LOGINZOE’S POV Almost twenty minutes later we sat side by side on one of the salon couches. I had cried so much my head hurt. Lani handed me another tissue. “You good now?” I blew my nose.“This is humiliating.” “It really isn’t.” “No.”I turned my phone toward her.“Read the comments.” She took it and her expression darkened immediately. The longer she scrolled, the angrier she looked. “Oh, absolutely not.” “What?” She kept reading then finally locked the screen. “They’re miserable.” I laughed weakly.“They seem pretty convinced.” “They don’t know you.” “It still hurts.”I stared at the floor. Lani sighed. Then gently took my hand. “Talk to me. Tell me everything.” So I did. I told her about the dinner with my parents, the marriage pressure, and my father's betrayal, and now this article. By the time I finished talking, my throat hurt. Lani sat quietly for several seconds. Then she picked up my phone. “What are you doing?” “Fixing something.” She opened
ZOE’S POV The office felt unusually quiet. Or maybe it only felt that way because my mind wouldn’t stop spinning. Across the hall, Julian had been locked in meetings with his PR and legal teams for most of the morning. People had been moving in and out of the executive floor for hours. Normally I would’ve been involved in some capacity, but after everything that had happened this week, I was grateful for the distance. At least it gave me time to think. Or overthink. I stared blankly at the spreadsheet open on my monitor, reading the same line for what had to be the fifth time without actually processing a single word. My phone sat beside my keyboard. For the third time in ten minutes, I picked it up. Still nothing. I opened my messages and stared at the conversation with Talia. Me: This isn’t fair, Talia. Dad can’t just decide who we marry because it’s convenient for him. I know we don’t always get along but surely you see how messed up this is. The typi
JULIAN’S POV The loud crack of Aaron’s golf club echoed across the quiet course as the ball soared cleanly through the morning air. “Damn,” he muttered, lowering the club. “That one felt good.” I barely looked up from where I stood near the golf cart, adjusting my glove. “You say that every time.” “Because I’m talented.” I snorted“You’re mediocre at best.” Aaron scoffed. “And yet somehow I’m still beating you.” “You’ve been keeping score?” I asked dryly. “Obviously.” A faint smirk tugged at my mouth as I stepped forward and positioned myself for my shot. The cool Thursday morning air helped clear my head slightly, but not enough. Not with everything currently happening. I swung smoothly. The ball flew across the green with precision before landing farther than Aaron’s had. His face twisted immediately. “I hate you.” “That is talent,” I replied calmly. Aaron rolled his eyes before grabbing another ball. “You’ve been in a weird mood all morning.” I di
JULIAN’S POV I stared at the reports spread across my desk, irritation simmering beneath my skin. Aaron and the rest of the campaign team had left hours ago. Maureen had also left for home a few minutes ago, after informing me that another venue had been canceled in Connecticut. Another “anonymous source” was feeding information to the press before my campaign even officially launched. And whoever was behind it knew exactly how to apply pressure without leaving obvious fingerprints. I let out an exasperated sigh as I skimmed through another email from one of the campaign coordinators. This was no longer a political competition. Someone was actively trying to destabilize me before I could even gain momentum. A frantic knock interrupted my thoughts. I barely looked up before calling out. “Not now.” The door opened anyway. Normally
JULIAN’S POV “So the campaign kicks off in NYC then we move over to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, and lastly Oregon.” I listened quietly as one of Elijah Burke’s campaign strategists spoke, her manicured fingers tapping against the digital board displaying maps, schedules, projections, and polling data. The conference room was abuzz with energy. Half the people seated around the long black table had built political careers out of destroying opponents before they even realized they were in danger. There were Media consultants, campaign managers, financial strategists, and public image experts. Only the best in the game and now they work for me. “The NYC launch has to be flawless,” Elijah said smoothly from across the table. “First impressions matter more than anything else in politics.” Aaron, who sat two seats away from me, leaned back lazily in his chair. “Everything in politics sounds exhausting.” “It is,” one of the women mutte
MADISON’S POV I watched in disgust as Liam emptied yet another bottle of whiskey. My eyes drifted to the clock, it was barely past 9am. “Let me guess, you’re going to spend the entire day drinking again.” He gave me a deathly glare. “What is it to you?” “Because I’m the one who has to deal with your mood swings when the drinking starts and I’d rather not spend my day doing that.” He scoffed as he took another swig straight from a fresh bottle whilst scrolling through his phone. “Mind your own business.” “Speaking of business, shouldn’t you be at work by now?” “I called in sick.” I mentally face-palmed myself. Oh for the love of God. “Keep that up and you’ll be thrown out of this house when you can't afford the bills anymore.” He ignored me and continued scrolling on his phone, stopping when he got to a video whose audio I had heard countless times in the last week. It was the Video of Zoe giving a speech after being called on stage by her boss Julian. “Go
ZOE’S POV By the time I got to the office, all the excitement I had felt while getting ready for work had turned into anger and despair. My head was a mess, my heart even worse, but I had to show up to work, pretend that I was fine and functioning. Because no matter how much of a shit day I w
JULIAN’S POVI watched as Zoe scrambled out of my office like she’d just seen a ghost.Seeing her flustered always amused me. The way she tried so damn hard to keep her composure, to act like my presence didn’t affect her, when her eyes and body said otherwise—it was addictive. Nothing turned me on
ZOE’S POV The drive home was quiet at first. The city lights shining against the windows, washing the car’s interior in soft gold. I kept sneaking glances at him, the way his hands gripped the steering wheel, the way his jaw flexed whenever we hit a red light. He looked calm. Really cal
ZOE’S POV “Maybe you shouldn't have come at all.” I bit out as my hand tightened around my bag. I turned away before the familiar ache in my chest could find a foothold. I looked around subtly,to make sure we didn't have an audience but just as I feared,







