LOGINEthan didn't come back to the room that night. Bianca waited. She told herself she wasn't waiting. She sat on the edge of the bed, scrolling through her phone without seeing anything, listening for footsteps that never came. The mansion was quiet in a way that felt deliberate, like even the walls were holding their breath.At some point, she fell asleep. When she woke, the sun was up and Ethan's side of the bed was untouched. The covers were smooth. The pillow still had the indent from where she'd placed it, hours earlier, thinking he might eventually come in and need it.At breakfast, Sophie said he'd left early for a meeting. He'd be back late. Bianca nodded and didn't ask any questions but she couldn't stop thinking about what happened and the way Richard had looked at her, like she'd stumbled into a room she wasn't supposed to see. The way Ethan had walked past her without a word, his jaw set, his eyes fixed.Her phone buzzed on the table. An unknown number. She picked it up, frow
For several seconds, Bianca simply stared at her coffee. Verity noticed the hesitation immediately. Her eyes narrowed slightly, studying Bianca's face like she was reading something written between the lines."Bianca," Verity said slowly. "What aren't you telling me?"Bianca exhaled. She set down her coffee cup and looked at her friend. The decision came suddenly, but it didn't feel wrong."I'll tell you," she said. "But you have to promise not to interrupt or tell anyone about it."Verity leaned back in her seat. "That's a big request. Fine, I promise."Bianca started at the beginning. She told Verity about the disastrous family dinner. The way she'd walked in expecting to celebrate her graduation and walked out feeling like she'd been publicly humiliated. She told her about Ethan's insult, the words that had burned into her memory."He called me fat the day we met," Bianca said quietly. "Basically announced to everyone that I wasn't his type."Verity's eyes went wide. "Bianca...""Y
The negotiation took longer than anyone expected. Bianca sat in her father's study, flanked by Charles on one side and Elena, her mother on the other, while Ethan occupied the opposite end of the room with Richard and Victoria. The space felt smaller than it usually did. The tension pressed against the walls like something alive.Richard spoke first. "The arrangement is straightforward. Bianca moves into the mansion. The public perception strengthens. The merger proceeds without unnecessary speculation.""That's not happening," Bianca said.Richard's eyebrow lifted. "Excuse me?""I said that's not happening." She kept her voice steady. "I'm not moving out of my apartment permanently.""The purpose of this arrangement...""I understand the purpose." Bianca met his gaze. "I also understand that I have a life outside this arrangement. A job. Friends. A home that I'm not willing to give up."Richard's jaw tight
Bianca spent the rest of breakfast trying to convince herself that Richard's suggestion was nothing more than another business strategy. Something that would eventually disappear if she ignored it long enough.She knew better. The moment she looked at Ethan, she saw the same realization in his eyes. Neither of them had gotten a chance to object properly. Richard had simply stated his decision and moved on. Victoria had followed his lead, asking about moving dates and furniture arrangements like they were discussing a vacation.Sophie had watched from the doorway with that same unreadable expression. She hadn't said a word. By the time breakfast ended, Bianca felt like she'd been swept along by a current she couldn't fight. The first opportunity they got to speak privately came later that afternoon. They had just left the mansion together, Ethan's car pulling away from the gates, the city spreading out ahead of them. The silence
Bianca woke earlier than she'd intended to. The guest room at the Anderson mansion was larger than her entire apartment, but the unfamiliar ceiling and the strange quiet of an unfamiliar house had kept her restless through most of the night. She'd finally given up on sleep around 6:30, slipped into the borrowed clothes Victoria had left outside her door, and made her way downstairs.She expected an empty kitchen or maybe a housekeeper preparing something. Instead, she found Ethan.He stood in front of the coffee machine, glaring at it like it had personally offended him. His hair was still slightly disheveled. He wore a rumpled shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows, and his expression carried the particular frustration of a man who had been defeated by household appliances.Bianca leaned against the doorframe. "Having trouble?"Ethan didn't turn around. "No.""You've been staring at that machine for long.""I'm waiting for it to work.""That's not how coffee machines work." Bianca bit b
Bianca saw Verity coming from across the lobby and immediately knew she was in trouble.The takeout bags were a dead giveaway. Three of them. Enough food for an army. And the expression on Verity's face said she hadn't come for the food."I brought lunch," Verity announced, holding up the bags. "And questions. Lots of questions."Bianca sighed. "I thought we covered everything yesterday.""We covered nothing yesterday." Verity fell into step beside her as they walked toward the elevator. "You deflected. You changed the subject. You made me talk about London for an hour while you nodded and smiled.""I was being polite.""You were being evasive, Bianca."The elevator doors slid open. They stepped inside, and Verity pressed the button for Bianca's floor."Fine," Bianca said. "Ask your questions. I'll answer what I can.""That's not the same as answering everything, bestieeeee!""It's the best I can do right now."Verity studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. But I'm holding you t







