LOGIN87. Don't Tell Lucien I said ThatLucien was halfway through excusing himself from the old investor when his phone buzzed. No reply from Dahlia. He scanned the room once, found her table empty, and started walking.He didn't get far before he ran into Liam.The air shifted. Not harshly. Not comfortably either. Just shifted.The brothers looked at each other."You're alive," Liam finally found his tongue."I won't die easily," was Lucien's reply.They stood there, not saying anything, just looking at each other in a different kind of way now. Not acceptance. More like a hard-to-accept kind of way."She's at the balcony. East side," Liam said.Lucien's jaw worked in irritation. "I know."Liam smirked and walked past him. Two steps past him when Lucien said, "Thank you."Liam stiffened. He hadn't expected that. Not from his brother. Not from the arrogant Lucien Voss.He clenched his fists. "She would have been the most hurt if anything ever happened to you," he said. "I couldn't bear to
86. The Side He Chose."You're going to hurt the glass Sasha" the voice came from behind, deep but not like she remembered. She stilled for just a second. Then, brought the rim to her lips. "Liam" she said and sipped from it. "The floor is pulsing with life. Aren't you going to attend to it?" She heard the sound of metal clink open behind her, then was closed almost immediately. "Smoking is prohibited here Liam" Sasha said. Liam cocked his head to the side. "I have never abided by rules". "But that doesn't seem to be the same when it comes to Dahlia". Liam took a slow drag from his cigarette, his eyes shifting to the figure standing beside Lucien, her eyes shining as though Lucien was the only thing in the room. He took his eyes away and rested them on something insignificant in the room. "The party is starting" he said quietly. Sasha's lips stretched into a line. "Alright", she said. "I will be downstairs". Liam said nothing. Sasha walked towards the door, her heels clickin
85. Under Flashing LightsDusk of the next day slid in quietly. Orange and violet streaks flashed across the sky, the soft evening rays slipping through the windows of Dahlia's penthouse. "You're putting more effort this time" Kimberly's voice came from the side. Dahlia didn't turn to look, as the stylist was doing something serious on her face. She only managed something close to a smile. "Is it because of—""Oh Kim" Dahlia cut her off. "No! It's not because of Lucien"Kimberly paused and looked at her friend for the fraction of a second, then burst out into a train of laughter. Dahlia rolled her eyes. "I wasn't even going to call his name" Kimberly said. "What?" A sudden heat warmed her cheek and spine."I was going to mention Sasha and how you didn't want to look any less than her...but then..." Kimberly sneered. "I hate you" Dahlia muttered. "I love you too" she said with a soft chuckle. A heartbeat passed. Dahlia's eyes schooled into something more serious. Sharper. "I
84. VIP "I thought you loved her" Sasha had asked. "I did. I still do. But I only just realized that sometimes, it's still okay not to have everything" he paused. His jaw worked quietly. "Sometimes, it's just okay to be happy because they're happy". That was his reply. Calm. Soft. Nothing like the man who stood in her living room some minutes ago. Sasha stood there for a full minute after he left. Whatever had happened some minutes ago was the least of what she expected. Liam hadn't reacted as strongly as she had thought he would. He didn't lash out. He didn't growl at her and sound crazy and tell her that he would kill her if she doesn't stop going after Dahlia. He was cool headed. And Sasha didn't like it. In fact, for some reason, she preferred the crazy Liam who was twisted and did things that harmed others. But now...Her hands tightened at her sides. "It's all that bitch's fault" she murmured. Her gaze lingered on the space where he had stood. She shut her eyes and i
83. Whatever this is....The black SUV pulled to a quiet halt in front of Dahlia's penthouse. A click and Dahlia was out of the car. Lucien followed. Neither of them spoke immediately. "I'm home now" Dahlia said, trying to keep her eyes on Lucien's. "I know that" he said. "I just need to make sure you got in safely". Dahlia heaved a small sigh. "You're overdoing it" "Overdoing what?""This". Her hand moved vaguely between them. "Whatever this is."Lucien didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took a step forward. "You almost left this morning."Dahlia blinked. "Lucien—""You almost walked out of my life before breakfast." His voice wasn't dramatic. If anything, it was too calm. "Forgive me if I'm not pretending that didn't happen."Her lips twitched into a pout—something she hadn't planned.Without another word, she turned on her heel and headed toward the entrance.She made it three steps.Then stopped.Lucien watched her turn back around."Don't forget to take your medicine.
82. Not the headlinesThe sky was already dark when Dahlia finally raised her head from her laptop.Her eyes met Lucien in that instant. He was sleeping.She almost chuckled at the sight.Something happened in her chest that she didn't quite plan. But didn't hate either.Right. The doctor had said three days but this was just the second day and he was already moving around. A small sigh left her lips.She turned on her seat and stood quietly, her eyes catching the trail of activity downstairs through the office window. Cars flying past. A couple coming out of a cafe across the street. A truck halting in front of a high-end store.Then her eyes went to the billboard screen on one of the skyscrapers and she went still for a fraction of a second.There she was. Sasha, smiling broadly at the cameras, saying something Dahlia couldn't catch from here. But she didn't need to.The headline already said enough.Sasha Vale, the new CEO of Vale Enterprises, effective as of today.Dahlia only arc
34. The smile he lost....Morning came quickly. Too quickly. Dahlia stood at the veranda, a cup of her favorite coffee in hand. Her mind was everywhere, thoughts scattering in every direction no matter how hard she tried to keep them together. Her phone chimed. She sighed in relief. A distractio
32. Nothing Exhilarating...Their eyes rested on each other's—Lucien and Dahlia— for just a fraction of a second. In that breathless pause, everything unsaid pressed between them. Then they stood. Elegant. Composed. Untouchable. Exactly the way two people with too much history were expected to
31. Glances, Gold and Glasses...The dinner was meant to mark a new beginning. But instead, it gathered too many unfinished things in one room. The venue sat high above the city, glass walls holding in soft gold lights and quiet power. Executives from DAH Global mingled with members of the Voss E
29. Home, on the line...Liam stood there for a moment too long. His gaze flickered once to his reflection in the pool before resting on the spot his mother had left from. A marriage proposal. And not just any proposal. But one to the woman he has ever loved. Dahlia Winters. An offer he wasn't sup







