LOGINSELENA POVThe sound of laughter drifted through the house before I even opened my eyes.A woman's laughter. Bright, high, comfortable.My brows pulled together as I stared at the ceiling. Miss Margaret never laughed like that. The maids certainly wouldn't. Alexander had already left for work, hadn't he?Then it came again. That same familiar laugh.My stomach tightened. Vanessa.My irritation arrived before my feet even touched the floor. I pulled on the silk robe hanging beside the bed, slipped into my slippers, and followed the sound down the hallway. With every step down the staircase it grew clearer, warmer, more settled, the laughter of people completely at ease with each other.Then I saw them.Alexander and Vanessa, sitting across from each other at the dining table, laughing over something I hadn't heard. Alexander's shoulders shook with genuine amusement. Vanessa threw her head back freely. For a moment I stood on the stairs and just watched, and something in my chest squee
SELENA POVMy chest tightened so suddenly that for a moment the MC's voice became background noise, distant and irrelevant against the sound of those heels clicking closer across the polished floor, each step echoing strangely inside my head.Grace. It can't be. Grace?But she looked so much like her that my breath had lodged itself somewhere in my throat and refused to move.Instinctively my eyes shot to the stage. To Alexander. I expected something.. shock, pain, the particular devastation I had watched move through him at the graveyard. Instead all I found on his face was simple surprise. "Hey, Selena… you okay?"Linda's voice pulled me back."That's..." I started."Vanessa Greystone," Linda supplied quietly.My brows furrowed. "She looks exactly like Grace."Linda chuckled. "I've only seen her once, but I've worked with Mr. Blackwood for years. I know who she is." She leaned slightly closer. "She's Grace's twin sister."My stomach dropped.Twin sister. That explained everything
SELENA POVI stared at my reflection one last time.The gown hugged every curve of my body, flowing elegantly to the floor before splitting gracefully down one leg. Breathtaking that it still surprised me every time I looked at it, and impossible to ignore. My hands drifted slowly to my stomach. Seven months. A smile tugged at my lips. The baby bump wasn't huge, but it definitely wasn't hiding anymore. We had stopped pretending it was."See you there, Sissy! Linda is already waiting!"Adriana's voice rang through the room and I turned just in time to catch her backing toward the door."Traitor," I accused.She burst out laughing. "Love you too!" Then she disappeared.I rolled my eyes. Linda had been impossibly busy lately, barely time to breathe between schedules, and the moment she had a free evening, Adriana had practically kidnapped her. Those two deserved each other.I turned back to the mirror. My gaze settled on my face. My cheeks looked fuller. Rounder. I pinched one lightly
SELENA POV"Okay, online application for Face of Oceania approved. Tomorrow you can get the final application done at OC Building."Adriana dropped her phone dramatically on the coffee table.I could practically feel her eyes drilling holes into the side of my head. Pretending not to notice, I grabbed another slice of apple and focused on the movie playing on the television.The silence stretched.Then … "Don't pretend like you can't see me."I burst out laughing. "What?"She pointed an accusing finger. "Why did you apply for Face of Oceania?"I shrugged innocently. "What kind of question is that?""The normal kind!" she exclaimed. "We both know modeling isn't your thing, and you're pregnant, Selena!"I finally turned toward her, a grin spreading across my lips. "Chill, Adriana."She folded her arms. "No. Explain."I leaned back comfortably. "Remember the Blackwood launch?""Yes.""I modeled.""One time.""And I survived.""Barely."I laughed. "Besides, I don't even care about winning
CALISTA POVI smiled as I slipped into my car.Finally. Something was going right. For the first time in weeks, I felt like I could actually breathe.The document sitting on the passenger seat made my smile widen further.The Face of Oceania. One of the biggest modeling pageants in the world, the platform every serious model dreamed of walking. Rosy Maurer had come through it. Angela Locsin. International supermodels whose faces dominated magazines and billboards across continents.And now, I had been selected.A laugh escaped me as I started the engine. This was my world. Not acting, not scripts, not movie sets dictated by someone else's vision. Modeling. The runway. The cameras. The spotlight that belonged entirely to me. I had spent years building this reputation overseas before coming home. The acting career had only ever existed because of Kelvin's influence, but modeling was mine. Earned. Untouchable.My smile widened further.And today had been close to perfect. Selena's sc
ALEXANDER POVI was smiling. Actually smiling… Rare enough that half the staff who greeted me that morning looked momentarily startled by it.The drive to work had been pleasant. My thoughts kept circling back to Selena. Her sleepy face that morning. The way she had laughed when I claimed paying for breakfast counted as cooking. The argument about baby names. The little kick from our child that had stopped both of us mid-sentence.A genuine smile tugged at my lips again.Then my office door burst open.Greg walked in fast, too fast. The smile disappeared instantly. Greg only moved like that when something had gone wrong."What happened?" I asked, keeping my voice level.He hesitated, which was never a good sign. "Sir." He placed a tablet on my desk. "Things aren't going well for Mrs. Selena."My eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"He slid the tablet toward me. I picked it up, and the moment I saw the screen my jaw tightened.The picture. That damned picture, Kelvin's hand around Se
SELENA POVI stared at Adriana, brows raised."Okay," she muttered, shifting on the bed until she was comfortable, one leg tucked beneath her like she was settling in to tell me something properly. "Two days ago, some strange men came to the house looking for Dad. They offered him a job, his
SELENA POV"Adriana!"My eyes went wide the moment I turned and saw her fully."Selena…" Her voice came out low, like she didn't quite trust her own eyes."Adriana…" Mine matched hers, just as soft, just as disbelieving.For a second we just stood there staring at each other. Then she rushed me, h
SELENA'S POV "No." Alexander's voice cut through the air, sharp, cold, final. The woman froze instantly, her excitement collapsing into stunned silence. Even the little girl went quiet, sensing the shift in temperature. Just like that, he was back. The Alexander Blackwood everyone feared. I d
SELENA'S POVHis eyes were red. Not just tired, broken. There was something in them that didn't belong to the present, something trapped and replaying like a punishment he couldn't escape. And hearing that sound from him …A sob, it shattered something inside me.The shower water poured heavily ove







