MasukROBYN I quickly lower the gun into the cabinet, sliding it out of sight and making sure it’s properly hidden before shutting the door and rising to my feet. I make a mental note to secure it back where it belongs. Exhaling slowly, I realize I’ve been holding my breath for the past several seconds. Monique, still oblivious to the fact that I’m home, casually strolls past the open kitchen doorway, too engrossed in whatever the guy on the other end of the phone is telling her. Then she takes a step back. She peers into the kitchen, her eyes widening in surprise. “Robyn? You’re home?” Her phone drops to her side as she steps fully into the kitchen. I shrug, grinning at her. Monique quickly brings the phone back to her ear. “I’m gonna call you back,” she tells whoever she’s speaking to before hanging up. “Oh my God!” She practically screams, going into full-on Monique mode as she throws her arms around me, shrieking so loudly that my ears protest for their own safety. Her desi
ROBYNFor a moment, I can’t breathe.Cold fear slithers down my spine as I stare at the small box in my hand.Then, slowly, reality begins to sink in, and I can almost feel the carefully constructed life I’ve built for myself crumbling before my eyes.They’ve found me.The realization hits me like a bucket of ice-cold water dumped over my head.I always knew this day would come. The day my past would claw its way into my new life and threaten to ruin everything. I just didn’t think it would happen this soon.The moment I received that call outside the club in LA, the second I heard her voice whisper the one name I thought I’d buried forever, I knew.It was only the beginning.And then, at the wedding, I felt a presence. Something familiar. Something that belonged to my past.Watching me.I thought I was being paranoid.But the little gift in my hands tells me otherwise.She was there.She watched me interact with his family. Watched me dance and laugh. Watched me in the arms of a man
ROBYN By the time we arrive in New York, I’m exhausted. As soon as the jet touches down at a private aviation terminal just outside the city, Dominique is already helping me to my feet, his fingers locking with mine as we make our way off the plane. Ross, Dominique’s driver, is waiting beside a tinted Rolls-Royce parked on the tarmac, sunglasses firmly in place and his hands loosely clasped in front of his waist as he watches us approach. I recognize the Rolls immediately. It’s the very one I rammed my car into. The car that brought this man into my life. A small, playful smile slips onto my lips as I look at it. Dominique notices. He doesn’t say anything, but I don’t miss the answering smile tugging at his own lips. It’s evening now, the sun sinking toward the horizon as the cold air carries the distant sounds of traffic. As Dominique walks me toward his Rolls-Royce, Leonardo and Oliver head for a black Maserati parked nearby, another driver already holding the back door o
DOMINIQUE I find Leo at the bar, a drink sitting in front of him as he stares at the glass like it personally offended him. He’s hunched over the counter, fingers tapping absently against the marble. Mild irritation still lingers across his features, but underneath it, he just looks weary. Oliver is nowhere to be found. And I need to fucking talk to him. As I approach, Leo lifts his glass of dark amber liquid to his lips and drains what’s left in one gulp before setting it down harder than necessary. “Think you’ve had enough?” I ask, taking the seat beside him. I sling an arm around his shoulders before picking up the empty glass and bringing it to my nose. Fuck. That’s some strong shit. I motion the bartender over with a flick of my wrist. “A bottle of water for my brother and a whiskey for me.” “Of course, sir.” He gets to work. “I’m not drunk, Dom,” Leo groans. He leans back on his stool, elbows against the counter, dragging a palm over his face before
DOMINIQUE I built my empire knowing everything. Every secret. Every lie. Every skeleton buried deep. Knowledge is power. And I’ve spent years making damn sure I’m never the one left in the dark. Yet the woman sitting across from me, sleeping so peacefully, is the one thing I can’t seem to decipher. Robyn Denver started as a game. A dirty, sex-motivated power play. But now… Now, I can’t imagine not being close to her. Can’t even fucking think about not having her in my life. That’s how deep I’m in. Somewhere between trying to get her into my bed and trying to figure out every little thing about her, the game stopped being a game. She stopped being a woman I wanted to fuck. She became the woman I wanted to keep. And that realization should scare the living shit out of me. But it doesn’t. Losing her does. For a long second, I just watch her. The slow rise and fall of her chest. The way her head is bent slightly to the side, her cheek resting against her
DOMINIQUE There. The one question that’s been sitting at the back of my mind for all these years, finally out in the open. “I need to know.” My fingers tighten around the chair. “I think you owe your kids that much. An explanation. An answer. Anything.” There’s a long beat. Carlotta’s lips tremble as her gaze moves from me to Dad, then to Leo and Camilla before finally returning to me. “You were.” Her voice breaks around the words. My grip tightens around the back of the chair, my teeth grinding together. “You were all enough.” She shakes her head, drawing in a sharp breath as tears gather in her eyes. “You were.” An irritated scoff escapes me before I can stop it. “If we were enough, then why the fuck did you leave?” Carlotta blinks rapidly, finally tearing her gaze away from mine. “Because I wasn’t thinking about what you needed.” Her voice is quieter now. “I was thinking about me. About what I wanted. It was selfish.” Leo scoffs, his arms folding across his chest. “R
DOMINIQUE“I don’t remember basketball being this complicated.” Oliver groans loudly as I duck past him to his hoop and toss the ball through.Leo whoops in delight as I grin. Oliver sits on the floor of the basketball court with his arms on his knees.“Dom won this round, you owe us dinner, Ollie,” Le
I slowly peel my eyes open, squinting and groaning as I place my hand on my forehead. God, my head hurts so bad, it feels like a party is going on in my head.How much did I drink last night?I peel my eyes wide open, coming face to face with the darkness in my room. But there’s something strange abou
DOMINIQUE“Aren’t we gonna address the elephant in the room?” Camilla asks, turning around in her seat with her judgmental look.“And if I may ask, what elephant is that?”“Dom, you know what I’m talking about.”Oh, I know what she’s talking about, I’m just not willing to talk about it with her.I turn t
DOMINIQUEI’m ruined. I knew she was going to ruin me when I had a taste of her, but not this soon. It’s been more than a month since that unforgettable night and it felt like it was yesterday. I could still taste her on my tongue, I could still hear her cries and her moans, and I could still remembe







