Louis’ POVWe all ordered drinks, non-alcoholic for now — coffee for him, sparkling water for Damian, tea for Charlotte, and a grapefruit soda for Celeste. I asked for a bourbon, which got a knowing smile from Wallace.“So,” he said, clasping his hands together. “I hear you’ve got something exciting
Louis’ POVI got in the car and drove through the winding streets like I was being chased by the past. And in many ways, I was. I thought about Lyla, fragile and quiet and still healing from the accident. She would be leaving soon, off to France, to disappear into another life where none of this cha
Louis’ POVMornings were never quiet, not really, not even in the early hours when the sun was still clawing its way over the hills and the house was cloaked in velvet light. But today… today felt calm. It was the illusion of calm, perhaps, the kind you sip like weak tea before the boil. I stirred u
Damian’s POV“You’re up early,” she murmured, voice husky with sleep.“I have that lunch today,” I said, sitting on the edge of the bed beside her. “The investor from Portland. The one Louis has been obsessing over for a month.”“Oh, right,” she said, blowing on her coffee. “The server king.”I laug
Damian’s POVI got up and stripped out of my work clothes, stepping into the bathroom. The water from the shower was hot, almost scalding, but I welcomed it. It melted the tension in my shoulders, washed away the remnants of the boardroom, the bitter taste of the latest leak, the growing pressure I
Damian’s POVThe office had gone quiet hours ago, but I was still there, seated at my desk like a statue made of anxiety and caffeine. The screen in front of me glowed with a spreadsheet I had not updated in over an hour. My thoughts were a carousel, spinning between work, my grandfather’s sudden ou