Michael's point of viewThe rain came in thin sheets, slicking the windows and whispering against the glass like a confession no one wanted to make. My fingers curled tighter around the edge of the desk, knuckles paling beneath the tension. Danielle hadn’t returned my last call. Or the one before that. Silence from her wasn't unfamiliar, but it never came without a price.The office light cast sharp angles across the dark wood of the room. Everything around me was too clean, too still. The kind of quiet that made you realize something had shifted—subtly, but irrevocably.A knock disrupted the hush. It was soft, hesitant."Come in," I said, voice even, betraying nothing.Eliza stepped in, her posture too straight, her face too controlled. That alone made my chest tighten. Eliza never walked on eggshells unless there was something sharp beneath her feet."She went to the old estate," she said, pausing just long enough for her words to sting. "Alone."I didn’t answer. I pushed the chair
Michael’s Point of ViewNight deepened the shadows in the study. The only light came from the dying embers in the hearth and the faint glow of city lights through the tall windows. I sat behind my desk, shoulders slumped, papers strewn before me like casualties of a war I hadn’t fully won.Danielle had patched my wound. Blood in her fingers had unsettled me more than the blade that caused it. I’d worn scars like armor; she bore them like proof of survival. And now every mark on my skin carried the weight of her care.Across the room, her silhouette lingered in the doorway. She leaned against the frame, arms hugging herself. Her eyes, dark in the firelight, tracked my every move.I closed the ledger in front of me, its pages empty of solutions. Nothing here mattered if she remained distant.“Can we talk?” I said.She didn’t move.“About tonight.” My voice echoed in the stillness.She pulled free, stepping closer. The air between us hummed with words unspoken.“Why didn’t you let me hel
Danielle's Point of ViewThe walls of the Hills estate loomed higher tonight, dressed in silence. The wind whispered against the glass panes like it carried secrets meant only for me. I stood by the tall windows in the drawing room, barefoot, the silk of my robe brushing against my skin with every slow breath.Michael hadn’t come home.That truth curled in the pit of my stomach like smoke, heavy and unshakable. He never mentioned where he was going. No message. No call. Only silence.I hated that it bothered me.The fire crackled behind me, casting long shadows that danced across the marble floor. My reflection in the window was ghostly, half-formed—a reminder that somewhere between vengeance and survival, I had become someone else. Someone colder. Someone lonelier.Footsteps echoed behind me.Not Michael’s.Lucien.He moved with his usual stillness, always watching before he spoke. He stopped at the threshold of the room, not daring to step in fully."He's still not back," he said."
Danielle's Point of ViewThe evening light bled through the tall windows, casting golden streaks across the study. The silence was thick, filled with the weight of everything left unsaid. I stood near the bookshelf, fingers brushing against the spines of leather-bound volumes I hadn't dared to touch since I arrived. My reflection in the glass stared back at me, hollow-eyed and regal, cloaked in the armor Michael had taught me to wear.He entered without a word. His footsteps were slower than usual, deliberate. I didn’t turn. Not yet."You canceled the board meeting," I said, watching the window."They didn’t need me there today."I turned slowly, finding his eyes already on mine. There was something different about the way he looked at me now—like he was seeing a version of me he hadn't planned for."You left without saying anything this morning.""I needed to think."His jaw tensed, the lines of his face sharp under the fading light. "And did you? Think?""Too much."He moved closer,
Michael's Point of ViewThe rain started before I could find her.It came down in sheets, loud and wild against the hood of the car, the kind of storm that made the city blur at the edges. I didn't care. My knuckles tightened around the wheel, the leather biting into my palms, my chest wound tight with something I hadn’t felt in years—dread. Real dread. Not the kind you can measure in losses or risk margins. The kind that comes when someone gets too close, and you can't protect them.Danielle had left the estate in silence. No note. No message. Just the echo of her perfume lingering in the hallway. I should’ve known something had shifted the moment she looked me in the eye this morning and didn’t flinch. Something had broken free in her, and I let it happen because I wanted her strong.But this—this silence was different.The wipers couldn’t keep up with the rain. I could barely see the road, but I wasn’t heading anywhere random. I knew her patterns, her ghosts. And when you know a pe
Danielle's Point of ViewThe rain had not stopped for hours. It bled against the windows in thick sheets, streaking down the glass like the sky itself was grieving. I stood by the tall window of Michael's study, my arms folded tightly, pulse ticking in my throat. The storm outside couldn’t rival the one inside me.Behind me, I heard the soft click of the door opening. His footsteps were slow, deliberate. I didn’t turn."It was never supposed to go this far," Michael said. His voice carried the weight of something unspoken—regret, maybe. Or resignation.I kept my gaze on the rain. "But it did. And now we're standing in the ashes."He moved closer, but not enough to touch me. Just near enough that I could feel the warmth of his presence creep up my spine."You knew what this was from the beginning," he said, voice low.I turned, finally, and met his eyes. There was no hatred in mine. Only exhaustion. "Did I? Or did you make me believe I could stay in control? That I wouldn’t fall into t
