ログインLIAM:We burst through the door, and the world stopped.Ethan and Elias were huddled in the corner of a dark room, their small bodies pressed together, their faces pale and tear-streaked. A man stood over them, his gun pointed at their heads."Don't move," he barked, his eyes darting between us. "I'll shoot. I swear to God, I'll shoot."Harper stepped forward, her hands raised. "Please. Please don't hurt them. They're just children.""Stay back!" The man's voice was shaking. "I'll do it. I'll kill them."I assessed the situation in a heartbeat. The man was nervous, his grip on the gun unsteady. He wasn't a professional. He was a hired thug, probably paid to keep watch. That made him unpredictable. Dangerous.Alexander moved beside me, his body tense. "Let them go," he said, his voice low. "This isn't what you want. You don't want to hurt children.""Shut up!" The man swung the gun toward Alexander. "I said stay back!"I used the distraction. In one fluid motion, I lunged forward, grab
LIAM:Harper sat in the passenger seat, her phone pressed to her ear, her voice low and urgent. I kept my eyes on the road, but I could hear every word."Alexander, I need you to listen to me." Her voice was shaking, but controlled. "Samuel has them. He took Ethan and Elias. I need to know where he might have taken them."A pause. I could hear Alexander's voice on the other end, tinny and distant."I don't know what you're talking about," he said. "My father would never—""Don't." Harper's voice was ice. "Don't you dare defend him. He sent me a photo. A photo of my sons in the back of a car with a man holding a gun to their heads. He's threatening to kill them if I don't drop the investigation."Silence on the other end. Then Alexander's voice, broken and desperate."I didn't know. I swear to God, Harper, I didn't know.""I don't care what you knew. I need you to think. Where would he take them? What properties does he have? What places would he use to hide them?"Another pause. I cou
HARPER:The morning light filtered through the curtains, warm and golden. I lay in bed, my body still tangled in the sheets, my mind still replaying the kiss from the night before.Liam's lips on mine. His hands on my waist. The way he'd looked at me like I was something precious.I smiled, pressing my face into the pillow. It had been so long since I'd felt this way. So long since I'd allowed myself to hope for something more than survival.But hope was dangerous. I knew that better than anyone.A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts."Come in."Liam stepped inside, already dressed, a cup of coffee in his hand. He looked at me with those warm eyes, and my heart stuttered."Morning," he said, his voice soft."Morning."He walked to the bed, handing me the coffee. "I thought you might need this."I took it, our fingers brushing. The contact sent a jolt through me, and I saw the same awareness flicker in his eyes."Thank you."He sat on the edge of the bed, his presence comforta
HARPER:The drive back to Liam's mansion was quiet. Not the uncomfortable kind of quiet, but the kind that settles between two people who have been through something significant together. The kind that doesn't need words.I stared out the window, watching the city blur past. My heart was still pounding from the confrontation, my hands still trembling. But beneath the fear and the anger, there was something else. Something lighter.Hope.Liam pulled into the driveway, and we sat there for a moment, neither of us moving. The engine ticked as it cooled, the only sound in the silence."You were incredible back there," Liam said softly.I turned to look at him. His eyes were on me, warm and steady."I was terrified," I admitted."You didn't show it." He reached for my hand, his fingers intertwining with mine. "You stood up to him. You didn't back down. That takes courage.""It takes rage," I said, a small smile tugging at my lips."Same thing." He smiled back, and something in my chest shi
HARPER:The Banks mansion looked different in the daylight. Smaller. Less imposing. Or maybe it was just me. Maybe I'd finally stopped being afraid of it.I stood at the gates, my hands clenched at my sides, my heart pounding. Liam was beside me, his presence a steady anchor in the storm of my emotions."Are you ready?" he asked, his voice low.I nodded, my eyes fixed on the house. "Let's do this."We walked through the gates, our steps measured, our expressions unreadable. The guards didn't try to stop us. They just watched, their eyes wide with confusion and fear.Word had spread. Everyone knew what was coming.The front door opened, and Alexander stepped out. He looked terrible—his eyes were red, his hair disheveled, his clothes wrinkled. He looked like a man who hadn't slept in days."Harper," he said, his voice cracking. "What are you doing here?"I didn't answer. I just walked past him, into the house."Harper...""Where is he?" I asked, my voice flat."Harper, please...""Where
HARPER:The words hung in the air between us, heavy and impossible.Proof that Samuel Banks murdered your mother.I stared at Liam, my mind refusing to process what he'd just said. The car was still moving, the city lights blurring past, but I felt frozen. Stuck. Trapped in a moment I couldn't escape."What did you say?" My voice was barely a whisper.Liam's jaw tightened. He didn't look at me. He kept his eyes on the road, his hands gripping the steering wheel."I said I have proof. Proof that Samuel was responsible for your mother's death.""No." I shook my head, the tears already starting to fall. "No, that's not possible. She was sick. She had cancer. She died because—" My voice cracked. "She died because he refused to pay for her treatment.""That's what he wanted you to believe." Liam's voice was steady, controlled. "But it's not the truth."I turned to face him, my hands trembling. "Then what is the truth?"Liam was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Your mother wasn't just sic
HARPER:Knock. Knock. Knock.Ethan bounced beside me with too much energy for someone who had nearly burned up with fever yesterday. His dinosaur backpack hung crookedly on one shoulder while he pressed his face against the apartment door. “Do you think she’s home?” he whispered, turning to me. “
HARPER: [Four years later] I had built a life, a small one. It had no Alexander or the dramas that came with the Banks Empire. I was free from a golden cage that was disguised as a marriage because no matter how gilded a cage was, it was still a cage. Now it was just me and my son. And a h
ALEXANDER: “Drive faster!” My voice cut through the silence inside the car. James’s hand tightened across the steering wheel immediately. “Yes, Sir.” “How much longer?” “Ten minutes, Sir.” I nodded. My gaze drifted back toward the city streets and before I could stop it, memories started
ALEXANDER: I was signing the same document for the third time before I realized I had already signed it twice. My pen froze above the paper. What the hell was wrong with me? I shoved the file away in irritation and leaned back in my chair. The glass walls of my office overlooked the entire ci







