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One Step Forward
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
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The Rich and the Loved Dare
My heart stumbled as I stared at the two, rage filling my veins. I had met Alistair Pearson once or twice when I had still been one of Doctor Rogers's patients. He hadn't changed since then. He was wearing an impeccable, well-tailored suit, charcoal this time. His reddish hair was, as always, kept short, emphasizing all the sharp lines of his handsome face. Even the smirk remained the same. Only his green eyes now betrayed more than before. Or perhaps it was my eyes that could see more of his true, despicable nature.Seeing Darren standing beside someone like Alistair chilled me to the bone, releasing all kinds of questions. How well had they known each other? Was I right in assuming that Darren was Alistair's friend? And... was Darren the friend whom Alistair called the night Felicia almost died?I released my breath and blinked, realizing that I should move before one of them noticed me staring. Engaging with either of them would have been far more stupid than my clubbing date with
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Rich and the Loved On with the Plan
DARRENIt was after midnight, but I was still in the office in Le Chevalier Noir. I sat by my wooden desk and stared at the laptop screen. I preferred this place over my fancy office at Eques Gold Corporation. The club was more quiet on weekdays, and I was desperate for quiet. It was the only thing that helped me contain the storm inside me.Grinding my teeth, I raised my head above the screen, looking at my friend-slash-partner. “I want a full report on Pearson, and I want it ASAP.” I tried to keep my voice even, but I could feel the claws of rage scratching their way out through my skin.Lucien gave me a meaningful look as he sprawled on the sofa. Still, he grabbed his phone and made a quick call, ordering his men to do what I told him to. The bastard found my anger amusing, and he had been acting this way from the moment he'd learned about my brief encounter with Ms. Hayes at the restaurant.“Don't make me wipe the smirk off your face with my fist,” I warned him.He straightened up
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Rich and the Loved A Challenge
“Dylan Morgan was the last one we knew of, and he is now dead,” I told Lucien the next day as we sat in my other—more formal and elegant—office on the top floor of the Eques Gold Building.Lucien muttered a curse or two, his fists clenching. He was as engaged in the plan to send Hayes to jail as I was, and I knew that for him, another failure tasted just as bitter as the bitterness currently filling my mouth. He'd had an older half-brother who had been my father's assistant. He'd been on board that plane, sitting beside my father when it had blown up.“So that's it? Our final witness is gone, and there's no way to prove William Hayes's guilt?” He gritted his teeth as he stared at me.I exhaled sharply. “I'm running out of ideas. Dylan Morgan was the fourth one. Now all of those who claimed they saw Hayes at the airport are dead, and we have nothing.” Admitting it tensed every muscle in my body.A dry chuckle left him. “Not only did he kill your father and my bro but four other people,
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Rich and the Loved His Offer
LILLYI might have stopped breathing. No. Correction. I definitely wasn't breathing as I stared at Darren Knight and the hand he offered. Those women who surrounded me were now all turned toward him, each ready to replace me if I refused him. What the hell did he want from me? Was this some kind of trick? A part of his sick plan?Seconds passed, and I kept my gaze on him. My heart pounded as I hectically searched for the right solution. I knew that his gesture and my silence drew attention. This was not supposed to happen. I had never thought that he would decide to go anywhere near me. Him, openly asking for a private conversation with me was another thing I would have called ridiculous just a moment ago. And yet, he stood two feet away from me, smiling, as if our conversation were the most natural thing that could ever occur. Should I just… go with him? No matter how far we would go to have this “private talk,” we'd still be in a public place. He would never plan to harm me after su
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Rich and the Loved A Deal with a Demon
My ribs shrunk, squeezing my lungs. My breathing became shallow—too shallow—providing too little oxygen to spread by my hectically pounding heart. I lowered my gaze and stared at my trembling hands. “Do you seriously expect me to look for evidence against my father?” I asked hoarsely.“I've never said that.” His tone hardened. “I want the truth.”Slowly, I met his gaze. “Do you? Because I believe there's only one thesis you are willing to accept.”A cold smirk appeared. “And you don't? Don't you want to find someone guilty—anyone who isn't your father?”I ground my teeth, slowly processing what he said, before questioning, “Would you accept that someone other than my father was responsible for planting the bomb in your father's plane?”He leaned back in his seat. “Depends on the evidence.”I let out a humorless chuckle. “This will get us nowhere.”“It will.” He locked his eyes on me. “I know it because you want to know for sure. You need the evidence just as much as I need it.”This c
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Rich and the Loved A Letter
