LizzaPenの小説

Avery's (reborn as Clara) POV**When I walked into the mansion, Ryan was waiting in the living room with a folder of papers spread out on the coffee table."Hey." He stood up and pulled me into a hug. "You okay?""Yeah. Just tired." I let myself relax into his embrace for a moment before pulling back. "So tell me about this gig."We sat down on the couch, and Ryan handed me a folder. "It's a three-day runway show. High fashion, multiple designers showcasing their spring collections. They want you for at least six shows, maybe more depending on how rehearsals go."I flipped through the papers—contracts, schedules, designer names I recognized from magazines."Rehearsals start tomorrow," Ryan continued. "They want all the models there early to practice walks, fittings, all that stuff. It'll be intense, but the pay is excellent, and the exposure is even better."Tomorrow. Of course it started tomorrow."Sounds good," I said, even though my stomach was churning at the thought of adding one

Avery's POVI stared at Chelsea, completely confused by her sudden coldness. "Chelsea, what's going on? Why are you being like this?""Being like what?""Distant. Cold. Making excuses." I stood up too, facing her. "This isn't like you. Ever since that night—ever since we reported Dominic—you've been avoiding me. What happened?""Nothing happened." But she wouldn't meet my eyes."Chelsea, please. Talk to me. If something's wrong, I want to help—""You can't help!" The words burst out of her, loud and angry. Then she seemed to catch herself, taking a breath. "Just... you can't help, okay?""Why not? We're friends. Friends help each other.""Are we?" Chelsea laughed bitterly. "Are we really friends, Clara? Or am I just useful to you when you need something?"The accusation stung. "That's not fair. I care about you—""Do you? Because it seems like the only time you reach out to me is when you need help with your revenge plot against Dominic." She finally looked at me, and there was someth

Avery's POV**The morning after everything with Drake, I woke up sandwiched between warm bodies. Drake's arm was draped over my waist, his face buried in my hair. The events of last night came rushing back—the sex, the forgiveness, the relief.But also Tyler. And that damn deal I supposedly made.I carefully extracted myself from Drake's embrace and slipped out of bed. I needed to think, to figure out what I was going to do about Tyler and his threats.But first, I had another problem to deal with: Bianca.Even though Drake had been drugged, even though we'd kicked her out and threatened her with legal action, I knew women like Bianca didn't give up easily. She'd tasted what she wanted—Drake—and she'd keep trying to get him back unless I made it absolutely clear that he was off limits.The problem was, I couldn't publicly claim Drake. Nobody knew about our relationship except us. To the outside world, I was Ryan's girlfriend and Drake was just my roommate.I hated it. I hated having t

**Chris's POV**Forty minutes later, Bianca walked into my restaurant looking nervous but trying to hide it behind a confident smile. She'd dressed up for this—tight dress, high heels, a face full makeup. Like she thought this was some kind of date.I gestured to the private office in the back. "In here."Her smile faltered slightly. "Chris, what's going on? You sounded really serious on the phone."I didn't answer until we were both inside the office with the door closed. Then I turned to face her, arms crossed."I just got off the phone with Marcus," I said flatly.The color drained from her face. "Oh?""Yeah. We were going over details for the competition. And something interesting came up." I took a step toward her. "He mentioned that he's been sending David to deliver files to me. Not you."Bianca's eyes widened. "I—that's not—""Don't," I cut her off sharply. "Don't even try to lie to me right now. Marcus pulled the records. Every single delivery from his office is documented. A

Chris's POvI leaned back in my office chair, my eyes fixed on the security monitor in front of me. The footage was from one of my restaurants downtown—the fancy one where I'd taken Clara on our first official date.And there she was on the screen, sitting in a private booth with some guy I'd never seen before.My jaw clenched as I watched them. The timestamp showed it was from earlier tonight, right around the time I'd texted her asking where she was. And she'd lied. Told me she was just driving around to clear her head.I rewound the footage, watching it again. The man was tall, well-dressed, clearly wealthy based on the way the staff treated him. He seemed familiar with Clara—too familiar. At one point, he reached across the table and took her hand.My hand tightened on the mouse.Clara had never lied to me before. Not once in all the time we'd been together. So why start now? Who was this guy, and why was she hiding him from us?I forced myself to take a deep breath. Jumping to co

Avery's POVI stood up from the couch, and all three men tensed, probably thinking I was about to walk out. But instead, I moved toward Drake.His eyes widened as I stopped in front of him. "Clara?""I hate her," I said quietly. "I hate Bianca for what she did to you. To us.""I hate her too," Drake breathed."And I hate that I can't..." I trailed off, frustration building in my chest. "I can't publicly tell everyone that you're mine. That all of you are mine. If I could, if people knew, Bianca would never have dared to try something like this."The secret of our relationship—the fact that I was with all three of them—had always been a source of tension. In public, I was Ryan's girlfriend. Drake and Chris were just my "roommates," my "friends." And it killed me sometimes, not being able to claim them openly."She knew she could get away with it because no one knows," I continued, my voice getting stronger. "No one knows that you're not just some single guy living in the same house as