Novels by YL.Grey

Scarlett's POVI had maybe four minutes before anyone noticed.Preston found me somewhere near the second row of tables, appearing at my side like he had been tracking my position all evening, which knowing him he probably had. He put his hand at my back and steered me toward a group of people I vaguely recognized, a city councilman and his wife, a real estate developer whose name I'd seen in the paper, two women who worked in finance and were watching me with open curiosity."This is Scarlett," Preston said. Easy and certain, like he'd been saying it his whole life. "We're getting married."The councilman shook my hand warmly and said something about what a beautiful event this was. His wife asked me if I was nervous and I told her no, which was a lie of a different variety than the ones I'd been telling all evening.Across the room I caught Sienna watching us.She was standing near the windows with a glass of something she

Madison's POVThe engagement party was one week out.I had been pacing my bedroom for the better part of an hour, which I never did, because pacing was something people did when they were out of options, and I was not out of options. I was just very, very unhappy about the options I had."We have a week," I said.My mother, Olivia, was sitting at my vanity, reapplying her lipstick like we were discussing brunch reservations. She looked incredible for a woman who had spent time behind bars. Unfair didn't even begin to cover it."I know," she said."A week. Seven days. And then Scarlett Huntington is officially engaged to Preston Beaumont, and the whole city is going to be there to watch it happen." I stopped pacing. "Do you understand what that means for me? She is going to bury me. The second that ring goes on her finger, she is going to come after everything I have left. She'll have the connections, she'll have the money, she'll have Preston behind her." I pressed my hand flat agains

Scarlett's POVI found out what it meant to truly lose your freedom on the second day.Preston didn't yell. He didn't make a speech. He just told Marcus to make sure I didn't leave the estate, and that was that. No explanation. No negotiation. Just a quiet order that locked me inside his house like I was some kind of problem he needed to contain.I stood in the middle of the guest room — my room, as the staff had started calling it — and stared at the closed door."This is illegal," I said out loud to no one.No one answered.I tried the door anyway. It opened just fine. The hallway was right there. But two of Preston's staff were positioned near the staircase, and when I walked toward them, they didn't block me physically. They just looked at me with that polite, apologetic expression that meant they had instructions and they intended to follow them."Miss Huntington," one of them said. "Mr. Beaumont asked that you stay on the property today.""Mr. Beaumont can go to hell.""Yes, mis

Scarlett's POVMy phone buzzed on the table.I glanced at the screen. Preston.What are you doing right now?I set it face-down without answering.Pierce noticed. "Everything okay?""Fine." I picked my fork back up. "Just a message."But the thing about Preston was that he didn't ask questions he didn't already know the answer to. I'd figured that out somewhere around the third or fourth time he had shown up somewhere I hadn't expected him to be.My phone buzzed again.I didn't look at it.Pierce was talking. Something about a charity event in the spring. I nodded in the right places and kept half my attention on the table beside my plate, watching the screen light up and go dark.By the time we finished eating, he had called twice.I told Pierce I had to get going, said it was good to see him, meant maybe twenty percent of that, and walked out into the afternoon.I called Preston back the moment I hit the sidewalk.He picked up on the first ring."Hey," I said. "Sorry, I was in the m

Scarlett's POVThe flight back felt longer than it actually was.I spent most of it with Soren's signed contract in my bag and a signed discharge summary from the Reykjavik hospital in my jacket pocket, both of which I was supposed to be happy about. I was happy about them. I was also tired in a way that went past the physical kind, the sort of tired that settles in after you've had too many things happen in too short a time and your brain hasn't caught up yet.My legs still ached in a dull, persistent way when the plane landed. Nothing serious. Just a reminder.I had my bag over my shoulder and was heading toward the exit when Preston called.I picked up."You're back?" he said."Just landed.""Good." A pause. "Come to the estate first. My parents are in town. We're having dinner tonight, and with the engagement party a week out, it would make sense for you to be there."I stopped walking and stepped to

Scarlett's POVWhen I woke up, the room was lighter than before.Afternoon light was coming through the blinds, which meant I'd been out for several hours. My body felt heavy in the specific way that happens after something bad, like everything had used up whatever reserves it had and was now presenting the bill. My legs still felt strange, a kind of deep residual cold that hadn't fully gone away yet.I turned my head.Pierce was sitting in the chair beside my bed.He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, looking at his phone, but he looked up the second I moved. Like he'd been waiting for exactly that."Hey." He sat up straighter. "You're awake.""Yeah." My voice was still rough. I cleared my throat.He reached for the cup on the tray table and held it out to me. Water, with a straw. I took it and drank and said nothing for a moment.He watched me with the careful attention of someone who wa