LOGINLELLAConrad leaned back against the velvet booth, and a smug smile spread across his face as he gestured to the empty seat opposite him.“Please, sit."I simply slid into the booth and immediately reached into my bag. Without a single word, I open my phone and find that one photo Sofia had sent me from that night at the club. A candid shot of the gorgeous woman who had targeted Joaquin and bragged about my husband.I slid the phone across the marble table, planting my finger firmly on the glass."Do you know her? Or more importantly, do you still have access to the roster of every pretty girl hanging out in that specific VIP lounge? Because I know nothing happens in that district without your name attached to it."Conrad looked down at the screen, and for a second, his smug expression wavered into surprise. Then, he let out a chuckle, shaking his head as he looked back up at me."Well, well." He leaned his chin on his hand as his eyes glinted with amusement. "I have to admit, Le
LELLAThe lukewarm water of the bathtub swirled around my shoulders, but it did nothing to wash away the suspicion settling deep into my chest. I stared at the ceiling as my mind spun out of control.Viktor.My own brother’s words from earlier kept echoing in my ears, shattering the peace I had found after the family dinner. Why would he? The question tore at my throat. Viktor was fiercely protective of me. He had given me his unspoken devotion. Was I just being naive? Is he really telling the truth about wanting to build a family with me?I sat up instantly, causing the water to splash against the porcelain. I grabbed my phone off the marble ledge, but my fingers paused and stared at Viktor’s name in my contacts.I wanted to press the call. I wanted to demand the truth, to hear it from his voice, but the phone call was cowardly, and Viktor was too smart. He could mask his tone over a line. No. I will demand a face-to-face confrontation. I needed to look into his eyes to know
LELLAI followed Papa through the long corridor of the restaurant toward another private VIP room. I took a deep breath, trying to settle the lingering adrenaline in my veins.Behind this door was the woman who had broken my mother's heart, alongside the one-month-old baby girl she had given birth to just days after my own wedding.Papa pushed the door and I braced myself for the wave of resentment I expected to feel. But the scene inside instantly caught me off guard. I wasn't shocked to find Sofia and Joaquin already there. Sofia was gently cradling the tiny bundle in her arms, while Joaquin leaned over her shoulder with a soft warmth on his face.The moment the door shut behind me, Joaquin snapped his head up. His eyes widened in shock to see me standing there, knowing the deep, bitter history I shared with our father's new life.But I didn't look at Joaquin and at my stepmother, Eliza, who sat anxiously on the nearby plush sofa, holding her breath.My gaze was instantly fixed
LELLA"Next month?!" Galina suddenly exclaimed, her voice piercing the heavy air of the VIP room as she slammed her hands onto the table. "Absolutely not! A rushed shotgun wedding with a family from Spain? Think of the optics, Sofia! The empire will be whispering before the ink even dries on the certificate."I frowned. My chest tightened as Galina immediately tried to steamroll over them.Sofia’s cheeks flushed, but she held her ground, looking directly at her parents. "I don't want the rumors spreading once I start showing a baby bump. If we marry next month, we control the narrative. Joaquin and I want this."Sofia started to anxiously explain further, wavering under her aunt's harsh glare. Sensing her distress, I raised my hand to cut her off before she could lower herself to defend her choices to Galina."Sofia, stop. You don't need to explain anything to her.” I turned my head to look directly at Sofia’s parents. "If Sofia and Joaquin have already talked this through and dec
LELLAThe silence inside the sprawling VIP room of the luxury restaurant was suffocating, broken only by the faint clink of crystal glasses. I sat gracefully in my chair, staring at the grand round table before me as we waited for Sofia and Joaquin to arrive.I should not have come here alone. Why? Because sitting directly across from me was Galina, Conrad’s mother and Sofia’s aunt. Beside her sat Sofia’s parents, looking anxious, and Sofia's older sister Selene, a girl Sofia had never been close with, who already looked entirely bored by the family drama.I understood perfectly why Galina was here. What I did not understand, and frankly had zero patience for, was why Conrad and his bratty younger sister, Catya, were currently occupying two of the chairs at the table.I understand that they are Sofia’s cousins, but duh, they are not close enough to be present at their cousin's family dinner with her boyfriend.Catya was swirling her water glass, throwing entitled glares in my direct
LELLAMy brows furrowed at the man who opened the door.“Joaquin?” But I frowned even more when I saw the man behind him. Not only was Lev outside the room, but Conrad was here too.My jaw clenched. “What the…” I was ready to scold Joaquin for bringing the asshole here, but I stopped when I saw his face.His bloodshot eyes locked onto Sofia. He looked frantic, his clothes slightly wrinkled from his drunken stupor earlier, but the desperation on his face was showing. He didn't even look at me. He marched straight past me."Sofia, please, I need to talk to you privately. Just give me five minutes," Joaquin pleaded.Sofia stared at him. She looked exhausted from crying and thinking about her situation. Still, she slowly let go of my arm and nodded. I gave her hand one last supportive squeeze before stepping back."I'll be right outside," I murmured to her.I turned on my heel and walked out of the room to give them space. The restroom was unisex, so it's not an issue of having a ma
LELLAI'm inside the black SUV for a long moment with my hand hovering over the door handle.Technically, I didn't have to be here. As the wife of Viktor Volkonsky, the man who now holds the majority stake in Valerius Pharmaceutical, I could have spent my morning lounging in our penthouse or shopp
VIKTORThe electricity from dinner returned, stretching the moment into one long, perfect thread of tension."I thought you were tired," Lella murmured between our kisses. "I am.” Lella let out a gasp when I pushed her onto the bed. “That's why I need to recharge.” I dived on top of her and crash
LELLAThe gala had officially turned into a formal presentation, but I could hardly hear a word being said. The lights in the pavilion had dimmed, leaving the spotlight on Conrad as he stood at the podium, droning on about the synergy of his families. But the real heat wasn't under the stage ligh
VIKTORThe sky was already dark and the air started getting cold in the garden. The electric lights of the TiTan display flickered on, bathing the area in an artificial white, but my focus wasn't on the machinery.I checked my watch for the fourth time in ten minutes. Sofia had taken her nearly fi







