LOGINDAMON'S POV:I reached out and took both of her cool hands in mine."Thank you," I said, meeting her eyes. A genuine smile spread across her face, softening her whole expression and I leaned down and gave her a quick, gentle kiss, holding her hands tight."Let us wrap this up," I murmured.She nodded firmly. "Let us finish it."*ISABELLE'S POV:*The cabin interior was simple, cool, and carried the dry scent of pine wood.I stayed by the glass window, watching the shadowy trees while my heart thumped steadily against my ribs. I was definitely worried, but I was also completely determined. I was not going to stand by and let Viktor Volkov ruin the peaceful life Damon and I were building together. I was not going to let a total stranger take away our future.Damon moved around the main room behind me, double-checking his tools and reviewing our step-by-step plan one last time. He appeared completely focused and steady. He was the exact strong, dependable partner I had always
DAMON'S POV:I agreed to her demand.I really did not want to. Every instinct in my body was screaming at me to lock her inside the mansion, surround her with our best guards, and keep her as far away from Viktor Volkov as possible. But deep down, I knew she was right. We were in this together now. Besides, if I tried to leave her behind in the city, she would just find another way to follow me out here anyway. She was extremely stubborn like that. She had always been that way, ever since the day I met her.So I gave in. Three days later, we loaded up the truck and left for the mountains.Before we left, Isabelle called her parents to tell them she was going away on a short trip. She framed it as a quiet writing break out in the countryside, telling them she needed a few days to clear her head, find fresh ideas, and step away from the busy city routine. Her mother sounded a bit skeptical on the phone. Her mother was always suspicious about sudden plans. Still, she did not pry too
DAMON'S POV:"I do not care about any of that if it means losing you," she replied, her voice softening.I looked at her closely. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears, and her hands were trembling in mine."You are not going to lose me," I promised her. "I have trained for these exact situations for years. I have done this kind of work before, and I know how to keep myself safe.""You are not indestructible, Damon," she argued back, shaking her head. "You are not a robot. You are a regular person who can get hurt, just like anyone else."I reached out, wrapped my arms around her shoulders, and pulled her in close against my chest. I held her tight, letting her hear the steady beat of my heart."I am not letting him harm you," I murmured into her hair. "I am not going to let him step between us or ruin what we have. I would rather take every risk in the book than let anything happen to you."She pulled back just enough to look me in the face, her gaze suddenly firm and unwaver
MARY'S POV:"Why are you getting so angry?" he asked, his tone light and full of easy amusement. "I thought you couldn't wait to OPEN up your life."The words hit me like a physical slap across the mouth."Not her!" I shouted, my voice rising to a roar. The loud sound echoed off the high walls, raw, harsh, and desperate. Then the sickening realization crashed over me like a cold wave. "Wait a second. Did you suggest an open marriage to me because you had already thought about doing this with her? The very moment you got the chance, you went right after her. You're that desperate—""Don't insult her." His tone suddenly turned dead serious. All the casual amusement instantly drained from his face, replaced by something dark, icy, and sharp as steel. His eyes narrowed into slits, his jaw tightened, and for the very first time since I'd known him, I saw something genuinely dangerous lurking in his expression. "I won't say it twice."I should have rejected his warning with total conte
ISABELLE'S POV: My throat felt tight, and I could not get any real words out. I just lifted a shaking hand and pointed at the glowing phone lying on the floor. He stepped across the floor, picked the phone up, and watched the video replay. As he watched, all the warmth left his expression. His jaw set tight, his posture went completely rigid, and his hands gripped the edges of the phone so hard his knuckles turned white. "Who sent this to you?" he asked. His voice was flat, quiet, and very steady. "I do not know," I managed to whisper, holding my hands together to keep them still. "It came from a blocked number. Just like the last ones." He kept staring down at the little screen for a long, quiet moment before turning his head toward me. "Did you watch the whole thing?" I gave a small nod. I could not bring myself to explain how awful it felt to see it, but I did not have to. He could read it on my face anyway. He saw how uncomfortable and shaken I was. He set the phon
ISABELLE'S POV:A Few Days Later…I was sitting by myself in the library, holding an open book on my lap as it was such a quiet, peaceful day. It was the exact kind of afternoon that tricks you into thinking everything is okay and that danger is nowhere near you. Up on the second floor, Damon was locked in his study, working on something important that he refused to talk about. Outside, the security guards were pacing their regular rounds, the cameras were running, and the mansion felt like a solid brick fortress.None of those physical barriers mattered though. The person who was bothering us did not need to break down the front gate to get inside my head.My phone gave a quick buzz on the table, displaying a string of numbers I did not recognize. Messages from unknown senders had been popping up for days, each one slightly worse than the last. Lately, I had stopped opening them entirely. I stopped even looking at the screen, trying to convince myself that if I just ignored the no
She watched from the window as her father walked out to greet him.August Valancourt shook Lysander's hand with both of his, the way he did with people he truly respected, and he said something that made Lysander nod solemnly. Then her mother appeared, and Isabelle kissed Lysander on both cheeks, t
The first time Kier met Sable Morwenna was at a charity gala about six months after his father died.He was standing by the bar, looking miserable, drinking too much and wishing he could leave. And then this woman just appeared next to him, like she had materialized out of thin air."You look like
KIER'S POV:I pour myself a drink and I sit in the dark and I wait for her to come back.She always comes back.But she does not come back.A week passes. Then another. The penthouse stays empty. My calls go straight to voicemail. My texts go unanswered. I send messages through her email, through s
Celestine started cooking at three in the afternoon, flour on her hands, music playing low from her phone and the smell of tomatoes and garlic filling the whole penthouse.She made the sauce from scratch, the way her grandmother taught her when she was maybe ten years old. She rolled out the pasta







