Chapter 221 [ 508 words ] Chapter 221: Finch gently laid Caroline down in the center of the massive king-sized bed. He pulled the heavy, dark velvet duvet over her shoulders, turned off the main lights, leaving only a dim floor lamp glowing, and silently backed out of the room.

Chapter 220 [ 498 words ] Chapter 220: Finch pressed his finger against his hidden earpiece. “Finch. Go ahead.” “Sir, this is perimeter actual,” a voice crackled over the encrypted radio channel. “We have a situation at the target’s Alexandria residence — the parents’ house. Two unidentified vehicles with obscured

Chapter 219 [ 520 words ] Chapter 219: The General cleared his throat. The sound was rough and awkward. He reached for his crystal water glass. His hand shook so badly the ice clinked loudly against the sides. He took a sip, trying to buy time to rebuild his shattered

Chapter 218 [ 483 words ] Chapter 218: “General,” Caroline said, her voice slicing through the heavy air like a scalpel, “you have this entire situation completely backward. I never tried to trap your grandson.” The General frowned, his thick white eyebrows pulling together. He clearly thought she was lying.

Chapter 217 [ 484 words ] Chapter 217: “We have to stop her,” Harper whispered, scrambling to her knees. She grabbed the hem of Cornelia’s silk robe. “Mom, please. We have to get rid of her.” Cornelia stopped pacing and looked down at her daughter. A slow, terrifying smile stretched

Chapter 216 [ 500 words ] Chapter 216: “Mr. Finch, I apologize,” Cornelia said smoothly. “My daughter is suffering from a severe hypoglycemic episode due to her confinement. She lost her balance and accidentally knocked the box off the counter. It was entirely a clumsy mistake.” Finch stared at Cornelia.

Chapter 215 [ 497 words ] Chapter 215: The sheer, suffocating weight of the jealousy snapped the last remaining thread of Harper’s sanity. Her vision tinted red. Blood rushed to her ears, creating a deafening roar. Harper let out a high-pitched, hysterical shriek. She lunged forward and grabbed the white

Chapter 214 [ 513 words ] Chapter 214: The tension in the room evaporated. Caroline sat back in her chair, her posture relaxing just a fraction. She had established a rhythm of banter that bypassed the General’s defenses. He was looking at her not as a threat, but as a

Chapter 213 [ 507 words ] Chapter 213: “Those titles belong to the Pentagon, and that legacy belongs to you,” Caroline replied, her tone completely indifferent to the power he was waving in her face. “They have absolutely zero impact on how I live my life.” She was drawing a

Chapter 212 [ 489 words ] Chapter 212: Finch walked to the desk and picked up the box. He looked at Caroline and gave a very slight, respectful nod of his head, then turned and walked out of the study, pulling the heavy door shut behind him. The loud click

Chapter 211 [ 476 words ] Chapter 211: She had survived the initial ambush. But defense was a losing strategy in this house. She needed to seize the momentum of the conversation. Caroline reached down to her side and picked up the cheap, worn black nylon tote bag she used

Chapter 210 [ 491 words ] Chapter 210: She did not offer a frantic excuse. She delivered a tactical report. “The emergency department received a mass casualty alert from a multi-vehicle collision on the interstate,” Caroline stated. “I was required to complete the stabilization and transfer of two critical patients

Chapter 209 [ 517 words ] Chapter 209: They reached the grand staircase. The thick Persian runner absorbed what little sound remained. They climbed to the second floor. The physical weight of the silence grew heavier with every step, designed to crush the psychological defenses of anyone summoned here. At

Chapter 208 [ 531 words ] Chapter 208: Julian sighed heavily, glancing at the code on the screen. “I’m sorry, I have a massive trauma consult coming into bay four. I have to go.” He gave Caroline a quick wave. “Eat it all. I’ll check on you later.” He turned

Chapter 207 [ 531 words ] Chapter 207: Harper’s malicious orders had been executed perfectly. The charge nurse assigned Caroline to every horrific task in the department. She was ordered to clean up the vomit of a drunk driver. She was forced to manually lift a three-hundred-pound unconscious patient onto

Chapter 206 [ 529 words ] Chapter 206: Caroline read the text twice. A sharp pang of guilt hit her chest. He was so incredibly normal and kind. But beneath the guilt, there was a massive wave of relief. If she had gone on that date, Jarrod’s “Code Black” security

Chapter 205 [ 485 words ] Chapter 205: Brenna looked at the schedule, then at Finchley. The anger in her eyes fought a violent battle with ambition. Finally, she let out a heavy, defeated sigh. “Fine. You win. But I’m going to hate every second of it.” Finchley turned to

Chapter 204 [ 522 words ] Chapter 204: He had two impossible choices. Defy Harper, and she would unwittingly trigger the same chain reaction Caroline had warned him about. Cooperate with Harper, and Caroline — the woman who already held a nuclear bomb over his head — would have every

Chapter 203 [ 465 words ] Chapter 203: Harper didn’t bother knocking. She shoved the heavy door open and walked into the office. Dr. Finchley was sitting behind his desk, rubbing his temples as he reviewed a stack of budget reports. He jumped in his chair as the door slammed

Chapter 202 [ 512 words ] Chapter 202: She walked into her closet and pulled out a blood-red, tailored blazer and a tight black skirt. She armored herself in designer clothing and slipped on a pair of massive, dark sunglasses. She walked to the window and looked down at the