Chapter 27 – Her Sister's GameI knew something was wrong the moment I stepped into the lobby.Cassandra was sitting on the couch, legs crossed, dressed like a model out of a luxury perfume ad. Red dress, high heels, and that sly smile she always wore when she was about to stir chaos."Regina," she purred, like we were old friends. "You look tired."I stopped walking. "What are you doing here?"She tilted her head. "Can't a girl visit her sister at work?"I raised an eyebrow. "You mean Kimberly?"She smiled wider. "Who else?"Bull. I wasn't stupid. Kimberly hated being surprised. Cassandra wouldn't just show up here without a plan. And the way she was looking at me—like she already knew something I didn't—made my stomach tighten.Before I could respond, Nicholas stepped off the elevator.He froze when he saw us.Cassandra stood and walked over to him like they were in a slow-motion movie. "Nicholas," she said, voice smooth as silk. "Long time."He looked stunned for half a second, the
Jenna shrugged. "I think you should survive."The next morning, I was back at work, red lipstick on like armor. Cassandra was gone..Nicholas stayed in his office.And everyone else acted like nothing happened. But I couldn't forget.I opened my laptop and started doing what I did best—research.Property records, social media trails, tax filings. Anything tied to Cassandra Ashford.And then I found it.A private investment made three years ago. A boutique hotel in Cape Town. Funded through a shell company. One of the listed signatories Nicholas. Istared at the screen. He was involved with her.No. I shook my head. This didn't make sense..Why would he hide that?Unless...A knock interrupted my spiraling. It was Peter."Mr. Nicholas wants to see you." I nodded slowly. "Thanks." As I walked to his office, I told myself to stay calm. Control the narrative. Don't let him see your doubts.When I stepped inside, he looked up from his desk. "Regina."I closed the door. "Talk." He stood. "I me
Regina's POV Nicholas didn't call the next day.Or the day after that.And honestly? That silence was louder than any fight we could've had. It pressed in on me while I tried to work, while I answered emails, even while I smiled through meetings. My heart had already done the math: if he wasn't fighting for me, he was giving me up.Let him.I had bigger problems now.Mary was back to her usual petty tricks. Someone "accidentally" CC'd me on a finance email chain—one I wasn't supposed to see—where Mary was asking Jenna to "double-check Regina's recent account adjustments, in case of errors."Errors? Please. If there was one thing I didn't mess up, it was numbers. I printed the thread, added my correct calculations in red pen, and sent it right back—CC'ing the entire exec team for good measure.She wanted to play?I'd bought new gloves.And they were off.⸻Jenna found me in the break room around noon, coffee in one hand, attitude in the other."Nice move," she said, sipping. "Mary's w
Third POV And yet... he couldn’t deny it anymore. The feelings he had for Regina weren’t going away. If anything, they were growing stronger every day, no matter how hard he tried to suppress them.He pushed off the wall and made his way to the break room, his steps heavy with the weight of his turmoil. The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly overhead, the smell of burnt coffee lingering in the air. He poured himself a cup mechanically, barely noticing the bitter aroma.As he stood there, staring blankly at the swirling black liquid, he knew he had a choice to make. He could keep pretending, keep hiding behind professionalism and excuses, or he could take the risk — tell her how he felt and hope like hell she didn’t hate him for it.But what if she didn’t feel the same way? What if he ruined everything — not just their working relationship, but the fragile friendship they had built over the past few months?He clenched his jaw, his fingers tightening around the paper cup. Fear was a fa
Third POVBecause she wasn't looking for something casual, something half-hearted. She wasn't a project to be tested. She wanted love. She wanted certainty. She wanted a man who knew what he wanted — and wasn't afraid to claim it.Her next question came out colder than she intended. "Would you be committed to me?"The words hung in the air like a loaded gun.Nicholas froze.His hesitation was answer enough.Regina felt the disappointment settle heavily in her chest, dull and aching. She had hoped — maybe foolishly — that he would be different. That behind his walls and careful professionalism, he would be brave enough to love her properly.But he wasn’t ready. Maybe he never would be.She straightened her shoulders, lifting her chin slightly, as if bracing herself against the hurt."I’m not interested in half-measures, Nicholas," she said quietly. "I'm not going to date a man who isn't sure of his own feelings."He opened his mouth to protest, to explain, but she lifted a hand to stop
Third POV Regina stood there stiffly, her arms at her sides while Nicholas's hands rested lightly on her waist. He had trapped her in his embrace just moments before, a sudden, impulsive gesture meant to comfort—or maybe to stake a claim. But she didn’t hug him back. She didn’t push him away, but she didn’t hold him either. Her body was rigid, her mind swirling in a chaotic storm of conflicting emotions.The grand ballroom seemed to hush around her. Conversations that had buzzed in lively waves moments before fell into fragmented murmurs. Rather than focusing on Dan and Kimberly, the golden couple kissing in the center of the room, people began turning their attention to the balcony, to Regina and Nicholas.Even though she wasn’t looking directly, Regina could feel their stares like sharp needles pricking at her skin. She could hear the whispers, thin and slicing."Is that Regina with Nicholas?""Did you see that? She hugged him. Or he hugged her?""What's going on? Why are they embr
