He switched on the living room light. The expensive blazer was tossed carelessly over the back of the sofa. With his tie loosened, he unbuttoned his white dress shirt, dragging it off his shoulders and letting it fall behind him as he walked. The Swiss watch caught the light for a second before he dropped it beside an armchair; the tailored trousers were unfastened and discarded along with his shoes. The clothes trailed after him like a skin being shed.The CEO’s muscles still carried the day’s tension: endless meetings, aggressive phone calls, million-dollar contracts waiting on his signature, and family pressure. The alcohol had only dulled the surface of his anger and exhaustion—not erased them. He took a deep breath, his chest rising slowly.When he was finally naked, the contrast between his refined aura and the body marked by maritime tattoos became impossible to miss. Across his chest, a map intertwined with a compass; on his left arm, an anchor plunging into rough seas, wrappe

At the Holt mansion, seated in his imposing chair at the head of the dining table, Frederico maintained an upright posture despite his advanced age and the illness that slowly drained his strength. His eyes—still sharp—commanded the room. Beside him, his wife Olga, with the calm only maturity could bring, watched his every move with quiet concern.Farther down the table, Felipe—Frederico’s son—and his wife Érica, Liam’s stepmother, exchanged silent looks.When everyone was seated, Frederico raised his glass of wine, but he didn’t toast. His deep voice echoed through the dining hall, merciless.“— To my future great-grandchild,” he announced, letting the weight of the words hang in the air. “Liam needs to get married—quickly.”Olga was the first to react, leaning forward slightly, her expression distressed.“Frederico, you can’t demand that of our grandson,” she said, her voice calm but filled with pain. “He has the right to make his own choices. You know that since he was a child, he’

A week had passed, but for Olivia time no longer moved in a straight line; it felt like a labyrinth where every turn led her back to the same place: the night that had changed everything.The memory came in blurred flashes—disconnected fragments, a scent, a touch, then the emptiness afterward. She had guarded her virginity for years, believing her first time would be given to the man she loved. But fate—cruel and treacherous—had stripped her of that promise in a suite where she thought she was with Peter.Now she carried the consequences: an unexpected pregnancy, a traumatic breakup with the boyfriend she had believed was perfect, and the responsibility of becoming a single mother.But the heaviest burden wasn’t only in her womb—it was in her heart. How was she supposed to tell her parents? How could she face her father, a man with a fragile heart, who had always called her “my Pearl”? The pride he felt for his daughter was so immense that Olivia feared the news would be a sword strai

Olivia went pale. For a moment, she thought she’d misheard. Her stomach twisted, her head spun. She had to brace a hand against the armchair to keep from losing her balance.“What… what did you just say?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.Liam took a step toward her, but his expression remained neutral, his hands in his pockets. Everything about him radiated control.“The child you’re carrying is mine, Olivia.”The words landed like a sentence. She blinked rapidly, her mind struggling to process what she’d heard. A short, nervous laugh escaped her—at the same time, tears streamed down her face. She laughed and cried in the same breath.“Wait…” she inhaled shakily, her voice breaking. “Are you telling me the man that night was you?”“Yes,” he confirmed, his voice low and controlled. “If it weren’t, you wouldn’t be here. Now enough childishness. We’re going to talk.”The word talk ignited a rage she’d been holding for days. Her hand trembled, her chest heaved. Before she could th

On the road, Liam drove in silence. The air inside the car felt heavy; every so often, they glanced at each other without meaning to. Olivia kept her forehead against the cold window, trying to control the nausea. When the car stopped in front of a luxurious bridal boutique, she lifted her eyes, startled.“What are we doing here?” she asked softly.“You need a dress to get married,” Liam replied without looking at her.“And you had to bring me here?” she shot back.They went in. Camila’s mother welcomed them with enthusiastic warmth.“Mr. Liam, it’s an honor to have you. We’ve already set aside gowns from the best designers. Olivia, darling, your dream is coming true. You’re getting married—just like my precious daughter. She’s leaving for her honeymoon today. Peter planned everything the way she deserves: a week in Rio de Janeiro,” she said, beaming.A tight ache seized Olivia’s chest. Liam noticed and—coldly—slipped an arm around her waist.“Rio de Janeiro is where any middle-class