MasukJulian’s POV Every single thing in this fucking house felt completely wrong.I stood by the large glass window in my private study, staring out at the Seattle rain. I had a glass of neat bourbon in my hand, and the alcohol burned my throat, but it didn't do anything to stop the heavy, irritated feeling in my chest. The city below was dark, and right now, it felt like a cage. My own life, my own empire, felt like it belonged to someone else. I couldn't shake the bitter, angry mood that had been clawing at my brain for days.The door clicked open behind me. I didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. The strong, expensive smell of French perfume drifted into the room. It was Serena’s scent. The scent of the woman I supposedly married."Julian," she murmured, her high heels clicking softly against the floor as she walked over to me. "You’re still up. It’s past two in the morning, babe.""I have work to do," I said, keeping my voice flat and cold. I didn't look at her.She stop
Lauren’s POV The charity gala in downtown Seattle was loud, crowded, and completely exhausting. Rich people in designer clothes walked around the massive ballroom, sipping champagne and pretending to care about whatever charity we were supposed to be supporting tonight. I stood near a large marble pillar near the edge of the room, holding a glass of wine I had no intention of drinking. My feet ached in the expensive heels Serena had left behind in her closet, and the tight silk dress made it hard to breathe deeply.My eyes kept moving across the room, tracking Julian. Even in a room filled with the city's most powerful billionaires, he stood out. He wore a perfectly tailored dark suit, and he moved with a cold, quiet confidence that made people step out of his way without him even saying a word. Right next to him was Serena. She was doing exactly what she had been trained to do her whole life–smiling perfectly, nodding at the boring real estate developers, and pretending to be the do
Serena's POVI adjusted the cuff of my blouse in the mirror of the bedroom, the one I'd claimed as a temporary powder room because the master suite still felt like enemy territory. Julian's cold shoulder was starting to get on my nerves more than I cared to admit. Three weeks back in this penthouse, playing the dutiful wife to a man who looked at me like I was a pain in his ass, and I was already itching to burn it all down.My phone buzzed on the marble counter. It was Vivian. Of course. The message was short, cryptic, and fucking typical of her.'Access the backup terminal in his study. The NEREID proxy codes are active. Start small. Shell accounts only. No traces.'I deleted it immediately, my heart suddenly beating rapidly. This wasn't some amateur smash-and-grab. Vivian had drilled it into me during those weeks in her "holding arrangement"–how to move money swiftly. Julian's empire was a fortress, but even fortresses had entrances if you knew where to knock.I slipped the phone i
Lauren’s POV I slipped out of the east wing just after midnight, my sneakers quiet on the marble. The penthouse felt like a damn pressure cooker these days. Serena gliding around like she owned the place again, flashing those fake smiles at Julian while her eyes stayed dead cold. And Julian... God, Julian. He watched everything like a shark circling blood in the water, but he still didn’t remember me. Not the way that mattered.My hand drifted to my stomach out of habit. The baby was still a secret I guarded tighter than anything. I couldn’t risk Serena or Vivian finding out. Hell, half the time I wasn’t sure Julian would even believe me if I told him right now.I took the elevator down to the garage level. I needed air that didn’t taste like lies. The underground lot was dim, I was heading for one of the fleet SUVs so I could take a drive when I noticed a shadow moved near the pillar.I froze, my heart slamming against my chest. My fingers curled around the small knife I kept in my
Silas’s POV I stared at the cracked hospital ceiling for what felt like the hundredth fucking time that day, the sterile smell of antiseptic burning my nostrils. The doctors thought I was still playing the amnesia card, but my head was clearer than it had been in weeks. Stage four glioblastoma. Three months, maybe four if I was lucky. The bullets had just sped up the clock. Funny how dying makes everything crystal fucking clear.Vivian Moreau was the real snake in the grass. I'd pieced it together from the whispers Marcus let slip during his visits and the burner phone I'd kept hidden under my mattress. Julian's empire was crumbling because of her, and Serena? That overly pampered bitch was dancing right in the middle of it. If I was going out, I wasn't doing it quietly. Not while Lauren was still tangled up in this mess.I grabbed the disposable phone from the drawer, the one with the private line that cost me a favor from an old contact outside the Cross network. My fingers hovered
Julian’s POV I was losing my fucking mind, and I didn't know why.Every time I walked into a room in this goddamn penthouse, my eyes did the same thing. They scanned the corners, the hallways, the kitchen counter–looking for her. Not Serena. It was never Serena. My wife was usually exactly where she belonged, draped in some expensive designer clothes, smiling that perfect, rehearsed smile that suddenly made my skin crawl.No, I was looking for the twin. Lauren."Julian? Are you listening to me?"Serena’s high and smooth voice cut through my thoughts. She was sitting across from me at the long dining table, poking at a salad."Yeah," I lied, keeping my eyes on my tablet. "You were talking about the charity gala next week.""The Aurelia Trust event," she corrected, her tone carrying that slight edge of annoyance she always hid behind a pout. "It’s important we show a united front, especially after everything that happened with the security breach. People are talking.""Let them talk, I
Lauren’s POV The screech of folding chairs and the sound of shuffled chips were the only things loud enough to drown out the thoughts of Julian Cross.I slid another stack of clay discs across the green felt, my face blank and my hands steady. The underground casino on the south side of Seattle sm
Julian’s POV Serena sat at the vanity when I walked into the bedroom.City lights poured through the glass walls behind her, turning the diamonds at her throat into little lights while she painted her lips blood-red with slow and controlled strokes.For three weeks, I’d been living with a stranger
Lauren’s POVI hated myself for checking Serena’s social media again.But I did it anyway.Maybe pain had become a routine.Maybe some pathetic part of me still needed proof Julian was breathing somewhere in this city.Or maybe I just wanted to know if he looked for me the way I still searched for
Julian's POVThe deal closed at 11:47 p.m.Forty-two million dollars. A rival's logistics network, folded neatly into mine like it was never his to begin with. Marcus set the signed documents on my desk with the quiet satisfaction of a man who understood what victory looked like.I felt nothing.







