LOGINNorth’s POVI cut in. “Every single person that thought they could mean something to you ended up discarded. So don’t stand there and act like I was supposed to be different.”Silence.Heavy.Then—“You are different.”The words came out quieter.Strained.I froze slightly.He was looking at me differently now, something raw slipping through the cracks of his control, something I had never seen this clearly before.“You’re special,” he said, his voice lower, almost rough. “Because I love you.”The world tilted.For a second, nothing made sense.Four months.Four months of contracts, rules, boundaries, control.And this…This was the first time he had ever said it.“I hate it,” he continued, the words coming faster now, like once they started, they couldn’t stop. “I hate what it does to me. I hate how it makes me feel, how it makes me look at you like you’re the only thing that matters when I’ve spent my entire life making sure nothing ever mattered that much.”I couldn’t move.Couldn’
North’s POVJules opened her mouth to argue again, already gearing up for a fight.I grabbed her wrist.“It’s fine,” I said quietly.She turned to me, eyes wide. “Fine? North—”“I want to stay,” I added, cutting her off.The words tasted like a lie.But I said them anyway.Because fighting them wouldn’t change anything.Because deep down…I already knew where this was coming from.Jules searched my face for a second longer, frustration clear, but she didn’t push it.“Call me,” she said instead, softer now. “The second anything feels off.”I nodded.She left.The door closed.Silence settled again.Heavier this time.My phone buzzed.I froze.Slowly, I looked down at the screen.A message.From him.My chest tightened as I opened it, my fingers suddenly unsteady.After a week of nothing…Lucien Crowe finally replied.Stay inside or I will make you regret everything.The words hit harder than any silence ever could.Cold.Sharp.Final.I stared at the screen, my heart dropping somewhere
North’s POV“What the fuck did I ever do to you?”Blood dripped from his mouth, sliding down his chin, but his eyes…His eyes burned.“You took him from me,” he said, voice hoarse but steady. “He was finally noticing me. For once, he looked at me like I mattered.”The words landed, heavy, unexpected.“And then you showed up,” he continued, bitterness spilling out now, years of it, festering. “Everything changed. Everything.”A hollow laugh ripped out of me, sharp and broken.“You think you ever had a chance?” I shot back, something cruel rising up to meet his hatred, something I didn’t bother to hold back anymore. “You think he ever looked at you like that?”His jaw tightened.Good.Let it hurt.“Lucien told me himself,” I continued, my voice dropping, colder now, more deliberate. “During a fight. He said I was better than Kang Ethan. Ethan thought he had something real with him.”Jeremy’s expression flickered.“He never compared me to you,” I pressed on, every word sharper than the l
North’s POVMy jaw tightened slightly.Memories flickered.Money.Control.The way everything around Lucien always felt… structured.“You’re just another project to him,” Jericho finished quietly. “One he hasn’t decided to discard yet.”Silence stretched between us.Heavy.Loaded.I didn’t interrupt him.I didn’t argue.I just watched him.Because belief wasn’t the problem.Trust was.“And what does that make you?” I asked finally, my voice calm, almost bored.His lips curved slightly, like he had been waiting for that question.“Someone offering you an alternative.”I let out a quiet breath, leaning back fully now, crossing my arms as I studied him.“An alternative,” I repeated. “That sounds generous.”“It is,” he said simply.“To what? One controlling billionaire to another?”A flicker of amusement passed through his eyes.“I don’t pretend to be something I’m not,” he replied. “That’s the difference.”“Honesty doesn’t make you better.”“It makes me predictable.”“That’s worse.”He c
North’s POVMy siblings were the same, loud, messy, alive in a way that grounded me. My mom stayed at the shop most of the time, hands always busy, mind always working, like slowing down would break something.Twenty-five million sat in my account.A number that still didn’t feel real.I gave her ten without thinking twice.She didn’t ask where it came from.She didn’t question it.She just held my face for a second longer than usual, eyes soft in a way that made my chest tighten.“We’ll fix things,” she said quietly.And for once…It felt possible.We started talking about moving.A better place. A safer one. Something that didn’t carry the weight of everything we lost.Everything seemed on track.Almost too perfect.That afternoon, I sat at a table in my mom’s restaurant, sunlight filtering through the glass, the quiet hum of a high-end lunch crowd surrounding me. The place had changed over the years, upgraded, polished, something closer to the life we used to have.My phone rested
North’s POV"Fuck," he snarled. "I'm gonna cum.""Cum for me, Lucien," I urged, my own hand returning to my dick, stroking it in time with his. "Cum all over yourself. Imagine it's me, imagine you're cumming inside me."With a loud, guttural groan, he came, his release shooting out in thick, white ropes, coating his hand and stomach. The sight of it, the sound of his pleasure, sent me over the edge. I came with a loud cry, my own release spilling over my hand, my body trembling with the force of it.Days passed.Lazy ones.The kind where time blurred together because I didn’t have anything tying me down. My break had officially started, and for once, I let myself enjoy it. Late mornings, random outings with Jules, nights that stretched too long because neither of us felt like going home early.A call here.A message there.Short. Controlled. Still distant in a way that made it hard to tell where I stood with him after everything that happened.Life settled.Too easily.Jeremy still ho
North’s POVJeremy escorted me back to my room for reasons I could not understand. I did not need supervision.The longer I watched him walk beside me with that polished, obedient smirk, the more I wished I had seen through his performance from the beginning. But if I had, I would not be here now.
North’s POVI watched him turn toward the hallway, coat shifting with the movement.“Follow me.”That was it.No explanation. No glance back.And still, I followed.There was something about being near him that rewired my pulse. It wasn’t fear exactly. It was anticipation sharpened to a dangerous p
North’s POVHer silence stretched too long.I looked up.She wasn’t folding anymore.“If you don’t tell me who he is,” she said evenly, “you are not leaving this house. And if you leave without my consent, I will not receive a single cent from you.”She meant it.In moments like this, I missed my f
North’s POVAs I reached our gate, the scent hit me.Garlic sizzling in oil. Fish sauce was blooming in the heat. Fresh basil torn by hand. Jasmine rice was steaming.Pad kra pao.She only made that when she wanted everyone at the table.I slipped inside and dodged Winter’s questions about where I’







