LOGINCharlotte POVThe station was louder than I expected.Voices overlapped each other, announcements echoing loudly. Luggage wheels scraped against the tiled floor as people moved in every direction, each of them with somewhere to be, someone waiting, something pulling them forward.I stood there for a moment, my bag hanging from my shoulder, just… watching.It felt strange.Like I didn’t belong in the middle of all that movement.My fingers tightened slightly around the strap of my bag.This was real. This was happening and there was no turning back now.I walked toward the ticket counter, my steps steady even though my chest felt anything but.The woman behind the counter barely looked up as I approached.“Next.”“I need a ticket,” I said.She typed something quickly, her fingers moving across the keyboard with practiced ease.“Destination?”I hesitated, just for a second.Then I said it.Nashville.The city my aunt lived in.The woman told me the price.I reached into my bag and pull
Hayden POV“The LAPD is here.”The room reacted before I did.Slowly, but surely the murmurs, th panic, chairs scraping and moving filled the room. But, I stayed still.So this was how he played it.Aiden leaking false info about my company and now tipping the LAPD to come here…I let the silence stretch just long enough for the panic to take shape.“Mr. Hayden?” Collins said from my left, his voice already thinning. “We need to respond to this. We can’t just sit—”The doors opened widely, not even knock this time.They walked in like they already owned the place.Three of the police force stepped in, dressed sharply in their uniforms and then more followed in.Every conversation immediately died.“Mr. Hayden,” he said, stepping forward, already pulling something from inside his jacket. “We have a warrant to search these premises.”He held it out.I took it quickly, my eyes already scanning.The paper was official and signed legally. At least, thus part of Aidan’s plan wasn’t a farce
Charlotte POVMorning came too softly.Like nothing had happened.I stood by the mirror for a long time, staring at my reflection without really seeing it. The light filtered in through the curtains, gentle and warm, but it did nothing to settle the weight sitting deep in my chest.I looked… tired.But not just physically. Mentally, emotionally….In basically every sense of the word, I was tired.Ky hands slowly drifted to my stomach as a small breath escaped me.Everything quieted for a moment.Just for a moment.Because this wasn’t just about me anymore.It hadn’t been for a while.And that was exactly why I couldn’t keep standing here, pretending everything was fine when it clearly wasn’t. Hayden—I swallowed.Hayden was trying. I knew he was.But trying wasn’t the same as winning.And I could feel it now, clearer than ever.Something was coming, something bigger than all of this.And I refused to sit here and wait for it to hit.I shook my head slightly, stepping away from the m
Charlotte POVThe house was quiet.It pressed against my ears in a way that made it hard to breathe.I stood by the window for a long time… just staring out.I wasn’t even looking at anything anymore.I was just… thinking.Or maybe trying not to.Everything felt wrong.I exhaled slowly and moved away from the window.The room felt colder than it should.My hand lifted unconsciously… resting against my stomach.The baby.I left out a soft breath allowing myself to take in a few breaths.My child..our child…Does she deserve all this?! No, she doesn't…In this war or whatever this was between Hayden and Aiden, there was her…there was my baby.Something that didn’t deserve to be dragged into all of this.My jaw tightened slightly.What kind of life was I walking into?No…What kind of life was I bringing her into?The thought sat heavy in my chest.I turned away, pacing around slowly.Back and forth. Back and forth.I was trying to shake off the thought, but to no use.It clung tightly i
Charlotte POV The morning sun filtered through the windows, casting a warm glow into the room.My eyes fluttered open, but I didn’t move there for a bit.I just laid there, staring upward, my body heavy and my mind restless. For a second, I thought about closing my eyes again and pretending none of it happened. Pretending none of that drama with Aiden never really happened.But even that felt like a lie.So I sat up.The air felt colder than it should have as my feet touched the floor. I pulled my robe closer around me and stood there for a moment, steadying myself before walking out.The hallway was empty, as it normally was by this time.I walked down the stairs slowly, my hand brushing the railing as I went. When I reached the living room, I paused for a bit, taking in the quiet peace…My gaze drifted toward the television without thinking, almost out of habit. I picked up the remote from the table and turned it on, not expecting anything.Maybe just noise to fill in the silenc
Hayden POVI couldn’t sit even for a full minute.I paced the length of my office and back for what felt like the hundredth time.Aiden. My half-brother. The man I had thought dead. How could he have this kind of hold over me? How could he walk into my life, act casually, and suddenly everything I’d worked for … everything Charlotte and I had built… feel as if it were teetering on a knife’s edge?I shook my head, forcing my thoughts back to reason.I couldn’t let him control me. I couldn’t allow him to use Charlotte and our unborn child to manipulate me, or the company. That much was non-negotiable.“Sir,” Lyra’s voice cut through my thoughts.I turned to see her standing in the doorway, her expression carefully neutral, though I knew she was tense. “He’s here,” she said simply. “Aiden is here for the meeting.”I inhaled deeply, pressing my fingers against my temples for a moment. “Alright,” I said, my voice low, controlled. “Let’s do this.”The room we met in was neutral. Here there







