LOGINThank you dear reader for reading this far. I noticed we had a good number of gems this months and I thank you all for your support. Every little thing is appreciated. Have a happy transition into February. See you in the next chapter!
The café was small but busy enough to feel neutral. It sat on a narrow side street just off the main road, tucked between a florist and a tailor’s shop, the kind of place people went to when they wanted to talk without being overheard but also without being alone. Round wooden tables filled most of the space, close enough that conversations overlapped into a soft murmur, far enough apart that no single voice stood out.The smell of ground coffee and warm pastries hung thick in the air.Gabriella arrived first.She took a table near the centre of the café, not too close to the windows, not pressed against the wall either. She placed her bag on the chair beside her, folded her hands on the table, and waited.People came and went around her.A young couple leaned toward each other over one cup of coffee, whispering and smiling. Two women sat with laptops open, tapping away between sips. At the counter, a barista called out orders while another wiped down the espresso machine, movements q
Tiara lay curled on her side, knees drawn close to her chest, the duvet pulled up to her chin as if it could shield her from the weight pressing down on her ribs.Her room smelled faintly of lavender and stale air. The curtains were drawn but not fully closed, thin strips of evening light slipping through the gaps and cutting across the carpet in pale lines. She stared at the wall, unblinking, her thoughts looping in cruel, repetitive circles.He ended it. Liam broke up with her. How could he break up with her? After everything why?That was the worst part. She knew why. He had said why.All too bluntly.She was of no use to him. He did not want to be associated with her father. She did not have enough assets for him. She was useless to him. A liability.She wished she had left him before this. Then maybe she would have some dignity left. She had weathered being ridiculed during the Sofia issue. Even before then, when he had been upset that Adrea had not come to their engagement party
It was not obvious at first that something was wrong. The lighting was still warm, the low hum of conversation still present, the hostess still smiling as she asked Tiara for her name. But when Tiara gave it and William Smith’s, the woman’s smile shifted just slightly. Professional. Polite. Prepared.“Right this way,” she said.Tiara adjusted her coat over her arm and followed, heels clicking softly against the polished floor. She scanned the main dining area as they passed. Couples leaned toward one another over candlelit tables. Glasses caught the light. Laughter rose and fell in soft waves. This was the sort of place engagements were celebrated in, anniversaries toasted, deals quietly sealed.She felt a flicker of delight. He had chosen well.Then the hostess veered away from the main floor and toward a narrow corridor along the side of the restaurant.Tiara’s steps slowed almost imperceptibly.“This way?” she asked lightly.“Yes, Miss Galanis,” the hostess replied, already opening
Tiara stood in front of her mirror for the third time, tilting her head slightly to the left, then to the right, assessing the fall of her hair with narrowed eyes.It looked perfect. She turned this way and that way as her eyes ran over her reflection in search of a visual flaw in the way it moved.She had spent nearly forty minutes on her hair, curling, brushing, pinning, unpinning, then curling again. Soft waves framed her face now, intentional but not stiff, the kind of effort that pretended it had not taken effort at all. She lifted her hand and smoothed the side once more, then dropped it, satisfied.Tonight mattered.William had been distant lately. Not cold, exactly. Just… elsewhere. Replies that took longer. Calls that ended sooner. Fewer spontaneous visits. Less warmth. But then this invitation had come, sudden and deliberate.Dinner. Just the two of them.No parents. No family obligations. No social posturing.To Tiara, it meant that he had noticed and was going to make it u
Adrea had barely settled into her chair, coffee still untouched beside her laptop, when the laptop chimed. She glanced at the screen to see that she had gotten an email. She clicked on the email app went to the inbox tab. She glanced at the sender and straightened instinctively.Elias Markou.The COO of Galanis Holdings did not send casual emails.She opened it immediately.Adrea,When you have a moment this morning, could you stop by my office.There is a personnel matter that requires your attention.Elias MarkkouCOO, Galanis Holdings headquartersAdrea exhaled slowly. Elias had watched her grow up in a way. While he had been alive, Andreas had brought her to the office, let her sit on the corner of his desk with colouring books and latter her phone while he worked. Elias had always greeted her with the same warm smile, the same gentle ruffle of her hair.If there was one “uncle” who had been genuine to her, it was him. But maybe that was because their ties were strictly profession
The airport bathroom was quiet in the way places designed for transit often were. Not peaceful. Just hollow.Belinda stood in front of the sink, hands braced on the cool porcelain, staring at her reflection. The fluorescent lights above were unforgiving, bleaching colour from her face, highlighting the faint shadows beneath her eyes no amount of concealer had managed to hide. Her hair was pulled back neatly, too neatly, as though order on the outside might impose itself on the chaos inside.She inhaled slowly, then exhaled.Her phone felt heavier than it should have in her hand.She unlocked it, her thumb hovering for a moment before she tapped Rafael’s name. It rang once. Twice. Three times.Voicemail.Her chest tightened.She ended the call before the automated voice could begin speaking, swallowing hard. Of course he was not answering. She did not know what she had expected. A part of her had hoped he might pick up, might hear her voice and falter, might say her name the way he use







