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The interior of the MTA bus spun into a nauseating kaleidoscope of red taillights, glaring fluorescent bulbs, and terrified faces. Claire’s vision tunneled as another vicious wave of contractions ripped through her abdomen, tearing a raw, breathless sob from her throat. She was sinking sideways onto the rubber-matted floor, her soaked coat offering zero protection against the freezing draft sweeping through the doors. / Chapter 17 / 20

Chapter 17 - The Fall of the Rebel Cousin

By late afternoon, the news cycle had completely flipped. The New York Financial Journal issued an emergency retraction, followed by a breaking report from Bloomberg: Victoria Vance Arrested on Federal Charges of Corporate Forgery, Insider Trading, and Conspiracy.

Cameras caught the humiliating spectacle of Victoria being led out of her Park Avenue townhouse in handcuffs, her face hidden behind an oversized designer handbag as federal agents guided her into an unmarked sedan.

Inside the penthouse nursery, the triplets cooed softly, completely oblivious to the corporate warfare raging outside their walls. Claire stood by the window, watching the sunset paint the sky in shades of bruised purple and gold.

Julian stepped up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"The board emergency meeting is adjourned," Julian whispered. "Victoria’s shares have been automatically absorbed back into the primary holding trust. Her name has been permanently struck from the family registry."

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The rain tapped a frantic rhythm against the glass of Marissa’s cramped, dimly lit kitchen, but the storm outside was nothing compared to the tempest raging inside Adrian Whitmore’s mind. Standing just beyond the rotting wooden doorframe of her apartment, hidden by the heavy shadows of the crumbling stairwell, the millionaire tried to steady his breathing. His expensive wool coat was soaked through, but he didn’t care. His eyes were entirely fixed on the scene unfolding a few feet away.

The rain tapped a frantic rhythm against the glass of Marissa’s cramped,...

My hand froze inches from the cold steel of the Sig Sauer P226. Beneath the amber glow of the bedside lamp, the source of the warmth against my side wasn't an assassin, an operative from a rival syndicate, or a traitorous lieutenant.

My hand froze inches from the cold steel of the Sig Sauer P226. Beneath...

The silence in the master bedroom stretched so tight I could hear the slow, heavy drip of my own pulse in my ears. Dominic Rossi’s dark eyes locked onto mine, burning with a feverish intensity that should have sent me running back down the hallway and out into the rain

The silence in the master bedroom stretched so tight I could hear the sl...

Claire turned within his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You planned this down to the last detail, didn't you?"

"In my world, Claire, you never leave a threat lingering in the shadows," Julian replied, his dark eyes softening as he looked down at her. "You draw them out into the light, and you crush them completely."

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