LOGINCharles POV
"Well," Julian said, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice as he lifted his glass slightly, "speak of trouble."Damien and I turned at the same time.And there she was.Ayla.She had just walked into the bar. Her steps were uneven, each one slightly miscalculated, like the floor kept shifting beneath her without warning. She stopped once near the entrance, pressed a hand briefly against the wall, then pushed herself forwCharles POV"Well," Julian said, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice as he lifted his glass slightly, "speak of trouble."Damien and I turned at the same time.And there she was.Ayla.She had just walked into the bar. Her steps were uneven, each one slightly miscalculated, like the floor kept shifting beneath her without warning. She stopped once near the entrance, pressed a hand briefly against the wall, then pushed herself forward again. Her mascara had bled beneath both eyes. Her shoulders were drawn in, her chin tucked, her whole body arranged around something that clearly hurt.The playful girl who had danced in the storeroom earlier was gone. Whoever had walked in through that door had been wrung out and left to dry.The moment I saw her, I was already standing."I have to go," I muttered.Julian leaned back lazily against the couch and watched me with that grin of his.
Damien’s POV “You did what?” Julian’s voice rose sharply, disbelief written all over his face as he leaned forward like he was trying to pull the words back out of my mouth and rearrange them into something that made sense. “Come again. I don’t think I heard you properly.” I didn’t flinch. I didn’t soften it. “I told her we are getting a divorce.” For a moment, silence sat between us, then Charles leaned back, one leg crossing over the other, a slow smile forming on his face like he had just heard something mildly entertaining instead of something that should have shaken the room. “Finally,” he said, dragging the word out just enough to make it irritating. “Our lover boy is finally free from whatever spell he has been under.” Julian turned to him so fast I almost expected him to actually swing. “Charles, don’t let me punch you,” he snapped, his tone sharp with annoyance. “He just said he is getting a div
Ayla's POV "Ayla," he said, turning slightly, his tone suddenly casual, almost amused. "Long time." I couldn't move. "How did you end up in this city?" he continued, looking around the room like my presence was a minor inconvenience he was trying to make sense of. "And working in my company, of all places." His eyes finally landed on me, and something flickered in them, something closer to entertainment. "Did you run out of places to go?" The corner of his mouth lifted. "Or did you miss me that much?" Each word felt like a slap. "Look at you," he said softly, eyes dragging over me in a way that made my skin crawl. "You haven't changed at all, have you? Still showing up where you don't belong." He paused, something almost like appreciation crossing his face. "You do look better though. Prettier. It's almost a shame." Disgust rose in my throat. "Why did you deny me out there
Ayla’s POV“Ethan.”The name left my lips before I could stop it, before I could think, before I could protect myself from what seeing him was already doing to me. It felt like something had been pulled out of my chest and thrown right in front of me, raw and exposed. Every memory I had spent months trying to bury came rushing back at once, sharp and unforgiving, like they had been waiting for this exact moment to find me again.“Who is Ethan?” Charles asked, his voice cutting through the tension, but it sounded distant to me, like I was underwater and everything around me had slowed down except my heartbeat.Who is Ethan?I almost laughed.Even if the lights went out, even if the world turned completely dark, I would still know him. He wasn’t just someone I remembered. He was someone my body remembered. The way he stood. The way he looked at people. The slight tilt of his head when he was about to say something that
Charles 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
(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







