ログイン~ZANE POV~I jumped out of the car with my pulse thundering in my ears, the engine still rumbling behind me. My hands were already shaking as I rounded the hood, breath coming out in short.The white headlights cut through the gleaming streetlights, but all I could see was the shape on the ground.She was lying there on her side, one arm flung out awkwardly, dark hair spilling across the asphalt. For one sick second my stomach dropped so hard. I thought she was dead.Then I saw it—her left leg twitched. Just a small, involuntary jerk, like her body was trying to remember how to move. Alive. Thank fuck, she was alive.I froze for half a second, heart slamming against my ribs, scanning the street like a goddamn criminal. No headlights coming. No pedestrians. I jerked my head left, then right, eyes darting up to the buildings, the lampposts, the corners where cameras might be hiding. Nothing. Just empty sidewalk and parked cars in the distance. Luck. Pure fucking luck.Instinctively, I
VERONICA POVI sat frozen on the couch long after the door to the private lounge clicked shut behind Xavier. My pulse was still hammering from the papers I’d just signed—those stupid, terrifying pages that felt less like a business deal and more like a cage I had willingly walked into.I dragged in a shaky breath, trying to convince myself I hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of the last five years. I looked up, and her entire body froze at the sight of who was standing in the doorway.Jason.He leaned against the frame like he owned the place, arms crossed, that same smug half-smile I used to mistake for charm. His eyes raked over me—slow, deliberate—before he pushed off the door and stepped inside, closing it behind him.“Veronica,” he drawled. “Didn’t think I’d catch you here so soon.I stood up fast, smoothing my black lace dress like armor. “Get out.”He didn’t budge. “Veronica Harper,” he said. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you. Missed that wet, juicy pussy of yours.
Xavier stood in the hallway outside the suite, both hands wrapped around the children’s smaller ones. Natasha stepped ahead of them, reaching for the door handle.Just as she pushed it open, his phone rang.Xavier released one of the children, pulling his phone from his pocket and glancing at the screen with a quiet sigh.It was his father, Ronan. The call was about an urgent board meeting that had supposedly already started. Xavier turned back without entering the suite and spoke gently to the children.“I’m sorry, kids. Something important came up at work. I won’t be able to come in with you today.”The happy smiles on Adrian and Agatha’s faces faded instantly. Their shoulders dropped, and they looked at him with wide, disappointed eyes. Xavier felt a sharp tug in his chest. He crouched down to their level and offered a reassuring smile.“I promise I’ll come visit another time, okay?”Adrian nodded slowly, still looking sad. Agatha gave a small wave. “Okay… bye, birdie man.”Xavier
THIRD PERSON POV Zane groaned and leaned forward in the leather booth, rubbing his face with both hands. “We have to act fast. He dares not send those divorce papers through.” Kade let out a low laugh, shaking his head. “You know how your brother can be. He has taken this whole thing personally because of that Veronica girl.” Zane gritted his teeth, jaw tight. “I need to do something about that lady. Xavier must not find out she already has children for him.” He turned to Camila, his brows furrowed deeply. “It’s all your fault. If you had listened to me, we wouldn’t be in this mess right now.” Camila frowned, her perfectly shaped eyebrows pulling together. “What do you mean by ‘if I didn’t listen to you’?” “I told you to drop the damn modeling career and go back to Xavier,” Zane said, his voice low and sharp. “If you had been with him all these years, we would have had the property signed over a long time ago. But no. You insisted on finishing your modeling thing first befo
VERONICA POV Back at the hotel, I was in daze as I stumbled into the suite. My legs felt heavy, my mind even heavier. I was relieved when I saw that Natasha and the kids weren’t here. Meaning, Natasha must have taken the kids to the Grand City Park like we planned. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already three hours past noon. They should be walking through that door any minute now. I dropped my bag on the couch and kicked off my shoes. I needed to think. I needed a plan. How was I supposed to untangle myself from this mess without everything exploding? “How did this even happen?” I whispered to the empty room, rubbing my temples. How did the stranger from five years ago turn out to be Xavier Cross? What kind of cruel coincidence was this? And what in the world was I supposed to do now? He had flat-out refused to let me out of the contract. Leaving the city and heading straight back to Atlanta crossed my mind. But that was pointless. I had already submitted
XAVIER POV Last night, as soon as I stepped into the meeting hall to greet the old business acquaintances Kade had told me were waiting, people closed in around me. My former investor partners had all shifted into trading now, and they were trying to persuade me to merge my company with their operations since I had more than enough capital to make it happen. Even though the conversation with them, along with the board members and brand owners present, was genuinely productive, my eyes kept drifting back toward the door. Then I saw her. Veronica slipped into the crowd with Jason trailing right behind her. Panic surged through me like ice water. I cut every conversation short and pushed my way through the bodies until I reached the corridor. By the time I burst out the exit, she was already gone. I took the private elevator straight down to the ground floor, slid into my car, and told Luca, my driver, to follow the taxi she had hailed. I knew that boy Jason had angered my Veronica,
VERONICA POV Five years had passed since I walked out of my father’s house with nothing but a small suitcase and five thousand dollars in cash. It hadn’t been easy. Not even close. But I’d survived. More than that—I’d built something real. With the little money I had, I started small. I opened
VERONICA POV“Zane! What are you doing?” My voice came out louder than I meant, sharp with panic as I tried to twist free.He didn’t answer right away. Just held my gaze, steady and unblinking.“What does it look like I’m doing, kitten?”I rolled my eyes, mostly to hide how fast my pulse was racing
VERONICA POV“Drive,” the stranger orders the driver.The car glides smoothly away from the curb. I twist in the seat, pressing my palm to the tinted glass. Outside, Jason is shrinking in the distance, face flushed with confusion, hands shoved deep in his pockets as the space between us widens.I
JASON POVNo… this has to be some kind of mistake. He can’t be my adoptive father. No.I know I wouldn’t recognize him on sight. Most definitely not. He isn’t. He can’t be.A frustrated groan leaves my throat as I drag a hand down my face, palm pressing hard against my forehead like I could push th







