INICIAR SESIÓNCharles POVSince I got in that morning, something had been off, and I didn’t need anyone to point it out to me. It was in the way my eyes kept drifting to her desk without permission, in the way I noticed the empty chair like it meant something, like it mattered more than it should. Ayla was not there. Not once. Not even a glimpse of her passing by, not the sound of her voice, not the nervous energy she always carried around me. It was strange how quickly absence could become noticeable, how a space could feel louder just because one person was missing from it.At first, I told myself it didn’t mean anything. People get busy. People move around. People have work to do. But time kept passing, and that empty chair started to feel deliberate, like she was avoiding me. And the more that thought settled in, the more it irritated something under my skin.“Where is Miss Ayla?” I finally asked when I stepped out, my tone casual even though my patience had a
Sophia’s POVMy heart was racing so fast it didn’t even feel like beats anymore, it felt like something crashing inside my chest, uneven, loud, impossible to ignore.“If I kiss you right now,” he said softly, his voice lower than before, rougher, carrying something he wasn’t even trying to hide anymore, “it won’t be wrong… right?”The question hung between us, heavy, dangerous.I couldn’t breathe properly. My chest rose and fell like I had been running, but I hadn’t moved. His eyes dropped to my lips, slow, deliberate, like he was already imagining it, and that alone made my fingers tremble slightly above my head where he held them.I tried to think.I really did but nothing came. I shook my head slowly. “No.”It came out softer than I intended, almost like a whisper, almost like permission.He moved closer.I could feel his breath now, warm against my skin, could hear it, could feel h
Evelyn’s POV “Is this really how it ends for us?” he asked, and something about the way he said it made me turn back even when I didn’t want to, my eyes meeting his like they had a will of their own, like no matter how far I tried to walk away, there was still a part of me that answered to him without permission. “Was there ever a beginning for us?” I replied. I held his gaze, refusing to look away, refusing to let him see the confusion that flickered deep inside me at the sound of his voice, at the way he looked at me like he was searching for something that used to belong to him. “Damien, stop pretending,” I added, my tone sharpening now, building a wall with every word because that was the only way I knew how to stand in front of him without falling apart. “Stop acting like this was something pure, something real, something that was ever meant to last. Since you raised the war flag, then we will meet at the battlefield.” I took a slow breath, my fingers tightening slightly at
Julian’s POV “Oh, my girlfriend does,” I said, leaning back against the desk like it was the most ordinary thing in the world, like the word did not carry weight, like it would not land the way it just did. She looked at me, and I watched it happen in real time. “Girlfriend?” she repeated, softer, slower, like she was testing how the word felt on her tongue. For a moment, she didn’t move. It was subtle, but it was there. Something in her expression dimmed, like that single word had quietly taken something from her before she could protect it. “You have a girlfriend?” she asked as she sat down, her tone trying to stay neutral but not quite succeeding. “Yes,” I said, then added after a beat, “I once had a girlfriend.” Relief flickered across her face too quickly, like it escaped before she could hide it. “Oh… an ex.” “Can’t really call her that,” I replied, watching her closely. She looked at me again, properly this time, like she was trying to read past my words. “Are you
Sophia’s POV “Aviellie, be a good girl,” Julian said, crouching slightly so he was at her level, his voice softer than I had ever heard him use with anyone. Aviellie placed her hands on her waist, tilting her head like she was the one in charge of this entire arrangement. “I am always a good girl,” she said proudly, then added with a small, dramatic pout, “but only if you and godmother do what I sent you.” I frowned immediately. “What did you send him?” She ignored me completely, eyes still locked on Julian like they were negotiating a serious business deal. “Then I won’t disturb my nanny,” she finished, her tone too innocent to be trusted. Julian chuckled, shaking his head slightly. “Is that so? You are setting conditions now?” “Yes,” she replied without shame. “I am the one staying behind.” He leaned closer as she tiptoed and whispered something into his ear. I watched his expression change, a slow smile spreading across his face like whatever she said made perfect sen
Damien’s POV I didn’t think. I didn’t plan it. The moment I saw her step out alone, I followed, and before my mind could catch up with what I was doing, my hand was already around her wrist, pulling her into the dim corridor where the noise of the party could not reach us. Her back hit the wall lightly, the shock clear in her eyes for a brief second, but it vanished the moment she saw it was me. She went still, like she had built a wall inside herself and stepped behind it. “What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice low but carrying more than the question itself. She let out a small breath, then lifted her chin, meeting my gaze without hesitation. “Do I need your permission now to be here?” “No, you don’t,” I replied quickly, trying to keep the frustration out of my tone, but it still slipped through. “But…” “But what?” she cut in sharply, her eyes narrowing. “Only you can show up anywhere you like and the rest of us should stay in our place?” “That’s not what I
(Damien’s POV)“Finally, you’ve lost it. I’m serious this time — I need to book you into a psychiatric ward, because I cannot keep calling myself friends with a lunatic.There’s no other explanation for this level of strategic suicide.”Charles’ voice came at me before the door had even closed. He
Evelyn povI dressed up for work and took one of Damien’s cars, the one with mirror tint. I was meeting Sophia at a café near the estate.She was already waiting when I walked in. We hugged tight.“Look at you,” she teased. “Rolling up in Damien’s car like a mafia wife. Should I start calling you M
(Evelyn’s POV)The limo door opened, and the noise outside hit like a wave. Flashbulbs, voices, the hungry buzz of people waiting for a show.Damien stepped out first, tall and untouchable, and when his hand reached for me, I didn’t hesitate. I placed mine in his, smooth and steady, because that’s
Damien’s POVI woke up with a deep smile still resting on my face, my arms wrapped around the soft warmth beside me. For a few seconds I stayed like that, half lost in sleep, enjoying the quiet comfort of the morning. The early sunlight was slipping through the curtains, the soft glow spreading acr







