LOGINSTEPHANIE'S POVThe stupid girl is truly loved.Even though I hate her with passion, I am not blind. Anyone with eyes can see it. As Noah’s gaze tracks her across the hall all night and the King Matriarch who is known to be cold, selective and impossible to impress cannot stop singing her praises. Daughter-in-law this, promising young woman that. It is nauseating. I spent years before she gave me the time of the day.But hope is not dead yet. Let her smile. Let her enjoy the attention. Whoever laughs last laughs best. Several plans are already in motion and she will not see any of them coming.It is time to use the puppet. That is when I see her. Alexis.She stands beside a dark car, fumbling with the door handle. Her shoulders are tight. Even from here I can read the agitation in the way she moves.Bitch.She must have seen me speaking with Charlie earlier. Good. I hope the jealousy is eating her alive.She looks up at the exact moment I think it. Our eyes meet. Instead of getting
I drop into the empty chair between Daisy and the seat Alexis abandoned. Daisy arches a brow the moment I sit. “You two can’t even hold yourselves back anymore.” I don't even bother looking embarrassed. “I just rescued you from a walking sedative and this is the thanks I get?” Daisy snorts. “I was handling it.” “Sure you were.” I reach for the glass in front of her, take a sniff, and pull back in exaggerated horror. “Juice? Who are you and what have you done with my friend?” She rolls her eyes. “Very funny.” “No wonder you’re still upright. I was starting to wonder why you hadn’t dragged some poor man onto the dance floor yet.” “You’re one to talk. You’re not drinking either.” “I have actual medical reasons,” I remind her. “What’s your excuse?” Daisy goes quiet for a second. Then she says, almost casually, “I’m pregnant.” “That’s not—
ARIA'S POV The Kings’ private estate ballroom has been transformed into something out of a storybook and a power summit at the same time.Long tables draped in gold and deep purple line the edges of the room, while the centre remains open for the children’s games that dominated the morning. By evening the balance has shifted. Adults now outnumber the kids, and every conversation carries the low hum of people who came for more than cake.Naomi never leaves my side for long.She guides me from cluster to cluster with one hand lightly at my elbow, the other occasionally intercepting a canapé or glass before it reaches me. “Her diet is restricted,” she tells a senator’s wife with a polite smile that still somehow ends the discussion. More than once she takes a bite of something herself first, then nods for me to proceed. The attention draws open curiosity. The proud, formidable King Matriarch fussing over someone like a protective mother is clearly not a sight they expected.“This is Ari
ARIA'S POV Nathan King steps inside.I have seen photographs of him—sharp suits, colder eyes, face that belongs on the cover of business magazines. He is tall, broad-shouldered, silver threading the dark hair at his temples. Same sharp bone structure as Noah but colder, more weathered by decades of authority.Remy is already running. His little shoes slap against the marble.“Grandpa!”Nathan looks down. The hard lines of his face soften, changing his expression. He bends, scoops Remy up with ease, and holds him against his chest.“My grandson,” he says, his warm voice does not match the rest of him.Remy beams, completely unafraid or shy, tiny hands patting Nathan’s expensive lapel.Only then does he look at Noah. “Finally. You did something right.”Noah doesn’t react beyond a slight raise of one eyebrow. He remains where he is, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable and faintly arrogant as always.Nathan carries Remy inside. The rest of us follow. When his eyes land on me he g
“Hey, babe.”Daisy's low tone makes my fingers tighten around the phone. “Is everything fine?”There’s a short pause, then a soft sniff. “Yeah… I guess. I’ll be back next week.”Relief loosens my shoulders a little. “That’s great. Maybe you’ll still make it for Remy’s birthday. I thought you were going to miss it for the first time. You know he won’t forgive you if you do.”Her familiar laughter slips through the line, and for a moment she sounds like herself again. “I won’t miss my godson’s birthday for anything in the world.”“Done with your latest mighty dick?” I ask, trying to keep the mood light.Daisy lets out a short laugh. “Yeah. Done and dusted.”I smile, but the sound doesn’t fully convince me. Something still sits underneath her words. I don’t push. Daisy has always told me things in her own time.“Fine,” I say softly. “Just… take care of yourself, okay?”“You too.”The call ends. I stay sitting there for a few extra seconds, phone still in my hand, before a light knock sou
NOAH'S POV I pull a clean shirt from the wardrobe and shut the door harder than necessary.The wood rattles in its frame. Behind me, Aria’s soft footsteps stop. “Noah, what is it?” Her voice is careful. “You’ve been ignoring me since we got back.” I glance over my shoulder. She’s small in one of my shirts, hair still slightly damp from her shower, arms loosely crossed. The sight pulls at something in my chest, but I keep my face blank. “Ignoring you?” I ask. “How?” She bites her lower lip, searching for words. I already know what she’s going to say. All evening I’ve kept my attention on Remy and my mother on purpose. Every time Aria looked up during dinner I made sure my eyes were elsewhere. I focused on Remy instead—cutting his food, answering his endless questions, letting Naomi fill the silence. Every time Aria tried to catch my eye I looked away. The distance was deliberate. Petty, maybe. She still hasn’t figured out how to start. Her gaze drops to the floor. I turn fully
ARIA'S POV I stare up at the towering glass skyscraper of King Atelier. The building is breathtaking—a sleek masterpiece of white marble, brushed steel, and massive glass windows catching the bright sunlight. My dream building. Very soon, my business would surpass this heights. The revolving do
JAMIE'S POV From the center of the stage, even with the flashing cameras going off like gunfire, I still found her. Aria. And damn, she looked unreal. Aria had always been beautiful. Not just pretty but dangerously beautiful. People stare too long when they see her, I have to glare at them to sh
ARIA'S POV “Then go,” my father growled, standing up from the table. “I disown you as my daughter.” “Don’t say that, dear…” Carolina fake-interjected. “No, Lina. Let her go.” He yelled at her. “You idiot!" He says addressing me. "Was I the one that asked him to dump you, Aria? If you had be
ARIA'S POV Some people get to see their world fall apart slowly. They have time to get ready for the crash. I didn't get that chance. My life didn’t fall apart slowly. It collapsed in one night. The night my boyfriend announced his engagement to my stepsister. And somehow… I was the only







