then—just like that—everything shattered. She froze, her face turned pale and her eyes became distant, like she wasn’t even in the room anymore. I’d seen fear before, but not like this. This was something deeper, something that reached into the darkest parts of her. And I had no idea how to help. I replayed the moment over and over in my head, searching for the trigger, the thing that had sent her spiraling. But nothing stood out. Was it someth
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The Club Star Ex-Wife He Wants Back Chapter 110 : Unseen Enemies
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Lucas’s POVIvan’s smirk was a razor slicing through my control. He stood there, holding Emily, his grip just tight enough to send my pulse into overdrive. My daughter whimpered, her big, frightened eyes darting between me and Mandy. “Let her go, Ivan,” I said, my voice low, even. Controlled. Because if I let the rage take over now, I’d lose her. Ivan chuckled, shifting Emily slightly in his arms. “You think it’s that easy?” His gaze flicked to Mandy. “You’ve always been so predictable, Lucas. Always acting like you’re the one in control. But look at you now.” He tilted his head. “Powerless.” Mandy stood frozen beside me, her hand gripping my arm like it was the only thing keeping her upright. I could feel her shaking, but she didn’t break. She didn’t scream or lunge at him. She trusted me. And she should. I forced a slow breath. I couldn’t make a mistake. Not with Emily in his hands. “What do you want?” I asked, keeping my voice steady. “Money? Territory?” I knew what his
The Club Star Ex-Wife He Wants Back Chapter 108 : The Calm Before the Storm
Lucas’s POVMy hands shook as I put the phone back in my pocket. The words burned in my mind, like an acid that wouldn’t stop eating away at everything I’d fought for.So, I turned to Mandy, her face pale, eyes wide with fear. Her breath was shallow, and for a split second, I saw everything I’d worked to protect hanging by a thread. Emily. Her daughter. My child, too, whether we’d ever said the words out loud or not.“Lucas…” Mandy whispered my name like it was a plea, but I didn’t have an answer. There was nothing to say because I felt it too—everything we’d been through, everything we’d fought for, now felt like it was slipping through my fingers.I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “We’ll fix this, Mandy. I promise you.” But even as the words left my mouth, I wasn’t sure if I believed them.Her eyes locked onto mine, but her voice cracked as she spoke. “How? How do we fix this when he has Emily?”I didn’t have an answer. Not yet.But I knew one thing for sure: Ivan had c
The Club Star Ex-Wife He Wants Back Chapter 107 – Into the Lion’s Den
Lucas’s POVThe moment Viktor’s voice crackled over the radio, my stomach dropped. “Ivan knows we’re coming.” The air in the van grew heavy, like we were all holding our breath at the same time. Mandy’s hand tightened around mine, her nails digging into my skin, but I didn’t care. Her fear was my fear, and it was all too real. “What do you mean he knows?” James’s voice came sharp and fast over the comms. “He’s moved his men,” Viktor replied, his tone clipped. “The hub isn’t empty. It’s crawling with guards. This isn’t going to be the surgical strike we planned.” My jaw clenched, anger bubbling just beneath the surface. “Then we adapt,” I said, my voice steady despite the chaos brewing inside me. “We didn’t come this far to turn back now.” Viktor’s silence was answer enough. He wasn’t going to argue, but he wasn’t happy about it either. “Stay sharp,” he said finally. “And for God’s sake, don’t get yourselves killed.” The radio went dead, leaving us in a suffocating sile
The Club Star Ex-Wife He Wants Back Chapter 106 : Shadows Closing In
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The Club Star Ex-Wife He Wants Back Chapter 105 : The Clock is Ticking
Mandy’s POVThe bloodied man collapsed to the floor, his words echoing in the tense silence. Ivan’s men were here. The weight of those words hit me like a punch to the gut. Viktor didn’t flinch. He leaned back in his chair, his sharp gaze flicking to the man crumpled on the floor. “So, it begins,” he said calmly, as though he’d been expecting this all along. James, however, wasn’t so composed. He grabbed my arm, pulling me back toward the door. “We need to leave. Now.” But Viktor’s voice cut through the panic. “Running will only get you killed. Ivan doesn’t leave loose ends.” James turned, his hand already reaching for his weapon. “Then maybe it’s time someone took care of Ivan.” Viktor chuckled, slow and deliberate. “Ah, the bravado of the unprepared. You think you can waltz into Ivan’s world and take him down? He’s been playing this game longer than you’ve been alive.” I stepped forward, my voice shaking but firm. “Then tell us what to do. If you know how to stop him, te
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Mandy’s POVJames’s hand hovered near his jacket, ready to draw whatever weapon he had stashed there. But the man standing by the car didn’t even flinch. His calmness was unnerving, like he knew he had all the power in the world. “I said,” the man repeated, his voice sharp, “get in the car if you want to save Lucas. This isn’t a request.” I glanced at James, my heart pounding in my chest. “What do we do?” I whispered. James’s jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing. “We don’t trust him, that’s for damn sure.” The man smirked, as if he could hear us. “You don’t have to trust me. But you don’t have time to argue. Lucas’s life is ticking away with every second you waste.” Something about the way he said it made my stomach twist. He wasn’t bluffing. Whoever this man was, he knew exactly what was happening, and he wasn’t here to play games. “We don’t have a choice,” I said, my voice trembling. “If there’s even a chance he’s telling the truth, we have to take it.” James hesitated, hi
The Club Star Ex-Wife He Wants Back Chapter 103 : A Debt in Blood
Mandy’s POVThe room erupted into chaos. People screamed, chairs toppled, and glass shattered as the armed men pushed through the crowd. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst. Lucas moved instantly, stepping in front of me like a shield. His hand gripped my arm, pulling me closer. “Stay behind me,” he growled, his voice low and commanding. The man who had barked Lucas’s name stepped forward, his gun aimed directly at us. He was tall, broad, and radiated an air of menace. “Mr. Vanderbilt, you’ve been a hard man to find. But you know how this works. You can’t run forever.” Lucas’s jaw tightened, his body coiled like a spring. “I don’t owe you anything.” The man smirked. “Oh, but you do. Ivan doesn’t forget, and he doesn’t forgive. You know that better than anyone.” “Ivan’s beef is with me,” Lucas said, his voice steady despite the tension in the air. “Leave her out of this.” The man’s gaze shifted to me, and I felt ice crawl up my spine. “Her? Oh, Lucas, you don
