LOGINI slipped out of bed after Lucas fell asleep, pulled on a thin robe, and padded barefoot through the dark corridors until I reached the terrace doors.The infinity pool glowed faintly under the moon, I saw a figure there, I squint my eyes. Camilla.She was there exactly as I had pictured her in the worst of my dreams: sitting alone on the edge, legs dangling in the water, white silk robe fallen open over bare skin. A half-empty bottle of rum rested beside her hip, no glass, a cap discarded somewhere in the shadows.I paused.After few minutes, I stepped onto the warm tile deck. She didn’t look up.“You’re late, I expected you hours ago.”I stopped five feet away. “How did you get in?”She gave a cracked laugh that ended in something close to a sob. “Your security is pathetic, darling. I paid the night guard two months’ salary and promised him a blowjob he’ll never forget. He opened the service gate like it was his birthday.” She lifted the bottle, took a long swallow, winced as it wen
Isabella’s POV The house settled into an uneasy rhythm over the next forty-eight hours, Lucas stayed close to me, helping me do chores.He carried the heavy canvas bags from the market run without being asked, shoulders flexing under the weight of pineapples, fresh fish. He climbed the ladder to fix the loose shutter on the east window, while I held the ladder steady while he tightened screws, our eyes meeting once through the open pane, a small, wordless acknowledgment that we were both still here, still trying. Mom and Victor moved like one, heads bent over phones and laptops, voices low during calls to lawyers back home who were trying to contain the media storm before it swallowed us whole. They spoke in clipped fragments: “subpoena the server logs,” “motion to seal the juvenile records,” “gag order on the twins if they talk.” Victor’s hand rested on Mom’s lower back whenever they stood together, I saw the love glow each time they met each other's eyes.Maria and Lila turned the
Isabella’s POV I found Lucas on the far end of the private beach just after sunset.He was perched on that same half-buried driftwood log we used to climb on as kids, knees pulled to his chest, forearms braced on top like he’s holding himself together by force. His bare feet are already wet from the reaching waves, sand clinging to the dark hair on his calves. I walked barefoot across the cooling sand, steps deliberate so he could see me coming.He didn't lift his head.“I knew you’d find me,” he said, voice low and rough. “You always do.”I dropped down beside him, close enough that our shoulders nearly brush, far enough that the space between us feels deliberate. The next wave rolled in, colder now, licking at my toes before retreating.“You didn’t come to dinner,” I said.“Not hungry.”I chuckled. “Nice way to turn me down.”We sat in the sound of water for a minute. In. Out. In. Out.“Camilla’s plane landed three hours ago, no press swarm yet. No dramatic entrance. Just… nothing
Isabella’s POV The kitchen felt smaller after the call ended. The air was thick with the smell of cooling coffee and the faint metallic tang of fear-sweat. Nobody moved right away. We just stood there, clustered around the island like survivors waiting for the next aftershock.Victor broke the silence first. He picked up his mug, took a sip even though it had to be cold by now, then set it down again.“How the hell did Richard get a DNA test?” he asked. Not angry. Just puzzled. Methodical. “He didn’t have a sample from me. Not legally. Not without a court order.”Mom leaned her palms on the counter, shoulders rounded. “He could’ve pulled something from the house. Old toothbrush. Hair from a brush. But Isabella’s sample… he’d need something recent. Something she left behind.”Lila frowned, scrolling absently on her phone even though the screen was dark. “Or he paid someone. A lab tech. A private investigator. People do that when they’re desperate.”Maria shook her head slowly. “Richar
Isabella’s POV We moved inside like people carrying something fragile and explosive. The kitchen island became our war table—notebooks, a laptop, half-drunk coffees, the little black USB drive sitting dead center like a loaded gun. Morning light slanted through the windows, turning everything gold and too bright, like the day was trying to pretend nothing was wrong.Victor pulled a legal pad toward him. “We start with timeline,” he said. “What happened when. No spin. Just facts. Camilla can’t argue dates and locations if we have them first.”Mom nodded, already opening the laptop. “I’ve got the old emails from the lawyer. Timestamped. Plus bank transfers she tried to hide.”Lila sat cross-legged on a stool, phone in hand. “I can pull screenshots from the group chats, the ones the twins used to coordinate. Nothing graphic, just the planning texts. Enough to show intent.”Maria leaned against the counter, arms folded. “And the medical reports from after the pool house night. Bruises. T
Isabella’s POV The tires crunched gravel before dawn—low diesel rumble that cut through the quiet house like a warning. The engine idled for a few seconds, then died.Victor was already up, standing at the kitchen window with a mug in his hand, staring out. He didn’t turn when the security lights snapped on, flooding the drive in harsh white.“Marcus,” he said. Voice flat, not surprised.Mom appeared in the doorway… hair loose, sleep-rumpled T-shirt slipping off one shoulder. She glanced at Victor, then at the window.“Is he alone?”Victor nodded once.The front door opened, footsteps on the porch. Then Marcus’s voice rang low, careful.“I know you’re watching, but I’m not here to cause trouble.”Victor placed the mug down and walked to the door. Opened it wider.Marcus stood at the bottom of the steps, hoodie up, hands visible, palms out. Black van idling behind him, headlights off now.Victor didn’t step aside. “Say what you came to say,” he told him.Marcus looked past Victor… eye
Isabella's POV The next morning hit like a hangover I didn’t earn. I woke up in the hotel bed alone. Dad had slipped out sometime after I fell asleep on the bed, leaving a note on the pillow: “I'll meet you at home. Stay sharp. Love you.” No explanation, no goodbye kiss. He left, just like that.
Isabella's POV I woke up the next day feeling a bit relieved. Camilla had the signed recognition agreement and document.She hadn’t sent the videos yet, but she didn't summon me again. But the silence was worse. It felt like she was letting me stew, letting the fear build until I begged her to pun
Isabella's POVClaire had been emotional down for days ever since the dress fitting where Uncle Daniel had cornered us both in the boutique. She barely spoke at meals when she visited. Her texts were short, full of ellipses. When she asked me to come to her apartment after what went down at the f
Isabella's POVI called Claire at 7 pm in the evening. She's been avoiding my messages since she used her own body as bait to record Daniel, Tyler, and Jordan. Since she turned the tables on her uncle with a video that could ruin him. “Hey,” I said softly, drinking the milkshake Maria prepared fo







