Filed To Story: The Broken-Hearted She and The Icy He Book PDF Free
Her smile stiffened. Then her gaze slid to Lily.
On Lily’s ears glimmered red diamond earrings. Around her neck, a matching necklace. On her wrist, a bracelet from the same collection.
Marilyn’s breath hitched. She had seen that set before-in a high-end boutique, nearly thirty million for the complete set. She had begged her former patron for just the earrings, a few million at most. He had sneered, said she wasn’t worthy, and grudgingly bought her a fifty-thousand-dollars handbag instead.
And now? That very set adorned Lily, the woman she despised most.
It couldn’t be hers. The Luke family must have gifted it.
Her nails bít into her palms. Why did Lily deserve jewels that she had been denied? Why was the Luke family cold to her, yet so generous to that “cheap little bitch”?
Her fury only deepened when she remembered what Elsa had said-Lily was pregnant.
If Lily bore a son, the family’s first grandson, he would be heir to everything. With her honeyed tongue and the elders’ obvious affection, she and her child would only be showered with more wealth.
No. The Luke family’s fortune belonged to her,, to Marilyn. She would never let Lily give birth to that bastard.
Upstairs, Victor excused himself to fetch something from his study, Marilyn trailing behind.
As soon as they left, Henry groaned, clutching his chest. “That boy… Victor, what a mess.”
Grace sighed, patting the jewelry box she had hidden behind her. “It’s not that I want to slight him. But giving one of my treasures to that scheming girl… I can’t stomach it.”
Nancy nodded. Her fingers traced the imperial green jade bracelet on her wrist. “Victor owns plenty of villas. Blanc, tell him to live in one of those with Marilyn. Better she not stay here in the estate.”
When Victor had been buried in work, she had worried he wasn’t eating or resting. She had longed for him to come home.
But now? The thought of Marilyn under the same roof made her skin crawl. That girl reeked of trouble. If she lived here, she would only poison the household.
Blanc squeezed his wife’s hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll speak to him. If he has any sense, he’ll keep her away from the main house.”
Nancy’s thoughts shifted, softening as she looked at James. “James, I had Lars design some wedding gowns for Lily. They’re finished now, six in total. Take her to try them on, and have a set of wedding photos taken.”
Lars-the renowned designer, Nancy’s own brand’s creative director. She had commissioned the gowns the very day James woke from his coma, determined that Lily, who had endured so much without a wedding, would finally have the ceremony she deserved.
Now, six gowns-each more exquisite than the last-were ready. And Lily, with her beauty, would outshine even the most ethereal goddess in them.
“Mom… thank you,” Lily whispered, her voice trembling with both surprise and gratitude. She had admired Lars’s work from afar, never daring to dream she would one day wear his creations.
James’s expression darkened faintly. Only days ago, he had gone to Lars himself, wanting to commission gowns for Lily. He hadn’t expected his mother to be one step ahead. The gowns were finished, ready before his own plans had taken shape.
He was still stewing in that sourness when Nancy spoke again. “I think the eighteenth of next month is a fine day. Lily, James-what do you say to marrying then?”
The eighteenth of next month. Just over a month away.
Lily thought it felt a little fast. But when she remembered James that morning-clinging to her like a desperate wolfhound terrified of being abandoned-her heart softened. She blushed, nodded, and whispered, “Okay.”
Grace clapped her hands in delight. “James, on your wedding day, Lily will need more than a gown-she’ll need several outfits for the ceremonies.” She pulled a sleek black card from her purse and pressed it into Lily’s hand. “Take her shopping. Get jewelry to match.”
“Grandma, I already have so many pieces…” Lily protested weakly. These days, when she wasn’t in the studio recording the theme song, she was shopping. James’s villa safe was crammed full of jewelry already. They weren’t heads of state, why did she need a new treasure chest every week?
“A girl can never have too much jewelry!” Grace scolded, feigning outrage. “Take it. If you don’t, I’ll be angry!”