Danielle's Point of ViewThe silence stretched between us, thick and unspoken, the kind that settles after truths are revealed but not yet accepted. I stood at the edge of the terrace, the wind pulling at my dress like it, too, wanted me to leave. The city below shimmered, indifferent to my unraveling.Behind me, I could feel Michael's presence before he spoke. He hadn’t moved since I’d walked away from him. His restraint was unsettling, like a lion choosing not to pounce."You're not going to say anything?" I asked, my voice low, carrying a tremble I couldn't hide."What would you like me to say?" he replied, and even in its softness, his voice scraped against me.I turned slowly. The glow from inside the house cast shadows across his face, sculpting the hardness of his jaw, the fatigue around his eyes."That it wasn’t real. That you didn’t mean it. That it was just strategy again."He exhaled through his nose, a slow drag of breath. "If I said that, would it make it easier for you t
Danielle’s Point of ViewThe day slipped by in a blur of muted colors and restless thoughts. I stood by the windowsill, the city breathing beneath me, alive and unconcerned, while inside my chest everything churned.Michael's words from the morning clung to me like a second skin. "Maybe it's time we stopped running." Easy to say when you’ve always known how to win. Harder when every step forward felt like walking blindfolded through a minefield.Behind me, the low rumble of his voice drifted through the crack in the study door. He was on another call, his tone clipped, dangerous. Whatever he was plotting, it bore the weight of finality.I leaned my forehead against the glass, the cold biting into my skin. How did we get here? Two people who once needed each other for survival now needing each other for something much messier. Something without rules or contracts to guide us.The door creaked open. His footsteps were unhurried, but there was tension in the air, coiling tighter with eve
Michael’s Point of ViewThe silence of early morning wasn’t peaceful—it was a suspended breath. One that hadn’t decided whether to sigh in relief or brace for a scream.Danielle had fallen asleep beside me on the couch sometime after 3 a.m., her head resting lightly against my shoulder, the soft weight of her presence anchoring me in a way I hadn’t realized I needed. Her hand still clutched mine like she feared letting go would shatter everything we’d just begun to piece together.I didn’t move. Not because I was afraid of waking her, but because I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to disturb this rare moment of stillness—of trust.The city outside our window had started to stir, orange light bleeding through the blinds, casting gold across her cheekbones. Even in sleep, there was something strong in her expression. Something that reminded me of the girl who’d stormed into my life demanding answers I didn’t want to give, and the woman who now sat in silence, holding me accountable with ju
Danielle's Point of ViewThe night had softened into a heavy silence, the kind that made your thoughts louder. We were holed up in a safehouse Michael must have used before—clean, cold, and stripped of comfort. The furniture was minimal, the walls concrete, and the air smelled faintly of antiseptic and something older, like time sealed behind closed doors.Michael sat on the couch, his shirt half unbuttoned, the makeshift bandage soaked in crimson. His posture was tight, not from pride, but pain. He didn’t complain. He never did. But the tremor in his fingers and the sharp edge in his breath gave him away.I moved closer with the first-aid kit. He didn’t look at me. Just stared at the floor, jaw clenched. I knelt beside him and unwrapped the soaked fabric, the blood sticky and warm on my hands. The cut was worse than I remembered—deep and angry, red pulsing around the edges."Hold still," I whispered, even though he hadn’t moved.He nodded once, barely.I cleaned the wound, each swipe
Danielle’s Point of ViewThe house felt different after Michael’s promise.Not safer.Just... sharper.Like the walls themselves were waiting for the first crack to splinter wide open.I stood by the fire, the low flames casting long, distorted shadows across the library walls. My arms were wrapped tight across my chest, as if holding myself together would stop the unraveling happening inside.Michael leaned against the doorway, silent, watching.Always watching.I didn’t ask if he meant it—that vow of no more lies.Some part of me already knew he did.But trust wasn’t a switch I could flip.It had to be earned.And tonight, something inside me braced for the test.He pushed off the wall and crossed the room in a few easy strides, the movement casual, but his jaw set hard enough to crack stone."They’re moving," he said.My hands tightened around my arms. "Who?"He stopped just short of me, the firelight flickering in his eyes. "Oliver’s people. They made contact with someone inside H
