ANMELDENLaura's POVI had my dinner and headed straight to my room.The routine had become embarrassingly familiar.First, the windows.I checked every lock twice.Then the closet.I slid the doors open and stared into the darkness between the hanging clothes.Nothing.Under the bed next.I crouched, ignoring the pull in my healing wrist, and looked beneath it.Still nothing.Finally, the bathroom.Shower curtain.Cabinets.Behind the door.Empty.Only then did I allow myself to breathe.Only then did I allow myself to close the bedroom door and lean against it.This was my life now.Checking corners.Checking shadows.Checking every room as though someone was waiting to kill me.A week ago I would have laughed if someone told me I'd become this paranoid.Now it was normal.Now it was survival.I walked toward the bed and carefully sat down.My wrist still hurt.The doctor had assured me it would heal.That didn't stop it from throbbing every time I moved it wrong.The kidnapping had left beh
Hemsworth's POVOutraged didn't even begin to cover it.Furious humiliated and disrespected, didn't even begin to cover it.None of those words came close to describing the boiling emotion spilling through me as I stepped out of the car.Days.That motherfucker had kept me locked up for days.All because he thought I had something to do with Laura's kidnapping.Me.I slammed the car door hard enough to make my bodyguard flinch."Sir—""Not now."I stalked toward the front entrance of my house.The moment the door opened, I stepped inside and slammed it shut behind me.The sound echoed through the foyer.Immediately, movement caught my attention.Ember stood from the couch.A bright smile spread across her face."Hemsworth!"She hurried toward me.One hand rested protectively over her stomach.The other reached for my arm."You're home."I barely looked at her.I kept walking."Hemsworth?"My bodyguard quietly excused himself and disappeared toward the security wing of the house.Leav
Quinn's POVElena's eyes scanned mine for a moment as she weighed my reaction.For three long seconds she looked completely caught off guard.Then, slowly, she regained her composure.She cleared her throat and straightened the files in her arms."Hypothetically, sir," she began carefully, "I'd suggest maybe a secret admirer of yours."I stopped what I was doing."A secret admirer?""Yes."I leaned back in my chair.She continued."They feel threatened by your fiancée and simply want her out of the picture because the love story isn't really authentic. Some say she doesn't deserve"Silence settled between us.I stared at her.That was a perspective I hadn't even considered.Not once.Not ever.The person behind this could be a love-crazed fan.The thought settled heavily in my mind.Annoyingly enough, it made sense.It wasn't the worst theory I'd heard.In fact, it explained certain things surprisingly well.The obsession.The persistence.The constant attempts to remove Laura rather
Laura's POVThe moment I reached for the envelope, everything happened at once."Wait!"One of the guards practically lunged forward.Before my fingers could even touch the paper, two of them gently but firmly grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back.I blinked."What the hell?"The envelope remained in the hands of the third guard."I was just opening it.""I'm sorry, ma'am," one of them said immediately. "You can't do that."I stared at him."Can't do what?""Open the envelope."I looked from one guard to another."Why?""Mr. Cardiff has to see it first."I almost laughed."Are you serious?"None of them laughed.Not even a little.Their faces remained completely blank.The realization slowly settled in.They were serious."How would we know if it's dangerous if nobody opens it?" I asked."Exactly why Mr. Cardiff has to see it first."I groaned."That makes absolutely no sense.""It's standard protocol, ma'am."Standard protocol.I was beginning to hate those two words.Everything lat
Laura's POVIf I thought the rumors were bad on my first day back, they were unbearable now.Every day seemed worse than the one before it.And the worst part?Nobody even tried to hide it anymore.At first, people whispered when they thought I couldn't hear them.Now they whispered right in front of me.As if I wasn't there.As if I wasn't a real person.As if I was some strange tragedy they had all bought tickets to watch.Filming was slowly coming to an end, and instead of feeling excited about finishing such a major project, I felt exhausted.Completely exhausted.I was tired of the stares.Tired of the rumors.Tired of being looked at like I was cursed.It wasn't my fault.None of it was.I hadn't asked for any of this.I hadn't asked for threats.I hadn't asked for someone to sneak into my room and nearly strangle me.I hadn't asked to be kidnapped.I hadn't asked to spend days tied to a chair wondering if I was going to survive.And yet somehow I was the one carrying all the sh
Quinn's POVEverything seemed to be adjusting back to normal.Or at least as normal as things could possibly get after a kidnapping.Laura was back on set.The security team had doubled.The private investigator was still digging into every possible lead.The men we had captured were still refusing to speak.And that was exactly the problem.Nothing was actually normal.Because we still didn't know who had done it.I stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows of my office, my jaw tight.The city stretched endlessly beyond the glass.Normally the view helped me think.Today it just irritated me.Someone had kidnapped Laura.Someone had threatened her.Someone had tried to erase her entire life.And despite all my money, all my resources, all my influence, I still couldn't put a name to the face responsible.That pissed me off more than I cared to admit.The door opened quietly.I didn't turn immediately.I already knew who it was.Elena.She stepped into the office carrying several folder
Laura’s POV I laid on my bed motionless. I was tired of feeling and most importantly tired of thinking.. I wasn’t even sure how long I had just laid there. My head ached with how much I had cried and how many different scenarios I had imagined to see if things were different. What I would have
Quinn’s POVI stared at him, completely gobsmacked as the weight of what he said settled quietly into the room.“You think Elena is behind the text messages?”Devon rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Again, sir, it’s just a hunch.”A low chuckle escaped me at the nervous look on his face. I le
Laura’s POVThe driver was already parked right in front of the studio entrance when I walked out.I moved slowly.Carefully.Like someone carrying the entire weight of the world on her back.‘Grow up, Laura’.Thomas’s voice rang inside my head so loudly it almost felt physical.My whole body shive
Quinn’s POV“And what exactly is the estimated budget?” I asked, flipping through the file in front of me without really seeing any of the words.The boardroom was silent for a second before Elena adjusted her glasses and spoke.“About two hundred million dollars, sir.”I nodded once.“Check with m







