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Chapter 17 – Explosive Revelation at the Family Dinner
Last Updated:
2024-12-16 02:40:36
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Ties of a Contract Chapter 18 – Between Lies and Truths
SophiaThe morning started like any other, or at least it seemed that way. I was in the kitchen, stirring my coffee, my mind still clouded by the disastrous visit to my mother’s house and my unsettling encounter with Olivia. Her words echoed in my mind like a broken record. No matter how attentive Alexander had been since the start of the day, my heart still felt heavy.It was then that the sound of a notification on my phone shattered my reverie. I picked up the device, expecting something trivial, maybe a message from Leo or an update about something irrelevant. But what I saw made me freeze.The email was from an unknown address, with the subject line: “Do you really know who you’re married to?”My breath stopped, and a chill ran down my spine. Reluctantly, I clicked to open the message. The email body was short, just one line:“The truth always comes out.”Below, there were attachments. Three photos.I hesitated, my finger hovering over the screen. Something inside me wanted to ig
Last Updated : 2024-12-17Ties of a Contract Chapter 19 – Shadows of the Past
SophiaI’m in the mansion’s library, surrounded by a pile of documents I asked Alexander’s assistant to digitize. He assumed it was for some charitable project I was involved in, but my intention is quite different. I can’t ignore the growing discomfort caused by Olivia’s words since our encounter at the dinner. Something doesn’t add up, and even though I want to believe in Alexander, I can’t keep ignoring the gaps in his story. I know my curiosity might lead to discoveries that could disappoint me, but in a strange way, it makes me feel alive, as if I were living inside the suspense novel I abandoned since that fateful encounter with Olivia.The photos I received showed Alexander and Olivia together at a charity event years ago. She used that as ammunition to make me question his character. But what bothers me the most isn’t the images; it’s the tone of her voice, the conviction that she still holds a place in his life. I need to understand who Olivia really is.The first clue appear
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SophiaI am in the living room, staring at Alexander with a mix of anxiety and determination. His words echo in my mind: “the truth won’t be easy for you.” Whatever he is about to tell me, it will change everything. I know it. Somehow, I know. My breathing is shallow, and the silence between us feels louder than any argument we’ve ever had. “Olivia was a mistake I should never have made,” he finally says, standing up and walking to the window. His tone is low, but the tension in his words is palpable. “She was with Ethan, but… there was something about her. Something that attracted me in a way I can’t explain.” My heart races, and I don’t know if I want to hear the rest, but I can’t interrupt him either. He continues, still with his back to me. “Ethan was naïve. He loved her, but Olivia was never completely his. She had a calculating side he couldn’t see. And yet, I…” Alexander pauses, taking a deep breath. “I let myself get involved. It was a betrayal—the worst I could commit a
Last Updated : 2024-12-19Ties of a Contract Chapter 21 – Power Play
AlexanderI’m in the car, staring at the reflection of the city lights on the window beside me. Sophia sits next to me, her eyes fixed on her phone screen. Her posture is elegant, but I can sense the tension in her shoulders. This event is important to me, but for her, it’s something else entirely: an opportunity to confront Olivia on her own turf. Even so, there’s something about her determination that unsettles me—and attracts me at the same time. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever known.The driver announces that we’re almost there. My body tenses as I think about the possibility of Olivia showing up. I know she won’t miss the chance to make her presence known, especially with Sophia by my side. Olivia never acts without intent, and tonight won’t be an exception.As we step out of the car, the camera flashes begin. Sophia’s hand finds my arm, and I feel her steady grip. She knows what’s coming and is prepared—maybe even more so than I am.We enter the main hall, where the business elite
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SophiaThe night is silent when Alexander enters the bedroom, the sound of his firm footsteps echoing against the wooden floor. I’m sitting at the edge of the bed, legs crossed, absentmindedly flipping through a book. My mind is still at tonight’s event. Olivia tried, as always, to destabilize what we’ve built, but Alexander and I faced it together. For the first time, I felt like we weren’t just reacting; we were in control.He stops beside me, his deep brown eyes fixed on me. There’s something in his gaze that makes my heart race—a mixture of intensity and tenderness that’s hard to describe. He doesn’t say anything at first, just removes his suit jacket and loosens his tie, giving me time to observe him.“You were impressive tonight,” he finally says, his voice low but filled with sincerity. “Not just beautiful, but incredible. I don’t know how you did that with Olivia, but… thank you.”I smile, closing the book and placing it aside.“It was nothing,” I reply, but I know it was. It
Last Updated : 2024-12-21Ties of a Contract Capítulo 23 - A Verdade de Ethan
SophiaEstou no escritório de Alexander, sentada em sua poltrona de couro enquanto examino um dos arquivos que ele me entregou. Há semanas, ele tem falado em colocar um fim definitivo no ciclo de manipulações de Olivia, mas só agora percebo o quão sério ele está. Meu marido não é o tipo de homem que se expõe sem motivos, mas algo mudou.Enquanto folheio os papéis, encontro uma carta, cuidadosamente dobrada. O papel está amarelado pelo tempo, e a caligrafia é elegante, mas firme. Meu coração dispara quando leio o cabeçalho: Para Alexander. O remetente é Ethan.— Alexander? — minha voz sai mais alta do que eu pretendia, e ele entra no escritório poucos segundos depois, ainda sem paletó, a gravata frouxa no pescoço. Ele parece exausto, mas ao me ver segurando a carta, seu rosto endurece.— Você encontrou — diz, sem emoção. Mas há algo em seu tom que me deixa inquieta.— Por que isso está aqui? — pergunto, levantando a carta. — Por que nunca falou sobre ela?Alexander respira fundo e pass
