ANDREA The ride back to the villa was quiet, except for the sound of the engine and the faint hum of music coming from the radio. I kept my eyes on the road ahead, pretending to be more interested in the passing lights than the man sitting beside me. When we finally pulled into the driveway, I let out a small sigh of relief. The familiar view of the villa made me feel calm. As soon as he parked, I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for the handle, but before I could step out, Alex’s voice stopped me. “Andrea.” I turned to look at him. His tone was calm but serious, the kind that always made me nervous. “What?” I asked quietly. He turned slightly in his seat, his dark eyes meeting mine. “You do remember we’re engaged, right?” I frowned, confused by where he was going with that. “Of course I do. Why?” “Then you should already know we’re supposed to be living together,” he said simply, his gaze steady on me. My mouth opened, then closed again. “Wait…are you saying I ca
ANDREA It had been a week since that night with Lexi, and things had slowly starte to feel normal again. Work was busy as always, but I finally managed to take a few days off to spend time with Dad. He had invited me over, saying he missed having me around the house. I couldn’t say no...it had been a while since we’d just sat together like this, without tension or awkward silence in between. We were in the living room, talking about random things, work, Andrew, even a little bit about my stepmother’s charity events. Dad seemed more relaxed than I’d seen him in a long time, and that alone made me happy. “You’ve been doing so well lately,” he said proudly, smiling at me. “Your mom would’ve been so proud of you, Andrea.” Hearing him say that made my chest tighten a little. I smiled softly. “Thanks, Dad.” He reached over and gave my hand a light squeeze before leaning back in his chair. “You’re so much like her sometimes...the way you talk, the way you think. She’d always go o
ANDREA I laughed softly as Kate covered her mouth, still giggling at the joke I’d made. The sound drew a few glances from people passing by, but neither of us cared. It felt nice and easy to just laugh without thinking. “I’m telling you, you’d love her,” I said, trying not to grin too much. “Lexi’s chaotic in the best way possible. You two would be best friends in a day.” Kate shook her head quickly, her brunette hair bouncing around her shoulders. “No way. You don’t even know how clumsy I am around new people.” I smiled, folding my arms. “Then that’s perfect. She’s worse.” That made her laugh again, her blue eyes lighting up. “You’re terrible,” she said between chuckles, then added more softly, “but thank you for asking.” I tilted my head. “For asking?” “For treating me like a person,” she said. “Not a rumour.” Something in her tone made my chest tighten a little. I wanted to say more, but she quickly shook her head and smiled again, pushing the moment away. “Anyway
ALEXANDERI sat in my office, flipping through a few files, but my focus wasn’t on the paperwork. My mind was elsewhere.Cole knocked once before stepping inside. “You called for me?”“Yeah,” I said, setting the file down and leaning back in my chair. “I need you to check on the person I sent to watch her. Find out if she’s still in that country or if she’s left.”Cole frowned slightly. “You mean Lia?”I nodded once. “Yes. I want a full update as soon as possible.”He gave a short nod. “Alright, sir. I’ll make some calls and get back to you.”“Good,” I said quietly. “Don’t take too long.”When he left the office, I exhaled slowly, my gaze drifting toward the city skyline outside my window. The lights of the buildings reflected faintly against the glass, but I wasn’t really seeing them.I just needed answers, fast. I couldn't let any harm get close to Andrea again.Cole was back five minutes later, phone in hand and a file under his arm. He closed the door behind him and walked straigh
ANDREA I took a deep breath before stepping back into the room, trying to steady myself. Kate turned as soon as I walked in, her expression soft but a little concerned. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, her eyebrows drawing together. "You took a while, and you're out of breath." I forced a small smile, hoping it would mask the chaos spinning inside of me. "I'm fine," I said quickly, handing her the bottle of water. "I just thought I saw someone I knew, but I was wrong." Kate looked at me curiously for a second, as if she wanted to ask more, but then she nodded and smiled. "Well, thanks for the drink. Mom was just telling me she wants to go home soon," she said, glancing fondly at her mother. I nodded, pretending to listen, even though my mind was somewhere else. The image of that person in the hallway kept replaying in my head, and the scent lingered faintly in my memory. As I sat down beside them, I forced myself to stay calm and focus on their laughter and light chatter. But ben
ANDREA We finished eating not long after, both of us laughing over something silly I said about how the waiter looked more tired than we did after a full shoot. Kate wiped her hands with a napkin, still smiling, when her phone suddenly buzzed on the table. She glanced at the screen, and the color drained from her face. “Oh my God,” she whispered before quickly picking up the call. I sat quietly, watching her expression shift as she listened. “Yes…yes, I’m coming right now,” she said quickly, her voice trembling with a mix of shock and relief. When she hung up, she turned to me, her eyes wide and shiny. “It’s the hospital,” she said breathlessly. “My mom...she just woke up. She’s been unconscious for weeks, and they said she’s asking for me. I have to go.” She stood up so fast her chair scraped against the floor. “Wait,” I said, rising too. “You don’t have to run off like that.” “I do,” she said, fumbling for her bag. “The hospital’s across town, and I need to get there a