Chapter 95 Chapter 95 FAYE I stood outside Alexander’s room door for what felt like an eternity, rehearsing the words in my head. It was ridiculous that I had to practice something so ordinary…asking to get a job…but with Alexander, nothing was ever as simple as it should be. Still,
Chapter 94 Chapter 94 SILVER HOLLOW Sage had always told herself that she hated silence, but lately even noise couldn’t drown out the strange restlessness stirring inside her. Her body didn’t feel like her own. Some days she would wake up with her head pounding, as though a drumbeat pulsed
Chapter 93 YE I sat on the couch, hugging my knees loosely to my chest, staring at Alexander but not really seeing him. My mind was still stuck on the words he had just told me–words that seemed too heavy to belong to me, too strange to even make sense.
Chapter 92 Chapter 92 ALEXANDER I don’t know how long I had been asleep when the heat started to press against me. At first, it slipped into my dreams…like flames licking at my skin, fire curling around me. But when I startled awake, my breath heavy and sharp, I realized
Chapter 91 FAYE I had never felt so unprepared in my life. As Alexander’s car rolled to a stop in front of his mother’s house, I could barely keep my palms from sweating. The place was enormous, elegant in a way that carried both authority and warmth. Not like some
Chapter 90 Chapter 90 FAYE When Mrs. Adams finally left the room, her footsteps fading down the hall, Irene turned toward me with a small smile. “I’ll be back later,” she said softly, almost as if she didn’t want to intrude further. And just like that, she slipped out too,
Chapter 89 Chapter 89 ALEXANDER I stood by the bedside, arms folded, my eyes fixed on Faye’s face as Mrs. Adams moved about. Irene stood beside me, restless, wringing her hands and shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Every now and then, she would lean closer to
Chapter 88 FAYE I shifted on the bed, fluffing the pillow behind me even though Irene had already done it three times since she walked in. She had this way of fussing over me like a mother hen, and honestly, I couldn’t decide if it was comforting or tiring. Probably
Chapter 87 Chapter 87 FAYE I blinked against the brightness, my lashes fluttering as the ceiling above me slowly came into focus. For a moment, my mind was blank–no memory of where I was or how I had gotten here. And then I saw him. Alexander. Sitting right beside me,
Chapter 86 +25 Points Chapter 86 ALEXANDER I had just leaned back into my seat, rubbing my temples and trying to absorb the endless stream of financial projections being presented, when my phone buzzed against the conference table. I glanced down, ready to ignore it until after the meeting. The
Chapter 85 As Bella stepped into the corridor from Alexander’s room, she let out the breath she had been holding. Her palms were still damp, and she could almost hear the wild beat of her heart echoing in her ears. For those few minutes inside, with Alexander’s phone in her
Chapter 84 Chapter 84 ALEXANDER I was in the middle of a good sleep when my phone beeped. The sound was sharp in the silence of my room, dragging me out of sleep. For a second, I thought I had dreamed it, but then it buzzed again, and my eyes
Chapter 83 +25 Points Chapter 83 Bella paced her room, her arms folded tightly across her chest. She had been trying to figure out how to get what Gerald was asking for–the picture. A picture she couldn’t get without first getting access to Alexander’s phone. Her mind was racing with
Chapter 82 Chapter 82 ALEXANDER She shifted nervously in front of my desk, her frame tense, her hands wringing the hem of her shirt as if the fabric could anchor her. Maya wasn’t the sort I imagined at the heart of a conspiracy. She was timid, soft–spoken, with the kind
Chapter 81 FAYE Out of boredom, I had decided to stroll into the courtyard on the other side of the pack house. When the kids saw me, they ran towards me as usual, asking me to show them tricks. They were the only ones around here I could actually be
Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Bella sat stiffly across from Gerald in the corner of the café, her arms folded loosely on the table. Her eyes were fixed on the older man in front of her, searching his expression. Gerald, however, looked perfectly at ease. He leaned back in his chair,
Chapter 79 FAYE The knock I gave Alexander’s door was soft, almost hesitant, though I had no reason to be. He had summoned me, after all. Still, I lingered outside for a heartbeat longer than necessary, listening to the echo of my knuckles against the wood. I had gone to
Chapter 78 Maya confronted her father the moment she stepped into his study. The door closed behind her. Gerald was seated behind his desk, a half–filled glass of wine at his side, going through a set of papers. “Was it you?” she asked sharply, arms folded against her chest. Gerald
Chapter 77 ALEXANDER $ 25 Points: The meeting had been going on for almost an hour already. “The situation is under control,” I continued, keeping my voice steady. “All my resources are focused on discovering how the border was breached, who was responsible, and locating the guards who are still
Chapter 76 Chapter 76 ALEXANDER I was just returning from a meeting in town, then Cole followed me into my office. His face told me everything before his mouth…something was wrong. “We have a problem,” he said without preamble, his voice carrying the weight of urgency. I ran a hand