Jaxs povI hadn’t slept.Each time I closed my eyes, all I could see was her. Pressed against me, her lips parted. Her eyes locked with mine like they finally saw me—not the headlines, not the reputation. Just me. God…I could still hear that moan. The way my name had rolled off her tongueBut now she was in my office like nothing ever happened.“Here are the reports from the foundation team,” Riley said, placing a file on my desk like she hadn’t spent the night before kissing me like she couldn’t breathe without it. “I’ve highlighted the new figures.”She didn’t look at me. Not even once.I stared at her, leaned back in my chair, my jaw tense. “You’re early today.”She shrugged, her face as straight as ever. “You pay me to be efficient.”Efficient? That’s what we were calling stolen kisses now?I sat forward, my fingers drumming against the desk. “So we’re doing this?”“Doing what?” She asked. “Acting like last night didn’t happen.” I said sharply. She finally met my eyes, but just
Jax’s PovThe lights flash before my foot even hits the carpet.“Over here Maddox!”“Here Jax!” The wall of reporters crowded the velvet ropes, yelling my name like they’ve got something personal riding on it. Caleb was somewhere behind me, probably praying I wouldn’t screw this up. “So the whole thing is simple Jax, all you’ve got to do is…” he rambled on, but I could barely hear him.Because Riley just stepped out of the car.She was dressed in a dark green satin dress that was designed to punish me. The slit was extremely criminal. The neckline was worse. She didn’t look like my assistant or my fake girlfriend. She looked like a secret I would never be allowed to touch again.She didn’t look at me as she walked. Her head was raised high, her chin tilted like she didn’t even see me.I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly feeling dry. “You’re late,” I said, my voice low and my eyes locked on hers.She turned and smiled for the cameras before turning back to me. “Traffic,” she repl
Riley’s PovMy phone rang again. It was the same number that has been calling me for the last three days. Once again, I felt the gut-clenching chill crawling up my spine.I let it ring fully this time, then I tossed the phone on the couch and stood up.The phone buzzed again and I bent to pick it up. Jax Maddox: Come to the penthouse. Now. It’s for the gala, fully work related.I stared at the message for a beat, heat flaring in my chest. No “please.” No explanation. Just a command like always.God, I hated how my feet still moved. Fifteen minutes later, I was standing in front of his penthouse, my heart thudding against my ribs. I opened the door and stepped inside. Everywhere was so quiet. Too quiet.“Jax?” I called, stepping into the warm-lit living room. No answer. Just the soft hum of jazz music coming from somewhere in the walls.I took a few steps in, tugging at the sleeves of my hoodie. My eyes flicked around the space. It looked a bit different from the last time I was her
Jax’s POV I was standing at my office window, sipping the worst coffee I’d had all week, when my phone buzzed three times in quick succession. I glanced down to look at it. “Camilla Devereux Rushed to ER After Stress-Related Pregnancy Complication. Says Jax Maddox’s Cruelty is to Blame.” The coffee cup hit my desk with a thud. I stared at it. My name was all over the news again. Camilla’s face filled the screen—pale, makeup smeared just enough to seem tragic. There were tubes in her arm and she was wearing a hospital gown slipping off one shoulder like a staged photoshoot. Tears glistened down her cheeks. Below the picture there was a quote in bold. “He yelled at me. Threatened me. The stress… it was too much.” My chest tightened. The door behind me slammed open. Caleb burst in, his face already flushed. “She put that out there.” “I saw it,” I muttered. “She’s framing you again Jax. Playing the pity card. It’s trending everyw
Vanessa’s POVBali was everything I hoped it would be and more.A gentle breeze teased my curls, and the scent of frangipani mixed with expensive sunscreen made it feel like I was in a travel commercial. Heaven. The kind you had to earn, or manipulate your way into.I lay back on the lounger, a mojito in hand, oversized sunglasses covering half my face. My bikini was designer, a limited edition. The kind Riley would call “excessive” but never dare try on.Well, guess what, twin sis? Excessive fits me like a second skin.My phone buzzed. A bank alert. Another transfer had cleared. I didn’t even flinch. I was getting used to the zeros. It was wild how quickly your morals could relax when your bank account finally learned how to breathe.Across from me, Rita sat upright with a straw poking out of her coconut water. She was doing that thing again where her lips pursed and her eyebrows pinched together like she was trying not to judge me but doing a really shitty job at hiding it.“You’ve
Camilla’s PovI didn’t mean to watch it. The TV was just on.I was half-lying on the chaise, flipping through a baby catalog with glossy pages filled with things I hadn’t even ordered yet—cashmere blankets, a custom crib that cost more than my first apartment, organic pillows shaped like little clouds.My lover sat on the other end of the couch, scrolling through her phone like she hadn’t been bored out of her mind for the past three days. She barely looked at me anymore. Which was fine. I wasn’t exactly in a sharing emotions kind of mood right now.The midwife hadn’t texted back. I’d called her three times already today.I sighed, then tossed the catalog down and adjusted my robe. “You’d think with the amount I’m paying, I wouldn’t be left on read.”She still said nothing, just the tap of her fake nails on glass.And then—like a slap I didn’t see coming—the anchor’s voice from the television cut through the room.“Coming up next: Jax Maddox and his public confirmation of the relation