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Chapter 22
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The Stranger He Became Chapter 23
Chloe could feel the suffocating pressure of the heavy atmosphere closing in on her, like a vice grip around her chest. She came to a halt in her restless pacing, attempting to take deep breaths in an effort to calm herself down, but the anger only seemed to intensify."Chloe," Max's voice pierced through the thin fabric of her tent, calling out to her. Chloe heard him, but she didn't respond immediately. The tent was translucent, so there was no way for her to hide. "Are you okay? You left suddenly."Chloe clenched her jaw, her resolve hardening. She had had enough of this trip and all the emotions it had stirred up. She hastily gathered her things, stuffing them into her duvet bag, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall."Is something wrong? Can I come in?"With a sudden jolt, Chloe sprang up from her seated position. "Don't you dare come in here!" she yelled. Her eyes blazed with fury, as her hands balled into tight fists. "Actually, you know what? Just get the
The Stranger He Became Chapter 24
Chloe sniffled and sat up on the bed. She knew that crying wouldn't solve anything and would only leave her with puffy eyes and a weakened immune system. She couldn't afford to miss work on Monday, especially since she needed to focus on coming up with new designs.She pushed herself off the bed, her feet hitting the floor with a dull thud. She knew there was only one place that could numb the pain she felt, and that was Stone’s.Despite the memories it held of her time with Kylian, as they both frequented the place before things went sour, she knew it was the safest place where she could numb her pain and get drunk without having to worry about being molested on the streets, thereby exposing her to another monster in the guise of a prince charming.She reached for a pair of dark shades and added some color to her lips.She was careful not to let her appearance raise more unnecessary stares than she had been getting as the newest divorcee in the city.***Emma admired the elegant red
The Stranger He Became Chapter 25
Emma was incensed and the only thing that staved off an outburst from her was the fact that they were in a public place.Kylian had arrived tardily for the date, keeping her waiting for almost thirty minutes before he walked in with a flimsy excuse that he had been unavoidably delayed by a last-minute business conference that he simply could not miss. Then, his phone didn’t stop ringing, interrupting their conversation each time she tried to summon up the courage to bring up a conversation about the money he promised her.At the fifth ring, she leaped to her feet and shoved the chair back, the metal legs scraping loudly against the cool marble floor. With a fiery determination in her eyes, she stormed out of the room, her heels clicking sharply with every step.She strode forward, acutely aware that all eyes were on her, the center of attention in her stunning outfit.It was too bad that Kylian had ruined her mood.As she approached the exit, the uniformed man by the door rose to his
The Stranger He Became Chapter 26
Chloe jerked up in bed at the sound of the front door slamming shut, causing her to swiftly get out of bed.Emma had found the conscience to return home after days.She sat up, waiting for her. The worrisome thought of seeing Max’s car at Stones’ was a question Emma was going to answer.Emma had a peace offering in her hand when she walked in. As usual. She scowled as Emma lifted the box of chocolate to her.“The way you left tells me how terribly mad you are at me.”With a sigh, Chloe made her way towards one of the cushions in the room, sinking into it and folding her arms across her chest."“A box of chocolate isn’t going to solve this, Emma. Not this time.”Emma dropped the box and moved to the bed, facing her grimacing cousin. “What’s the problem?”She was certain that she hadn’t seen Kylian. Knowing her cousin too well, she knew the kind of reaction she’d display if she had seen her ex-husband with her.“What were you doing with Max? What’s your relationship with him?”All night
The Stranger He Became Chapter 27
Chloe's hand shook uncontrollably, causing her phone to slip from her grasp and hit the ground with a loud thud. Ollie jolted up from her seat, alarmed by the sudden display."Is something wrong?" She asked with perplexion.Chloe's head was shaking in denial, but the expression on her face betrayed that something was amiss. "Just…go." Chloe’s voice quivered, her eyes brimming with tears, but she tried her best to hold it back.“Chloe, please talk to me. You are getting me scared. Please?” Ollie’s voice came barely above a whisper, as she regarded Chloe’s reaction with a hint of sadness in her gaze.Chloe couldn’t believe what she saw. Was it some kind of a joke? When did it happen? Was it her all along? She pondered, her racing heart threatening to jump out of her chest.“Ollie, not now. Please leave at once! I want to be left alone!” Chloe’s words came in a half-yell, her voice laced with pain and agony.“I am sorry,” Ollie bowed her head in disappointment as she resolved to let Chl
The Stranger He Became Chapter 28
The harder he tried, he couldn't shake the thought off his head. It felt like he'd lose his mind if he hesitated a second longer. He pushed his entire body out of the pool, leaving the unfinished punch by the poolside, and wrapped himself in a towel from the nearby rack.He reached for his phone as he dried his face and hair with the towel. He knew he had to find Chloe again but didn't know where to start. He scrolled through his contacts and stopped at Olivia's name. She might know where Chloe was, he thought. He hesitated momentarily before finally pressing the call button as he strode through the shaded yard toward his old-fashioned chateau.The sound of Ollie's voice echoed from the phone's speaker, but it lacked the usual excitement Max remembered from their previous conversation."I promise not to bother you after this." His voice reverberated with a solemn promise as he strolled by the gallery adorned with a lineage of portraits."I told her—I'm sorry, I couldn't keep it from h
