2025-03-30 21:23:23Leonard's POV
I knew things were bad.But is this bad?I sat at my desk, gripping the latest financial report so tightly that the paper crumpled. One by one, my so-called loyal shareholders were pulling out, dumping their shares like my company was a sinking ship. And to make matters worse? They weren’t just selling to anyone.No.They were selling to the Carters.To Ethan Carter, of all people.That arrogant little upstart was circling my empire like a vulture, waiting for me to drop dead.I exhaled slowly, pressing my fingers against my temples. “Unbelievable.”The betrayal. The audacity. The insult.I spent years building this business, turning the Windsor name into one of power and prestige, and now these cowards were running at the first sign of trouble?I was still fuming when my assistant walked in.“Sir,” he said, looking nervous. “You have a visitor.”I narrowed
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The Unwanted son-in-law Chapter 48: Bad idea
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The Unwanted son-in-law Chapter 49: LISA CARTER
Zara’s POVI was going to throw up.Not a cute, dramatic gasp-throw-up, but a full-body, gut-wrenching, I'm-going-to-die kind of throw-up.Because I still couldn't find my son, because my father’s men were in the same bar as me.Because Ethan was here.And because I had just accidentally tried to rescue a child who wasn't even mine.So yeah. Not my best day.I wiped at my face, swallowing down the rising panic. Tears blurred my vision, but I forced myself to focus. Think, Zara. THINK.Where could Elias be? I had checked everywhere. Under tables, outside, even near the bathrooms where Veronica had nearly gotten us kicked out by arguing with the bartender.And then, finally I saw him.Sitting happily and munching on fries.With Lisa.My entire body froze.Lisa Carter. Ethan’s sister.Oh, for the love of everything holy.Of all the people in the world, Lisa Carter had to be the one to find my son?Lisa. Freaking. Carter.I felt my soul attempt to escape my body.Of all the people in this
The Unwanted son-in-law Chapter 50: New and evil plan
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The Unwanted son-in-law Chapter 51: Deal with him
Zara’s POVThe moment Lisa disappeared with Elias, I knew I had nowhere left to run.The weight of Ethan’s stare pinned me in place, and for a second, the air in the bar felt too thick to breathe. The noise around us faded. The clink of glasses, the hum of laughter, the low thump of music were gone. All I could hear was my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.He didn’t speak. Not yet. He just stood there, that infuriating calm look on his face. But I knew Ethan. Knew how still he got when he was barely holding it together.“You really thought I’d believe that soldier story forever?” he asked finally, voice low. Controlled.I opened my mouth but nothing came out.He took a step closer. “Zara.”I flinched like he’d struck me.And then I broke.“Not here,” I whispered, throat tight. “Please.”He didn’t argue. Just nodded once, short and sharp, then I turned on my heels and walked toward the back exit.He followed me behind into the night, but I honestly was feeling real guilty, it was as i
The Unwanted son-in-law Chapter 52: Panic
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The Unwanted son-in-law Chapter 53: Shadows of Power
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The Unwanted son-in-law Chapter 54: Uneasiness everywhere
Lisa's POVThe warm wind of the evening felt like a blessing as Elias tugged on my hand, his excitement almost contagious. I had been waiting for this moment all week, just a simple warm evening with my nephew, spoiling him with ice cream and letting everything else fade away, even if just for a few hours.“Are we almost there?” Elias’s voice broke through my thoughts, his small steps quickening as we approached the ice cream parlor.I glanced down at him and smiled, squeezing his hand. “Just a few more steps, buddy. Almost there.”We reached the little shop, one of my favorites from when I was a kid. It had been a while since I’d been here, but everything still looked the same, striped awnings, a jingle bell on the door, and the sweet scent of waffle cones filling the air. I could already feel my own excitement building. A moment of normalcy, something I hadn’t had in weeks.I opened the door for Elias, letting him rush ahead, and followed him inside. The woman behind the counter gr
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Chapter 57: Leonard’s Possession
Leonard’s POVI stood in the dimly lit room, watching the small figure of Elias. The boy, my grandson, looked up at me with wide eyes. There was something strangely innocent about the way he stared at me, and yet, I could see the fear lurking behind his gaze. It was the fear of the unknown, the fear of being in a place he didn’t understand, with people he didn’t know.But that fear would fade. It would all fade in time. I had him now, that’s all that mattered.I couldn’t suppress the small smirk that tugged at the corner of my lips. Elias was mine, he had no idea yet, but his mother’s precious secrets were all about to unravel. Zara, her precious little family, would never know what hit them. The way they all clung to their little world, thinking they were safe, thinking they had power over me, how wrong they were.“Stay quiet, Elias,” I said softly, stepping closer to him. His wide eyes flicked up at me, and he nodded quickly. The room was silent except for the soft sound of his brea
Chapter 56: Too Late
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Chapter 55: Snatched
Clarke’s POV Leonard Windsor didn’t trust many men.But he trusted me and Miller.That trust wasn’t born of loyalty. It was built on usefulness. We were the type of men who got things done. Cleanly, quietly and permanently.So when he finally said, “It’s time,” I didn’t ask questions. I already knew the target.Lisa Carter and the boy Elias, his own grandson.His leverage, Ethan's weakness and Zara’s ultimate submission.We’d been trailing Lisa for days now. She was clever, I’d give her that. Always looking over her shoulder, never sticking around one place for too long. She changed cars, wore hats, and always tried to dodge any cameras. But clever only gets you so far. Because she was also sentimental and sentiment makes people predictable.She never strayed far from the boy.The CARTER heir, legitimate, hidden and valuable.“She’s holed up in a townhouse on Clifton,” Miller muttered beside me, eyes glued to the grainy surveillance feed on his tablet. “Lights out at 11:30, no re
