Chapter 281 [ 484 words ] Chapter 281: Two hours later, the massive oak doors of the Romero family estate swung open. Jarrod and Caroline stepped into the grand foyer. Caroline was wearing the midnight-blue velvet gown. Her hair was swept up elegantly. She looked every inch the untouchable Romero
Chapter 280 [ 476 words ] Chapter 280: Caroline started to protest. “I handled Cornelia perfectly well today. I don’t need a babysitter.” Jarrod cut her off, his tone brokering no argument. “Cornelia is a cornered snake,” Jarrod explained. “Today she used money. Tomorrow she will use bullets.” He reminded
Chapter 279 [ 490 words ] Chapter 279: She pulled the annulment document from her bag and handed it to him as physical proof of the encounter. Jarrod took the document. His fingers brushed against hers. He didn’t even look at the legal jargon; his eyes were locked entirely on
Chapter 278 [ 489 words ] Chapter 278: She walked two blocks away from the tea room to ensure she wasn’t followed. She blended seamlessly into the afternoon crowd. Once she was in a safe zone, she pulled out her encrypted satellite phone. She hit the speed dial for Jarrod’s
Chapter 277 [ 491 words ] Chapter 277: Cornelia’s face turned an ugly shade of purple. She slammed her manicured hands on the table. “You are nothing but a cheap thief!” Cornelia shrieked. Caroline’s smile vanished. Her posture suddenly radiated a terrifying, commanding presence that completely dwarfed Cornelia’s aristocratic fury.
Chapter 276 [ 498 words ] Chapter 276: In the tea room, Caroline picked up the fifty-thousand-dollar check. She held it up to the light as if inspecting the watermark. Her silence stretched agonizingly. Cornelia smirked, fully believing that the sight of that much money had short-circuited the poor nurse’s
Chapter 275 [ 505 words ] Chapter 275: She walked through the heavy brass doors. The maître d’ didn’t ask for her name. He simply took one look at her cheap clothes and guided her to a private room in the back. The heavy oak door was pushed open. The
Chapter 274 [ 482 words ] Chapter 274: “It was like a bad rom-com,” Brenna joked. “Thank you for giving Julian the push he needed to confess to the right girl.” With the Julian crisis seemingly resolved, Caroline felt a massive weight lift off her shoulders. She headed to the
Chapter 273 [ 484 words ] Chapter 273: They drove through the quiet, neon-lit streets of Washington, D.C. The city was finally asleep, leaving them in their own private bubble. Jarrod pulled up to a classic, 24-hour American diner on the outskirts of the city. Its red neon sign buzzed
Chapter 272 [ 488 words ] Chapter 272: Jarrod tilted her chin up with his left hand. His eyes darkened with a different kind of hunger, silently asking for permission before he bridged the final gap. Jarrod lowered his head. His lips captured Caroline’s in a kiss that started out
Chapter 271 [ 529 words ] Chapter 271: “I just wanted one place,” Caroline confessed softly. “Just one tiny corner of my life where I was judged solely on my own merits. I wanted to be Nurse Thompson, the girl who saves lives. Not Mrs. Romero, a prisoner on a
Chapter 270 [ 477 words ] Chapter 270: Jarrod pushed off the counter and walked toward her. He stopped inches away, looking down at her with an expression that was still intense but no longer threatening. “You knew,” he said quietly. “Before tonight. You knew he wasn’t chasing you.” “I
Chapter 269 [ 492 words ] Chapter 269: Caroline didn’t raise her hands to placate him. She had done this dance too many times. Instead, she met his gaze with a weary, steady calm. “It’s Brenna,” she said quietly. “Something’s probably happened with her and Julian. They were together when
Chapter 268 [ 499 words ] Chapter 268: Her breathing was shallow. Her mind was still reeling from the dark truth about the VIP lounge. The realization that she had walked blindly into an organ trafficking hub, combined with Jarrod’s twisted, desperate confession, made her stomach twist into tight knots.
Chapter 267 [ 476 words ] Chapter 267: His rough, calloused fingers, burning with unnatural heat, pressed directly against the bare, sensitive skin of her stomach. He dragged his hand upward, his grip bruising, trying to physically brand his ownership into her flesh. Tears of pain and frustration pricked the
Chapter 266 [ 469 words ] Chapter 266: Caroline tumbled onto the expansive, dark leather backseat. She scrambled to sit up, her head spinning from the rough handling. Before she could even catch her breath, Jarrod’s massive frame blocked the light. He climbed into the cabin. He pulled the heavy
Chapter 265 [ 489 words ] Chapter 265: “I saved a woman’s life!” Caroline yelled back, her chest heaving. “I handled them perfectly! I don’t need you acting like a lunatic and blowing up the entire street to protect me!” She pointed toward the alley. “Alston had the situation completely
Chapter 264 [ 472 words ] Chapter 264: Before they could even drop their weapons, the doors of the other two armored SUVs flew open. Twelve operators from Task Force Orion poured out. They wore black balaclavas and carried suppressed assault rifles. There were no warnings. There were no arrests.
Chapter 263 [ 509 words ] Chapter 263: She wanted to violently shove Alston away, but her tactical brain knew he was saving their lives with this performance. She forced her muscles to relax and leaned her head against his shoulder, playing the part of the submissive mob mistress. Rocco
Chapter 262 [ 477 words ] Chapter 262: The seven thugs fanned out, forming a tight semicircle around the black sedan. They slapped their steel pipes against their palms, their eyes locked on Caroline. Rocco staggered out of the alley last. Two men held him up. His face was covered