Regina jerked away from Nicholas, breathless and dazed. Her lips tingled, and her heart galloped in her chest. She stared at him like hewas a stranger.“What…what did you just do?” she whispered, her voice trembling.Nicholas’s chest heaved. His hands hovered in the air like he wanted to pull her back but was afraid to. “I told you. I love you.”Regina took a shaky step back. Her mind spun, the kiss still blazing on her lips. She turned, focusing her gaze on anything but Nicholas's face.Heat flooded Regina’s face—shame, confusion, anger, all tangled together. She wrapped her arms around herself as if that could shield her from the raw intensity that still crackled in the air.Nicholas reached for her again, but she flinched away. “Don’t.”His hand dropped. “Regina, please—”She shook her head. “You can’t just… You can’t do that. You can’t throw that at me and expect me to just—”“I’m not expecting anything,” he said, voice rough. “I just couldn’t keep pretending. Watching you with h
Nicholas sat on the edge of his bed, phone in hand, thumb hovering over the screen. His last text to Regina had gone unanswered, just like the dozen before it. The call logs were even worse —missed call after missed call. He stared at her name glowing back at him, each letter a cruel reminder of the wall she had built between them.It had been three days since that night at the party.Three days of silence.Three days of agony.His chest felt like it was caving in. At first, he had told himself she just needed space, a day or two to cool off. But as hours turned to days and his messages remained unread, panic gnawed at him with sharp teeth.He typed out another message, his fingers moving on their own.Regina, please. I just want to talk. Five minutes, that’s all I’m asking. Please.He hit send before he could second-guess himself. The message joined the others, all floating in that same void where her replies should be.Nicholas raked a hand through his hair and stood up, pacing the
Regina kept to herself for the next few days, she knew that Jenna must have been beyond anxious waiting for a response from her and this was confirmed when she heard a knock on her door and it turned out to be Jenna. Regina sat still in her seat while waiting for her to speak up. Regina was in no hurry and neither was Jenna as well. It did not seem to matter to Regina how long the silence would last, she was determined to wait until Jenna would break. Jenna stood awkwardly by the corner of Regina’s office, her eyes darting everywhere except at the woman seated across from her. Regina’s expression was unreadable, her arms folded as she leaned back slightly in her chair. The tension in the room was thick, coiling around them like smoke. Finally, Jenna's voice broke through the silence, brittle and uneven.“I’m sorry, Regina. I really am.”Regina arched a brow, her voice smooth but cool. “Sorry? For what exactly, Jenna? For lying to me for months? For playing both sides? Or for only de
Morning light crept through the half-closed blinds of Regina’s apartment, casting long golden slashes across the hardwood floor. She had barely slept. The weight of the last day’s work was weighing on her. She did not feel like getting up from her bed but she had no choice. Work awaited. Picking herself up from the bed, she went into the bathroom and freshened up. She decided on a mini green dress that looked both official and sexy and a nude colored heels to match the color of her handbag. She made her hair into a ponytail and she was all ready for work after a slight make up. Her phone suddenly came alive with a text message and she would not say she was surprised to see that it was Jenna. The message was short: “Can we meet this morning? Please. It’s important.”Regina stared at it for a long minute, suspicion gnawing at her. She had already known that Jenna would reach out to her but she did not just expect it to so quick. But curiosity, coupled with a simmering need for answer
The presentation went well and Jenna was on her way back from there. She could no longer ignore the rumbling in her stomach so she went to a small fast food got herself something to eat. After satisfying her hunger, she walked out of the place and went towards her car.As she made to pull the door open, her eyes met with a fine dark green bag sitting by the window of a store. She could not help but to notice how beautiful the bag was, even from afar. She stood where she was by her car, a thought crawling into her head. What would she think if she did something like that so suddenly after giving her the cold shoulders? Yep, Regina. Would she accept the gift? But there was no need to think twice. So she crossed over to the other side of the street-- thankfully the red traffic light was turned on-- and walked into the store. Moments later, she returned with a fancy green hand bag neatly stored in a box and only then did she get into her car and continue driving her way.The rest of t
