MasukThe engine of Finn’s car roared to life, but for a long minute, he just sat in the restaurant parking lot, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. He wasn’t thinking about the fake phone call he’d used as an excuse to leave. He was only hearing Valerie’s voice, clear as a bell in his memory.Ever since Mandy had told him she was just some old schoolmate to Zayn, Finn’s entire world had made sense because of that one simple story: Zayn Carrington, his childhood friend, was the bad guy. Zayn had loved Mandy, then abandoned her. He had walked away and left her alone for no reason.Finn had built everything around that story. He was the good guy. The one who was ready to stay. The one who was ready to pick up the pieces Zayn had carelessly dropped. The one who would protect Mandy, become her safe place after the damage Zayn caused.But now, with only a few words, that story had shattered.If Mandy needed to apologize… if she had caused Zayn a deep wound… then maybe Zayn hadn’t just
“What do you mean?” Mandy asked, watching Valerie carefully.Valerie opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, her purse buzzed sharply in her purse, the sound interrupting the moment. She paused, pulled out her phone, and her whole demeanor shifted.“Oh, it’s Sam,” she said, her voice brightening as she mentioned her fiancé. She typed a quick reply, a small smile playing on her lips.“Can you—” Mandy started.“I have to go,” Valerie interrupted, closing her purse after pulling out a pen. She grabbed Mandy’s hand and quickly scribbled her number on it. “There. Call me.” She waved. “It was wild seeing you, Mandy! Take care.”And just like that, she walked away, leaving Mandy alone with a palm stained blue from the ink.Mandy let out a soft sigh, stared at the number, and headed back to the table, expecting to find Finn waiting, probably with questions.Instead, she found him standing, his phone pressed to his ear. When he noticed her, he dropped his hand his eyes were filled
The maître d’ led them to a quiet corner table, far from the earlier chaos. Soft music played in the background, mixed with the gentle sound of cutlery. Finn held Mandy’s chair for her, his hand briefly grazing her shoulder. She sat, feeling the ghost of his touch like a brand.A waiter appeared right away. Finn looked at her. “Would you like something to eat?”She shook her head. Her throat felt too tight to speak much. “No, thank you.”Finn nodded and turned to the waiter. “Sparkling water with lime for her, and a Perrier for me.”When the waiter left, the silence between them felt heavier than the noise outside. Mandy folded her hands on the table, her fingers still tense."Finn," she began, her voice quieter than she intended. "Thank you. For… for what you did out there."He leaned back, watching her calmly. “You don’t need to thank me, Mandy. Not for that, not for anything.”“I know you say that, but I still have to,” she replied, finally meeting his eyes. The look in them made h
Finn strolled through the parted crowd, his eyes fixed on Mandy, “A man with the cute ocean eyes, tall, and damn, very handsome."A ripple of confusion passed through the onlookers."That’s…Mr. Wyndham.""The Finn Wyndham?""What’s he doing here?"Finn reached Mandy’s side. He didn’t ask for permission. He simply wrapped a strong, reassuring arm around her waist, pulling her firmly against him. Mandy went rigid, a flush of heat rushing up her neck for reasons she refused to name. He winked at her but she quickly looked away, swallowing.The narrative around them began to fall apart."So…Jane lied?"“Maybe it was her husband chasing Ms. Blackwood?”“But she just hit that lady…"The young woman on the ground, seeing her story unravel, scrambled to her feet. "Jane doesn’t lie!" she shrieked, pointing a trembling finger. "Even if it was her husband chasing this… this woman, a decent person would send him away! But instead, she had the nerves to hit me for no reason?"Finn’s easy smile van
Across the city, Mandy put on a bright smile for Axel. They had dinner, she read him two stories, and she held him a little longer than usual at bedtime. "I love you, my brave boy," she whispered into his hair.“I love you too, Mommy,” he murmured, already half asleep.When his door closed, her smile faded. The quiet mansion which was usually comforting, now felt heavy and full of unanswered questions. She drifted into the living room, her fingers tracing the edge of the beautiful wooden puzzle Finn had given her.She was grateful. So deeply grateful he had erased that horrible scandal from the internet. But his protection felt like a spotlight. It didn’t just hide her; it showed how much he cared for her.Aiden’s voice echoed in her mind. "Who do you think this Finn is?"She didn’t know, and that was the problem. She had built a life on knowing, on controlling, on being sure, but Finn was a beautiful, terrifying question mark. And the biggest question of all, the one about New York,
Zayn barely paid attention to the road as he drove. Leaving Jane behind hadn’t brought him any relief, it only brought emptiness. The silence in the car was deafening, and the only thing that could fill it was the truth.He didn’t turn toward his penthouse. Instead, his car seemed to steer itself, carrying him through the darkened Zurich streets to the one place he needed to go; Finn’s mansion.The grand house was lit against the night. Zayn didn’t bother with ringing the bell. He used the old code, the one from their high school days to open the side gate and walked straight to the study doors, which were open to the terrace.Finn was there, a glass in his hand. He didn’t turn.Zayn stopped in the doorway. "I handled it," he said, his voice rough. "She won’t be a problem for Mandy."Finn turned slowly and studied him; the exhaustion, the shock still in his eyes. He took a sip of his drink. “Handled?” he asked."She’s… contained," Zayn said, the words tasting wrong on his tongue, “Som







