ログインGwen's POV Lunch with Mia was exactly what I promised Nick it would be. A controlled break. A public place. A conversation that looked normal to anyone watching from the outside. Mia talked about the chaos at headquarters. The sideways glances. How certain members of the board had already settled on their version before any investigation had even begun. I listened, responded, sorted priorities in my head the way I always did. But under the table, my leg wouldn't stop bouncing. Every sentence from Mia was a reminder that time had become the enemy. That I was fighting two wars at once. The one making headlines and the one happening inside a house in Montelira, behind a locked door. Matthew's plan was still there, spinning, fitting pieces together on its own, like my brain didn't know how to shut off. He was right about one thing. We could still catch her. Just not today. Not right now. Today I was putting the plan in a mental drawer and locking it. Today I was going to be a w
Gwen's POV The next day, I went back to Kensington headquarters. Not because I was pretending things were normal. Normal ended the moment my name made headlines next to the word kidnapping. And because we had agreed. No messages, no calls, no dramatic voice notes. In person. Renee wasn't just vindictive, she was smart. She understood how a small piece could turn into an avalanche if you pushed it down the right slope. And I had no idea how far her reach extended. I only knew that underestimating her was a luxury I couldn't afford. If Renee got her hands on my phone, on a message thread, on any sentence of mine taken out of context, she would turn it into evidence of harassment. I took a breath and decided. No ammunition. Just action. So I walked into the building with my heart in my throat. The elevator took me to the executive floor and, for a second, I felt the physical dissonance. That hallway was still mine, but the chair at the end of it wasn't. My name was on the
Renee's POV "What?" he replied, too quickly. "No one sent me… I saw your profile and… and…" I tilted my head, just enough for him to understand what I was hearing. And judging. "You're cute, you know that?" I said with a small smile. "But you don't know how to lie." He blinked. I finished, unhurried, like someone who had already reached the end of the road. "It was Kensington, wasn't it?" "Who?" he shot back, feigning confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about." I let the silence do its work. Men always give themselves away in the space between the question and the answer. In that space, the body decides. And his body had decided badly. Of course it was. Of course it was Gwen. For some reason, she erased the real Bella. And that was exactly why she was dangerous. Because love made Bella obey without fear. Made my daughter trust. Made my daughter choose. And choice was the one luxury I could not allow that child to have. And I saw, even more clearly
Matthew's POV I should have said no. Not because of what it was, because I had already learned, in practice, that a child's life weighs more than any personal discomfort. I should have said no because of the setting. Because of the COO chair that still felt too big beneath my back. Because of the irony of wearing a suit chosen for a meeting and not for… this. And most of all because only Gwen could put me in a position that required cold blood, a strong stomach, and a very specific kind of courage. The kind that meant stepping into the territory of her worst enemy and not losing control. I stopped in front of the house and looked at the intercom. Address confirmed. My finger hovered for a second. It was ridiculous. I had dealt with worse. Negotiated with people who smiled while calculating how to destroy you. Walked through airports with the wrong documents and the perfect excuse. Worked in a country where a single mistake could get you deported. And still, pressi
Renee's POV After the incident, Isabella got worse. Not worse in the pretty way people like to pretend they understand. Traumatized. Sensitive. In need of comfort. No. Worse in the practical sense. More alert. More suspicious. Harder to bend. Before, I had a child who complained and then obeyed. Now, I had a child who watched. And a child who watched became a risk. I had already managed to sidestep the negligence narrative once. That whole "orchestrated kidnapping" story had worked better than I expected, because it was exactly what people wanted to believe. That the rich, pregnant, meddling wife was jealous. That the father had been complicit. That the girl had been used like a pawn. It was a spectacle. And I was good at spectacle. But spectacle doesn't survive repetition. Isabella needed to fall back in line. She needed to become predictable again. That night, she was sitting on the living room rug with a set of blocks scattered around her. Building something th
Gwen's POV "No way." Matthew said it like I had just asked him to burn down Kensington headquarters and run through the lobby with a fire extinguisher in his hands. I leaned back in the chair and watched the scene with a calm that wasn't calm. The office was my office. Same desk, same view, the same corner where I kept a mug I never actually used. Except now, I was sitting on the opposite side of the desk. It felt wrong. Not because of pride. Because of instinct. My body knew exactly where I sat when I was the one in charge. And on the other side was Matthew. At least it was him. At least when I looked at that occupied chair, I saw someone I trusted enough not to feel like they were stealing my skin. Mia was still standing, leaning against the bookshelf, with that posture of someone ready to laugh and ready to bite in the same sentence. Dante was sprawled in the armchair like this was a social call and not a conversation that could change a child's life. Matthew,
Gwen's POV The apartment door closed behind me with a soft, final click, sealing off another exhausting day. I tossed my purse onto the couch, kicked off the heels that had tortured my feet for the past twelve hours, and padded barefoot into the kitchen. The apartment was quiet. Just the low hum
Nicholas' POV I was out in the courtyard checking the salt levels on the steps. The last thing I needed was another accident. That's when I heard the sound of a car pulling in. I turned and immediately recognized Gwen's sleek black car parking near the main entrance. Gwen was behind the wheel, a
Gwen's POV The family TV room was small and cozy, completely different from the common area where the guests gathered. It had a big, sagging couch covered in wool blankets, an old but working TV mounted on the wall, and shelves filled with Bella's DVDs and toys. It was clearly a private, intimate
Nicholas' POV It was Wednesday morning, and I was thinking about Gwen. In truth, I hadn't stopped thinking about her since I'd let her walk away like that. Since I'd watched her head back into the house, her back straight despite the pain I knew she was feeling. Since I'd heard her car leave the