Helpless, Lily accepted the card, cheeks still red, and let James usher her out to the bridal boutique.
Upstairs, Victor had gone to fetch a file. He slipped off his jacket and felt something stiff in his shirt pocket. Curious, he pulled it free.
A charm.
Carved from fine rosewood, strung on red cord, etched with a tiny phoenix and the characters for peace and fortune.
His breath caught. He remembered this charm-barely. Last night, it had rested against the woman’s chest, warm beneath his lips as he lost control. Somewhere in that chaos, it must have slipped into his pocket.
“Victor…”
Marilyn pushed through the door, her eyes shimmering with practiced tears. “The maid said you wanted me in the guest room… Victor, I gave you my body. Don’t you want us in the same room?”
Victor stiffened. His fist closed around the charm, hidden behind his back.
By all logic, this should be Marilyn’s. She had been the one with him last night. And yet-some instinct, deep and unreasonable, told him not to hand it back.
Expression blank, he said only, “If you’d rather stay here, I can move into the guest room.”
Marilyn nearly choked on her rage. She didn’t want him in the guest room. She wanted him in her bed, night after night, so she could get pregnant as quickly as possible.
But she bit her tongue. Victor loathed intimacy; if she pushed too hard, she might scare him off entirely.
For now, the priority was eliminating the bastard child in Lily’s belly. Once that problem was gone, she could “miraculously” turn up pregnant herself. Whether Victor touched her or not, the family would have no choice but to believe.
The Luke fortune would be hers. All of it.
Meanwhile, the hotel cleaning lady who had saved Adeline had not only chased off the attacker but also called for help.
At the hospital, Adeline woke with nothing worse than a concussion and splitting headaches.
She filed reports-against the men who had cornered her, against the two who had drugged her. But the hotel cameras had been deliberately disabled, and Evan and Rob twisted the story, claiming she had tried to seduce them. Without physical evidence, there was little the police could do.
Frustration gnawed at her. And yet, beneath it, the memory of last night’s wildness burned hotter still.
Leaving the station, she resolved to go straight to the Luke estate. She had never been shameless before- but she had loved Victor in silence for years. If she didn’t speak now, she might never have another chance.
At the very least, he deserved the truth.
If he rejected her afterward, so be it.
She was about to call a car when her phone buzzed.
A video call-from Marilyn.
Her heart skipped.
Her foster mother, Holly, had always treated Marilyn with courtesy, despite bad blood between the older generation. Whenever Marilyn visited with her younger brother, Holly would feed them well, even slip them spending money.
But Marilyn never called her like this. Not without reason.
Truth be told, Adeline had never liked Marilyn or her brother.
Once, she had overheard them whispering about Holly. Marilyn had rolled her eyes, complaining that Holly was stingy and selfish-so much money, and she only gave us two thousand apiece in pocket money.
Adeline had disliked them ever since. Greedy, ungrateful brats. But family was family. She had Marilyn’s WhatsApp, and sometimes Marilyn called to announce she was coming over.
So when the video call came, Adeline hesitated, then picked up.
“Hey.”
Marilyn’s face filled the screen, glowing with triumph. Her eyes glittered with the smugness of a victor.
“I’m about to get engaged to Victor! You, Aunt Holly, Uncle Greg-you all have to come to my engagement banquet!”
Victor.
Adeline’s pulse skipped. A cold premonition clawed at her chest.
She wanted to believe it wasn’t that Victor.
But the background gave him away-the rows of trophies and plaques behind Marilyn, each engraved with Victor’s name.
She was in his study. She was living with him.
Her dread was right.
Marilyn’s fiancé was Victor.
Adeline’s throat closed. Last night, he had held her so tightly, kissed her so desperately, whispered hoarsely that he would take responsibility, She had believed him. Believed that maybe, finally, her secret, hopeless love could become real.
She had even been ready to face him at the Luke estate, to confess everything.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.