Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 21 - Chapitre 30

Damien pulled the car to a stop in front of Flora’s grand Victorian house. The lamps lining the driveway cast an ethereal glow on the intricate gingerbread trim. “It isn’t my first time seeing it,” Damien said, taking in the impressive architecture. “But this place is massive.”“It is a bit much,” Flora admitted. “Though there are perks to having all this space. I’d planned to sell it at first after my divorce was finalized but now, I’m not so sure.” On a sudden whim, she blurted out, “Would you like a tour?”Damien raised an eyebrow, surprised by the invitation. “Are you sure? It’s late.”Flora shrugged, masking her nervousness. “Just a quick one then. Besides, I haven’t even properly thanked you for this evening.”Intrigued, Damien followed her inside.The house was a labyrinth of high-ceilinged rooms and winding staircases. As they walked, Flora pointed out hidden nooks and curiosities she’d collected over the years. With eac

An insistent ping roused Flora from a sleep that felt deeper and more restful than she’d had in several days. Glancing at the clock, she realized she’d slept in – a welcome change from the restless nights spent tossing and turning. A familiar pang of loneliness hit her as she remembered Damien’s absence. He’d left early, not wanting to impose and had promised to call later.Her phone pinged again and she reached for it and unlocked it. She was immediately bombarded with notifications. A flurry of missed calls – all from Henry – and two text messages. The first one was a simple chilling sentence – 'I know he slept over, Flora'. The second one was a vile tirade, laced with insults and accusations. She’d heard his car drive away, so how had he known Damien had slept over at the mansion? The texts solidified Flora’s suspicions that Henry was stalking her somehow. Disgusted, she tossed her phone back on the nightstand. Henry’s words wouldn’t get to her. Today was a new day and s

Flora glanced at the clock, and let out a sigh of relief. She had spent her morning interviewing candidates from different cleaning agencies, and the last interview had just wrapped up. Her decision had been made. She had finally found the right person among the many hopefuls that had paraded through her living room today. Though her mansion of a home could easily accommodate a large cleaning team, she preferred a smaller setup, especially since she only used a few rooms regularly. The work was too much for Catarina alone, but the new girl would offset the balance just right. “I think Esther will do just fine,” Flora said to Catarina, who had been helping her sift through the candidates who had arrived. The maid nodded, her face warm with approval. “She’s a good choice, Miss Wicks. Young, but she has a good head on her shoulders. She’ll learn quickly.” Flora handed over the chosen maid to Catarina, knowing she would be in good hands. “Show her around please. I need to freshen u

The next day, Flora spent the better part of her afternoon poring over the documents related to the properties and assets she had received as part of her divorce settlement. Spread out on the large mahogany desk in her study were maps, photos and valuation reports. It was a lot to take in, but she was determined to make informed decisions about what to keep and what to let go.One property that caught her eye was the summerhouse. Nestled by a serene lake, Flora had fallen in love with it at first sight – until that fateful day when Henry had callously told her that she wasn’t enough for him and demanded a divorce. The memory stung, and she decided then and there that she wanted nothing more to do with it. It was in the study of this very summerhouse Flora was deliberating what to do with all the properties she had become the recent owner of. She might have done this in her own home but Henry had come over a little too much for her liking lately, and for this task, she neede

She returned inside, and found Catarina tidying up the kitchen, rinsing out the mugs they had drank the coffee with. The maid’s body was lined with tension, and Flora realized she was expecting her to act like Olivia, to throw a tantrum and issue scathing words. They were family after all, even if not by blood.“Thank you for calling Damien, and Eva,” she said, her voice sincere. You did the right thing.”Catarina looked relieved. “I was so worried, Miss Wicks. Mr. Grey was so…aggressive. I didn’t know what else to do. I had called you, and you had come rushing down, he’d have gotten exactly what he wanted.”“You did exactly what you should have,” Flora assured her. “And I promise, things will get better. We’re moving to a new place soon. The maid nodded, looking reassured. “I’ll start packing up your things then.”Flora smiled, glad they had been able to hash out this issue. She was not Olivia, and would never be. “Thank you. I’ll start sorting through wha