LOGINVeronica’s POV:“Not enough.” Max sounded rough, and it sent a strange shiver down my spine.I blinked at him, still slightly breathless from everything that had just happened, my back pressed lightly against the car.“What?” I asked.His eyes didn’t leave mine.“That,” he said, his thumb brushing slowly against my jaw, “was not enough.”My heart skipped.Before I could even process what he meant, he leaned closer, and God, he looked so dashing this way.“I’m not settling for moments like that anymore, Veronica,” he said. “I’m going to make you fall for me completely. Head over heels.”My breath caught.“There won’t be any confusion,” he continued, his gaze burning into mine. “ Passion is what you should feel for me, Veronica. I'll show you the depth of the pleasure. ""You think I'm not passionate?"" No. Not enough. ""That is quite insulting." I sighed. "I thought I was hot."" You don't have to try hard, " Max said. "I'll make you feel everything that you are currently suppressing
Veronica's POV:I stared at the message from my stalker, my blood boiling with a mixture of fear and anger.This was insane. I wasn't going to play along with some anonymous blackmailer who thought they could manipulate me with vague threats and promises of "truth."I typed furiously: I'm calling the police. This is harassment and blackmail. Stop contacting me.The response came immediately:Unknown Number: Go ahead. Call them. But you'll never know the vital information I have about Chase Pemberton. My fingers froze over the screen.Chase. This person had information about Chase.Me: What kind of information?Unknown Number: The kind that explains why he's so obsessed with you. The kind that might change everything you think you know about your family. About his family. A horrible thought occurred to me.What if the stalker was Chase himself? What if this was some twisted game he was playing, trying to manipulate me further, to get me alone somewhere?The thought made my skin crawl
Veronica's POV:It was dangerously easy to get lost in Max.That was the first thought that crossed my mind as our lips met.Max had a way of loving in an all-consuming way, it was visible in the way he gripped my waist tighter, his tongue went deeper into me deeper.All of his gestures said that he was safe with him, he would protect me until the end of the world.Knowing all this, but even as I kissed him back, even as I tried to feel what I was supposed to feel, my mind kept drifting to green eyes instead of blue.My phone buzzed in my pocket, breaking the moment."Sorry," I murmured against Max's lips, partly thanking my buzzing phone as I pulled back slightly. "Let me just check...""It can wait," Max said, trying to pull me back in.But something made me look. Some instinct that this wasn't just another news alert or social media notification.I pulled out my phone and felt my blood run cold.Unknown Number: You think Laura is your problem. You must know about your father.I sta
Veronica's POV:I had forgotten that it was possible to feel like this light, and unburdened by life's struggles.The laughter bubbling out of me felt so unfamiliar, almost foreign, as if it belonged to a younger version of myself I had lost somewhere along the way.For a brief moment… I was twelve again. Max did fulfill his promise by making me feel this way.The merry-go-round slowed to a stop, and I stepped off, still smiling, my fingers brushing over the painted horse I had been riding as if I wasn’t quite ready to let go of that feeling yet.“Is that all you’ve got?” Max shouted behind me, teasing me playfully. “Seriously, Just three rounds on a merry-go-round and you’re done having fun? ”I turned to him, narrowing my eyes playfully at him, though the smile still lingered on my lips.“Excuse me, that was not just three rounds,” I said, placing a hand on my hip. “That was a very important emotional reset.”He laughed softly, shaking his head.“Right. Very intense therapy session
Max's POV:Something was really wrong with Veronica.I could feel it in the way she sat beside me in the car, staring out the window with blank eyes. In the way her hand felt limp in mine, no squeeze back when I tried to offer comfort.This wasn't her. This wasn't the woman who'd stormed onto that stage to save me.Was she already having second thoughts? About us? About the choice Theo had forced on her last night?For fuck's sake, was she regretting it already?"Are you okay?" I asked, even though I knew the answer."I'm fine," Veronica said automatically, looking lifeless. "Just exhausted. All this drama, the press conference, everything. I'm tired."She trailed off, and I saw her eyes getting distant again."I miss my life when I was twelve," she said suddenly. "Everything was so peaceful then. Simple. I didn't have to worry about scandals or family feuds." She stopped herself. "I just miss being twelve.""You were practically just a child," I said gently."Yes," Veronica sighed. "
Laura's POV:"You can't just make me sit here," I yelled at the cop who walked past me for the fourth time, and this time too he ignored me. " I'm wearing a fifty-thousand-dollar silk gown, this will get ruined if I sit out here for a long time. "I groaned, wondering what time it was. I knew that by now my perfect makeup must have been smudged beyond recognition.Everything had fallen apart. How could this turn this way? The police had me on kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, coercion, and about a dozen other charges.My lawyers were saying I could face actual prison time if the Ashford family testifies against me.One silver lining was that the recordings Veronica had made were already circulating online. I heard that most of them were trolling Veronica more than supporting her. Atleast that bitch got what she deserved. After all, she was the reason for my unhappiness.When the guard finally came to tell me someone had posted bail, I felt a surge of relief. My family. They'd come th
Veronica's POV:"Father is just coming up with new ways to torture us," Theo sighed, scrolling through the email on his phone with an expression of pure dread."What now?" Max asked, leaning over to read the screen."He's the host of the Debutante Ball this year," Theo said, his voice flat. "And he
Veronica's POV: I could feel everything in that position. His heartbeat against my chest, the rise and fall of his breathing over my neck... This position... whatever he called it... was amplifying the chemistry we both already had."Now we breathe together," Theo said as the next instruction.The
Veronica's POV:I expected Theo to look at me with some hurt or even jealousy when Max and I walked through the door.We'd been gone all night... staying at that cabin, doing things that still made my cheeks flush to think about... and surely Theo would have noticed.But when Max strolled into the
Max's POV:I woke up to the noise of her sobbing.For a moment, I was disoriented... the unfamiliar cabin, the empty space beside me in bed...Where the hell was I?!Then reality crashed back, and I was on my feet immediately.I found her on the balcony, standing at the railing without even a jacke







