LOGINMarcusCalling me a dumbass. I was sick of it, sick of my brother throwing insults at me like they cost him nothing, like I was still some kid he could push around whenever he felt like it. That last comment, in front of our father, had crossed a line I wasn't willing to let slide.So I followed him home. Quietly, without him ever noticing, without giving him the chance to slam a door in my face before I could say what I actually came to say.When I stepped down from the car, one of his maids rushed out to meet me, her hands raised in a nervous attempt to stop me from going any further."Please, sir, you can't go in there.""This is my brother's house," I said, brushing past her."Please, sir, we know he's busy right now.""Where is he?""Please, sir, you have to leave."I ignored every word of it and walked straight through the front entrance, still burning from the disrespect Drent had thrown at me earlier that day, still wanting nothing more than to get my hands on him and force an
DrentI went straight to my room the moment I got home, my hands still trembling from the weight of everything pressing down on me. The coffee I poured was scalding, but I drank it anyway, hoping the burn would drown out the noise in my head. It didn't. Nothing did anymore.I couldn't stop thinking about what I had done. Locking her up. Keeping her here against her will. I told myself it was necessary, that I had no choice, but the guilt sat in my chest like a stone I couldn't swallow.*I can't believe I had to lock her up. She's gotten into me. Deep. Deeper than anything ever has.*A voice in my head argued back immediately, sharp and unforgiving.*No, no, Drent. You need her. You need her to focus. She's the only woman you've ever loved, and yes, this is wrong, but you're ruining her life. By locking her up, you're only making it worse.**No,* I told myself, gripping the mug so hard my knuckles went white. *I need her.*The frustration built until it broke out of me in a scream, raw
Renata"What is going on here?"His hair was tied back in a low bun now, his eyes as dark as I remembered, but something about him had changed. He looked broader, more solid than before, muscle filling out the frame I used to know so well. The tattoo along his neck was the first thing my eyes caught, the same one that used to distract me during quiet moments together. He still stood at that same imposing six feet, and his lips twitched into something almost composed as he looked at me."Peach," he said. "Welcome."Something inside me went cold instantly. This was not right. None of this was right.Bryan had said this was a job interview, a fresh start, an escape from everything crushing me in this city. Instead I had walked straight into whatever this was, whatever twisted arrangement Drent had orchestrated behind the scenes. My mind raced backward, trying to piece together how the venue had changed, how I had ended up here of all places, but nothing added up fast enough."Don't welco
RenataI stared at the engraved stone in front of me, unable to fully believe I would soon be looking at my own mother's name carved into something so cold and permanent.Thankfully, the burial itself had not been overwhelming to arrange. It was completed within two days, a simple, small ceremony that did not cost nearly as much as I had feared. Yet none of that made it hurt any less. My mother was gone, and somehow, even after everything, it hadn't felt entirely real until this exact moment. Not until now. Not until she was resting six feet beneath the earth I stood on.I kept waiting for the moment it would sink in fully, for the grief to arrive in the way I had always imagined it would, sudden and overwhelming. Instead it crept in slowly, settling into every corner of me until I could hardly remember what it felt like to breathe without this weight pressing against my chest.The rain came down in heavy sheets, soaking through my clothes, plastering my hair to my face, but I stood t
Renata"Oh my gosh, Bryan."Anyone who has ever had a childhood crush knows exactly what it feels like to see that person again after years apart. Long before I ever met Drent, back when I was still a kid running barefoot through summer afternoons, Bryan had been my best friend. He had even followed me to junior prom, awkward and grinning in a suit two sizes too big, because he refused to let me go alone.He had been my first love, the earliest, simplest piece of romance I ever knew before life got complicated, before Drent, before any of the chaos that came after. I hadn't seen him since he moved away to England. We had been ten years old the last time I hugged him goodbye at the airport, both of us crying, both of us promising to write letters we never actually sent.I remembered the way he used to protect me from the older boys in our neighborhood, the way he never once let anyone tease me without stepping in first, small and fierce even back then. Standing here now, looking at the
DrentThe receptionist offered a small nod as I walked past her toward the front desk, my steps quick, purposeful. I asked about Renata, about whether she had already collected her mother.The nurse checked her records briefly before looking back up at me. "Mrs. Renata took her mother from the hospital yesterday," she said. "She's arranging the burial."I swallowed hard, the words settling heavier in my chest than I expected. I nodded once, thanked her, and turned to the door, my long legs carrying me quickly through the corridor and back out to my car.I felt sick staying there any longer than I needed to. Renata had loved her mother so deeply, so completely, and I could only imagine the hollow ache she was carrying right now, somewhere out there without me, without anyone.I thought about the way she used to talk about her mother, the softness that would creep into her voice whenever she mentioned the woman who raised her. That softness had been rare, precious, something I only ever
DrentThe applause soon faded, the unexpected kiss between me and Renata had amused everyone. I didn't know we had the attention of everyone, and most especially, my father, who seemed to stand from afar with a smile of approval.That alone made me feel so close to getting the company than ever, bu
RenataAfter three straight days in the hospital, I had not taken calls from anyone. I had stayed off social media, away from school, and away from everything else. Just sitting beside my mom and watching over her, hoping she would be alright.I had applied for a job at Tinnies, a fast food spot ne
RenataA week passed and all my efforts to get into the tournament had failed. A part of me began to regret not taking Drent up on his offer, but another part of me was glad I had not. I did not trust him or his family.They were probably the kind of rich family that believed only money mattered, o
DrentThere was something unsettling about her. I had asked for a spa therapist, but instead they had sent me something I found far more amusing. A tiny, curvy girl who I found surprisingly tempting.Which was strange, because I had not felt that way about anyone in years. But it felt like a good s







