Miley's POV:Today was the day of the shareholder meeting, where I would officially become the owner of the company; the one they tried to bury me in before I could ever claim it.Nico drove me there as per our usual routine, one hand resting on the wheel and the other close to the gearshift. He didn’t speak much during the ride, but his presence was enough to steady my fraying nerves. As we pulled up in front of the building, I reached for the handle, but Nico stopped me with a gentle touch on my wrist.“You walk in like you already own it,” he said, his voice low, eyes steady on mine. “Because you do.”I nodded, inhaling deeply before stepping out. The morning air felt colder than usual.From the backseat, Tulio hopped out and ran over to me with a grin stretching across his face. “All the best, Angel!” He said brightly, throwing his arms around me. I laughed softly and hugged him tight. “Thanks, baby. Now go, or you'll be late for school.”Just as I pulled back from him, I saw mo
Karina's POV:"I know, my lady," Lorenzo says, voice low, steady. “That’s why I’ve brought you someone who wants this wish to be true more than even you.”I turn sharply, my eyes flashing. “There’s nobody who wants it more than me.”His lips twitch into a knowing smirk. “Trust me.”“I don’t trust anyone,” I hiss, stepping back, clutching my arms like they might hold in the storm I’ve kept sealed for years. “Who is it?”He takes a deliberate pause. Always the strategist, always loving his dramatic flourishes. “Her foster sister.”My stomach twists. “What?”He nods. “All it will take is one conversation, one honest word between you two, and you’ll see. You’ll know. But if you truly want Miley to be ruined—if you want her crawling—then you’ll need to leave this cursed place and come with me.”I shake his hand off my wrist. “What the hell do you mean by leave?”Lorenzo steps closer. His voice lowers, more serious now, less amused. “Because you might think these people are hiding under you
Karina’s POV:I dragged myself out of bed like a ghost in my own body. My limbs were heavy, my head thudding with yesterday’s wine and tomorrow’s regrets. The curtains were still drawn, casting the room in a sickly blue from the city lights beyond. When I yanked them open, night stared back.Figures.I padded barefoot to the table, half-empty wine bottle waiting like an old friend. I refilled my glass, lips already sticky from the last pour. My phone vibrated as I raised it for another sip.I should’ve ignored it.I didn’t.A photo filled the screen. From Miley.Her hand entwined with a man’s—broad knuckles, tailored cuff, unmistakable ownership. His grip wasn’t casual. It was a claim.I stared at it. At the soft-focus intimacy of it. The caption said nothing. She didn’t need to write anything. I could smell the smugness radiating off it like perfume.The glass trembled in my fingers.My vision blurred, but not from the wine. I felt it, sorrow dragging me under again like a riptide I’
Miley's POV For some reason, I was still staring at the phone when the front door opened again.Footsteps. Keys hitting the bowl. The swish of his jacket landing on the hook. My heart pounded, thudding loud in my ears, not because I was afraid—no. I was done being afraid. But because something inside me had snapped tight, like a bowstring pulled too far. Ready to release.“Miley?” Nico called, his voice casual, tired… then concerned. “You okay?”I didn’t answer. I just turned to face him, the phone still on the counter behind me.He stepped into the kitchen, eyes scanning my face, then the screen behind me.“You picked up,” he said quietly.“She called,” I replied, just as soft. “Again.”He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled. “I didn’t ask her to.”“I know.” I walked up to him, slow and deliberate. “But she did. And I’m done pretending she doesn’t get to me.”His brows lifted slightly, the edge of surprise flickering in his gaze. But he didn’t interrupt.I kept going, stepping c
Miley's POV:I was being paranoid. Completely, utterly paranoid.Just because Emily sat in his car, it didn’t mean anything. Nico wasn’t Archie. He wasn’t the boy who used to flash a smile at everyone and keep secrets behind his back. Nico didn’t hide—he confronted. And most importantly, Nico wasn’t mine by convenience or pity.He chose me.I told myself that as I stared at the wallet he’d forgotten. Sleek black leather. His initials faintly embossed on the corner. It smelled like him, still warm from his touch. I slipped it into my bag and shook my head. No, I wasn’t going to spiral. Not again.I had to stop projecting my trauma where it didn’t belong.This wasn’t then. And Nico… Nico would never do such a thing.I returned to my work quietly, but my hands were less precise. I kept glancing at the clock without realizing. Tapping my pen. Redesigning the same spine label three times over. My heartbeat had a mind of its own, already racing ahead, impatient for five o’clock.When the h
Nico’s POV:She batted her lashes at me like this was some kind of high-stakes romance and not a one-sided theater of desperation.“Can we go somewhere, please?” Emily asked, lowering her voice like she was whispering state secrets. “I just… I don’t feel good with so many eyes on us…”That was a lie. She wanted the eyes. She angled her body just enough so that any onlookers could think we were locked in some hushed, heated exchange. Probably praying someone saw her chatting up the man who just left her sister’s office like he owned the whole damn building.I didn’t budge.“No,” I said flatly. “Say what you have to say here.”She faltered for a second, her perfectly glossed lips parting in disappointment. “Please, you don’t understand how much risk I’m putting myself into—”I rolled my eyes. Dramatic.“Fine,” I muttered. “Get in the car.”She practically skipped toward the black SUV parked out front, reaching for the passenger door. But before she could open it, I stepped in front of h