Who is the mysterious woman Gazelle and Dante found in the chairman's hospital ward? What secrets will they uncover?
Maximus (The day prior…) “What do you mean you found Kyros?” I blurted out before I could stop myself. Sleep deprivation was making everything feel surreal—was I really hearing this, or had exhaustion finally caught up with me? Ivan and Lucas exchanged a meaningful glance. “I was in Bristol, having a catch-up with chums, when word came through that Kyros had returned to the Ferrero estate,” Ivan said carefully. My jaw tightened. I immediately called one of my trusted contacts at the Ravenwood. They confirmed it. Kyros had been there the entire day, speaking with his mother and Chairman Ferrero. Beyond that, they knew nothing. I turned to Ivan, frowning. He was preparing coffee while Lucas sat at a table in the pantry, typing rapidly on his laptop. “Kyros is alive?” I asked, stunned. “What about Gazelle? Have you found my wife?” “Working on it,” Lucas replied, eyes locked on the screen, his fingers dancing across the keyboard. Ivan set down the coffee pot and faced me. “Someon
“Miss Elle! Where are you going? You bad people! Where are you taking Miss Elle?!” The weight in my chest felt like I was drowning from the inside. Security walked on either side of me, not rough, just firm, as they led me down the marble halls of Hillcrest Estate’s main building. My head was spinning with what I’d just seen in Maximus’s room—that photo, those questions no one seemed willing to answer. Lulu saw everything. Nanny Beth held her back, arms wrapped tightly around her as Lulu struggled to get to me. That’s when the tears started. I couldn’t even say sorry. I couldn’t say goodbye to my twinkle… “Miss Elle!” Lulu’s cries pierced through the heavy oak doors, through the walls, straight into my breaking heart. “Don’t leave me! Please don’t leave!” Lulu’s voice faded until there was nothing but silence. I stood there outside the driveway, all by myself. Then the sobs came—deep, gut-wrenching sounds I barely recognized as mine. I didn’t know how I was supposed to start ov
Elle Three days had passed since I’d taken over caring for Lulu. Both Nanny Beth and Mandy had welcomed me with unexpected warmth, making the transition easier than I’d anticipated. On the first day, Bonnie stopped by. After learning I needed to stay at her boss’s estate, she brought me some of my personal things. That night, I only had Mandy’s clothes to wear; thankfully, she had lent me a few. Getting Lulu settled at nursery school had been my first real challenge. She stuck to me like glue for the first two days, quietly watching the other kids from afar. But a little patience went a long way. By the third day, my heart lifted as I watched her run after a little boy, laughing happily across the playground. Throughout it all, I’d kept Maximus updated through our chat conversations, sending him photos of his daughter’s daily adventures. But today, the weight of their separation had finally caught up with little Lulu. “Miss Elle, I miss my daddy. Can I call him?” she asked, her s
Kyros Standing in the restaurant’s doorway, my head spun with questions I couldn’t shake. I’d already told the chef I’d be gone for a few days, heading to Bryston. The very thought of that place sent my pulse racing. When Elle first disappeared, I’d used my connections to trace the number I kept calling obsessively. The first report said she was somewhere down South, but that wasn’t enough for me. I needed to hear her voice and know she was out there. So, I had the number tracked again. Since the number was registered under my name, I was granted access to its mobile signal—and that’s when I discovered she had gone to Bryston. The fury that followed was immediate and consuming. Elle had no reason to go there. Unless… her memories had returned, or maybe she’d discovered something about the child. Working in Cassian’s organization, she definitely had access to things that could’ve pointed her to the truth. The thought wouldn’t leave me alone. I walked out after wrapping up my con
Maximus The doubts stuck with me even at thirty thousand feet, with the jet’s engines humming in the background as we crossed the Atlantic toward Europe. While we spoke in the library, I caught it—Miss Elle had the same scent as Gazelle, the one that always got under my skin. My body responded instinctively, just like before, which probably explained why I couldn’t stop watching her during those quiet moments when it was just the two of us. Yet the differences nagged at me. Her accent carried the warm drawl of the American South, nothing like Gazelle’s. And those blue eyes—so distant, so carefully guarded, nothing like how Gazelle used to look at me, full of a vulnerability that left me breathless. And Miss Elle’s voice carried a roughness as if she’d spent years shouting over noise or perhaps crying too many tears. It felt like Gazelle... but it wasn’t. I couldn’t afford to be seen as inappropriate—a creep or some obsessed man—around the woman who’d be looking after my daughte
Elle The door to Lulu’s room flew open, startling the three of us. My whole body tensed up, trembling before I even realized it. I had no idea what to do or think—just that the man who stormed in sounded furious. Next to me, Mandy, the house helper, quickly stood up, clearly frightened. The man’s icy stare locked onto us, sharp enough to cut right through. “What’s going on here?” he demanded. “Daddy!” Lulu shrieked, her eyes sparkling with delight as she raced towards him, giggling. “We were playing! I’m the salon owner!” she said proudly, then pointed. “She’s my beautician,” gesturing at Mandy, “and Miss Elle is my customer. Do you want to be my customer, too, Daddy?” Her enthusiasm was infectious, even in this tense moment. Maximus Ferrero scooped Lulu up in his arms, his expression softening slightly. “I would absolutely love to be your customer, sweetheart, but I have some urgent matters I need to attend to.” I could barely bring myself to look directly at him; his presenc