LOGIN[Sarah’s POV]Gone was the midnight-blue silk dress, the heavy diamonds, and the sleek, bone-straight wig I’d worn to the party. Now, I was just Sarah dressed in a crisp white button-down with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of faded denim shorts. My natural hair was pulled back into a high, slightly messy bun.Beside me, was Cole, but the man who had leaned against my suite’s balcony last night, swirling a glass of wine and flirting with a reckless, blue-eyed charm, had vanished. In his place was a guy who looked like he was walking toward his execution. His shoulders were hiked up to his ears, and his hands were shoved so deep into his pockets I thought he might tear the seams. Every few seconds, his eyes darted around the dock, scanning the lingering guests and the photographers gathered near the velvet ropes."You’re going to vibrate right out of your shoes if you don't take a breath, Cole," I said softly, my voice catching the salt-tinged breeze.He jumped, nearly tripping over
[Tyler’s POV] I hadn't slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the image of that waiter... Cole... sitting on Sarah’s bed. I found the lead organizer, Elena. She was supervising the breakfast setup, barking orders at the staff. "I want to know everything about him," I said, stepping into her line of sight. I didn't need to raise my voice, the sheer gravity of my presence usually did the work for me. "The waiter from the fourth deck last night. Name tag said Cole." Elena turned, her expression shifting from irritation to a polished, hungry sort of curiosity the moment she recognized me. She smoothed her blazer, her fingers lingering a second too long on her lapel. "Mr. Rider. A pleasure to see you this morning, though you look like you’ve been up quite late." She tilted her head, her voice dropping into a purr. "Did something happen? We have very strict protocols. If that boy disrespected you or any of our distinguished guests, I can promise you he won’t just be fired. We’ll ma
[Tyler’s POV]Skye had fallen asleep less than ten minutes into our make out session. The wild cat who had been demanding to be fucked had turned into a snoring weight the second her head hit the silk pillows.I stood over her for a second, tucking the duvet around her shoulders, feeling nothing but a cold, sense of relief. The performance was over for the night, and I had managed to keep my soul intact, even if my skin felt like it needed a scrub. I had just finished smoothing the sheets when I heard the crash... a sharp, violent explosion of crystal against the hardwood floor right outside the door. I moved quickly, pulling the door open to find the hallway in chaos. A waiter was on his knees, surrounded by a sea of amber liquid and shards of glass that shimmered like diamonds under the recessed lighting. I scanned the hallway, there was no one else. The waiter looked up, his deep blue eyes wide and startled. "I'm sorry, sir. I tripped. Just a minor accident." I watched him for
[ Sarah’s POV ]Even worse than the physical mess was the humiliation. I, Sarah Hale, a woman who had built an empire and stared down corporate vultures, had been caught lurking at a door like a common voyeur.I leaned against the railing of the restricted deck, the wind whipping my hair into a frenzy. I felt like a disaster. The front of my midnight-blue silk gown was plastered to my skin, cold and tacky from the champagne bath I’d given myself. I reached for my hip, intending to find my clutch, only to realize with a jolt of panic that I’d left it at the bar with Nick. My phone, my lipstick, and—most importantly—the keycard to my private suite were all sitting in a pile of sequins near a man I had abandoned mid-sentence. "Excuse me? Guests aren't allowed in this section." The voice was deep, steady, and cut through the sound of the crashing waves. I froze, my shoulders tensing. I turned slowly, expecting a stern security guard or a judgmental steward. Instead, I found myself star
[ Sarah’s POV]I was standing by the bar, pinned between a mahogany counter and a man named Nick... a venture capitalist with a smile that was too white and a voice that was too loud... but I wasn't actually there. My body was in the conversation, but my soul was twenty feet away, anchored to the silhouettes of Tyler and Skye on the dance floor. I saw them the moment the music shifted to something slower. Even while I nodded at Nick, pretending to be fascinated by his latest acquisition, I saw the way Skye’s silver dress caught the light as she pressed herself into Tyler’s chest. I saw the possessive way her hands draped over his shoulders. And then, I saw the moment she leaned in, whispered something into his ear, and began leading him toward the dark, narrow hallway that led to the private cabins. A cold, familiar dread settled in the pit of my stomach. "Sarah? You with me?" Nick’s voice broke through my thoughts. I blinked, dragging my gaze back to him. He was smiling, but the
[Tyler’s POV]The champagne had turned Skye into something unpredictable. As the band transitioned into a slow, rhythmic crawl that vibrated through the floorboards of the yacht, she pressed herself against me, her hands draped over my shoulders with a heavy, possessive weight."You’re too tense, Tyler," she whispered into the shell of my ear, her breath warm and smelling of expensive bubbles. "The world isn't going to end if you lose control for five minutes.""I’m not tense, Skye. I’m observant," I replied, my hands resting loosely on her waist.Over her shoulder, I caught a glimpse of Sarah across the room. She was talking to a venture capitalist, her posture perfect, her expression a mask of professional cool. But I saw the way her eyes flickered toward the dance floor for a fraction of a second. She’s nothing like her mother. Sarah’s warning echoed in my skull like a funeral bell.Skye began to sway her hips, the movement exaggerated and sharp, drawing the eyes of every man in t
[Sarah’s POV] I knelt on the damp grass of the private cemetery, the cold seeping through the fabric of my suit pants, but I didn't care. I needed this. I needed to be somewhere where the titles of CEO and Vineyard Queen didn't matter."We did it, Mom," I whispered, my fingers tracing the carved l
[Sarah’s POV]The restaurant was a quiet, high-end far removed from the alleyway where I’d found Mandy. I watched her now, sitting across from me, her fingers trembling as she shoved pasta into her mouth. She ate with a desperate hunger that made my chest tighten."Slow down, Mandy," I said softly,
[Tyler’s POV]"Where is she? I demand to speak to the lead lead doctor immediately!"I slammed my palm against the white laminate of the nurse’s station. The sound echoed through the sterile, fluorescent-lit hallway of the VIP maternity wing, but it didn't get the reaction I wanted. The head nurse,
Norman almost left me behind.I had one leg in the truck and one still on the pavement when he started the engine, and the look he gave me in the rear-view mirror when I finally yanked the door shut was the look of a man who had already decided I'd exceeded his patience and we hadn't even left the







