CHAPTER 418. A CAGE FOR THE QUEEN. Hidden MotivesJhon leaned against the shower glass, waiting for the water to warm up, his mind lost in a flood of memories. Her sweat still clung to his skin, and maybe that’s why he hesitated to step under the stream. He had missed her scent more than anything in the world. He loved her just as much as before, and even though she had blamed the hormones, Jhon couldn’t help but wonder if she still felt the same way about him.Finally, he stepped under the shower, feeling the hot water relax his muscles. He wished he could close his eyes and reopen them to find her standing there. He wished he could have her by his side every day, but he knew that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. He couldn’t sneak into the prison every day without risking being caught, so he was fully aware that their encounters would be brief.He wondered what it would be like to be with her always again, to enjoy every moment, to share in their daughter's life, and to savor eve
CHAPTER 419. A CAGE FOR THE QUEEN. A Difficult DecisionJhon wasn’t sure if he should answer, but after three calls, the persistence was too much. He finally grabbed the phone and picked up.“Hopkins, who’s this?”A melodic voice responded from the other side. “Agent Hopkins, code and access number, please.”For a second, Jhon hesitated. “I don’t have one,” he answered curtly, almost sensing the doubt from the other end.“I think I didn’t hear you, agent. Your code and access number so I can connect you, please.”“You heard me perfectly. I said, ‘I don’t have one.’ I don’t have a code or access number.”The sweet voice suddenly turned irritated. “Agent, without the requested information, we won’t be able to connect you,” the woman reprimanded him.“Well, that’s perfect because, to begin with, I wasn’t the one who called you,” he replied and immediately hung up.Not even five minutes passed before the phone rang again, and on the other side, he heard a rough, annoyed voice he knew a
CHAPTER 420. A CAGE FOR THE QUEEN. I Won’t Betray YouJhon knelt in front of her, closing his eyes to hold back the tears as he felt his daughter’s movements inside Chiara. The dance of life, the most precious treasure he had ever known. A deep sense of emotion spread through his soul as tears escaped his eyes. He focused on that moment and wondered what his life would be like once that little girl finally came into the world. He knew he would be capable of doing anything for her.Chiara watched him as he rested his forehead on the curve of her belly, unable to stop herself from melting inside at the sight of him like that. She reached out, her fingers slipping into his hair, gently stroking it. She knew the moment was delicate for both of them, sharing something intimate and unrepeatable, and she wished that everything could just be okay again.“Jhon,” she said softly, “what’s going on?”He opened his eyes and looked up at her. He couldn’t deny that she knew him too well. The deep lo
CHAPTER 1. More than one way to break a heart**JANUARY SEATTLE**"How could you do this?!" Zack Keller's furious roar stopped his girlfriend right at the door as soon as he saw her arrive.Giselle saw a piece of paper in his hand and had no idea what he was talking about, but she had never seen him so upset as he was at that moment."I don't know what you're talking about...""Of course you do! You aborted my child! You lost it on purpose!" he accused her angrily. "Did you at least have the damn intention of telling me anything?!"The woman in front of him turned pale."How... how do you know...?"Zack threw the paper in her direction and looked at her with disappointment."Do you forget you're on my company's health insurance?" he spat, approaching her. "As soon as your last name appeared in the payment records, they notified me. Imagine my joy when I found out the insurance had paid for a pregnancy test and then for an ultrasound!"Giselle stepped away from him, her face red with e
CHAPTER 2. Something is Very Wrong...**NOVEMBER. VANCOUVER**"Andrea! To my office! Now!"The shout from her boss, a middle manager at SportUnike, made her jump in her seat, anxious because she knew he was in a very bad mood that day."Is this a damn joke?" he growled, throwing a folder of documents at her face. "I clearly told you I needed the budget reports for the water sports division from last month!"Andrea's eyes widened."But... Mr. Trembley... I'm sure you said you wanted this month's reports...""Don't argue with me, you useless idiot!" her boss snapped. At fifty years old, Peter Trembley was as unpleasant as his bulging belly, but Andrea had to endure him because she had barely managed to get a job as his assistant, and she and her daughter depended on it to survive. "Don't you realize what's happening? SportUnike is gone! A Swiss bastard bought it, and now we'll just be a part of his company! Do you know what that means?"Andrea knew. The arrival of a new owner had create
CHAPTER 3. A Possible AllyBut if Zack thought something was wrong with the company, his instincts went on high alert when he went down to the parking lot and saw the woman leaning against one of the walls. She was trying to change from high heels to low sneakers, but her hands were shaking.He was tempted to go talk to her, but something in him still resisted getting involved in other people's problems. He had a new company to run; if he wanted Andrea to feel better, he just had to fix his company, not the woman's personal life.Finally, he saw her adjust her coat and step out into the cold street.He watched from a distance and saw she didn't take a taxi or a bus, so she probably lived nearby. He had no idea how wrong he was because Andrea didn't live remotely close; she simply couldn't afford any form of transportation.For forty minutes, the young woman walked through the cold of a Canadian winter, and by the time she finally reached her building, it was almost dark."Good evening
CHAPTER 4: This is War!Trembley's face visibly reddened, and the hardness in his eyes remained."Waiting for Andrea?" he growled. "Are you trying to be funny, or do you not know that interpersonal relationships are prohibited in this company?""Well, I'm a slow learner, but I tend to imitate," Zack replied sarcastically. "Maybe I got confused when I saw you climbing on her like a lizard needing sunlight."The old man clenched his teeth and released Andrea abruptly before walking up to Zack."Don't get in my way, kid. You're just a newcomer, and I can...""What? Fire me?" Zack interrupted with a cold voice. "Well... you can try, but you'll find my job here doesn't depend on you. I belong to the team of the company owner, and only he can fire me. I'm sure he wouldn't look kindly on a manager trying to dismiss me without justified cause."Trembley clenched his fists and glared at Zack with a malevolent, defiant expression."Maybe your job is safe," he spat, "but hers leaves much to be
CHAPTER 5. Difficult DecisionsFurious… no, but definitely frustrated. He couldn't understand why she was so submissive to a guy who was utterly despicable. Sure, he was the boss, but God strike him down if he ever treated any of his employees like that!Andrea not only tried to do her best, but she did it well. You'd have to be blind not to see that the idiot Trembley minimized her just to keep her controlled. Zack didn't know why it angered him that she allowed it, but it bothered him that she was so docile with her boss.As soon as he saw she was less watched, he followed her to the copy room and closed the door behind him."Hey, were you born with a neck problem?" he asked, stopping her. Andrea looked at him, confused."Excuse me?" she murmured, not understanding."It's just that your head only moves up and down to say yes. I haven't seen you move it sideways even once to say no!" Zack hissed, and the girl pressed her lips together, her cheeks flushing."Because it's not easy..."