LOGIN"Finish that sentence." My voice cut across hers. A beat passed. A shift crossed her eyes. Then she said it anyway. "Cleaned houses for people like us." The room went completely quiet. "My mother." I stopped. "Worked with her hands for people who believed that made her less than them. People exac
Alicia’s POV The pen was in my hand. I hadn't moved since the door closed. The page in front of me, the same line, and now I knew someone had been observing me return to it, watching long enough to count each return. I had spent three years believing he never saw the parts that weren't performed.
"He also mentioned Vera Sorel has made her attendance at the follow-up conditional on yours," I said, letting the other piece of the weight land between us. "He wanted me to know that." The pen halted in her hand. She took a breath, slow, through her nose, and the line of her throat moved once befo
Edward's POV Phillip arrived at twenty past ten. He settled into the chair across my desk and set his coat on the arm of it. The draft was already in his hand before he opened his mouth. "Signed and filed as of this morning. Your name on the minority position. Clean." He set a single folded page
"I don't know." "You said it to him. Not here." The pause that followed remained too long to be casual. "What are you afraid of?" I didn't rush it. "That I'm seeing it right. And it still falls apart anyway." She shook her head slightly. "That's not uncertainty. That's you refusing to close y
Alicia's POV Elena didn't turn when I came in. She was at the counter, spoon hovering over a bowl she hadn't touched in a while. The kettle had gone cold long enough to feel intentional. My bag hit the floor by the door. She didn't look at it. "You came back wrong." "I came back two days ago."
Edward’s POV Leo stood by the window, tablet in hand, running through the afternoon's schedule. "Mitchell's assistant called again. Wants confirmation for the quarterly review." "Push it to next week." "Sir, they've already pushed twice." "Then they can push again." Leo made a note. Moved on.
Alicia's POV I don't remember the drive. One moment I was pulling out of the estate. Next, I was parked beside Elena's building. The engine was off. My hands still on the wheel. I looked down. They were shaking. I tried to make them stop. Couldn't. I got out. The folder sat on the passenge
Edward's POV I woke to silence. The estate felt hollow. Empty in a way that pressed against my chest. I lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, replaying last night. The call to Lily. Her voice had been cautious at first. Small. Surprised. "Mr. Valentine?" I'd kept my tone even. Asked
Edward's POV I arrived at Belcourt forty minutes late for the Gilded Evening. The valet took my keys. Warm light spilled through the entrance, and the sound hit first: glass, laughter, strings, the low hum of money performing for itself. I stepped inside. Champagne. Silk. Perfume drifting under v







