Mag-log inParis was supposed to feel different.Colder… quieter… sharp enough to cut straight through the haze of confusion that had been choking me for years.But standing by the window of my hotel suite, watching the Parisian lights bleed into each other across the river, I felt nothing but the numb sting of exhaustion. The kind that crawls into your head and refuses to leave.My jaw clenched as I replayed the investigator’s words from earlier — the attack on the warehouse, the dead man, the silence that followed.Another thread of truth cut away.Another reminder that someone was faster than me… smarter than me… more desperate than me.And that someone had just erased the only living witness who knew what happened six years ago.A sharp knock snapped me from my thoughts.I didn’t answer at first — I didn’t have the energy for anyone. But then the knock came again, followed by a familiar voice.“Sir… it’s Noah.”I forced myself upright.“Come in.”The Hotel door opened and Noah stepped inside
I pulled out my phone and dialed Noah.He picked up immediately.“Sir—”“Prepare the jet,” I said, my voice low. “We’re leaving for Paris in one hour.”There was no hesitation.“Yes, sir.”I ended the call.I didn’t bother returning to the company. I didn’t need another meeting, another round of pretended normalcy, or another second wasted. Whatever was happening had already moved past the borders of the city—straight into Paris.And Alice was there.I exhaled slowly, steadying myself.Snowy opened the car door for me, and as I slid inside, the engine revved and shot forward toward the private airstrip. My mind stayed locked on the unanswered questions tightening like wire inside my chest.I leaned my head back, eyes closed, letting the silence fill the space around me as the car sped through the fading sunlight.The jet was already prepared when we arrived. Noah stood beside the steps, checking documents, barking orders, finalizing the flight route. He straightened the moment he saw
The next morning, I woke up before dawn not because I wanted to, but because sleep refused to come. My entire room still held the ruins of last night’s rage. Shattered perfume bottles glittered like broken stars on the floor. A toppled lamp lay against the wall. One of my heels had snapped in half from how hard I threw it.All because of her .Alice.The name throbbed in my skull like a curse, like poison crawling through my veins.And today, Vincent was supposed to visit.A thin smile curled at the corner of my lips as I sat in front of my vanity, brushing my hair slowly. Carefully. Precisely. Not a strand out of place. My makeup immaculate, my outfit elegant, my expression soft and docile — everything he expected to see.Everything I had perfected for years.He may not have chosen me before,but now… finally…I had the upper hand.The engagement ring glimmering on my finger proved it.He had no idea how close everything was to falling perfectly into place.Except for one threat.One
The moment I stepped out of the elevator,the weight of the entire day pressed on my shoulders like stone. My temples throbbed from lack of sleep, the endless thinking burrowing into my bones. I could barely remember the last time I genuinely rested. Meetings, shareholders, overseas calls, reports, and now — this constant haunting presence of Alice’s name in every corner of my mind.Snowy stood by the car immediately, pulling the door open for me. The cold breeze brushed my face, stinging my skin as if urging me to wake the hell up. I lowered myself into the backseat, exhaling sharply. Snowy shut the door firmly and walked around to the driver’s seat.The moment the car rolled out of the company’s underground garage, silence surrounded me. Heavy, suffocating silence. My head fell back against the headrest.Then — ping.A single notification. Sharp enough to snap me out of that drowning haze.I blinked slowly and reached for my phone. The screen lit up with a message from an unsaved num
The thoughts of thinking all these days had really taken a toll on me.My temples throbbed painfully as I rubbed my aching head, leaning back against the cool leather of my office chair. The soreness in my body felt deeper than physical—like a fatigue burrowed into my bones. Last night was another sleepless night, one in a long chain of them. I couldn’t take even a minute of rest. I spent the entire night video-calling shareholders from different countries, negotiating, managing crises, trying to keep the company’s international branches stable. By the time midnight came and went, I was still staring at a glowing screen, my voice hoarse, my eyes burning.And now… now I had to face this trouble of Lilian Pestering.I closed my eyes briefly as if that alone could erase her earlier tantrum, her dramatic plea about the engagement party, her father returning, the gossip, the pressure she insisted we were under. But it all clung to me like static, making my headache worse.Just when I thoug
The morning had barely started when my office door swung open without warning.Noah barged in—again—his breath uneven, his tablet clutched in one hand as though the world was ending. My jaw tightened instantly. The one thing I hated more than incompetence was interruption.Especially before I’d even finished my first coffee.I didn’t bother looking up from the documents spread across my desk. “Noah,” I said coldly, “I swear, if you’re here to waste my time—”He swallowed. “S-Sir… Ms. Lillian is here to see you.”I paused mid-signature, exhaled, then continued signing as if he hadn’t spoken. “Tell her I am busy.”Noah shifted, clearly anxious. “Sir—she said it’s urgent.”“I don’t care,” I said, voice low, firm, slicing. “You can tell her exactly that. I am busy.”He nodded quickly and rushed out.Good. I went back to work. Meetings, reports, restructuring. Everything was endless, chaotic, demanding—and I preferred it this way. Work didn’t ask emotional questions. Work didn’t betray. Wo







