\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 120\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, it was useless. This was a natural lake, with only a small section stretching into the Sterling family\u2019s backyard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jouleston\u2019s winters were bitter, but not enough to freeze the entire lake solid. Even if Sydney knelt on the thickest patch, her body heat would slowly melt the ice beneath her. Soon, it would give way, plunging her into the bone-chilling water. If Eloise wanted her dead here, no one would ever know.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Within minutes, Sydney was shivering violently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she first knelt, Jason\u2019s voice echoed from the shore. \u201cMadam Sterling ordered that once you kneel, you are not to move again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her heart sank.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then he added, \u201cLater, someone will take you to the family hall to face punishment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney let out the faintest sigh of relief. \u2018So, she does not plan to kill me tonight.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, kneeling out here in the dead of winter, waiting for the ice to give way only to be whipped in the family hall afterward, was no different from shaving half her life away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She knew the truth: it didn\u2019t matter whether Victor\u2019s injury involved her. All Eloise needed was someone to bear her wrath.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her teeth chattered. Beneath her knees, the ice had already begun to soften and thin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eloise\u2019s methods of torment had grown more vicious. Kneeling on the familiar gravel path had been sharp but simple. Here, Sydney lived in constant dread, never knowing when the ice would crack and send her plunging down. Uncertainty was the cruellest form of fear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jason returned to the hall under the pale moonlight and approached Eloise. \u201cMadam, she\u2019s kneeling now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t speak?\u201d Eloise held her teacup, skimming the floating leaves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jason answered truthfully, \u201cNo. Ms. Wilson has always been obedient.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHmph.\u201d Eloise sneered and slammed the untouched cup down. Her clouded eyes glinted with malice. \u201cObedient? I say she\u2019s fooled you all, one by one!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jason sighed softly and tried to placate her. \u201cPlease calm yourself. There\u2019s no need to harm your health over her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could I not be furious?\u201d Eloise snapped, teeth grinding. \u201cDidn\u2019t she provoke Victor? The doctor just came down and said he\u2019s ruined. Beyond saving!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jason replied, \u201cI was outside the door. I didn\u2019t hear, but Mr. Victor did lose his temper badly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eloise\u2019s eyes narrowed, her tone turning sinister. \u201cWhen she\u2019s taken to the family hall later, you will administer the punishment. Just don\u2019t let her die under this roof.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jason stiffened but did not dare argue. \u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The word barely left his mouth when the estate\u2019s landline shrilled. He hurried to answer, and even before the caller finished, his expression turned grim. \u201cUnderstood. No casualties, right? I\u2019ll inform Madam Sterling immediately.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it now?\u201d Eloise scowled. \u201cWhy are you flustered like that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jason swallowed and delivered the news. \u201cMadam, the real estate project you put under Mr. Victor\u2019s name the one set for handover next week-one of the buildings exploded ten minutes ago.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He added quickly, \u201cThankfully, it was late at night. There were no casualties.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d Eloise shot to her feet, disbelief twisting her face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Who dared sabotage a Sterling project so brazenly? That land had cost her a fortune three years ago. It was marketed as a luxury development, and the units had sold out instantly. Now a building was blown apart, and with no houses to deliver, the loss would be colossal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her head rang, her thoughts scattered in shock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jason hesitated, then said quietly, \u201cThis must be Mr. Julian\u2019s doing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPreposterous!\u201d Eloise\u2019s voice cracked with rage. Only Julian, that reckless bastard, would act with such blatant disregard for\u00a0<\/p>\n
rules.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her temples throbbed, her blood roaring in her ears, as she slammed the table repeatedly. \u201cGo! Call him! Ask what he thinks he\u2019s doing!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 120 \u00a0 Chapter 120\u00a0 Unfortunately, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-when-love-is-gone-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22102"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22238,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22102\/revisions\/22238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}