SHIFTING BLAME

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• HEIRESS REBORN   JEALOUSY HAS TEETH

  POV: NATHANIELI see her before I even walk in.She’s standing by the mezzanine rail, laughing at something Damien says, head tilted just a little like she’s listening closely, like she trusts him. It grates on en because I recognize that tilt That tilt, it is the same way Alina used to lean in when she still believed I gave a damn. That stupid little angle, like she’s letting herself fall without looking.It says I trust you.Damien’s hand is on her lower back. Just there. Just resting. Light, like it belongs there. And she doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t shift away like she does with me.She lets him touch her.And I know it’s not about sex. I know that. I’ve had sex with women who couldn’t look me in the eye afterward. Kaia... she smiles at him. Easy. Calm. I’ve never seen her calm. Not with me. With me she’s always tense, clipped, sharp as hell. But now? She’s soft. Relaxed. Like whatever armor she wears around me doesn’t exist with him.That’s what bothers me.Not the hand. Not the prox

• HEIRESS REBORN   PANIC PROTOCOL

  POV: SASHAI haven’t felt this calm in weeks.I’m lying on the chaise by the window, legs stretched out, wine glass in one hand, my other hand lazily scrolling through muted stories on my phone. Sunlight’s filtering in soft through the blinds. The house is quiet, and for the first time in a while, I feel like maybe everything’s going to level out.I know the world is burning right now, but at least… for now… I am at peace No new gossip blogs. No passive-aggressive texts from Elena. No weird glances from Nicholas. Not today.Today, I feel… okay. Just okay. And okay is good.It is better than good. It's perfect.I tilt my head back and close my eyes, letting the quiet in. Maybe this nightmare is winding down. Maybe that first envelope was some twisted prank. A threat, sure, but nothing followed it. Maybe they got bored. Maybe they’re done.Maybe I’m not the target anymore.I let the glass rest on my stomach. My phone drops to the side of the cushion.For a second, I feel peace.And th

• HEIRESS REBORN   CRACKS IN THE ICE

  POV: ELENAThere’s something wrong with her.It’s not the way she speaks. It’s not the way she looks. It’s her eyes. That stare. That blank, sharp, cutting stare. The kind of look people develop after they’ve walked through hell and made a home there.Kaia.Vivian Lane’s assistant, supposedly. That’s how everyone introduces her. That’s how she signs her emails. That’s how she floats into these rooms—quiet, helpful, polite when needed. But tonight… no. Not tonight.She looked at me like she was remembering something. Like she already knew who I was, inside out, down to the pieces I’ve spent years burying. And she wasn’t smiling. She wasn’t pretending.She was cold.She was in control.And for the first time in a long time, I felt watched.I’m pacing my home office after the gala. Shoes still on. Dress unzipped halfway down my back. I haven’t even removed my makeup. I look perfect on the outside. But my hands keep twitching.I pour a drink. I don’t sit.I tried to text Nicholas and he b

• HEIRESS REBORN   THE WHISPER CAMPAIGN

  POV: ALINAThere’s something about watching people cling to power when it's already rotting in their hands. It’s sad. But more than that, it’s pathetic.Elena Cross is hosting a gala. Again.I hear about it through one of Margot's old sources. Some washed-up city councilman she used to babysit legally. Apparently, Elena wants to "reclaim her presence," as if anyone's begging for it. Her political donors are disappearing. Her name doesn't command the room anymore. And this gala—some charity event for underfunded boys’ schools, of all things—is her weak attempt at relevance.She's grasping. Hard.I sit across from Margot in the Ashen penthouse conference room, fingers lightly tapping the table as I stare at the invitation. Gold-trimmed. Desperate. Margot's already looking at me like she knows what I'm about to do."Don't look at me like that.""You haven’t said anything yet.""Exactly."She waits. Quiet. That’s her power move. No pressure, just silence. Makes me fill it in."We hit her

• HEIRESS REBORN   LOYALTY CLAUSE

  POV: NathanielThe slap still rings in my head.It is not the sound of it, it is the silence that came after. The kind of silence that turns a room full of relatives into a jury. No one said a word. No one rushed to my defense. Not even Sasha. And that told me everything.The fucking humiliation of it allI am not even two sips into my coffee when the alert flashes on my screen. Priority One. Internal memo. Board-issued.I open it. Read the first few lines.Then I stand so fast my chair hits the wall.Cross Industries Board Notification:Effective immediately, the executive team will begin implementing a Loyalty Clause Audit per subsection C-11 of the internal ethics compliance charter. All relationships with competitive entities must be disclosed. Any breaches or conflicts of interest will result in automatic termination or legal escalation.In plain English: They are coming for my head.This isn’t a warning. This is Elena pulling the trigger.She waited until after the slap. After t

• HEIRESS REBORN   TEAR THE SEAM

  POV: SASHA I can't sleep.Not because I can't. But because every time I close my eyes, I see that stupid message. The one with the video warning. The one that made me feel like someone was breathing down my neck. Watching me. Waiting.And now? I can barely keep my hands from shaking as I sit in the car outside Nathaniel's mansion.I shouldn’t be here. I know that. I told myself I wouldn’t. But fear does things to people.I just need to be close to something familiar. To someone who used to make things make sense. I need to feel like I have control again.So I come hereTo Nathaniel's place. Like a live sick puppy that doesn't know where else to go.It is pathetic, I know but I have nowhere else to go or anyone to talk to.It's not like I am going to confess to him, no… but at least, I won't be alone.I am shaking when I press the doorbell at It is already past midnight and I have circled the city twice before I came here. I could have gone to any of the hotels. Could have called J