I stood in the middle of my father's empty study and shivered. My father had given me a chance, a new life, and his love. I felt as if I had betrayed him just by standing there. It was proof that I didn't believe he was innocent—not entirely. Then there was this hopeful and perhaps naïve part of me that believed it wasn't as simple as all might think. Maybe… Maybe he was protecting someone—something. Or maybe I wouldn't find anything at all because he genuinely had nothing to do with that plane's explosion. I needed that hope, even if my instincts told me otherwise.I moved my feet forward to his desk—a large piece of old wood with carved drawers and side cabinets, all locked. Fortunately, I knew where the key was. The voice inside my head told me to stop before it was too late. It tried to prevent me from opening something that could be as dangerous as Pandora's Box. But it was already too late. I had decided. My hand moved to the wooden surface under the large drawer spread across t
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Rich and the Loved Proceed as Planned
DARREN“Have you gone completely insane?!” Mia roared, slamming the door right after she entered my office at Eques Gold Corporation.“And good morning to you too, Mia dear.” Lucien chuckled from my sofa. “Coffee? Tea? Freshly heated blood of the virgin?”“Screw you, Lucien,” she barked as her long legs ate the distance between the door and my desk. “Not only did you not want me to touch her, but now you collaborate with her?!” She frowned at me.I knew that she would be pissed, but frankly, I didn't care. It was my call—Lucien's idea but my call. She couldn't do anything about it. I bet that this was the exact reason she was currently glaring at me and seething in rage.“Lower your voice and sit down,” I said, meeting her gaze.Her frown deepened. “The hell I will—”“Sit. Down. Now.” My voice remained calm, but I made sure she heard and felt its sharp edge.Her mouth clamped shut, and like a sulking kid, she marched to my three-piece suite and slumped on the armchair, huffing.“Coffe
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Rich and the Loved Meeting Her Ex
The door opened, and that foolish asshole stepped inside. “Mr. Knight, I appreciate that you agreed to meet—” He cut himself off as soon as his eyes landed on me, his face draining of color. Interesting, amusing even. It seemed like the poor fucker hadn't done his homework. He hadn't known who I was back then at the gala, and he was still too stupid to match the name to the face before he confidently strode into my office. That confidence was now gone, and what stood before me reeked of anxiety. “Have a seat, Mr. Kenneth,” I said simply, pointing at the chair in front of my desk. Kenneth Welch stumbled forward, almost knocking the water pitcher off the coffee table. “I'm sorry,” he mumbled, quickly recollecting himself and walking to the seat I had pointed. His lips twitched into more of a weird grimace than a smile as his eyes landed on me. “I feel… like I need to explain myself.” He let out a nervous chuckle. “That day at the Youngs' gala... I'd been taken by surprise, and you mig
Last Updated : 2024-10-29
Latest chapter
The Rich and the Loved The Wealth of Love
LILLY Four Months Later “One more signature at the bottom, Ms. Hayes.” The smiling lawyer pointed at the empty dotted line on the last page. “Of course.” I drew a deep breath and signed my name where he wanted me to. Then I rose to my feet, and so did the man sitting in front of me—Doctor John Pearson. “Congratulations,” he said, not without a hint of sadness in his voice, before extending his hand toward me. “The clinic is officially yours.” “Thank you, Doctor Pearson. I promise I will take good care of this facility,” I told him. A soft smile appeared on his lips. “I do not doubt that you will.” I still couldn't believe it happened. John Pearson Clinic—soon Lillian Hayes Clinic—finally belonged to me. Of course, it was going to take a while before I would implement my plan and make the necessary changes, but I was already madly excited… and so was Raven. “I've never been friends with my boss before.” She chuckled, catching me as soon as I walked out of the meeting room where
The Rich and the Loved For Her
DARRENI didn't want to believe what that son of a bitch had told me. I had to trust that Lilly was alive. Nonetheless, after Almarri's confession, I told Chris to leave the room. I gave Almarri a moment to recollect himself until I beat the shit out of him, breaking at least five of six of his bones in the process. He was still breathing until I left the room. Chris had friends in the CIA, and we promised to try delivering Almarri to them in exchange for covering whatever was going to happen at his casino. It took most of my willpower to stop myself before I delivered the final blow. It had nothing to do with being merciful; Chris assured me that the CIA had no intention of granting him anything but torment.Once I wiped Almarri's blood off my knuckles, I stormed through the long corridors. I swore that I would find Lilly, and only seeing her lifeless body would have stopped me from burning everything in my way to get to her.Chris caught me at the end of one of the corridors. “We ch
The Rich and the Loved Run
LILLYI couldn't move. My body's exhaustion turned opening my eyes into an almost unbearable struggle. It took me a while before I lifted my eyelids and instantly winced at the light filling the room. I blinked several times before I established what I was looking at… Ceiling. A bright, well-lit ceiling.I needed an additional minute or two to acknowledge that this wasn't a dream. I was lying on a bed with an IV drip connected to my arm. The bed had multiple pillows and fluffy sheets, as if someone cruelly decided to give me a moment of questionable luxury before turning me into a slave.Another white cotton dress replaced the old, stained one. My body had been cleaned from all the sweat and dirt. I didn't have the strength to wonder who bathed me and dressed me. I felt violated enough without acknowledging how many hands touched my body.I could have died. Perhaps it would have been a blessing if that had happened. Now I was lying numbly on a bed, waiting for more torment to come. Sl
The Rich and the Loved Rage
