로그인Kieran's POVI watched the last person leave before letting out a sigh of relief.This week had been busier than I'd anticipated. I'd been cooperating with the authorities, something I usually wouldn't do even at gunpoint.I had no one to blame but myself.Well played, Damien. Well played.Ever since I overheard that little conversation between Damien and Paul, I'd been extra careful around everyone.I knew I had plenty of enemies, but I never imagined they'd be good enough to slip right under my nose and get so close to me.Adrian had been ruled out, leaving Mira and Lana.Mira had always been on my side. She had no reason to turn against me. Lana, on the other hand, had done some shitty things to Michelle in the past. But she'd done those things because of me, not to destroy me.Then there was the other Castellan lurking in the shadows, insisting on planting some of his people in the mansion to keep an eye on Damien and Paul.I still didn't trust that Castellan, but if the same bloo
Michelle's POV Mira stared at me as though I had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world. She looked like she was desperately trying to process the information but couldn't figure out how.I watched her face go through several emotions at once. Shock. Anger. Curiosity. Confusion.Then she leaned forward, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.“What?” she asked. “What did you say?”“Lana tried to kill me and my mother,” I repeated calmly, as though I were talking about the weather or something else entirely ordinary. “I don't know how she knew I was returning to the house, but that night, she attacked us, took us to the edge of a cliff, and set the car on fire.”Mira's face turned pale. She shook her head in disbelief. “Lana wouldn't do that.”“Well,” I smiled. “She can. And she did.”“Why didn't you say anything?”What could I have said? It was clear I wasn't wanted in that house, and I wasn't willing to put my mother's life at risk for anyone.“I don't have proof.”“She alread
Michelle’s POV“Thank you so much, ma’am,” I said, handing her the documents after signing them.“No, Michelle.” She shook her head. “We are the ones who should be thanking you. Do you understand what it means to be the first art gallery to partner with you?” She placed a hand on her chest. “It’s an honor.”I stood and picked up my bag from the table.“Well, it was a pleasure meeting you.” I stretched out my hand for a handshake.She took it. “The pleasure is all mine.”“I’ll walk you out,” Jonathan said, leading me out of the room.The moment we stepped outside, he looked around, making sure no one was paying attention to us.“So, how are you feeling?”I glanced at him. “I have a headache, but I think I’ll manage just fine.”He laughed, nodding his head. “That’s beautiful. But I was talking about the party. You didn’t return any of my calls or messages.”I slowed down, my fingers wrapping tightly around the handle of my bag.I had completely forgotten about that. But it wasn’t my fau
Michelle's POVI kept a vigil throughout that week.Whoever it was, the person was back, and I was pretty sure they weren't going to let us go without a scratch.That morning, I sat in the lobby of my therapist’s office, staring at the fish tank and watching the fish swim freely, envious of their lives.They lived in a tank, yet they had fewer problems and more freedom than we did.What’s the point of being the highest-ranked animal on the food chain if you still can’t control anything?“Michelle,” she called.I looked up. “Yeah?”“You can come in now,” she said, opening the door wider. “Or do you need a second?”I shook my head and walked into the office.She closed the door behind me.“Rough morning?” I tried to start a light conversation before dumping my dead life on her.“Teenagers,” she said with a smile, taking her seat. “Those tiny little things think they know everything about life. She claims things have changed and that I’m old-fashioned.” She leaned closer. “Can you imagin
Kieran's POV Things did get out of hand. I underestimated Damien a second time. I thought I could control the media, but it turns out a scandal is like candy wrapped in honey and handed to a child. The authorities were all over my business. Fortunately, the other Castellan was fast enough to bury a lot of things. But that did little to stop the storm rising within the company. I never realized it until now. Damien wasn't interested in blackmailing me into giving him power in the company. He wanted me to go on a wild goose chase while he slowly painted himself as the angel. The exposure of my mother's crime was just a bonus I foolishly handed him. “The media is buzzing with news of your mother’s crime. The cops are everywhere,” Mr. Holt said, slamming his hands on the table. Damien sat beside him with a smug smile, as if he had just won a Nobel Prize. “Damien was the one who exposed the crimes,” Mira snapped. “Why is he still here?” “Do you have proof that I did it?” Damien as
Kieran's POV.I recognized her without seeing her face. The dress, her back—pretty much every inch of her body was etched in my mind like an image I could never get rid of.I wanted to go after the man who bumped into her and give him a piece of my mind, but Mira warned me not to do anything funny before slipping away.My legs moved before my mind could catch up, and I caught her before she fell to the ground.She turned, and her face went pale instantly.I stared deep into her eyes, trying to control the rage I had spent months trying to control. I kept telling myself that I had no problem with her decision to leave when I needed her the most, but that was a big, fat lie. I resented her. And seeing her when my life was crumbling before me made the anger worse.I left her before the words could come out of my mouth.I tried to act normal in front of those foolish and ungrateful people, but Michelle had other plans. She walked over to an average-looking man and allowed him to touch her
AUTHOR'S POV.It felt like time had suddenly frozen.One second, Michelle was trying to help Kieran up. The next, the sharp sound of fabric tearing echoed through the empty hall.Her dress had ripped from top to bottom.For a long second, neither of them spoke. But their pale faces said everything.
Michelle’s POV. “You had sex with Kieran!” Lana shouted, her mouth wide open in shock. I grabbed her wrist and hissed, “Are you mad? Keep your voice down.”“You had sex with Kieran,” she whispered, but her voice was still loud. “Keep…” She cut me off. “Like, you had sex with Kieran… Kieran Cast
Author’s POV. Soft music played from a speaker hidden somewhere in the large bathroom. Steam filled the air, curling around the mirrors and blurring the lights.A woman lay in a wide white bathtub, her head resting against the edge, one arm hanging loose, a glass of red wine balanced carefully in
Kieran's pov. I led Esme into my study, already decided on what I was going to do — I was going to kill her if I had to.I don't beat women, but that doesn't mean I won't kill them if they are a threat. As soon as we entered the room, I slowly closed the door, and turned to her with a murderous l







