로그인Andrew’s POV“Go faster!”The driver’s shoulders jumped. “Yes, Mr. Hale!”My heart wouldn’t slow down. It kept slamming against my ribs while I held her against my chest, too tight probably, but I couldn’t make myself loosen my grip.Annie.She hadn’t fully recovered yet. I was sure of it. She needed more time, more rest, and instead she’d dragged herself out to some garden party just to keep herself away from me. She’d ignored every call, every text, all day long, and I still couldn’t figure out what I’d done to earn that kind of silence.When I first spotted her on that stage, the only thing running through my head was how much thinner she looked. Like the last few days had carved something out of her.I didn’t even get a full second to process it before she dropped.The car swerved onto the main road, and somewhere in the middle of the noise and the panic, my heartbeat finally started to even out. I forced a breath through my chest.Why was I even reacting like this? What exactly d
The chatter cut off all at once, replaced by a kind of stunned quiet that pulled every head toward the mansion’s entrance.A line of black cars rolled up the long driveway, headlights sweeping across the fountain before coming to a smooth stop. Five of them in total, sleek and matching, the kind of fleet that didn’t belong to anyone who needed to save money on gas. The lead car alone looked like it cost more than most of the houses on this street, its paint catching the string lights overhead like dark water.Then the whispers turned into gasps.“Wait. Is that actually Andrew Hale’s car?”“It has to be. Look at the emblem on the hood.”“What in the world is he doing here?”“Did he come for Amelia? For the new heiress?”“That can’t be right. Andrew Hale doesn’t attend parties like this. I’ve heard he’s turned down royal weddings.”“Maybe he’s here for business. The Sterlings do have ties to half the companies in this city.”“No, look how everyone’s staring. Something’s off.”I felt my
The whispers and idle chatter died down almost instantly the moment Cassandra’s voice rang out clear through the speakers.Every head on that terrace turned toward the small stage set up near the fountain, where she stood in a white mermaid-tail gown that clung delicately to her frame, making her look smaller somehow, more fragile, exactly the kind of docile, breakable image that pulled sympathy out of a crowd without them even realizing they’d been moved.“I know everyone’s curious right now,” she said softly, a shy little smile tugging at her lips, “so let me explain.”Behind her on the stage, my parents sat with matching expressions of pure pride, and even Grandpa, a man who rarely allowed his face to do anything but frown, wore something close to a genuine smile.“Wait, what is she about to tell us?” someone near me whispered.“I have no idea, but look at her face. Something big is coming.”Cassandra’s gaze drifted across the crowd until it landed directly on me. “I want to tell y
I couldn’t bring myself to care why Aiden had come to see Cassandra. Whatever business he had with her wasn’t a thread I had any interest in pulling.The moment Cassandra left the room, trailing after the servant with a bright, eager little skip in her step, I finally let myself breathe properly again. It was like the air itself had been thinner while she was in the room.Xander lingered behind, though, shifting his weight like he had something on his mind.“Hey, before I forget.” He pulled a small velvet box from his jacket pocket and held it out. “This is for you. For tonight.”I opened it slowly, and the second the lid clicked back, light caught on a delicate diamond necklace nestled inside, the stones cut into a teardrop pattern that shimmered every shade of white and pale blue depending on how it tilted under the lamp. A cluster of smaller diamonds trailed down from the center pendant like dewdrops frozen mid-fall.It had to have cost a small fortune.“Xander, this is too much.”
At the Sterling Mansion, The Next DayBy the time I arrived, the whole estate had already transformed into something unrecognizable.From my bedroom window upstairs, I watched the chaos unfold across the grounds below. Marcus, the head butler, moved briskly across the lawn barking instructions at a line of servers carrying crates of imported champagne toward the west terrace. Delphine, one of the housemaids who’d worked for my parents since before I was born, hurried past with an armful of white orchids destined for the centerpieces, nearly colliding with two decorators wrestling a string of fairy lights up a ladder propped against the garden pergola.Outside, an entire team from some high-end event company had taken over the back gardens completely. They strung delicate strands of gold lighting through the old oak trees lining the fountain, unrolled a pale ivory carpet across the terrace steps, and arranged round tables draped in silk cloth beneath a massive white tent that hadn’t ex
The family had already left?I blinked, still trying to catch up with everything happening around me, when Andrew’s voice pulled me back to the present.“Who is Amelia?”Right. The nurse must have said that before slipping back out, and I hadn’t even noticed her leave.I didn’t know how to explain, not in any way that made sense out loud, that Cassandra had somehow turned into my long-lost little sister overnight. So I just shook my head and kept it simple. “Just a family member.”He studied me for a second like he wanted to ask more, but I spoke first, before he could. “Have you seen my phone?”He reached over to the bedside locker, pulled my bag out, and dug through it until he found the phone, handing it over without comment.The second the screen lit up, my stomach dropped. Hundreds of missed calls stacked up in the notification bar, most of them from Linda, the rest from Tania, calls piled on top of calls like both of them had been trying every few minutes since yesterday.Then i
I only glanced at the device once then went about my morning routine.After I was done, I picked up my phone to find several messages piled up.[Annalise, where are you? Why aren't you answering my calls?][Where did you sleep last night, Annalise?][What is going on between you and Alexander Sterl
My fingers instinctively tightened around the phone, hearing Tania’s words.I didn't hear her wrong, did I?“I checked your marriage certificate, Anna. It was fake!” Tania groaned. “Don’t tell me the scumbag tricked you!”Tricked me…Aiden himself asked me to marry him.Three years ago, he’d knocke
Cassandra pointed at me, her soft voice echoing in the hallway. That was when Aiden peeled his gaze from her, and the tender look on his face was instantly gone.But instead of appearing confused, only fear and frustration flashed in his eyes.He quickly let go of Cassandra, While Cassandra tremb
The next day, I discharged myself from the hospital.Standing across the bustling street outside the hospital’s skyscraper, my eyes squinted at the burning sun.For thirty minutes, not a single taxi stopped.Then, suddenly, a convoy of black luxury cars swept onto the street, instantly drawing ever







