LOGINWyatt's POV“Well, that was me.”Nobody reacted at first. Then I heard someone near the back of the table, barely above a whisper."Wyatt Kane?"Nobody stood, or reached for anything but the energy in the room changed completely.Every eye that had been locked on Avery swung toward me. The organizer with his hands flat on the table leaned forward a little, the journalist with her pen still raised, Elise Laurent straightened her back. All of them recalculating. My gaze moved between the organizers, my voice stayed calm and even. "If you're making decisions based on that photo, then you should at least get it right." Nobody spoke, so I gave them the rest."We're together."No further explanation, no backstory, no details about when or how or why it wasn't public yet. They didn't need any of that. They needed one thing and I'd given it to them. One of the organizers leaned back in his chair, shoulders dropping. Another reached up and adjusted his glasses with shaking hands. The journa
Avery's POVThe room went quiet when I walked in, not the calm kind of quiet. The kind that meant they had already decided everything before I arrived.Chairs lined up in a neat row. Papers spread across the long table. I looked down at the one closest to me and my name stared back at me in big black letters. The collaboration had already been cut in half and this was the half they were keeping.Nobody greeted me, nobody smiled. They all watched me pull out the chair and sit down.Elise was already there, sitting slightly to the side, back straight, hands folded on the table. She was seated like she was a witness, not a participant. An organizer cleared his throat, his palm pressed flat on the table. "We'll keep this brief."I looked at him and didn't say anything."Last night's show performed extremely well." He said, letting it hang in the air for a moment. "Buyers are interested, the press coverage is strong till today."I nodded once, already knowing what was coming. "Which is
Avery’s POVAnother voice cut in from behind. “Not just adjust.”I turned.Another organizer had stepped in. He looked straight at me, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t bother lowering his voice.“We’ll pull you from the closing events,” he said. “Unless this is resolved by tomorrow evening.”My fingers curled at my sides, nails pressing into my palm.“Resolved how?” I asked.He held my gaze without blinking, expression unreadable.“You control the narrative,” his hands dropped to his sides. “Before it controls the rest of the week.”“Because right now,” he added, glancing briefly at the corridor behind me, “this is becoming bigger than your show.”I let out a slow breath, and my face steady despite the tightness in my chest.“Understood.”The first organizer gave a small nod, his shoulder relaxing a little. “We’ll expect clarity by morning.”The corridor didn't empty after they walked away, the atmosphere just changed. People were still standing around, they were still talk
Avery’s POVI couldn’t move. I just stood there, staring at the screen.The photo was clear enough. I was outside my apartment. Someone's hands on my face. The kiss looked deep and real. But the headline underneath it made my stomach turn over completely."Monochrome CEO Arielle Montreaux Caught Kissing Unknown Man."The unknown man was Wyatt Kane!I checked the picture again. The angle was bad, his face turned just enough away from the camera that they couldn't see who it was. All they saw was a man, tall with dark hair and broad shoulders. That was not enough for anyone who did not know already. "Where did this come from?" My voice came out even, despite the panic rising in my chest.My assistant twisted her hand together. “Anonymous account. It was posted thirty minutes ago."Thirty minutes, while I was backstage with tears burning my eyes and my team shouting how incredible the show was. While I was still breathing through the relief of it, someone had already lit the match.I l
Avery’s POVThe backstage was louder than usual. Voices filled the air. People moved fast in different directions. Energy buzzed all around like electricity. Tension and excitement mixed together. My show was tonight. Not in two days like we planned. Tonight, in an hour, in minutes. I stood in the middle of it all, my heart beating fast. Models were seated. Twenty of them. Tall, composed, and trained, some of them looked a little nervous. Stylists rushed around them, fixed hair, did final touches of their makeup, adjusting clothes, shoes, and accessories. Everything had to be perfect. I moved through them myself, not waiting for anyone else, adjusted a neckline, pulled a hem, fixed a strap, and switched two looks entirely. “No, switch those,” I said, pointing to outfits on the rack. “That one goes last.” My team moved with me. They worked fast and smoothly. We had done shows before. But never with this kind of pressure, never with this many eyes watching.My assistant leaned in
Avery’s POVThe plane touched down just after noon.I looked out the window at the city stretching below, London looked grey and endless, but alive buzzing with an energy I could almost feel through the glass. This was Fashion Week. The biggest moment of my career waited right outside that window.I grabbed my bag and followed the team off the plane. Elise walked beside me. She stayed calm and collected as always, like it was another day for her. She had done this many times before, she knew how it worked.I was still learning how to breathe through it."Ready?" she asked, glancing at me with a small smile."As ready as I'll ever be.”My voice sounded steady, but I wasn’t.The hotel lobby was grand with shiny marble floors, everything gleaming under the warm light. Staff moved around like they followed a dance. My assistant took care of check-in while I stood to the side watching people come in and out. Buyers, editors, and other designers. Everyone wore faces that said they belonge
Avery’s POVI backed away from the storage room quickly but before I could reach the door, Jessica ended the call and turned around. She saw me standing at the entrance.“Oh! Avery! You scared the hell out of me.” She pressed a hand to her chest and laughed.My mouth went dry. “Sorry, I…I needed na
Nate’s POVWe landed in New York after cutting the honeymoon short by three days to take care of the mess my so-called wife had created.Celeste clung to my arm with her flawless smile in place for the cameras waiting outside the moment we stepped out of the terminal. Flashes from the cameras were
Nate’s POVOne week in Paris was done, now we are in Italy, the second stop on this endless honeymoon.I sat on the hotel balcony with my laptop open to the same articles I’d read a dozen times already. Jason Shortman’s attempted murder case against Celeste, the police reports, hospital records an
Avery’s POVThe bus pulled into Ridgefield station just past midnight.Nina waited by her car, her arms were crossed against the cold night air. When she saw me stepping out of the bus with my two bags, relief washed over her face. She rushed over and pulled me into a tight hug.“Thank God you’re o







