LOGINSilence.“We are staying.”Ford frowned.Pierce looked unconvinced.Hayes looked worried.I forced a smile.“I just need a moment alone.”Nobody moved.“Please.”My voice softened.“Go back inside.”Still nobody moved.I laughed quietly.Honestly.My family was impossible.“Go show everyone that the Sterlings aren’t afraid of anything.”I pointed toward the ballroom.“Especially not some crazy woman begging for attention.”That finally earned a reluctant smile from Pierce.Good.At least someone still had a sense of humor.I turned before anybody could argue further, and walked away.The farther I moved from the ballroom, the quieter everything became.The music faded.The voices faded.The lights became softer.Cool air rushed across my skin.The Thames stretched endlessly into the darkness.The water reflected pieces of the city.The yacht moved gently beneath my feet.I reached an empty section of the deck.Nobody was there.Finally.I closed my eyes and breathed slowly.You’re oka
Even with Pierce standing directly in front of me, Dominic’s eyes never left my face.It was infuriating.Like my brothers weren’t even there.Like nobody else existed.Like he could somehow look through them and still reach me.Ford stepped forward, folding his arms across his chest.“You don’t want to cause a scene like the last time.”The last time.The Met Gala after-party.The memory flashed through my mind immediately.Dominic’s jaw tightened.“Please,” he said.His voice sounded rough.Desperate.“I need to talk to you.”He wasn’t looking at anyone else but me.Always me.And for some reason that made me angrier than anything else.Because he didn't even look at me like that five years ago.Then suddenly another voice cut through everything.“I won’t let you walk away from me while I’m trying to talk to you!”Mirabel.She finally reached us.Her chest rose and fell rapidly.Her eyes burned with frustration.She looked desperate.And unfortunately for everyone involved, people h
I walked away.And for the first time since seeing Mirabel Murphy step onto this yacht, I felt lighter.Enough to breathe.Enough to stop feeling like I was the girl I was before again.Enough to remember who the hell I was.The orchestra played somewhere behind me.Laughter drifted through the ballroom.Champagne glasses clinked.The party continued.And for once, I wasn’t carrying the weight of the past on my shoulders.At least not as heavily.I rounded a corner near one of the glass walls overlooking the river and nearly walked straight into Hayes.He caught my elbow before I collided with him.“There you are.”I blinked.“There I am.”His eyes narrowed slightly. “Where did you disappear to?”Before answering, I reached for a champagne flute from a passing waiter’s tray.“Thank you.”The waiter nodded and continued walking.I took a slow sip before looking back at Hayes.“I had some business to deal with.”That immediately got his attention.“What kind of business?”I smiled.“Mir
Almost imperceptibly.But I saw it.Because I was looking for it.“Yes.”Her smile tightened.“I saw that online.”Of course she had.“I came to see it for myself.”“And?”The question left my lips softly.Yet somehow her shoulders stiffened.Interesting.Mirabel glanced around.Then back at me.“It seems that even after all this…”Her gaze swept over my dress.The jewelry.The mask.The success.“…you still couldn’t get over your ex-husband.”There it was.The real reason she approached.“Are you two planning to get back together?”Behind me, I could practically feel Ford’s anger.Pierce wasn’t doing much better.Before either could speak, I turned toward them.“Can you take Camille around?”Camille blinked.“What?”“Introduce her to people.”I smiled.“Maybe the movie industry.”Pierce immediately understood.Ford did too.This wasn’t a request.It was damage control.Because if they stayed, someone would be getting thrown off the yacht.Pierce looked at Mirabel.Then at me.Then no
For a second, I forgot how to breathe.Humiliation.Betrayal.The divorce papers.The day I realised Dominic had always chosen her.Every memory crashed into me at once.I almost felt dizzy.Almost.Then reality returned.Five years.It had been five years.I wasn’t that woman anymore.I wasn’t the woman who built her entire world around a man.And I certainly wasn’t about to let Mirabel Murphy walk into a room and reduce me back into that person.Slowly, I straightened my back.Lifted my chin.Smoothed every trace of emotion from my face.Then took a slow sip of champagne.The bubbles burned slightly against my tongue.“Aurelia…”Dominic’s voice came quietly beside me.His hand brushed my shoulder.I ignored him.Completely.Instead, I turned toward Camille.“Let’s take a walk around.”Camille looked between Dominic and me.Then nodded.“Okay.”We started walking.I could feel Dominic’s eyes on my back.I refused to acknowledge it.Beside me, Camille kept glancing in my direction.Ev
I took a slow sip of champagne.And somehow still not enough to distract me from the fact that Dominic Kings was standing somewhere behind half the people in this room.Beside me, Camille shifted slightly.“You want to walk to the other side?” she asked.I glanced at her.“Why?”She lifted one shoulder.“You seem uncomfortable.”I immediately shook my head.“No.”My answer came faster than necessary.“I’m fine here.”Camille studied me.I ignored it.“There’s no reason for me to run away every time I see him.”Her brows lifted slightly.Then she nodded.“Okay.”Several seconds passed.The orchestra shifted into another piece.People continued laughing.And then a hand landed briefly on my shoulder.I turned automatically.Before I could react, Hayes stepped in front of me.His gaze swept across the room once.Twice.Like he was searching for something.Or someone.“You good?” he asked.I blinked.Then raised a brow.“Yes?”His eyes narrowed slightly.Just slightly.“I just wanted to m
Seoul was colder than London.The cold wrapped around my skin almost immediately the second I stepped out of the car, sharp night wind brushing through my hair while bright city lights reflected across the wet streets outside the hotel.A tall doorman hurried forward instantly, bowing politely befo
The silence inside the lounge lasted only briefly before one of the executives cleared his throat.“The Seoul manufacturers requested final approval for the secondary production line,” he explained while sliding documents across the table. “Especially regarding luxury fabric handling.”I accepted t
Sunday morning arrived cold and grey.Rain from the night before still clung faintly to the streets of London while heavy clouds stretched endlessly across the sky above the private airport terminal.The sound of my heels echoed sharply against the polished floor as I walked through the terminal be
The next few days passed quietly after the meeting with Dominic.Quiet on the outside at least.Friday morning arrived faster than I expected.The soft sound of pages turning filled the office quietly while morning rain tapped gently against the glass windows behind me.London looked grey beyond th







