Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 111 - Chapitre 120

(Jayden)I look in the hospital bathroom mirror and see a bruise on my cheek, redness around one eye –pfft, must have been when we fell, I never felt his fist land up there – a very swollen bottom lip and my ribs feel like hell. Lucky shot is all.There’s blood on my white business shirt but I don’t have time to change now. Phillip has already wasted enough of my time. I’m going to be with Abby when she wakes up. I stride out of the bathroom and Gus falls in step beside me.“Do you have any evidence incriminating Ashlyn and supporting Winona’s claim she set her up?” I ask quietly.“My security has turned in every bit of video and audio they have.”“Have you listened to any of it?”“No.”“Don’t fuck me around, Gus. I need Winona cleared of all this.”“Okay, okay,” he concedes. “There’s some words but I couldn’t really make out anything clearly. It needs an expert to pick up the audio. It’s with them now.”“Someone must have gotten something. Maybe if we check the videos, we can see w

(Winona)The next day, I’m feeling better. The visit with Abby was amazing. She even sipped a little milk. She’ll be back home before we know it. Maybe today will be a good day. Phillip is still in bed, resting his sore head, no doubt.Gordon and I are in the private office. He’s sipping a coffee, looking more animated than usual. His eyes gleam with a certain excitement that makes me both hopeful and anxious.“Alright, Gordon,” I say, settling into the chair opposite him. “Spill. How did last night go?”Gordon leans back, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. “Last night was... enlightening, to say the least.”“Yeah, exciting stuff watching men guzzle beer and shots.” I’m still a little surprised still that Gordon and Jayden’s lawyer, Daniel, were involved in this.I mean, I know they’re human, but it strikes me as a little odd, all the same. They are supremely professional men at the top of their game.“The real purpose of me going out with them was to get a read on Jayden and his

(Jayden)I don’t think I’ve avoided going back to my penthouse as much as today, ever. I just don’t want to have to face Ashlyn. But in another way, it’s all I want to do. Just face her and get her away from me. But if I trigger her too much, I risk putting Winona and Abby at more risk.Ashlyn won’t let anything keep her away from taking Winona down. So, it seems anyway. I use my key and go inside. There’s not much noise in here. I walk down to the kitchen, and I see Mother. I look around. No Ashlyn.“Hi.”Mother turns around with a start. “Jayden, you’re home. You gave me a start…”“Sorry. I probably should have messaged given the circumstances.”“The circumstances are still sleeping.”I eye her carefully. “Did you give her something?”“Nothing dangerous. I slipped some sleep medication into her breath freshener. I wasn’t to know she would practically drink that stuff.”“She is obsessed about fresh breath.”“She is in the guest room down the hall. Your old office you converted. It w

(Winona)The next day, I sat in a small, dimly lit room at the police station, my nerves on edge. The walls feel like they’re closing in. I’m here to face my father, Steve Halley, the man who wrecked my childhood and now holds the key to my future. My hands tremble as I try to steady my breathing, determined to see this through. This is my chance to clear my name and get Ashlyn put away for a very long time. To get some sort of normalcy back again for us. Ashlyn is getting picked up and detained for questioning now so I need to get this done.The door creaks open, and my heart skips a beat. I’m not even wearing the wire yet, maybe it’s Gordon. But it’s not Gordon or my father who walks in. It’s Jayden. I stand up but stay behind the table. The sight of him stirs a whirlwind of emotions. Anger, hurt, love—they all mix together, making it hard to breathe.“Why are you here? To break my heart all over again?”He closes the door behind him, his expression serious. “Winona, I need to

(Winona)What’s going on? They’ve taken Steve off again and I don’t know if he’s said enough yet. But the officers said nothing, just that it was over.I’m being led out of the police interview room. My mind is racing, a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. Do they have enough on him? Did I do enough? Every second with him in there was torture.His smug face, the way he taunted me—it’s all burned into my mind. But did we get what we needed? My head is aching, the uncertainty gnawing at me. Whatever is happening now must be important. Maybe the Judge decided something else, and the trial is going ahead sooner than Abby’s operation in three weeks.Gordon is waiting in the hallway. His presence a comfort. “What’s happening?” I ask, my voice more panicked than I intended. The anxiety bubbling inside me is threatening to overflow.Gordon walks beside me, his expression grave. “Winona, I need to tell you something,” he says, his voice low and cautious, as if preparing me for another blow.“