The Stranger He Became Chapter 29
Max felt a pang of regret as Chloe pulled away from him, wiping the tears from her face. He couldn't tell if she felt comforted or didn't want him there. He wondered if she regretted showing her vulnerability to a man who was supposedly using her for his own gain.She brushed the line of tears from her face and moved away from him. She had been vulnerable, and even now, Chloe didn't know if it wasn't a mistake to show her vulnerability to a man who was after her for his vengeful plot."What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice laced with anger and sadness. "I thought I said..."Nevertheless, Max ignored her question as he took a seat beside her, maintaining a respectful distance but trying to offer comfort in some way."How are you?" he asked softly. "I saw the news."Chloe scoffed. "Everyone saw the news. Isn't it amazing that my life is a mess?""Your life is not a mess," Max countered, reaching out to gently touch her arm.Chloe pulled away, shooting him a glare. "What do you
The Stranger He Became Chapter 30
The blue Cadillac glided down the winding road, Chloe's fingers firmly gripping the steering wheel. She kept her gaze fixed ahead, unresponsive to the chirping crickets in the trees that flanked the road. The moon hung large in the sky, casting a silver glow over the dark, looming clouds that filled the atmosphere.Her mind was too preoccupied to fully appreciate the beauty of the night. The soft breeze that was whispering past her car's windows went unnoticed as she gripped the steering wheel tightly. Chloe's thoughts were consumed by what she was about to do and the consequences that would follow. The moon and the stars were just distant decorations in her periphery, and the chirping of the crickets was lost in the background noise of her racing mind.The sting of the news was still fresh in her heart, and it felt like an endless well of sorrow had been dug in her heart, and it promised to overflow.Max's presence had been helpful while she could get over the thought. But the minute
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The Stranger He Became THE END
Chloe pushed the doorbell of the door where she once lived. It felt like ages she’d been at Emma’s doorstep. The number of calls and the text messages she had gotten at the wedding made it feel like it had been really something urgent.She’d had her doubts about making that visit. The last time she remembered, Emma had wanted her downfall so badly that she had gone to the extent of allying with dangerous criminals, even putting herself in danger in the process.After a while of waiting, she pushed the doorbell yet again. She heard some footsteps trotting steadily in her direction. She held her breath in anticipation as she couldn’t tell why she had been called out there.“Chloe,” Emma said, “You’re here.” She hadn’t expected to see her after all.“Yeah, I’m here.” Chloe’s eyes ran a quick subtle scan through her. Her wandering eyes were caught by the little bump in her belly. She was shocked as she hadn’t been told that part of the story. Max…come on. He had sadly left out that import
The Stranger He Became Chapter 142
“I look stupid!” Ollie exclaimed in a mild tone of disappointment as she looked in the mirror one more time. “I look like a total goof.”“No, Ollie, you don’t,” Chloe protested as it had taken her and the costumier a considerable amount of time and energy to get her in that. “You look elegant.”Chloe looked over at the other girls on the bridal train as they silently complained about Ollie being way too vocal about her own complaints. And her dress too.“Elegant? Are you kidding me right now?” Ollie seemed like she’d never be satisfied, even though she was just a few minutes from walking down the aisle.“I’m not. Besides they’ve put in their best to give you the best, so it’s best that you just…” Chloe was out of words as she walked up to Ollie from behind, her tone becoming more and more hushed as he advanced. “Give them your best reaction. The dress is just perfect, Ollie.”The glistening white wedding gown had a very elegant flay. Maybe just too elegant to the point it puffed proud
The Stranger He Became Chapter 141
Emma was getting uncomfortable in her seat. How had Kylian gotten his hands on all that? It was probably Francis, but how had he gotten to Francis?Her attorney was totally unprepared for that sudden twist in the case. It had been a walkover up until then. That woman’s testimony had them all dumbfounded— she, her mother, and her attorney. They were all thrown in disarray.“Emma, when did this happen?” Her mother, Amelia questioned from behind in a whisper. She had no answer that could appease her mother’s curiosity without implicating her as well. Her lips seemed to shut off their own accord.She knew she was about to face cruel music which she hadn’t rehearsed its dance steps. The look on Kylian’s face when he said, “It’s over,” almost made her lose it in front of the judge. She would be giving herself away before the case was over if she hadn’t gotten her act together.“You could have told me about this,” her attorney whispered faintly in a way that meant that she was really in big
The Stranger He Became Chapter 140
