10
Before he could respond, I hung up and immediately blocked his number.
For the first time in weeks, I felt lighter.
Relieved, I began wandering around Sebastian’s house, taking in the quiet luxury of the space.
No one stopped me. The staff, clearly briefed on my identity, treated me with the same respect they showed Sebastian.
I explored floor after floor until I reached the top level.
There, standing in front of a closed door, I hesitated.
H
“Lila Hayes,” a voice called from behind me. “Are you sure you want to go in?”
Startled, I spun around to find Sebastian standing at the top of the stairs, his dark eyes fixed on me.
“You’re back?” I asked, surprised. “I thought you were on a business trip.”
He smiled–a soft, unexpectedly gentle expression I’d never seen before.
“I canceled it,” he said simply. “I realized leaving you here to face the storm alone wasn’t something a husband should do.”
The word husband caught me off guard, rendering me speechless.
Before I could process it, he crossed the distance between us, his presence commanding as always.
Instinctively, I stepped back until my shoulders pressed against the closed door.
We were so close now that I could hear his heartbeat, or maybe it was just my own, hammering in my chest.
Without a word, Sebastian reached past me and opened the door.
I tried to step inside, but he pulled me back into his arms, holding me firmly.
As I turned my head to glance into the room, I froze.
The walls were covered in my paintings.
Every piece I’d ever created, from childhood to adulthood, was there–some I didn’t even remember.
“You…” I began, my voice faltering.
A strange, inexplicable feeling washed over me, a mixture of disbelief and something deeper I couldn’t quite name.
Sebastian leaned closer, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispered, “You’ve always been my obsession, Lila Hayes.”
11
Cole Parker was furious, and this time, he wasn’t hiding it.
He launched a calculated assault on the Hayes family, targeting their company with ruthless precisiont
After just a few rounds, the Hayes Corporation was in shambles.
Stock prices plummeted for several days in a row, and my father, who had always prided himself
action.
on
his
composure, was finally forced to take
Under mounting pressure from the family elders and the predatory stares of his opportunistic younger
pride and came to Sebastian Ford’s mansion.
my
father swallowed his
<
It just so happened that Sebastian was home that day.
He was helping me with my hair, carefully massaging essential oils into each strand. I sat there, lazily munching on a bowl of freshly washed
fruit, completely unbothered by the chaos outside.
When my father walked in and saw us, he froze for a moment, his expression twisting oddly as his gaze darted back and forth between us. After an awkward pause, he forced a smile and said:
“Son–in–law, seeing how well you and Lila get along really puts my mind at ease. We’re all family now, so you can’t just stand by and watch the Hayes Corporation go under, right?”
Sebastian didn’t even look at him.
He kept his focus on my hair, meticulously combing through each strand as if my father weren’t even there.
The silence stretched on, thick and suffocating. Just when my father’s forced smile began to falter, Sebastian finally spoke, his tone as cold as
ice:
“Richard Hayes, I think you’re confused. When I married Lila, I made it very clear that she was cutting all ties with your family. Your golden boy for an alliance was Cole–he’s your son–in–law, not me. If you’re short on candidates for marriage, maybe it’s time to go home and have another
kid.”
My father’s face froze in disbelief.
He clearly hadn’t expected Sebastian to humiliate him so blatantly. His expression quickly twisted into one of anger as he turned to me, shouting:
“Lila! Get over here! We need to talk–just the two of us!”
I didn’t move.
Instead, I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my chair, completely uninterested.
Sebastian waved his hand, and a couple of bodyguards entered the room, grabbing my father by the arms.
“My wife doesn’t want to talk to you,” Sebastian said flatly. “She has a painting to finish. Please see yourself out.”
I raised an eyebrow, gave my father one last look, and sauntered off to the studio, ignoring his shouts as the bodyguards escorted him out.
12
0
While the world outside was caught in a storm of headlines and scandals, I had no interest in any of it.
For the first time in years, I picked up my paintbrush again, determined to enter next year’s international art competition.
The years I’d wasted chasing Cole and playing the perfect Hayes daughter had dulled my skills, and getting back into painting was harder than I’d expected. But for the first time in a long while, I felt like I was doing something for myself.
The struggle was worth it.
Meanwhile, Sebastian was busy dismantling Cole’s world.
After crushing the Hayes Corporation, Cole became Sebastian’s next target. Like a hunter stalking his prey, Sebastian struck with precision and ruthlessness, forcing Cole into one failure after another.
It turned out that Sebastian had once held back against the Parker family out of consideration for me. When he learned about my engagement to Cole, he’d pulled all his plans against the Parkers and shifted his focus elsewhere.
But now, with no reason to hold back–and a desire to avenge me–Sebastian didn’t hesitate to go for the jugular.
The pressure was too much for Cole to handle. He was forced to back down, and word spread quickly that the Parker family was already grooming a new heir to replace him.
