Chapter 100 Lara met his gaze. For a moment, the hum of the helicopter felt louder. “I understand,” she repeated gently, “that when someone matters to you… you make space for them p> Her tone wasn’t bitter. It wasn’t sarcastic. If anything, it was too calm. Ares’ eyes darkened slightly.

Chapter 99 Layla slammed her bedroom door so hard the entire wall trembled. The framed portrait above her vanity tilted sideways, her smiling face in the photo now crooked—just like the expression twisting her features. She hurled herself onto the unmade bed. The silk quilt bunched beneath her, pillows scattering

Chapter 98 The Norse dining room carried the comforting hum of a home that was never truly quiet. Morning light spilled across the long mahogany table—custom-built and large enough to seat ten—its polished surface reflecting the soft clink of silverware and the gentle rustle of napkins. Today, nine chairs were

Chapter 97 The low purr of a Bentley engine disturbed the quiet of the Norse driveway. Ares stepped out, tailored charcoal shirt crisp against the morning light. Even at rest, he carried the air of a man who moved markets and commanded rooms without raising his voice. He wasn’t here

Chapter 96 For a moment, there was only the faint sound of wind brushing the leaves of the trees in the nearby orchard. Logan became acutely aware of the ache in his own shoulders. The slight blister at the base of his palm. The memory of his thrust wavering earlier.

Chapter 95 Morning arrived quietly at the Norse mansion. Sunlight slipped through the narrow gaps of the ivory curtains, spilling across the polished floor in pale gold ribbons. Dust motes floated lazily in the beam, suspended in silence. On the bed, Lara’s lashes trembled before her eyes slowly opened. For

Chapter 94 “Uncle grandpa p> She did not finish. Major Trillo firmly took the phone from her hand. “General Norse,” he said evenly, projecting his voice so the entire ballroom could hear, “this is Major Anton Trillo of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines. We currently have Azure Resort secured p>

Chapter 93 The party unfolded like a perfectly timed performance. The highlight came when the most sought-after magicians in the capital took center stage. Applause rippled across the ballroom as silk scarves became doves, coins disappeared behind tiny ears, and a white rabbit was transformed—shockingly—into the White Rabbit candies that

Chapter 92 Three hundred armed defectors. Military men. Not rebels from the streets. Not nameless extremists. But men trained under the same flag the Norse family had bled for. That must have been the cruelest cut of all. To dedicate generations to protecting a nation… only to have that nation’s

Chapter 91 Lara woke with a sharp inhale. Her sheets were twisted around her legs. Her pulse thudded violently against her ribs. For a second, she didn’t know where she was. It wasn’t the usual scenes she dreamt about. No throne rooms. No crowns. No blood-soaked battlefields. This time, the

Chapter 90 Back at the Norse mansion, the music had faded. The laughter, the clinking glasses, the political smiles — all of it had dissolved into silence. Only the mansion remained. Lara was invited to stay the night, and she agreed. It wasn’t unusual, and it wasn’t the first time.

Chapter 89 At the 40th floor of an exclusive building at the heart of the city, the scene at the Norse mansion played out in silence. Not on television but in a private, encrypted feed. The room observing it was dark and quiet enough to hear one’s breathing. Multiple screens

Chapter 88 Layla lowered her lashes, studying the crimson swirl of wine in her glass as though it held answers. The floating lights above caught the liquid, turning it into something rich and dangerous — like blood dressed in silk. But she wasn’t seeing the wine. She was replaying the

Chapter 87 A week after the kidnapping event, the city was alive with celebration. The smoke had cleared. And every screen, from street corners to high-rise penthouses, looped the same footage — General Leonard Norse shaking hands with military officials, flashes from cameras exploding like gunfire. News anchors called the

Chapter 86 He studied her. Not the way men usually did—hungry, obvious, careless. Ares watched her like she was encrypted code. Sometimes his gaze burned—sharp, assessing, almost territorial. Other times it went distant, shadowed by something she couldn’t quite name. And then there was Scarlet. Lara hated that her mind

Chapter 85 Lara lay on her back, eyes shut, sheets twisted around her legs like restraints. Despite the fact that Aurelian Village was located in a quieter place, still the city outside her window was a strong presence that never really slept—sirens wailed somewhere in the distance, neon light bleeding

Chapter 84 Now they stood close enough to erase the air between them. Close enough that the city noise behind them—the traffic grinding past, bass thudding faintly from a passing car, the hiss of buses kneeling at the curb—felt distant. Close enough that she could feel the heat of him

Chapter 83 They stepped into the terrace corridor overlooking a manicured garden below. The noise of the restaurant faded into distant clinks of crystal and low murmurs of conversation. Sunlight poured through the glass panels, catching Scarlet’s wine-colored hair and turning it into something almost aflame. For a moment, neither