Chapter 54: Uneasiness everywhere
Lisa's POVThe warm wind of the evening felt like a blessing as Elias tugged on my hand, his excitement almost contagious. I had been waiting for this moment all week, just a simple warm evening with my nephew, spoiling him with ice cream and letting everything else fade away, even if just for a few hours.“Are we almost there?” Elias’s voice broke through my thoughts, his small steps quickening as we approached the ice cream parlor.I glanced down at him and smiled, squeezing his hand. “Just a few more steps, buddy. Almost there.”We reached the little shop, one of my favorites from when I was a kid. It had been a while since I’d been here, but everything still looked the same, striped awnings, a jingle bell on the door, and the sweet scent of waffle cones filling the air. I could already feel my own excitement building. A moment of normalcy, something I hadn’t had in weeks.I opened the door for Elias, letting him rush ahead, and followed him inside. The woman behind the counter gr
Chapter 53: Shadows of Power
Leonard’s POVThe sound of the door closing behind Clarke and Miller echoed through the vast, empty study. The silence that followed was a heavy one, pressing in from all sides as I allowed myself a moment of rare satisfaction.The pieces had fallen into place. Zara, stubborn as she was, had given me exactly what I needed. I wasn’t surprised, though. People always underestimate the importance of their own secrets. Zara had thought she could keep her son hidden, but in the end, she had made the fatal error of believing I could be deceived.Now, Ethan Carter, the so-called righteous heir but Unwanted son-in-law, was unknowingly tied to me in ways he never could have anticipated. His son, his heir was mine to control.It was almost poetic, really.I chuckled softly, swirling the whiskey in my glass as I contemplated the chain of events. Ethan, so proud of his empire, his legacy, he had no idea that the one thing he cherished most was already slipping through his fingers. A child, hidden
Chapter 52: Panic
Zara’s POVI stared at the phone screen for the hundredth time that day, willing it to ring, vibrate or anything. But nothing yet, no missed calls, no messages, not even a damn emoji from Lisa.It had only been five days since she took Elias for the two-week custody agreement we’d settled on, but it felt like five months. I told myself I needed the break, that Elias deserved time with his aunt, and Lisa despite our complicated history had earned that right. But now, every minute he was gone gnawed at my soul like an open wound that refused to heal. I also don't know what happened and why my dad changed his mind about me leaving in one week.But I was happy he let me stay, because my head wasn't rapping around any escape this time but somehow something felt… wrong.I couldn't explain it. It was that prickly, cold dread that crept into your bones when a storm was approaching, even though the sky was still clear. I paced across the living room floor, arms crossed, biting the corner o
Chapter 51: Deal with him
Zara’s POVThe moment Lisa disappeared with Elias, I knew I had nowhere left to run.The weight of Ethan’s stare pinned me in place, and for a second, the air in the bar felt too thick to breathe. The noise around us faded. The clink of glasses, the hum of laughter, the low thump of music were gone. All I could hear was my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.He didn’t speak. Not yet. He just stood there, that infuriating calm look on his face. But I knew Ethan. Knew how still he got when he was barely holding it together.“You really thought I’d believe that soldier story forever?” he asked finally, voice low. Controlled.I opened my mouth but nothing came out.He took a step closer. “Zara.”I flinched like he’d struck me.And then I broke.“Not here,” I whispered, throat tight. “Please.”He didn’t argue. Just nodded once, short and sharp, then I turned on my heels and walked toward the back exit.He followed me behind into the night, but I honestly was feeling real guilty, it was as i
Chapter 50: New and evil plan
Leonard’s POVI was sipping my evening whiskey when the door to my study burst open.I didn’t flinch.A man who flinches is a man who loses.Instead, I took another slow sip, letting the silence stretch, letting my men feel the weight of their intrusion.The two guards standing before me hesitated. That was good. Fear kept people obedient.“Speak,” I commanded, my voice calm, but firm.One of them, a wiry man named Clarke, cleared his throat. “Sir… we have information on Zara.”I raised an eyebrow. “Do you?”My fingers traced the rim of my glass, my patience thinning. I told my men following her for a week and everyday I will be expecting a daily reports of where she went, who she spoke to, whether she was still playing her ridiculous little rebellion against my plans.But something about Clarke’s nervous stance told me this wasn’t just routine.“What did you find?” I asked, my voice smooth, but laced with warning.Clarke exchanged a quick look with the miller before he exhaled and sa
Chapter 49: LISA CARTER
Zara’s POVI was going to throw up.Not a cute, dramatic gasp-throw-up, but a full-body, gut-wrenching, I'm-going-to-die kind of throw-up.Because I still couldn't find my son, because my father’s men were in the same bar as me.Because Ethan was here.And because I had just accidentally tried to rescue a child who wasn't even mine.So yeah. Not my best day.I wiped at my face, swallowing down the rising panic. Tears blurred my vision, but I forced myself to focus. Think, Zara. THINK.Where could Elias be? I had checked everywhere. Under tables, outside, even near the bathrooms where Veronica had nearly gotten us kicked out by arguing with the bartender.And then, finally I saw him.Sitting happily and munching on fries.With Lisa.My entire body froze.Lisa Carter. Ethan’s sister.Oh, for the love of everything holy.Of all the people in the world, Lisa Carter had to be the one to find my son?Lisa. Freaking. Carter.I felt my soul attempt to escape my body.Of all the people in this
