Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 61 - Chapitre 70

AXEL’S POV:I felt myself slipping away, my grip on consciousness tenuous at best. The edges of my vision began to blur and darken, like ink spreading through water. A dull, throbbing pain still radiated from my shoulder, but it was no match for the crushing weight that threatened to flatten me. My skull felt like it was being squeezed in a vice, making it hard to think. Yet, despite the fog closing in, I could still hear everything around me – the distant voices, the rustling of clothes, the sound of my own ragged breathing. It was a strange, disjointed sensation, as if my body was shutting down, but my senses remained stubbornly alert.I expected her to hesitate. To freeze. Maybe even walk away and let me bleed out, considering everything I'd done to her. It would be a fitting end, wouldn't it? But Avery surprised me. She moved. Not with panic, not with fear, but with purpose and confidence. Then she screamed. "Help! Someone! We need help!""Fuck." I groaned. This was exactly wh

AXEL’S POV:I slowly woke from the haze of anesthesia, my mind foggy and heavy as if wading through thick molasses. The remnants of anesthesia clung to me, and my mind struggled to catch up with reality. In that blurred moment, I could barely distinguish shapes or sounds. But then, slowly, the world began to seep back in. I felt a warmth at my fingertips—a gentle, steady pressure that wasn't mine. I forced my eyes open, blinking away the fog, and, and the first sensation I registered was the gentle, warm pressure of a hand in mine. I blinked, struggling to focus on the shape beside me. Avery was there, her head resting against the back of a chair, her hand interlaced with mine. For a moment, the chaos of the night all faded into a hushed background. In that suspended moment, the chaos of the past few days melted away, replaced by an almost unbearable peace. I stared at Avery, taking in every detail: the gentle curve of her cheek, the quiet determination softened by exhaustion in her

AXEL’S POV:"My name is Devon Lugi," he declared with an edge of vulnerability I hadn’t expected. He fixed his gaze on me as if daring me to question him further. "I served in the Army—part of Blackhawk Shadow, a covert unit trained in assassination and high-risk combat." His tone dropped, reverent and raw. "Before all that, I was just a kid from the slums. My mother was dying of a disease we couldn’t afford to treat. I remember that charity event you held in our broken-down neighborhood—you, dressed so casually, laughing with the kids and comforting the old. When you were about to leave, I ran to you, desperate. Security tried to stop me, but you—God, you stopped them. You scooped me up in your arms and asked why my eyes were red. I told you, 'Mummy is going to die. Please, save her.'" He paused, the memory clearly written in his eyes. "Without hesitation, you took me by the hand, walked me to my home, and saw the state of our living. You saw my mother, bedridden, clinging to life.

AVERY’S POV:I remember the moment vividly—the hazy recollection of awakening from my sleep. I scrambled up, searching for familiar faces. Axel and Devon were gone. Ryan lay still on the bed. I went to him, checking on his vitals but just as I finished and turned to leave, a pair of arms wrapped around my waist, halting me in my tracks. I froze, my heart fluttering with surprise and uncertainty.“Thank you for saving my life,” Ryan low, trembling voice murmured. He held me gently for a few long seconds. I knew it was likely the residual effects of anesthesia making him act uncharacteristically affectionate, so I didn’t move. Ryan’s pride wouldn’t allow gratitude, especially not in a moment like this. Ryan would rather bite the bullet than say thank you. Pride wouldn’t let him show weakness, and affection was even further out of reach. Men like Ryan weren't hard to read in matters like that.I let him have his moment, awkward as it was. Just as quickly as he’d embraced me, he release

AXEL’S POV:We'd watched from the balcony as Avery trained. I could hardly believe it was her first time undergoing intensive training. From the way she moved, so tactically, she handled every drill with a focus that belied her inexperience. Ryan even managed a small, approving nod while I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the sight. Just as she finished, returning to the house, Sea also came back from school. I wanted to go spend time with Sea, but as I walked to her room, leaving the balcony, the faint strains of a song nearly lulled me to sleep. I paused at the door and peered inside, only to see Avery and Sea together. Avery was singing—her voice was gentle and unrestrained, blending seamlessly with Sea’s joy. It looked normal instead of being an odd scene, almost as if Avery had become Sea’s biological mother rather than someone I had a deal with. I found it both heartwarming and disconcerting because we all know she was acting. I let them be, knowing that these moments of conn