Isabelle’s POVThe restaurant was in complete chaos. My heart was pounding in my chest as I watched Alexander crumple to the floor. His face was pale, his eyes wide in panic as he collapsed, his body going limp like a ragdoll. I could hear the screams from the other diners, the clatter of chairs being pushed back as people scrambled to get out of the way.“Alexander!” I shouted, rushing to his side, my voice laced with fear that I couldn’t hide. My mind was racing. He couldn’t faint now. Not now. Not after everything I had planned.He groaned, his hand twitching. I knelt beside him, my hands shaking as I gently placed them on his shoulders, trying to rouse him. “Alexander, wake up! Please!”A waiter rushed over, his face full of concern. “Ma’am, we need to get him to the hospital.”“Yes, please, hurry!” I cried, not even thinking about the consequences of the food I had slipped into his cookies. It was supposed to be harmless, just e
The hum of the movie played in the background, but Alexander couldn’t focus on it. He shifted uncomfortably on the couch, glancing at Isabelle beside him. She was curled up next to him, her body pressed against his, her head resting on his shoulder as if they were a couple deeply in love. But Alexander wasn’t feeling the connection. Instead, he felt a tightness in his chest, a weight that he couldn’t shake.He wasn’t sure when it started, but lately, Isabelle’s clinginess had begun to gnaw at him. It was as though she couldn’t let go, as though every moment needed to be spent wrapped up in his presence. He didn't mind affection, but this—it felt suffocating. Her fingers draped around his arm again, squeezing too tight. The touch wasn’t loving; it was needy, desperate.His gaze flickered to the screen, but he couldn't care less about the movie. His mind kept returning to Lyvanne. He needed to know if she would send him the designs again. He needed to ask her—he
Lyvanne’s POVI wasn't able to sleep last night. Maybe it was the worry about Alexander’s health, or maybe it was the unsettling thoughts of what had happened with the bugging incident. But whatever it was, I woke up before dawn, my mind already racing.It was 3am when I first opened my eyes, and the restlessness gnawed at me. I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, the soft hum of the night still thick in the air. My phone was beside me, and it buzzed just as I tried to close my eyes again. I reached for it, half expecting another cryptic message from Alexander.It was a text from him, just like I thought. I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips as I read his words. A compliment, his usual smooth charm. But I quickly pushed the emotion down—there wasn’t time for that. Not when there were bigger things at stake.I had to focus on the more pressing matters. Alexander was dealing with his health, and despite the part of me th
Isabelle’s POVI sat there on the couch, the tension in my chest so tight I could hardly breathe. It had been days since I’d last seen Alexander, and I was fed up. I hated this feeling of being ignored, of him choosing someone else over me. And for what? A stupid accident that should've been my ticket to his full attention? No. That wasn’t going to happen. Not while Lyvanne was still in the picture. I would make sure of it.I had waited for him long enough, practising the words I would say to apologize. Apologize? Ha. That wasn’t what I was here for. I wasn’t here to make amends. I was here to take what was mine. He was supposed to be mine, and no one—not even that meddling woman—was going to get in my way.The sound of the front door creaked open, and I immediately stood up, my heart hammering in my chest. There he was, limping in as if nothing was wrong. As if he hadn’t completely ignored me for days. My blood boiled at the sight.
Lyvanne’s POVThe faint hum of my laptop filled the room as I clicked the power button. The screen lit up, and then—my heart stopped. A bold, red warning flashed across the screen:“Just because you survive doesn’t mean you are safe.”A cold shiver ran down my spine, and I slammed the laptop shut, almost throwing it across the room in my panic. My fingers were shaking as I held the closed device, my breath coming in short, ragged bursts. That message. It was the same voice, the same person who had written on my mirror, the same person who had almost abducted me just days ago. A sickening realization gnawed at me: they were watching me. Still watching me.I grabbed my phone, hands trembling as I dialled Matteo's number, but I couldn’t even think straight enough to speak. My voice cracked as I tried to explain what had just happened, but the words came out jumbled, incoherent. "Lyvanne? What’s going on? Calm down, I can’t underst
I sat there, staring at the dashboard, my fingers tapping restlessly on my knee. The silence between Matteo and me felt suffocating. I couldn’t stop the storm raging inside me. I had trusted him. I had let myself be vulnerable, but the moment I found out he lied to me, everything I thought I knew about him had shattered.“Why did you lie to me that night?” I asked, my voice low but sharp, cutting through the tension in the car. “That was the worst thing you could’ve done, Matteo. I thought… I thought you were different.”He exhaled deeply, his face softening, a shadow of guilt crossing his features. “Lyvanne, you have to understand. It wasn’t about you. It was my job. I was investigating someone at the hotel. I couldn’t risk blowing my cover. I didn’t want to put you in danger.”I stared at him for a long moment. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to trust him, but the hurt ran deeper than I could explain. How could someone I’d just met lie to me