Chapter 101 Chapter 101 ALEXANDER My heart had broken when I saw her in that dungeon. The cold stone walls. The damp pressing in. Her figure small in that dark place. The sight was enough to carve me open from the inside out. She didn’t belong there. And I blame
Chapter 100 FAYE Claim The damp chill of the dungeon seeped into my skin the longer I sat there, the rough stone pressing into my back like it wanted to remind me where I was. My hands trembled, not from fear…at least, that’s what I told myself…but from the cold.
Chapter 99 Chapter 99 Cole’s jaw was tight as he watched the guards seize Faye by the arms, dragging her out. Without wasting another second, Cole pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Alexander’s number. He kept his eyes fixed on the doorway where Faye had disappeared, his other
Chapter 98 I slouched a little in my chair, trying not to make it obvious that I was fighting the urge to yawn. These elders could talk about absolutely nothing for hours and still manage to make it sound like the fate of the world depended on it. I didn’t
Chapter 97 I stayed standing in Alexander’s room even after the call with my mother ended, the silence thick between us. My phone screen had already gone dark, but I still stared at it for a moment as though I could disappear into the reflection. I had lied. Boldly lied.
Chapter 96 Chapter 96 Maya sat stiffly on the stool opposite her father, her head bowed, hands folded tightly in her lap as if bracing herself for an inevitable storm. Gerald leaned against the table, arms. crossed, his eyes narrowing as he studied her. He had spoken already, but Maya
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