Chapter 10 Chapter 10: In a tucked-away private room of the Royal Club, Cole lounged on the sofa, legs crossed, cool as a cucumber. Across from him, his three friends—Allan Shaw, Merlin Blakely, and Manley Swain—gawked at him, their minds buzzing with thoughts over his recent marriage to Elliana. In
Chapter 9 Chapter 9: Elliana was still half-asleep when Cole leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her lips. Her heart did a backflip the moment their lips touched, her long lashes fluttering like a startled butterfly. Just like that, her first kiss was history. Cole pulled back, locking
Chapter 8 Chapter 8: The second Ruben brought up Elliana’s name, the energy in the room shifted. Conversations quieted, and heads turned. Elliana caught on quickly, setting her utensils down and straightening in her seat, her composure calm and deferential. Though his eyes held warmth, Ruben spoke with the kind
Chapter 7 Chapter 7: Elliana had spent the day before doing her homework on the Evans clan, and it didn’t take long for her to see that Irene wielded considerable influence. Jarrett had led the Evans family in those earlier years, and while tradition dictated the role of matriarch should
Chapter 6 Chapter 6: Elliana hesitantly took the phone and pressed play on the video. The screen lit up with a recording of Elliana rising from the couch in the dead of night, moving like a sleepwalker before crawling into the large bed. In the footage, Cole had rubbed his
Chapter 5 Chapter 5: After his shower, Cole slipped into clean pajamas and made himself comfortable, stretched out like he owned the bed. The knot on his pajama top hung loose, exposing just enough of his defined chest and lean torso to make it feel intentional. It was hard to
Chapter 4 Chapter 4: There was no denying it—Cole’s looks had reeled Elliana in the moment they met. Her mind had gone places, spinning stories that had no business leaving the realm of fantasy. But the truth? When it came to intimacy, Elliana was a dreamer, not a doer. She
Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Nothing about Cole’s wedding whispered subtlety—it shouted luxury from every corner, drenched in diamonds and power. A hundred-million-dollar gown, laced with over 400,000 diamonds and pearls, was the crown jewel of the ceremony. Paige had fantasized about walking down the aisle in it for as long
Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Kiara rose to her feet in a flash. “How can this even be happening p> Darin looked equally rattled. “This can’t be right. There’s got to be an error p> Back in the day, the Jones family thrived off Elliana’s biological mother, Rita Marsh’s brilliance—her medical
Chapter 1 Chapter 1: “Elliana, remember what I told you. Until you turn twenty, never show your beauty or your talents p> For fifteen years, Elliana Marsh had lived by her mother’s final words. She kept herself plain and acted ignorant—just to blend into the background. But today was her
Chapter 292 {A Month Later p> {JERICHO} My home office is filled with the warmth and chaos of new parenthood. There are blankets, toys, and a crib set up in the second study, which has been converted into my own private office. Wesley and I toyed with the idea of
Chapter 291 {WESLEY} I reach for Jericho’s hand, wanting to comfort him, but also craving his support. His warm hand curls around mine, and I instantly feel better. My alpha can calm me with just his touch. Dr. Martinez gently palpates my abdomen. He explains that by doing that, he’s
Chapter 290 {WESLEY} I’ve been having Braxton Hicks contractions all day. The baby was due two days ago, but so far, it has no interest in making an appearance. I’m sitting on the couch in our bedroom that’s near the window that looks out over the Adonis estate. I’m surrounded
Chapter 289 {TYLER} (Days later p> “Are you trying to trick me into reading?” I ask Sasha suspiciously. He’s got me stationed in the library upstairs, next to his study. “I would never dare,” he replies drily. “Now, stay there a second He uses the secret door between the rooms
Chapter 288 {TYLER} Tonight, everyone except me, Lucia, and the kids will go to Midnight celebrations, and I’ll have a chance to be alone with my newfound fullness of spirit. Maybe I’ll light a candle of my own, remember the people I’ve lost. And then after mass, all of my
Chapter 287 {TYLER} I’m standing in the cellar, hands on my hips, when I hear footsteps coming down the stairs. “Angel p> “Yeah p> Sasha comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me. He doesn’t ask why I’m down here, and I love that about him. He knows.
Chapter 286 Once Miles and the others have left the room, I take Tyler with me to the other corner, push him up against the wall, and lean over him. “He was going to kill you,” he says, before I can speak. “He was going to bash your fucking brains
Chapter 285 {SASHA} There is a drawn-out moment where Clemenza weighs up his options, and Tyler and I sit there, watching him. Under the table, Tyler is jigging his thigh against mine, nerves getting the better of him, although his face is serene. At last, Clemenza shifts in his chair.
Chapter 284 {TYLER} Having Clemenza over for dinner on a Thursday night is not my idea of a great time, but the situation in back here is becoming exponentially dangerous. The city is on a knife-edge, the tension making its way all over. So on Thursday night, having recovered from
Chapter 283 {SASHA} Problems beget problems. It’s something my Father said to me once, and I never forgot it, musing over it from time to time when it floated into my mind during times like these. Problems beget problems. My own have become legion over the last few years, and