12.09 PM
<
Backed into a corner, Cole turned his frustrations on Mia.
According to whispers in elite circles, he locked her up in an apartment, effectively imprisoning her. Any disobedience on her part earned her a beating. The once–arrogant Mia, who had strutted around so proudly while ruining my engagement party, was now a shadow of her former
self.
My hard work paid off.
My painting made it to the final round of the international competition, and to celebrate, I accompanied Sebastian to a business gala.
Halfway through the evening, I started feeling a little suffocated and decided to step out onto the terrace for some air.
I wasn’t alone for long.
A figure emerged from the shadows, grabbing my wrist tightly.
“Lila,” Cole said, his voice low and intense. “I’ll give you one more chance. Leave Sebastian and come back to me. I’ll treat you right this time- what do you say?”
I yanked my hand away, glaring at him.
“You must be delusional,” I said coldly. “If you’re sick, go see a doctor.”
I turned to leave, but he stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
“You belong to me, Lila Hayes,” he hissed. “Even if I cheated, you’re still mine.”
Before I could respond, a strange smell filled the air. My vision blurred, and everything went black.
When I woke up, I was in an unfinished building, the walls bare concrete.
Across from me, tied to a cement pillar, was Mia. She was thrashing against her restraints, her muffled screams barely audible through the
tape over her mouth.
Cole stood nearby, a golf club in his hand and an unsettling smile on his face.
“Lila,” he said, his tone almost playful. “You know what I hate the most? Betrayal. You didn’t just marry someone else–you married him. Because of you, I’ve lost everything. So tell me, how should I repay you for that?”
I scrambled back, panic rising in my chest.
“Cole, you’re insane! This is a crime!”
He let out a dramatic laugh. “And what of it? I’ve already hit rock bottom. But I’ll give you one last chance. Come back to me, and we’ll pretend none of this ever happened. We’ll get engaged again, live happily ever after–what do you say?”
I shook my head furiously. “You’re dreaming!”
His smile twisted into something darker, more menacing.
“I figured you’d say that,” he said softly. “I guess that means you’re still hung up on this trash over here.”
He gestured toward Mia, who was trembling, tears streaming down her face.
“No problem,” Cole continued, raising the golf club. “I’ll take care of her for you.”
Mia’s muffled cries grew louder as she thrashed against her restraints.
“Stop!” I screamed.
Cole paused, turning to look at me.
<
“What, you want to do it yourself?” he asked, his tone mocking. “Fine by me.”
To my horror, he untied Mia and shoved her toward me.
“Fight it out,” he said with a cold grin. “Let’s see who comes out on top.”
In that moment, I realized Cole had completely lost his mind.
I thought about trying to reason with Mia, to suggest we team up against him.
But I’d forgotten one simple truth: when you’re dealing with a madman, the people around him are just as dangerous.
13
xx
THE Hex Tap
Before I could react, Mia’s hands were around my throat, squeezing tighter with every second.
“Lila Hayes, I’ll kill you! The only way I’ll ever have peace is if you’re dead!”
I could feel the air thinning, my lungs burning as I struggled against her grip.
No matter how desperately I fought, it was useless.
As the world around me started to blur, and I thought I would die right there, the pressure on my neck suddenly released.
Mia coughed violently, blood spraying across my face.
Behind her stood Cole Parker, gripping a knife that was now buried in her chest.
Her eyes widened in shock, and she collapsed to the ground, lifeless, her blood pooling around her.
Th
Cole dropped the knife to the floor, his eyes wild and unhinged. He crouched in front of me, cradling my face in his trembling hands as gasped for air.
“Lila,” he murmured, his voice soft and manic. “Now we can finally be together. Let’s run away, just the two of us. It’ll be perfect, don’t you
think?”
He’d completely lost it.
I stared at him in horror, choking out the only words I could find.
“You’re insane!”
Cole’s lips twisted into a sick smile. “If I can’t have you, no one else will. If you won’t be mine… then you by M
He reached down and picked up the bloodied knife again.
Before he could move, the door burst open with a deafening crash.
The room filled with shouting as police officers stormed in, guns drawn.
Behind them was Sebastian Ford, his face pale but determined.
Relief washed over me like a wave.
I stumbled forward, collapsing into Sebastian’s arms, my entire body trembling.
In the dim light, the small tracking device hidden in my nail art glinted faintly.
It had worked.
die, too.”
111
Justice Served
Justine Særverd
Colz Parker was sentenced to death
fotore his evenation, he requested to see me one last time.
4vatused
i had more important things to do. My painting had won an international award, and I was heading to France to accept it.
On the flight, I leaned my head on Sebastian’s shoulder, his warmth grounding me as I stared out at the endless blue sky through the plane
test tim, whispering softly into his ear
tuve a little gift for you Want to know what it is?‘
the turned to me, his expression calm but curious
Tammie glancing back at the sky, my voice light and joyful.
“Sebastian, you’re going to be a da
