LOGINEdwina “Correct,” Desmond said calmly, like he was reciting facts from a ledger. “But I didn’t act alone.”My chest tightened.“Steven was the one who came up with the idea to rob Edwina’s family,” he continued. “The plan was to recover the loan given to Cyril. That money was supposed to go to Matthias, but because of Cyril’s situation, Matthias was skipped. He didn’t take that well.”The words hit me one after the other, heavy and suffocating. I turned slowly to Steven, disbelief burning behind my eyes. “How could you do that to me?” My voice cracked despite my effort to stay steady. “So all this time, you were pretending to be my friend?” My throat closed. “Because of you, my father almost died.”For a moment, I wanted him to deny it. To lie. To give me something to cling to.“My father was in danger too,” Steven snapped. “The man he borrowed money from threatened to kill him. I couldn’t let that happen—not when there was something I could do.”The room spun.“So you decided I’d m
EdwinaI watched Miranda lift her chin, arrogance dripping from every inch of her posture. “You don’t scare me, you know,” she said to Max, smug and self-satisfied. “I’m just as royal as you are. My father is just as powerful as yours.”I almost rolled my eyes. Max stared at her for a heartbeat—blank, unreadable. For a split second, I wondered if he was calculating how many ways he could dismantle her with words alone. Then he threw his head back and laughed.Not a polite laugh.Not a restrained one.A full, unapologetic belly laugh.The sound echoed through the room, sharp and humiliating, and I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling. Miranda’s face flushed red so fast it was almost impressive. If this were a cartoon, steam would’ve been shooting from her ears.“What’s so funny?” she snapped, her voice cutting.“You,” Max said easily, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. “Who else?”I felt his anger beneath the humor—controlled, simmering. Max wasn’t amused. He was offended. Deepl
Maximillian I pulled up in front of the storey building and killed the engine, my hands tightening around the steering wheel until my knuckles went white. I forced myself to breathe, to think, to stay rational—because every ugly instinct in me wanted to storm in there and put bullets in every bastard involved. I didn’t even have a gun. Worse, I didn’t know who they were yet, and charging in blind was the fastest way to get someone innocent hurt. Esther. Edwina. Maybe both. I wasn’t here to play the hero. I was here to finish this cleanly."Don’t forget… I’ll handle it." I reminded Edwina, keeping my voice firm, unyielding. This wasn’t a suggestion. This was a line I wasn’t letting her cross.“Got it, boss,” she replied, snapping a mock salute like this was just another routine job.If only.“Let’s go.” I opened the door and stepped out, watching her mirror the movement. We shut the doors at the same time. I locked the car and lifted my gaze back to the building. At least six bedroo
Edwina Two whole days had crawled by since Esther’s kidnapping—two days of restless pacing, sleepless nights, and pretending I wasn’t falling apart inside. Every hour felt like a punishment, every minute a reminder of how powerless I was. When Max finally suggested going for a drive, I agreed without hesitation. I needed movement, distraction… anything.He drove in silence at first, the kind that felt heavy with unsaid things. His car smelled faintly of leather and cedarwood, and for a fleeting second, I focused on that instead of the dread gnawing at me. I’d asked—no, pestered—him to tell me how much the car cost, partly to annoy him, partly because normal questions felt like lifelines. He eventually told me after much eye-rolling. It almost made me smile.Almost.When we stepped out of the restaurant, reality snapped right back. A note was stuck to his windscreen, flapping slightly in the evening breeze like a taunt. My stomach dropped before I even read it.The instructions were
Edwina “You know what, Steven?” I said quietly, the fight draining out of me. “Thank you. For your friendship all these years. But now I see who you truly are. Let’s end this here and go our separate ways.”“That’s not possible, Eddie,” he said, smirking in a way that made my skin crawl. “I can’t give you up. I had you first.”His words felt like poison seeping into the room. My stomach twisted at his words. Had me first? Was I some prize to be owned?“Well, I’m telling you to give up,” I shot back, my voice sharper now. “I don’t have feelings for you. I see you as a brother and a friend—nothing more.”“I love you, Eddie.” His voice cracked, desperation leaking through. “You can love me too if you want. I want you to love me.” he pleaded, grabbing my forearms as I tried to step back. His grip was rough, desperate.“Let go of me.” I ordered, panic starting to rise.“No, never!” he growled, his hands clamping down on my forearms as he yanked me closer. “Let me show you that I can be be
Maximillian For a second, everything around me stilled. My hand froze midair, and the sound of the pool’s soft bubbling suddenly felt distant, almost muted.My great-grandmother. Jean Anne. Gone.I couldn’t process it. The woman was nearly a hundred years old — just six years shy of that milestone birthday we’d all planned to celebrate. I’d imagined her there, smiling in her usual quiet way, the same way she did whenever she scolded me for missing church. And now… she is gone. Just like Great Grandmother Bianca before her.The weight in my chest settled like a stone.“How’s Grandmother doing?” I asked quietly, afraid to hear the answer.“She’s devastated,” Dad sighed. “She lost her father two years ago, and now her mother… I don’t know what I’d do if anything ever happened to my parents.”There was something raw in his voice — something that made me feel small again, like a boy who didn’t know how to comfort his father. I swallowed hard.“I’m sorry, Dad,” I murmured. “For not being t







