LOGINHazel’s POVI woke up slowly, feeling a gentle warmth against my cheek. I was still curled up in the armchair beside Kai’s bed, my hand resting softly over his. When I looked up, I saw Kai staring down at me, a calm smile on his face. His fingers were gently twirling a strand of my hair."Morning, sleepyhead," Kai whispered, his voice quiet and raspy from sleep."Good morning," I murmured, stretching my neck and sitting up a little higher. "How are you feeling today? Are you in any pain?""I feel much better," he said, giving my hand a small squeeze. "Especially waking up with you right here."I smiled, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to his forehead. After everything we had been through over the past few weeks, sitting here with him in this quiet room felt like a blessing.Before I could say anything else, the heavy door to the VIP suite pushed open. Dr. Lorenzo walked in holding a metal clipboard, followed by a nurse carrying a fresh breakfast tray."Good morning, lovers," Dr
Melissa’s POVThe heavy oak door of Damon’s office clicked shut behind me, but the frantic sound of his pacing still echoed through the hall.I didn't stop to look back. I hurried up the grand staircase, my silk robe whispering against the marble steps, my heart hammering against my ribs. Damon was spiraling. He was making desperate phone calls to suppliers who laughed in his face, clinging to the pathetic hope that business negotiations could save us.He didn't get it. Hazel wasn't trying to do business—she was out for blood.Entering our private suite, I locked the door behind me, pulled my phone from my pocket, and dialed my mother’s private line. It barely rang twice before she picked up."Melissa?" Clara’s voice was sharp, immediate. "What’s wrong? It’s past ten at night.""We are running out of time, Mom," I whispered urgently, walking toward the balcony doors and staring out into the dark night. "Hazel has us trapped. She blocked every major supplier in the region under exclusi
Damon’s POVThe silence in my home office was heavy, broken only by the repeated, sharp clicks of my pen against the mahogany desk. Spread across the dark wood were supply sheets, delivery logs, and timeline charts.No matter how many times I recalculated, the result was the same. We were stuck."How is this possible?" I muttered to myself, shoving a hand through my hair.It wasn't like we didn't have any suppliers. I had spent the last two weeks signing contracts with smaller sub-suppliers and local vendors. But their delivery volumes were a joke. They brought in a fraction of the steel and concrete we needed. To meet the deadline for Grand Crest Towers, we needed the industry giants—the high-volume suppliers who could deliver tons of materials on a daily basis.And every single one of those major suppliers had suddenly backed out and put our orders on hold.I pulled up my contact list and dialed the head of Lombardi Machinery directly. I pressed the phone to my ear, listening to the
Sophia’s POVGazing over at the bed, I watched Hazel leaning close to Kai, her hand resting comfortably in his. They were speaking in quiet, low murmurs meant only for each other.Seeing them like this—finally peaceful, finally together without the weight of the past few days hanging over their heads—brought a warm, aching relief to my chest. But as my eyes flicked to the digital clock on the wall showing 11:25 PM, a heavy wave of exhaustion hit me.I stretched my arms over my head, letting out a soft yawn as I grabbed my purse from the armchair."Alright, lovers," I said, keeping my voice down as I stepped toward the bed. "As much as I love watching you two act like a couple in a cheesy romance novel, this big girl needs her sleep. I'm heading home."Hazel looked up, her brow instantly furrowing with concern. "Sophia, it’s past eleven. You’re going to drive all the way across the city by yourself this late? You look exhausted."I rolled my eyes playfully, waving a hand in the air. "P
Hazel’s POVI didn't care about the suite, the floating balloons, or the fact that there were half a dozen men standing in a semicircle around us. All I saw was Kai, sitting upright on the edge of the mattress, his dark eyes clear, focused, and fixed entirely on me.I rushed across the confetti-covered floor and threw my arms around his neck, burying my face into the crook of his shoulder."Careful, careful—his stitches!" Reed warned from behind us, but Kai didn't seem to give a single damn about his medical condition. His strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist, pulling me into him until there was zero space left between us, his face pressing deep into my hair.The moment I felt the solid, warm weight of him against me—the steady beat of his heart a
Hazel’s POV"What is it?" Sophia asked, her hand pausing on the car door handle as she noticed me completely frozen in place. "Hazel, you look like you just saw a ghost."My hands were trembling so badly I almost dropped the phone onto the leather seat. I stared down at the glowing text message, reading the six words over and over again to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me.Hello Hazel, Kai is awake. Come to the clinic as soon as possible."It's... it's Reed," I choked out, looking up at her with a blur of emotions hitting me all at once. "He called five times... and then he just texted. He says Kai is awake."Sophia’s mouth fell open. "What?! Really?!""I... I don't know, Soph. I don't believe it," I muttered, shaking my head as a strange wave of frustration washed over me. I locked the phone screen and shoved it back into my bag. "I'm not going back there."Sophia stared at me like I’d lost my mind. "Hazel, are you crazy? Reed wouldn't lie about something like that! Why
I stood at the top of the stairs, completely frozen, unable to move, unable to process what had just happened."No," I whispered. "No, no, no. Melissa!"I hadn't pushed her.I hadn't meant for this to happen.It was an accident.But she was lying at the bottom of the stairs, not moving, and Miss Mia
Damon left early in the morning.He didn't tell me where he was going or when he would be back. He just kissed Melissa goodbye at the kitchen table while I was making breakfast, and then he was gone. Gone to handle the Moretti family business. Gone to do whatever it was that men like him did when th
I couldn't sleep.I lay in the guest bedroom for hours, staring at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of the house. At some point around 2am, I gave up pretending and went downstairs to the living room. I curled up on one of the couches with a blanket, my mind racing with everything I had heard at
I didn't sleep that night. I lay in the guest bedroom, which had become my usual bedroom even though I was supposed to be married, and I listened to the sounds of the mansion settling around me. I listened to Damon's footsteps as he moved through the house. I listened to him talking on the phone to