Danielle’s Point of ViewThe moon was high when we finally left the abandoned studio, our footsteps silent on the cobblestone paths that led back to the estate. The night air clung to my skin, thick with the scent of rain that hadn’t yet fallen, heavy with promises that hadn't yet broken.Michael walked beside me, close enough that the back of his hand brushed mine with every step, but neither of us rushed the space between us. We didn’t need to. The silence now was different—no longer a battlefield, but a quiet surrender.When we reached the house, he opened the door and waited for me to step inside first. His small gestures—so easy to miss, so heavy with meaning—tightened something in my chest.I kicked off my heels in the entryway, the cool marble stealing the heat from my soles. He watched me, a faint smirk ghosting over his lips like he couldn’t believe I was really there, like he didn’t dare.Neither of us said a word as we made our way upstairs.The bedroom was dim, lit only by
Danielle’s Point of ViewThe day slipped by in a blur of muted colors and restless thoughts. I stood by the windowsill, the city breathing beneath me, alive and unconcerned, while inside my chest everything churned.Michael's words from the morning clung to me like a second skin. "Maybe it's time we stopped running." Easy to say when you’ve always known how to win. Harder when every step forward felt like walking blindfolded through a minefield.Behind me, the low rumble of his voice drifted through the crack in the study door. He was on another call, his tone clipped, dangerous. Whatever he was plotting, it bore the weight of finality.I leaned my forehead against the glass, the cold biting into my skin. How did we get here? Two people who once needed each other for survival now needing each other for something much messier. Something without rules or contracts to guide us.The door creaked open. His footsteps were unhurried, but there was tension in the air, coiling tighter with eve
Danielle's Point of ViewThe silence stretched between us, thick and unspoken, the kind that settles after truths are revealed but not yet accepted. I stood at the edge of the terrace, the wind pulling at my dress like it, too, wanted me to leave. The city below shimmered, indifferent to my unraveling.Behind me, I could feel Michael's presence before he spoke. He hadn’t moved since I’d walked away from him. His restraint was unsettling, like a lion choosing not to pounce."You're not going to say anything?" I asked, my voice low, carrying a tremble I couldn't hide."What would you like me to say?" he replied, and even in its softness, his voice scraped against me.I turned slowly. The glow from inside the house cast shadows across his face, sculpting the hardness of his jaw, the fatigue around his eyes."That it wasn’t real. That you didn’t mean it. That it was just strategy again."He exhaled through his nose, a slow drag of breath. "If I said that, would it make it easier for you t
Danielle's Point of ViewThe rain had not stopped for hours. It bled against the windows in thick sheets, streaking down the glass like the sky itself was grieving. I stood by the tall window of Michael's study, my arms folded tightly, pulse ticking in my throat. The storm outside couldn’t rival the one inside me.Behind me, I heard the soft click of the door opening. His footsteps were slow, deliberate. I didn’t turn."It was never supposed to go this far," Michael said. His voice carried the weight of something unspoken—regret, maybe. Or resignation.I kept my gaze on the rain. "But it did. And now we're standing in the ashes."He moved closer, but not enough to touch me. Just near enough that I could feel the warmth of his presence creep up my spine."You knew what this was from the beginning," he said, voice low.I turned, finally, and met his eyes. There was no hatred in mine. Only exhaustion. "Did I? Or did you make me believe I could stay in control? That I wouldn’t fall into t
Michael's Point of ViewThe rain started before I could find her.It came down in sheets, loud and wild against the hood of the car, the kind of storm that made the city blur at the edges. I didn't care. My knuckles tightened around the wheel, the leather biting into my palms, my chest wound tight with something I hadn’t felt in years—dread. Real dread. Not the kind you can measure in losses or risk margins. The kind that comes when someone gets too close, and you can't protect them.Danielle had left the estate in silence. No note. No message. Just the echo of her perfume lingering in the hallway. I should’ve known something had shifted the moment she looked me in the eye this morning and didn’t flinch. Something had broken free in her, and I let it happen because I wanted her strong.But this—this silence was different.The wipers couldn’t keep up with the rain. I could barely see the road, but I wasn’t heading anywhere random. I knew her patterns, her ghosts. And when you know a pe
Danielle's Point of ViewThe evening light bled through the tall windows, casting golden streaks across the study. The silence was thick, filled with the weight of everything left unsaid. I stood near the bookshelf, fingers brushing against the spines of leather-bound volumes I hadn't dared to touch since I arrived. My reflection in the glass stared back at me, hollow-eyed and regal, cloaked in the armor Michael had taught me to wear.He entered without a word. His footsteps were slower than usual, deliberate. I didn’t turn. Not yet."You canceled the board meeting," I said, watching the window."They didn’t need me there today."I turned slowly, finding his eyes already on mine. There was something different about the way he looked at me now—like he was seeing a version of me he hadn't planned for."You left without saying anything this morning.""I needed to think."His jaw tensed, the lines of his face sharp under the fading light. "And did you? Think?""Too much."He moved closer,