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SophiaI run my fingers over the steering wheel as I wait in the discreet parking lot of a café far from the city center. The investigator’s message still lingers fresh on my phone screen: “I have something. You need to see it in person.” My heart is racing, and my mind is working overtime. Hiring a private investigator was an impulsive decision, but now that I’m here, about to hear what he’s discovered, I feel like I’m finally in control. For the first time, I’m not just reacting to Olivia’s attacks. I’m taking action.The investigator arrives—a middle-aged man with a tired face and eyes that seem to see too much. He gets into the car, hands me a thick envelope, and lets out a heavy sigh.“Are you sure you want to see this?” he asks, his voice gravelly.“I am,” I reply firmly, though my voice doesn’t carry as much conviction as I’d like.I open the envelope with trembling hands. Inside are photos, copies of emails, and transcripts of messages. The first photo makes my stomach turn: O
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SophiaThe door to Alexander's office is slightly ajar when I enter the mansion. My heels echo against the cold marble hallway as I clutch the documents I brought from my meeting with Olivia. My hands are still trembling, the weight of the revelations suffocating my chest."Sophia?" Alexander's firm voice pulls me back to reality.He’s leaning against the dark wooden desk, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his tie loosened. His eyes, usually so controlled, are shadowed, filled with a mixture of anger and exhaustion."I came as soon as I could," I say, closing the door behind me.He walks towards me, and before I can say anything, he holds my face in his hands, resting his forehead against mine."Are you okay?" he asks, his voice low, almost a whisper."I am," I answer honestly, despite the lump in my throat. "But we have a lot to talk about."Alexander reluctantly lets me go, but his hand finds mine as he leads me to the desk. There are piles of documents scattered across
Last Updated : 2024-12-24
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NoahGiulia's reflection in my office window distracts me while I try to explain the situation to the board. She sits discreetly in the corner of the room, pretending to examine her tablet, but I can notice how her eyes occasionally meet mine in the reflection."Let me see if I understand," Marcus massages his temples. "You're getting married. In a week.""Tomorrow," Giulia softly corrects, without raising her eyes from the screen. "The trust has a temporal clause."Something about the way she pronounces each word with precision fascinates me. It's the same care she showed when debugging the app - methodical, precise, surprising."Tomorrow?" Marcus's voice rises an octave. "This is...""Necessary," Oliver interrupts, entering the room. He carries a folder I recognize: our parents' marriage documents. "And it wouldn't be the first time a Hawthorne marries for convenience."Giulia raises her eyes, finally. The blue of her iris captures the evening light in a way that makes me lose my tr
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Ties of a Contract The Algorithm of Destiny
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Ties of a Contract Chapter 107 - New Beginnings
AlexanderThe house is quiet. The twins are sleeping soundly after a busy day at the park, and Claire took all the case documents to her office. For the first time in months, it's just Sophia and me.The night is especially beautiful, with a gentle breeze swaying the porch curtains. It's almost surreal to think about how we got here, after everything we've faced. Sophia is on the porch, wrapped in a light blanket, watching the moon. I approach quietly, offering a glass of red wine - the same label we drank the night we made our agreement."What are you thinking about?" I ask, sitting beside her."About how everything has changed," she responds, snuggling into my chest. "Who would have thought that meeting about my father's debts would bring us here?"I smile at the memory. "You walked into my office determined to negotiate. I never imagined you'd leave with a marriage proposal.""An arrangement," she laughs softly, her fingers playing with the wine glass. "You needed to improve your i
Ties of a Contract Chapter 106 - The Price of Truth
"UNMASKED EDITORIAL EMPIRE: Decades-Long Manipulation and Crime Scheme Exposed"• The New York Times"Matthew Morrison and James Cooper Arrested in Federal Police Operation"• Washington Post"Richard Bennett, Editorial Magnate, Found Dead in Bangkok: Suicide or File Destruction?"• The GuardianSophiaThe morning sun streams through the windows of our new home. It has been three months since that night at Sarah’s farm, and I’m still learning not to look over my shoulder every five minutes.Oliver and Noah are playing in the backyard—a fenced and monitored space, but still a place where they can just be children. Alex watches them from the balcony while working on his laptop, occasionally looking up to smile at me.My phone vibrates with a message from Claire:"It’s on TV. Do you want me to record it?"I turn on the television in time to see James being led into court. His last words before accepting the plea deal echo in the headlines: “I was just following orders, but that’s no excu
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Chapter 103 - Last RefugeSophiaThe rain lessens as I drive down the dirt road. In the back seat, the twins have finally fallen asleep, Noah still clinging to the rain-soaked dinosaur. Through the rearview mirror, I confirm that Alex and Claire are still following us.The headlights illuminate an old building. A farmhouse, isolated and apparently abandoned, except for the small beam of light escaping from one of the windows."This is it, my loves," I whisper, although the boys continue sleeping.Alex parks alongside, and Claire exits first, typing something on her phone."Security system deactivated," she informs. "You can come in."We carry the boys inside. The house is surprisingly cozy inside, with furniture covered by white sheets and an old fireplace."No one knows this place," Claire explains, closing the curtains. "It was my sister's refuge. Where she kept her discoveries.""And where she died," Alex softly completes.Claire nods. "Morrison found her here. Or rather, my father
