Chapter 141 [ 486 words ] Chapter 141: Caroline heard the movement. She instantly let out another sharp, terrified sob. She scrambled backward, pressing her spine flat against the hard wooden headboard. She pulled the torn edges of the blue shirt tighter across her chest. She kept her chin tucked
Chapter 140 [ 519 words ] Chapter 140: A loud, sharp ripping sound cut through the quiet bedroom. The cotton fabric shredded along its front seam, the stitching giving way under the brutal force of his single hand. Three small plastic buttons snapped off the thread and bounced across the
Chapter 139 [ 583 words ] Chapter 139: Jarrod stood right at the edge of the mattress. His deep gray eyes locked onto Caroline. The tender, reassuring warmth from a moment ago vanished. As he looked down at her, seeing the fragile surrender in her posture, a different, more primal
Chapter 138 [ 485 words ] Chapter 138: Jarrod plugged the dryer into the wall. He stepped behind her. He turned the machine on, the low hum filling the quiet room. Caroline flinched as she felt his large, calloused hand gently gather the heavy, damp mass of her hair. The
Chapter 137 [ 531 words ] Chapter 137: Jarrod didn’t explode. He didn’t move. He simply froze, and the lingering heat in his gray eyes vanished, replaced by something far more terrifying: a deep, glacial stillness. He stared at her, his expression unreadable for a long moment, but a muscle
Chapter 136 [ 516 words ] Chapter 136: She leaned against the sink, her chest heaving. The phantom sensation of his hot, bare skin burned against her palms. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing her operative discipline to crush the sudden, terrifying spike of physical desire in her blood. She
Chapter 135 [ 505 words ] Chapter 135: “I will have my assistant buy you a full wardrobe tomorrow morning,” Jarrod said, looking down at her burning red face. “For tonight, you can wear one of my shirts. It will be big enough to act as a dress.” Before Caroline
Chapter 134 [ 523 words ] Chapter 134: Caroline swallowed the dry lump in her throat. She gave a stiff nod, desperate to escape the overwhelming, suffocating gravity of his physical presence and the jarring sight of the injury he so stubbornly ignored. She practically sprinted past him and ducked
Chapter 133 [ 502 words ] Chapter 133: Rows of perfectly tailored, dark-colored suits hung in absolute military precision. Dozens of crisp white shirts were aligned by collar type. A glass display case held a collection of expensive, heavy steel watches. She scanned the shelves, looking for a specific detail.
Chapter 132 [ 504 words ] Chapter 132: The moment they crossed into the interior, the heavy steel door automatically swung shut behind them, sealing with a final, echoing click. The physical isolation was absolute. Jarrod carried her through a massive, cavernous living room. The floor-to-ceiling windows offered a dizzying,
Chapter 131 [ 499 words ] Chapter 131: Her survival instincts, which had been smothered by his kiss, suddenly flared back to life. Panic, cold and sharp, flooded her veins. She instinctively pulled her hand away from his grip. She took a step back, pressing her spine flat against the
Chapter 130 [ 477 words ] Chapter 130: He lowered his head until his nose brushed against hers. “I know,” Jarrod murmured, his breath hot against her lips. “I am not going to force you into my bed tonight, Caroline. I just need you behind my locked doors. I need
Chapter 129 [ 495 words ] Chapter 129: She placed her hands flat against his chest, trying to push herself up. “The partition is up,” Caroline said, her voice slightly breathless. “You can let me go now. I know the move to your penthouse was inevitable, but I can at
Chapter 128 [ 520 words ] Chapter 128: “As long as you stand with me, any baseless suspicions cannot hurt you,” Jarrod murmured, his tone steady and protective. “As for the details of our relationship, I will handle the narrative. You just need to exist beside me.” Caroline’s heart skipped
Chapter 127 [ 478 words ] Chapter 127: “Use private contractors,” the General ordered. “Find someone completely untraceable. Ex-intelligence operatives who know how to dig up corpses without disturbing the dirt.” Finch paused for a second. “I will contact the director of Spectre Advisory, sir. They handle off-the-books extractions and
Chapter 126 [ 524 words ] Chapter 126: The heavy oak door of the second-floor study clicked shut. Finch the butler stood perfectly still, his hands clasped behind his back, sealing the room off from the chaotic aftermath of the gala below. The only sound in the room was the
Chapter 125 [ 516 words ] Chapter 125: As the SUV pulled away from the oppressive stone walls, Caroline leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. The adrenaline from the confrontation began to recede, leaving a deep, bone-weary exhaustion in its wake. “You were magnificent,” Jarrod
Chapter 124 [ 532 words ] Chapter 124: Jarrod stood slightly behind Caroline. He looked down at the shattered glass, then up at his wife. There was zero anger in his gray eyes. Instead, a dark, consuming wave of absolute pride and raw possessiveness burned in his stare. He didn’t
Chapter 123 [ 484 words ] Chapter 123: Caroline’s entire body went completely rigid. Her combat instincts flared to life. The muscles in her thighs coiled, preparing to neutralize the threat. Jarrod’s heavy fingers instantly dug into the soft velvet at her waist. It was a brutal, silent warning. Do
Chapter 122 [ 510 words ] Chapter 122: The suffocating tension in the room instantly evaporated. The crowd, sensing the shift in power, immediately raised their champagne glasses, offering fake, polite smiles to the new Mrs. Romero. The General turned around. He leaned heavily on his cane and began to