LOGINJaneJulius came home a few days later, looking distracted. It made me pause while setting the table for dinner."Everything okay?" I asked as he loosened his tie and pulled me in for a kiss."Fine," He said, but his brow was furrowed. "Just a weird day at the office. Small things going wrong that shouldn't be."I set down the plates and turned to face him fully. "What do you mean?""Nothing major," He said, shaking his head like he was trying to dismiss it. "Files that were supposed to be on my desk weren't there. A meeting with the Henderson group got rescheduled without my approval, and my assistant swears she didn't do it. The IT department had to reset my login credentials because someone tried to access my account."My stomach tightened. "Someone tried to access your account?""They said it was probably just a phishing attempt that got flagged automatically," Julius said, but he didn't sound convinced. "The security team is looking into it, but there's no sign of an actual bre
JaneLife felt almost too perfect sometimes, like I was waiting for something to go wrong even though nothing was.My company had closed three major deals in the past month, each one more significant than the last. The team I had built was exceptional, and watching them work together felt like witnessing something I had created from nothing become so powerful.Theo was thriving. He had adjusted beautifully to school and came home every day with stories about his friends and paintings he insisted we display on the refrigerator. Julius was the same steady presence he had always been. Every morning, I woke up in his arms, and every night, I fell asleep knowing I was exactly where I belonged.The security upgrades from Hudson's threat had become part of our normal routine. I barely noticed the additional cameras anymore, and Theo thought the security guards were his personal friends who waved at him every morning.I sat in my office at JNE Marketing on a Thursday afternoon, reviewing co
HudsonA couple of guards came for me during the afternoon count which was unusual. Nothing happened during count except standing by your bunk while they verified you were still breathing and hadn't managed to tunnel out.These weren't the regular guards though. I recognized one of them as Mitchell, the guard I had been paying off for months, and the other was someone I had never seen before."Armstrong," Mitchell's voice was flat and professional. "Come with us."The other inmates watched as I was pulled from my cell. I saw curiosity and calculation in their eyes. Being singled out in prison was never good. It either meant you were getting special treatment, which made you a target, or you were in trouble, which also made you a target."Where are we going?" I asked as they led me down the corridor away from the main cell block."Quiet." The other guard snapped.Mitchell said nothing, but there was something in his expression that made my stomach tighten. He looked nervous. Mitchel
JaneI got an email on a Tuesday morning while I was doing some work in my home office. It was from Victoria's executive assistant.It was formal and professional, proposing a meeting between our three companies to discuss potential collaboration on an upcoming industry initiative. It was not a merger or a takeover, just a straightforward business proposal that made sense for all parties involved.I read it twice, then forwarded it to Julius with a simple message. "What do you think?"His response came back within minutes. "Your call, but it's a good opportunity."I scheduled the meeting for the following week.The conference room at Julius's building was neutral territory, large enough for all three executive teams without feeling crowded. Victoria arrived first, then Julius and I arrived together showing a united front.Victoria stood when we entered, and I noticed the subtle shift in her demeanor. She was still commanding and brilliant, but the edge of hostility was gone. She e
JaneI got a call a few days after Derek was taken into custody. The District Attorney's office had built a case against Hudson that was airtight. Conspiracy to commit kidnapping, bribery of a correctional officer, and solicitation of violence against a minor. Derek had given them everything in exchange for a plea deal, including recorded conversations and messages that left no room for doubt.Hudson's sentence was being extended by fifteen years minimum, with the possibility of more depending on additional charges the investigation was uncovering.Julius told me the news in our bedroom, his arms wrapped around me as we stood by the window overlooking the garden where Theo was playing under the watchful eyes of two security guards."It's over," He said quietly. "Hudson won't be a threat to our family again."I leaned back against his chest, watching our son laugh as he chased a butterfly. "Because of Victoria.""Yes," Julius's voice sounded complicated. "Because of Victoria."I hadn
JuliusI stared at Victoria for a long moment, searching her face for any hint of deception or manipulation. She looked exhausted. Her makeup was smudged from crying and her perfectly styled hair was slightly disheveled. This wasn't the polished, calculating woman who had been waging war against me for weeks. This was someone genuinely shaken, but I didn't trust easily. Especially not when it came to my family."Why should I believe you?" I asked, my voice low and controlled. "You've spent weeks trying to destroy my company and undermine my marriage. For all I know, this is another play."Victoria's jaw tightened. "Because if I wanted to hurt you, I would go after your business or your reputation, not fabricate a threat against a child. I have lines I don't cross, Julius. Apparently, Hudson doesn't."I looked down at my phone, scrolling through the files she had sent. Surveillance photos of Derek outside my home. Message screenshots that were vague but threatening. A timeline that
JaneJulius froze. For one terrible, endless moment, his lips were still against mine and his body was rigid with shock. I had made a mistake. A horrible and irreversible mistake. I was kissing my fiancé's father. The man who was supposed to become my father-in-law in less than twenty minutes. Wh
JaneJulius Armstrong's piercing grey gaze locked with mine, and I didn’t think it was possible, but the humiliation grew even worse. It wasn't enough that I had caught my fiancé fucking my best friend minutes before our wedding. It wasn't enough that Hudson had kept going, had mocked me and had
JaneThe woman staring back at me in the mirror looked like a bride. White lace clung to curves I had learned to hide and to despise. My auburn hair was pinned into an elegant updo that had taken the stylist two hours. My makeup had been carefully applied to make my green eyes look less tired and
HudsonI straightened my tie in the bathroom mirror, checking my reflection with satisfaction. I was perfectly composed and there was not a strand of hair out of place. No one would ever know I had just spent the last twenty minutes balls-deep in my fiancée's best friend.Maribel emerged from the