DARREN I paced around the hotel room in Doha, waiting for Naila to arrive and deliver what she promised. The adrenaline kept pumping in my veins, increasing the restlessness that kept me awake the entire night. Unlike me, Lucien was napping on the sofa whenever he found a moment of silence. I couldn't even close my eyes without seeing Lilly locked up somewhere, tormented, scared… “God…” I dragged my hands down my face before glancing at the time. It was seven in the morning, which meant that we had fourteen hours before the auction started. I kept telling myself that they needed her alive and unharmed to sell her, but what if I was wrong? Those what-ifs were driving me insane, and I couldn't shake off the feeling that, even at that moment, she was greatly suffering. The soft knocking on the door snapped my head toward it. Lucien's opened his eyes and instantly leaped to his feet. He nodded my way and cautiously opened the door. Naila silently sneaked inside, and he closed it behind
The Rich and the Loved Agony
I lost count of how many times I had been stabbed with a needle, and I wasn't sure my veins could withstand another injection. I quickly realized how pathetic my relief was after Callan told me I wouldn't be beaten, cut, or burned. The torture he had designed for me went far beyond the physical pain…Every inch of my body burned from within. My blood turned into a living flame, scorching my veins. My skin covered with an itching rash I couldn't scratch. It lasted for hours. I didn't want to give Callan satisfaction, so I remained silent, biting my lips until they bled. But the third or fourth dose of the drug broke the final restraint… A scream tore through my throat, and I kept screaming until my vocal cords gave up. I quietly begged Callan to stop. I thought he would if I told him I was ready to give him what he wanted. I thought that if I pretended I wanted to cooperate, he would give my tormented body a break… He didn't. He just walked closer and served me another drug dose.I los
The Rich and the Loved On His Mercy
LILLY“Wake up, sleepyhead.” The voice I heard filled me with nausea, and the soft laughter that followed sent chills down my spine.Slowly, I opened my eyes, blinking until the sight adjusted to the dim light. Every inch of my body felt sore, and I quickly realized why. I was sitting on a chair with my legs tied with a rope to its wooden ones and my hands restrained at the back. Another rope was tied around my waist, keeping me in a still position most likely through the long hours I had been unconscious.I was cold. The freezing concrete hurt my bare feet with the slightest touch and the simple cotton dress resembling a cheap nightgown formed no barrier against the low temperature and humidity of the room I was in. I didn't even want to think who dressed me and if I was naked underneath…Drawing a shaky breath, I looked to the sides. This place must have been some kind of a basement. The room seemed to be nearly empty, or at least I couldn't see any furniture from my limited perspec
The Rich and the Loved Running Out of Time
DARRENMy lungs filled with a greedy push of air. My eyes opened wide and roamed around, hectically trying to process my situation. The car, I was inside the car… My car was upside down, and I…Everything hurt, including my weak attempts to breathe, but I knew I had to ignore the pain. I had to live. I had to get out of there.My consciousness gathered the pieces of memory together. Someone had rammed me, pushing me off the road while I had been driving to the residence. The fuckers had chosen a part of a perfectly secluded road to do it. Perhaps it was fortunate that they hadn't been as thorough as to check whether I had been dead or not.My limbs weren't broken, although at least one of my ribs was. I clenched my teeth and crawled out through the broken side window. My car lay in a ditch on the side of the road, with not a single building around.How long had I been out cold? The returning memories painted an ominous picture that slowly filled me with dread. Lilly had been waiting f
The Rich and the Loved Trapped
LILLYIt had been three days since Uncle Norton's funeral and the fight with my father. My heart still ached whenever I thought about it, but I finally felt that my chest had loosened, allowing me to breathe.Darren's presence had become my remedy. His touch and warmth soothed me, healed me, and filled the hollowness that appeared after Uncle Norton's death. I didn't even want to think about what I would have become without having him close.Since the danger had become more palpable than ever, each member of my team was assigned their own security team. Of course, Darren organized two new bodyguards for me as well. I hadn't protested, even if I hated buying groceries accompanied by two men in black suits.My mood significantly improved after Kenneth's and Doctor Rogers's trials finally ended. Kenneth had been sentenced to fifteen years in prison for assault and attempting murder, and another five years for terminating the pregnancy against my will. For all his deeds, Rogers received t
The Rich and the Loved Her Anchor
DARRENI found Lilly sitting in the precinct's corridor, staring down at her hands that limply rested on her lap. Dried blood covered the sides of her palms and fingertips. My chest tightened as I saw her in her numb state. I rushed forward, pushing through the policemen standing in the way, until I pulled her up from her seat and wrapped her in my arms. Only then did she start crying, and her tears kept falling long after I brought her back to the penthouse.Rage filled every inch of me. I wanted to kill everyone responsible for Lilly's state. If only I could get to New York sooner. If only I could somehow prevent this, protect her better, spare her from the pain and anguish...I left Lucien in Qatar to deal with our end of the bargain with Naila. He wasn't happy about it, but I gathered enough people and resources for him to plan a flawless rescue mission. Getting Naila's brother out of Almarri's residence wasn't going to be easy, but I knew that Lucien would figure out how to do it