"Don’t worry,” Kylian’s attorney told him not to do the one thing that his mind had been doing subconsciously since he’d set foot in the courtroom. “You’ll be fine.”“Sure I will,” he said, trying not to discourage his attorney before the grueling duel began. Either way, he wouldn’t be that much of a mess. Worst case scenario, he’d have to see Emma at their board meetings.“Kylian,” his mother called out from behind in a whisper. “Keep your composure out there, our fifty percent depends on it.”“Thank you, Mom, you’re doing such a great job at easing me of the pressure of the moment. Very commendable.” He said, harshly sarcastic.“Thank you, Kylian. Just don’t fuck this up for us.”He was a bit taken aback to hear his mom say the ‘f-word’ in public. “It’s really sad you called me just to tell me this.”“Now’s not the time to get in your feelings, young man. Go out there and get our family’s legacy. That’s all the pep talk you need.”As much as he hated it, she was right. He inhaled de
The Stranger He Became Chapter 139
Max had his shades on as he walked through the construction site on the hot sunny afternoon.“The long-awaited upward progress has finally begun.” Mr. Singh mused as he was almost following all of Max’s footsteps throughout the site.“Isn’t it lovely?” Max replied with a smile. “Feels like we started just yesterday.” He was glad that it had been all running smoothly despite him being occupied with all the many personal challenges that he somehow managed to see himself come out on top.“It sure does.” Mr. Singh seemed like he had a default positive response for everything he had to say. It had Max wondering if he’d ever get to see Mr. Singh mad, even just once. He itched to see that moment, except that it didn’t have to be on the job that he was doing for him.Max believed that it was all because of the remarkable presentation that he had put forth. He strongly believed that it was still speaking for him up until then. He hadn’t questioned his moves and followed him with blind trust. H
The Stranger He Became Chapter 138
Ollie picked up her phone and dialed frantically, “Did you hear about Alejandro on the news?” The report on the news seemed untrue, and she assumed that Chloe hadn’t seen it yet. “Alejandro has been arrested on numerous charges?”“Yeah, I heard,” Chloe said, unalarmed like they hadn’t lost one of their biggest potential partners after they had set quite a huge part of their budget plans around him and his cash, especially. “He’s been arrested.”“You know what that means?” Ollie still believed that she wasn’t getting the full scope of the impact of that news in particular. “What’s going to become of our plans and all?”It took Chloe quite some time to get a sigh out from her end of the line. “Well, we are going to figure something out, Ollie.”What? She meant to ask but swallowed it in as she sought a much better response but she couldn’t find any other, that forced her to say it out anyway, but more softly and politely that didn’t make it seem like Chloe had said something unreasonabl
The Stranger He Became Chapter 137
“It’s on the news, Chloe,” Max stared at the TV screen in wild wonder, calling out to Chloe who came running, “They finally got him.”“Businessman known as Alejandro Navarro has been finally apprehended by the forces on charges of illegal drug trades, manslaughter, sex trafficking…” the TV presenter went on and on with his many dirty deeds.“Damn, he’s got quite a lot going for him at the moment.” Max remarked as he reclined on the couch, “Good thing they got him. There could’ve been trouble if they didn’t.”“Yeah,” Chloe said looking on in anticipation, “Nothing on Diego yet?”“Wait for it.”“Alongside the underground drug lord, the notorious gangster, Diego Gutierrez was also found in the building. After much resistance and shots fired, the swat team was able to break in and apprehend the two men and a few other survivors from the heated exchange. Two hostages were found in the basement of the building, a male and a female, suspected to be victims of his trafficking crimes…” The pre
The Stranger He Became Chapter 136
It was the D-Day of the raid. Gray couldn’t deny how nervous he was, but he had to what had to be done. His heartbeat surged forcefully with each stop and turn of the vehicle.Most of all, he hoped the resistance they had predicted would what they’d be faced with. He’d heard stories of how vicious the Mexicans could be, and he didn’t want the mission to be a continuation of that tale.“Alright,” he finally got the courage to speak up amid the men in the large trunk of the van, he was about to attempt to make them not feel what he was feeling. He took out the large tablet that had the blueprint of the building.“The operation is simple.” He didn’t believe it was, but he had to say it anyway. “First, we surround all possible exits of the villa, which include the main gate, the back gate, and one other hidden gate on the Eastern side of the fence…”“Second, we ask Alejandro and his men to come out peaceably. If they don’t, which they most probably wouldn’t, we first hit them hard with so
The Stranger He Became Chapter 135
Kylian tapped on the door, hoping that he’d somehow made it to the right door, following Maya’s directions to her place.The block of flats had way more homes than it appeared to have while viewing it from the outside. One could easily get lost in there. It had him wondering how the inhabitants kept from mistaking another door for theirs.He tapped yet again. He heard some faint footsteps approaching the door and expected to see Maya’s dazzling face. He could hear hands working desperately at the lock and that made him brim with anticipation.Finally, he thought, till the door opened for him to see a tall macho man with overgrown beards and tattoos scattered all over his body. The shock from seeing the stranger made him almost unable to speak. He had heavy rock music pounding in his apartment.“Can I help you mate?” his deep voice could make anybody’s knees buckle with frightful intimidation.“Sorry…I came to the wrong door,” Kylian broke out in an uncoordinated stutter, “I was lookin
