CHAPTER 142 — MORNING AFTER THE STORMMAYA’S POVWhen I opened my eyes, it took me a second to remember where I was.The light hit my face softly — not harsh like the afternoon kind, but warm and steady. The kind of light that told you the night was over, whether you were ready for it or not. For a brief, sleepy moment, everything was still. Then it hit me.This wasn’t my room.The faint scent of cedar and soap gave it away before I even sat up. I blinked, adjusting to the brightness, and my eyes landed on the folded blanket over my legs — neat, tucked, like someone had made sure I was comfortable.Xves.The thought alone made my heart skip, quick and stupid. I looked around. The lights were back on. The storm had passed. The small table in the corner was empty except for a half-drained mug of coffee and his watch lying beside it.He wasn’t there.I glanced at the couch — its cushion slightly indented, a pillow tossed carelessly at the edge. He must’ve slept there. Of course he did. E
CHAPTER 141 — TOO CLOSE TO BE SAFEMAYA’S POVFor a few seconds, I just stood there, frozen in the glow of my own phone light. The beam hit Xves right across the jawline, throwing sharp shadows over his face — the kind of shadows that made him look both dangerous and heartbreakingly human.He wasn’t supposed to look like that. Not at me. Not when I was already drowning in confusion.“Did I wake you?” I managed, even though my voice sounded smaller than I wanted it to.“No.” His tone was low, calm, but his eyes told a different story. They were searching, assessing, like he was trying to figure out whether I was okay… or whether he needed to pull a weapon. “You shouldn’t be wandering around in the dark, Maya.”I swallowed hard, forcing a smile that didn’t quite make it. “You say that like I have a choice. The lights went out, and my head maid decided to test out her horror movie skills by sneaking up on me.”That earned me the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth — a half-smile,
CHAPTER 140 — A FACE IN THE DARKMAYA’S POVMy scream bounced off the marble walls like it was trying to find someone else to belong to. My heart slammed so fast I could feel it pounding against my throat. The dark swallowed everything—the room, the air, my thoughts—until all I could hear was the sound of my own breathing.I fumbled for my phone on the coffee table, nearly tripping over the edge of the couch as my foot slid on spilled water. My hands shook so badly I almost dropped it twice before the screen lit up. The glow cut through the black like a blade.Torch on.My thumb trembled as I swiped, light spilling across the room in a trembling arc.And then—A face.Right in front of me.I screamed again, louder this time, the phone nearly flying out of my hand.The woman screamed back.For a second, the two of us just stood there—two idiots in the dark, scaring the life out of each other.Then, finally, my brain caught up to my eyes.“Elaine?” I gasped, pressing a hand to my chest.
CHAPTER 139 — WHEN THE LIGHTS GOES OUTMAYA’S POVBy the time I got home, I swear my soul felt like it had been wrung out, twisted, and hung up to dry under fluorescent light. The city outside the mansion window glowed like molten gold — rich, sleepless, full of life — but all I wanted was silence.You’d think being an heiress meant luxury, rest, and a life of people doing things for you. Spoiler alert: it’s exhausting. It’s the kind of exhaustion that seeps into your bones — not from what you do, but from what you have to pretend. Pretend you’re fine. Pretend you’re in control. Pretend the whole damn world doesn’t have an opinion on who you’re seen with.I dropped my heels at the door, kicked one of them a little too hard, and it clattered against the marble floor. My reflection in the glass wall looked like a stranger. Messy hair, ruined lipstick, the faint shimmer of tears I hadn’t realized I’d been holding back.“Perfect,” I muttered. “Just what every front-page heiress should lo
CHAPTER 138 — BETWEEN FIRE AND ICEMAYA’S POV“Come on.”“Where are we going?” I asked him, breathless, as Aleksander’s hand brushed my elbow.“I know a special place the paparazzi won’t find us,” he said, voice steady but his eyes scanning the chaos ahead. “I’ve actually never shown anyone before. The night’s still young, Maya. And I refuse to let it get ruined by a few nosy cameras.”But I didn’t move.Not because of the cameras.Because Xves was standing there too — right beside me — jaw tight, eyes dark, every inch of him screaming that I shouldn’t go anywhere with Aleksander Thorn.The flashes outside the restaurant were blinding. A storm of voices surrounded us — shouting, clicking, snapping — like a thousand vultures circling for the next scandal.“Ms. Perkins! Who are you leaving with tonight?”“Mr. Thorn! Are you confirming the dating rumors?”“Who’s the man in black? Her bodyguard or her boyfriend?”Every question hit harder than the last.I could feel my heart pounding so l
CHAPTER 137 — A DINNER WITH THE DEVILMAYA’S POVThe Velvet Lounge was too elegant for my mood.Dim lights. Velvet chairs. Jazz humming low in the background — that kind of expensive calm that made me want to flip a table.Aleksander Thorn was already seated when I walked in. Of course he was. It seemed the man was incapable of arriving anywhere late; drama was his love language, but so was control.He looked up from the menu the moment I approached, flashing that smug, movie-poster smile that could make naïve girls forget their morals. I wasn’t one of them.“Maya,” he drawled, standing just enough to seem polite. “You made it. Wasn’t sure if my favorite troublemaker would actually show.”I dropped into the chair opposite him, crossing one leg over the other. “I don’t like being called trouble.”“Then stop looking like it,” he said, lips curving. “What will you have? The steaks look good.”I exhaled sharply, resting a hand on my temple. “Let’s skip the small talk. You know why I’m her