Romans de The Artist

Melina's POVJace navigated the sports car out of the underground garage and merged into the afternoon traffic. He drove with calm, aggressive precision, hands resting lightly on the steering wheel while I tried to settle the nervous energy vibrating in my chest. We headed straight for the central campus plaza, the most crowded location at Westbridge University, and my stomach knotted tighter with every block that brought us closer.“How exactly do we prove this relationship is real?” I asked, turning in my seat to look at him. “People are going to ask a lot of questions and we do not have a backstory.”“You let me handle the questions,” Jace answered. “Your job is to look at me like I am the center of your universe. Can you do that?”A nervous flutter ran through me, half doubt, half something else I did not want to name. “I am an excellent liar when my academic future is on the line,” I promised.“Good,” Jace said, turning the steering wheel to pull into a reserved parking space ne

Melina's POVI stood frozen on the concrete steps, purse strap clutched tight in my hand while the sports car idled aggressively in front of me. My heartbeat grew loud enough that I wondered if the students nearby could hear it too. The administration building sat directly behind my back, its doors a reminder that my scholarship hung by a single fragile thread.The board had just ordered me to stay completely invisible, yet here stood the university's most prominent athlete, creating a public spectacle right on the front curb. My stomach twisted at the sheer unfairness of it.“I am not getting into your car, Jace,” I stated, voice firm as several nearby students slowed down to stare. “I just spent twenty minutes convincing the academic board that I am not a campus distraction.”“Get in, Melina,” Jace repeated, tone leaving zero room for negotiation. “Unless you want to have this conversation in front of twenty people with their phones out.”I glanced around the courtyard, noticing tw

Melina's POVMorning sunlight illuminated the penthouse bedroom through the drapes and I sat up slowly, clutching the dark silk sheet against my chest as my head throbbed with a pulsing ache. For one disoriented breath I could not place the ceiling above me and then the night before crashed back all at once, curdling low in my stomach.On the opposite side Jace lay fast asleep on his stomach, face resting on a white pillow. Dark hair fell carelessly over his forehead, softening the sharp lines of his jaw.I looked around the room: tall glass windows offering a panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline, abstract oil paintings lining the far wall. This place belonged to an elite heir, not a college athlete on a scholarship. Jace hid something significant, but I had no time to solve it. My pulse ticked faster with every passing second. I needed to leave before he woke.I swung my legs over the edge of the mattress and stood, knees trembling slightly as my feet touched the cold wood floor.

Melina's POVThe slapping sound echoed down the third-floor hallway as I approached. I paused near the stairs and gripped the gift box in my hands. Today marked my one-year anniversary with Tristan and I wanted to surprise him with a visit to his fraternity house.The noises grew louder as I approached his room and the door stood ajar. I pressed my palm against the frame and peered into the dim room.Two overlapping figures moved on the mattress. Through the gap I recognized the athletic back and sandy blond hair of my boyfriend. He was on his knees, hands gripping the hips of a blonde woman whose legs were wrapped around his waist. The woman shifted her face toward the hallway light and my stomach dropped.Chloe. My childhood best friend.The gift box slipped from my fingers before I even noticed my hand had gone numb. It hit the floor with a loud thud that seemed to come from somewhere far away, underwater almost. My ears rang and for one absurd second, all I could think about was t

Sienna's POVI stared at him with my brain scrambling to process the magnitude of my mistake. I knew he was rich last night but standing here, I finally recognized the devil I had slept with. The bold silver lettering on the frosted glass doors of the reception area was burned into my retinas. 'Brentwood Enterprises.'He was Julian Brentwood.. the ruthless billionaire.. the man who owned half the city. I hadn't just stolen from a wealthy stranger.. I had robbed the apex predator of the corporate food chain!“I don't know what you're talking about,” I lied. My voice shook violently, sounding small and pathetic in the huge room. “You have the wrong person. I didn't take anything.”Julian simply reached into his pocket, pulled out a sleek smartphone and tapped the screen once. He turned the phone around and held it up for me to see.It was security footage from the hotel corridor. Grainy, black and white but undeniably clear. It showed me slipping out of his suite, clutching my shawl ti

Julian's POVI woke up to the glare of the morning sun through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. My head throbbed with a dull ache and I groaned, dragging a hand down my face.My memory stitched the previous night back together in bright flashing fragments. The masquerade, the loud music and her. God, her.. My blood instantly ran hot just thinking about her. It was without a single doubt, the greatest fuck of my entire life.I reached out blindly across the king-sized mattress, fully expecting to pull her warm naked body back against my chest but my hand hit nothing but cold empty sheets.My eyes snapped open and I sat up, the sheets pooling around my waist. The suite was completely silent with zero signs of life. I frowned as I threw my legs over the side of the bed.“Hello?” I called out, my deep voice echoing slightly.Nothing...I walked over to the armchair where I’d carelessly thrown my clothes last night and picked up my slacks, pulling them on. Then I grabbed my suit jack

Sienna's POVI hated the pale green walls of the hospital and the squeaking rubber soles of the nurses’ shoes and the constant terrifying beep of the heart monitors but I had to be there.I stopped right outside Room 412, taking a deep breath to compose myself and plastered on a bright smile, stretching my cheeks until they ached then I pushed the door open.My mother looked terrifyingly small in the center of thel hospital bed. Her skin was the color of old parchment, drawn tight over her cheekbones and a web of clear plastic IV tubes snaked across the back of her fragile hands.“Hey, Mama,” I said softly, stepping fully into the room.She turned her head, her tired eyes lighting up instantly as a weak beautiful smile touched her pale lips. “Sienna, my sweet girl. You shouldn't be here so late. You need your rest.”“I’m fine, Mama. I’ve just been studying,” I lied smoothly, pulling up a plastic chair and wrapping my hands gently around her cold fingers. “How are you feeling today?”

Sienna's POV“Are you just going to stare or are you going to enjoy the show?” I asked softly in a teasing purr.He didn't say a single word. But then he didn't need to. The hunger in his dark eyes, barely visible through his masquerade mask told me everything I needed to know. He leaned back in the armchair, his legs spread wide in a pose of absolute comfort while a wine glass dangled loosely from his long, elegant fingers. He was waiting.I had locked onto him the exact second I stepped into that pretentious ballroom downstairs. You didn't necessarily need to see a man's face to know he was swimming in dangerous amounts of money. You just had to watch how the room reacted to him. People naturally parted when he walked by. I needed money badly and he seemed like a walking bank vault.I let my shawl slip slowly off my bare shoulders amd his gaze tracked the movement, sliding down my neck to my collarbones. “Take it off,” he commanded.I forced a playful smile, trailing my fingers dow