LOGINPOV Anastasia
Well… this wasn’t exactly how I planned for Delilah to find out.I mean, I had imagined a lot of possible scenarios—slipping up, her snooping through my texts, maybe her catching me sneaking out of the apartment again.But not this.Not her putting it together right in front of the whole damn school hallway, her voice carrying like a fucking megaphone.“Oh my GOD. Oh my actual GOD, Anastasia !”Three freshman scatter like roaches when the lights come on.“Delilah , what the hell—”“You’re sleeping with Professor Montelli !” Her eyes are literally bulging out of her skull. “And his wife! Holy fucking shit!”My blood turns to Arctic slush. “What are you talking about?”“Don’t you DARE lie to me right now!” She’s pointing at me like I just confessed to murder.“You’re completely insane.”“Am I? Because you’ve been sneaking out at weird hours, you smell different.”Shit. Shit shit shit.“Janitor’s closet. NOW.” ShPOV Anaise The rooftop looks like someone threw up fairy lights and called it romantic. White lights everywhere, twinkling like stars that got lost and decided to crash our family drama instead.I’m standing here in a dress that costs more than my old rent, surrounded by Martinez and Coleman relatives who six months ago would’ve crossed the street to avoid each other. Now they’re all smiles and champagne glasses, former enemies playing nice because apparently one impossibly complicated love story was enough to broker world peace.Or at least corporate peace, which in our world is basically the same thing.“Fix your lipstick,” Mom whispers in my ear, because even during the most emotional moment of my life, Valentina Martinez cannot resist a touch-up opportunity.I’m about to tell her my lipstick is fine when Dad appears at my elbow. He’s been weirdly quiet all evening—none of his usual CEO commanding presence or strategic commentary. Jus
POV Alexander Sarah’s waiting for me in my office when I get back from the most revelatory dinner of my adult life, sitting in my chair like she owns the fucking place. Classic power move designed to establish dominance through spatial violation. Too bad I’m about to end her entire career and possibly her will to exist in corporate America.She’s positioned herself behind my desk with the calculated precision of someone who’s studied executive intimidation techniques, her perfectly manicured hands folded on the mahogany surface like she’s posing for a portrait titled “Assistant Who Definitely Didn’t Frame Anyone for Corporate Espionage.”The sight of her in my space, touching my things, breathing my air, makes something violent and primal rise in my chest. Because now I know. Thanks to Roberto Martinez’s very thorough private investigator, I know exactly what she’s been doing for months.I don’t bother sitting. Don’t waste time with pleasantries
POV Anaise I’m pacing this balcony like a caged fucking tiger, arms crossed so tight I might crack my own ribs, when Alexander follows me out here looking like a storm that’s barely held together by sheer willpower, expensive tailoring, and whatever’s left of his legendary self-control.My heart’s doing this insane drumbeat thing against my chest—part panic, part rage, part something I don’t want to name because naming it makes this whole clusterfuck even more complicated than it already is. The kind of complicated that involves feelings I’ve been shoving down for five years while pretending I didn’t notice the way he looked at me during board meetings.The night air should be cooling me down, but instead I feel like I’m about to spontaneously combust right here on Le Vieux Château’s pretentious balcony, leaving nothing but a pile of designer dress ash and unresolved sexual tension.“You’re Isabella Martinez?” His voice comes out hoarse
POV Alexander I hadn’t wanted to be there either.A dinner with Harold, some prestigious family whose name gets whispered in board meetings, and the mystery woman I’m being strong-armed into marrying? This whole thing feels like a slow-motion disaster wrapped in expensive linens and fake politeness.I’m nursing my scotch like it’s life support while Harold holds court with Roberto Martinez—two old war generals planning their next conquest over wagyu beef and decades-old grudges. They’re talking about market consolidation and strategic partnerships like they’re discussing the weather instead of my entire fucking future.“The merger will be seamless,” Harold’s saying, swirling his drink with the satisfaction of someone who’s never had to live with the consequences of his decisions. “Both companies benefit. Both families win.”Both families. Right. Because apparently I’m just another asset to be leveraged in whatever corporate chess game th
POV Anaise The gold-trimmed invitation’s been sitting on my dresser for three days like some kind of cursed artifact. Every time I walk past it, my stomach does this twisted little dance that feels like my internal organs are auditioning for Cirque du Soleil.*Dinner with your future husband. Saturday. 7:00 PM. Formal attire required.*Future husband. Like I’m some medieval princess being traded for livestock instead of a grown woman with opinions about who gets to touch my body for the next forty years.I’ve been staring at these words until they blur into meaningless shapes. My eyes are probably permanently damaged from the combination of rage-reading and stress-induced tears, but whatever. Add it to the list of shit this arrangement’s going to destroy.My stomach’s churning like a washing machine full of anxiety and leftover Chinese food. I don’t want to go. Don’t want to put on some performative outfit and smile like this is the fair
POV Alexander I’m looking at photos from a conference last year, and this is officially the most pathetic thing I’ve done since I fired the woman I’m obsessed with for crimes she didn’t commit while simultaneously destroying the last functioning piece of my emotional infrastructure.There she is. Anaise. Standing behind some venture capitalist who’s probably mansplaining blockchain technology or cryptocurrency or whatever buzzword bullshit passes for innovation these days, while she calculates his net worth down to the penny with the kind of mathematical precision that used to make me forget basic human functions like breathing and forming coherent sentences.She’s wearing that navy dress I remember—the one that made me forget how to form complete sentences during our morning meetings, the one that made me spill coffee on quarterly reports because apparently my motor skills shut down when confronted with the sight of her looking like competence wrapped in







