LOGINVANESSA'S POVThe elevator doors slid shut behind me, and the moment they did, I let the mask drop.My shoulders caved first. Then the careful set of my jaw, the practiced coolness behind my eyes, all of it crumbled the second the mirrored walls closed me in. I stared at my own reflection and barely recognized the woman looking back. My lips are still perfect. My lashes still curled. The red dress is still doing exactly what red dresses were designed to do.But underneath all of it?It's a Wreckage.I pressed two fingers against my temple and closed my eyes. The lobby numbers ticked down above the doors. Thirty-two. Thirty-one. Thirty.She's going to be a problem.That thought had started as a whisper the moment Daniel's little houseguest was in the room. I had expected someone temporary. Someone who was just for the time being, the kind of woman men like Daniel kept around when he felt stuck. I had not expected the quiet steadiness in her eyes. The way she hadn't flinched. She hadn't
Serena's POVThe bedroom door had barely closed behind me before my legs gave out their confidence.I sat on the edge of the bed, as my hands folded in my lap, staring at nothing. Lila sat beside me without a word. That was one of the things I had always loved about her. She never rushed in with noise when silence was what was needed. She simply sat, her shoulder warm against mine, and let the moment breathe."You okay?" she asked finally, her voice soft."I don't know." I said honestly. I pressed my fingers together and looked down at them. "Who was she, Lila? The way she looked at me–" I paused, searching for the right word. "It wasn't just dislike. It was something personal. Like I had taken something that belonged to her."Lila was quiet for a moment. "Lila.""I don't know the full story," she said carefully. "But I think she's an ex. The tension between them was crazy." She reached over and squeezed my hand once. "But it shouldn't bother you. Daniel has his eyes on you." I want
Daniel's POVThe study door clicked shut behind us, sending a heavy sound that seemed to echo the storm raging inside my chest. Vanessa stood in the middle of the room, her designer heels striking the hardwood once as she faced me. The dim lighting carved sharp shadows across her face, catching the sharp line of her jaw, the calculating light in her eyes. She was still beautiful but whatever spell that beauty had once cast over me had burned itself out a long time ago.I didn't have time for this.Not today. Serena was downstairs with Elena and Lila. My entire world felt shaky now and the last thing I needed was Vanessa's chaos thrown into the middle of it."What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded, my voice low and cold, stripped of every courtesy I might have once offered her. "I told you we were done. I sent you money. That was the end of it. There is nothing left between us."She didn't answer with words.Instead, she moved. Two steps. It was deliberate and quick, closing the
Serena’s POVI woke up slowly, as the soft morning light creeped through the curtains of my bedroom. My body felt deliciously sore in all the right places, a reminder of the passionate night we had shared. As my eyes opened slowly, I found Daniel already awake, already propped up on one elbow, staring at me with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat. His dark eyes were fixed on my face, as if he had been watching me sleep for hours. A small, sleepy smile tugged at my lips. “You have to stop staring at me when I’m sleeping,” I murmured slowly, my voice still husky from sleep. “Isn't it cute?” He asked.“It’s creepy, Daniel.” I replied smiling.He didn’t smile back immediately.Instead, his gaze darkened with that familiar possessive hunger. “I can’t stop,” he said, his voice low and rough. “You look so peaceful. I could watch you forever.”Before I could tease him further, he leaned down and captured my mouth in a deep, hungry kiss. The kiss started slow but quickly turned heated
Daniel’s POVI left Elena in the living room with a quiet good night, my footsteps echoing down the hallway as I walked away. She had tried to keep the conversation going, but I needed space. My sister’s sudden return had stirred up too many old memories right from the day our mother left, the cold boarding school she was sent to, the lonely mansion grandmother raised me in. Elena had spent years trying to rebuild what was broken, reaching out again and again, while I pushed her away every single time. I told myself it was protection. That keeping her at a distance meant keeping her safe from my world. But tonight, watching her laugh with Serena and Lila, something inside me cracked. I cared about her. Deeply. More than I ever let myself admit. But I couldn’t tell her that.Not yet.She is going torture me with it for the tight of my life.As I walked toward my room, my mind kept circling back to what she had said about being engaged. Engaged. The word sounded funny and strange to m
Elena's POVBy the time we finally returned to the penthouse, my feet were killing me.The shopping bags hanging from my arms felt twice as heavy as they had at the mall, and every muscle in my body ached from hours of walking.But somehow, I still couldn't stop smiling.The entire day had been exactly what I needed.For the first time in weeks, I had forgotten about guest lists, wedding planners, venue disasters, and the endless pressure that seemed determined to crush the joy out of wedding preparations.Instead, I spent the day laughing with Serena and Lila.And they felt like my future family.The thought warmed my chest.As we stepped inside the penthouse, Serena immediately kicked off her shoes with a relieved groan."Oh thank God."Lila followed suit as she dropped into one of the couches dramatically."I swear if anyone asks me to walk another step today, I'm filing a lawsuit." She groaned as she rubbed her feet.I burst into laughter as I collapsed on the couch next to her."You
Daniel’s POVMy memory flushed of Serena’s cheeks in Cartier, her awe at the glittering displays, clashed with the saleswoman’s disrespectful dismissal in Chanel. That bitch’s faint sneer, the way she’d slid the pink flap bag away from Serena like she was some thief, had lit a fuse in me. Serena m
Serena’s POV I’m with him now, and we’re shopping in midtown, strolling past the luxury designer shops, me having to stop and look in every single window, marveling at the gorgeous luxurious displays. I've never been here in my entire life.No.I've never dreamt of coming here in my life.Some of
Serena’s POVThe faint hum of voices yanked me from a restless sleep. The morning light barely pierces the grimy curtains of my East End apartment. My head ached from the way that asshole grabbed my hair at Neon Nights last night, Daniel Hawthorne’s brutal retaliation, and Mr. Shawn’s suspension cr
Serena’s POVMy hands shook, with my pink lace bodysuit clinging to my sweat-damp skin as Lila’s arms wrapped around me. The memory of the VIP’s rough hands, his sour kiss, and his violent grip on my hair still burned through me. I had kicked him where it hurt and fled, but the violation clung lik