Jenna was feeling nervous as she made her way to ni Nicholas' office. No matter how slow her steps were, her legs still led her to his office and now she was standing just outside. Adjusting her clothes, she knocked twice and went into the office. Her heart skipped when she saw Regina standing inside the office as well. Maybe it was truly what she feared after all."Oh good you're here." Nicholas said as he noticed her after looking up. "Sorry to bother you at all but I have an errand for you and Regina. Come sit and let me explain." He invited her over to sit. Regina was already sitting. Jenna batted her lashes once. "An... Errand?" She asked uncertainly. Nicholas gave a nod of his head and pointed at the seat next to Regina, asking her to sit. "Ah of course..." She muttered softly as she hurried up her steps to take a seat.She bowed her head to Regina as a simply greeting. More of a nod. She did not bother to look at her. Regina responded with a simple nod as well and a gentl
Sitting at the dining table at her apartment, Jenna traced the tip of her white coffee mug absentmindedly. Her other hand rested on her cheek while leaning on the table. As still as her lips remained, several conversations ran non stop in her head. She could not stop herself from thinking about what she had witnessed. How intimate it was...The memory was fresh in her head like a very fresh wound. Tormenting her mind and keeping her awake. She felt torn between responsibility and her own personal feelings. She had not noticed how much time had passed by where she was sitting. It was already after midnight, her coffee had even gone cold, yet she traced round the edges with her finger, lost in a maze created by her own thoughts. Her finger tips left the mug and wrapped around the coffee mug handle, raising the mug to her lips, she took a sip. The cold liquid felt so irritating that she spat it out without thinking twice. Dropping the mug back on the table, she picked up a tissue pap
Nicholas stumbled through the door of his penthouse, the heavy thud of it closing behind him echoing through the empty space. The club had been loud, chaotic— filled with music and people and all the distractions he’d desperately chased tonight. But none of it had worked. The gnawing emptiness inside him had only grown.He shrugged off his jacket and kicked off his shoes, his body sluggish and uncoordinated from the alcohol coursing through his veins. His tie hung loose around his neck, and his shirt was half-untucked, a mess that matched the storm in his chest.Dragging himself toward his bedroom, Nicholas barely managed to make it to the bed before collapsing face-first into the mattress. The room spun around him, but he couldn’t summon the energy to care. All he wanted was for the pain to stop, even if only for a few hours of restless sleep.With a groan, he sat up just long enough to strip off his wristwatch, the weight of it suddenly unbearable. He opened the drawer of his bedsid
Nicholas had always thought of himself as a man in control— control of his business, his image, his emotions. But the days following Regina’s sudden disappearance stripped him of every illusion he had about his own strength.At first, he had clung to anger. He told himself she was being childish, that she’d come around eventually. He kept calling, kept texting, convinced that persistence would wear her down. But when his messages remained unanswered and days turned into a week, something darker began to settle inside him.It started with sleepless nights. He would lie awake until dawn, staring at the ceiling, his mind running in circles. The silence of his penthouse, once a comfort, now felt like a prison. Her absence echoed in every room, every corner, as if the very walls missed her.And then came the drinking.At first, it was just a glass of whiskey to calm his nerves. But soon, one glass turned into two, then three. By the second week, Nicholas found himself at the bottom of a bo
The morning after the party, Regina’s head throbbed with more than just the remnants of wine. The events of the night played on a loop in her mind —the confrontation with Nicholas, his sudden confession, that kiss… and her own shocking response to it. She had surrendered in that moment, and the realization made her stomach twist with confusion and self-loathing.She had promised herself she would never let anyone toy with her feelings again, and yet, here she was, tangled in a mess she hadn’t seen coming.Her phone rang, the sharp sound cutting through the silence of her apartment. She glanced at the screen, fully expecting to see Nicholas’s name again. But it wasn’t him.It was Mr. Armand, a client she had been courting for months— an influential executive with ties to international markets. Regina’s pulse quickened as she answered, trying to shake off the emotional fog.“Hello, Mr. Armand.”“Regina, good morning. I hope I’m not calling too early,” his deep voice rumbled through the
Nicholas sat on the edge of his bed, phone in hand, thumb hovering over the screen. His last text to Regina had gone unanswered, just like the dozen before it. The call logs were even worse —missed call after missed call. He stared at her name glowing back at him, each letter a cruel reminder of the wall she had built between them.It had been three days since that night at the party.Three days of silence.Three days of agony.His chest felt like it was caving in. At first, he had told himself she just needed space, a day or two to cool off. But as hours turned to days and his messages remained unread, panic gnawed at him with sharp teeth.He typed out another message, his fingers moving on their own.Regina, please. I just want to talk. Five minutes, that’s all I’m asking. Please.He hit send before he could second-guess himself. The message joined the others, all floating in that same void where her replies should be.Nicholas raked a hand through his hair and stood up, pacing the