LOGINI.VChapter 48: The Debt She Left Behind POV: Sarah “Don’t tell me you’ve already replaced me. Because I’m coming to see my husband, and this time, nobody is going to keep us apart.” The woman’s words hung in the room. Adrian stared at his phone for a moment before bringing it back to his ear. His expression had become unreadable, but the muscle beneath his cheek moved. “You have mistaken my silence for permission, Selene,” he said coldly. “Don’t come to my house.” A soft laugh came through the speaker. “Still pretending you don’t miss me?” She giggles over the call. “I’m not repeating myself.” Adrian gritted through his teeth. “Fine. We both know you’ll see me eventually.” The call ended. Adrian lowered his phone and slipped it into his pocket. He didn’t pace or throw anything. He simply stood there, looking like a man who had just received an unpleasant business report. I, on the other hand, felt as if someone had dropped a bomb in our living room. “That’s t
I.V Chapter 47: The Man Behind the Scar POV: Sarah “His name is…” Adrian stopped. The silence stretched between us. His eyes remained fixed on the man standing across the room, and the tension in his shoulders made me uneasy. I looked down at the photograph in my hand. The smiling woman beside Adrian was still a stranger to me, but somehow, her presence had already managed to turn my home upside down. “Go on,” the man said, tilting his head. “Tell her.” Adrian’s fingers twitched at his side. “Damian Voss.” The man gave a crooked smile. “Well, look at that. You still remember my name.” I looked between them. “Who are you to Selene?” “Her brother. Unfortunately.” Claire moved closer to me, folding her arms. “Unfortunately? That’s a strange way to describe your own sister.” “You have no idea what that woman is capable of,” Damian replied, his eyes never leaving Adrian. “Then explain it,” I demanded. Adrian stepped forward. “Sarah, stay out of this.” I stared at
I.V Chapter 46: The Visitor POV: Sarah I couldn’t stop thinking about the woman in the news. Her face looked somewhat familiar even tho it was blurred out. Even after I turned off the television, her presence remained in my mind. The reporter’s words kept coming back to me. Adrian had loved someone before me. Someone the public had once expected him to marry. Someone whose story had apparently ended badly enough for people to believe Adrian would never marry again. I looked down at the coffee in my hands. It had gone cold. Claire was sitting beside me, scrolling through her phone, but she wasn’t really paying attention to it. Every few seconds, I caught her glancing at me. “You should ask him when he gets back,” she said quietly. I swallowed. “He probably won’t tell me.” “You don’t know that.” I gave a small, humorless laugh. “Do I?” Before Claire could answer, a soft chime came from the security panel near the entrance. We both looked up. The sound came again. My fingers t
I.VChapter 45: The Boardroom POV: AdrianThe meeting had barely started, and I already knew who I had to blame.Grandpa. He had allowed the Albert Empire to get this close to my company.Now everyone was sitting around this table pretending it was a normal business decision. I looked down at the documents in front of me.The proposed partnership gave the Albert Empire more access than I had ever agreed to. Shared information. Joint decisions. More control. None of it had my approval.Yet somehow, the deal had already reached my board. My jaw tightened.Grandpa had always believed that old rivalries could be settled with business. He had never been the one who had to deal with the consequences. One of the directors cleared his throat.“The marriage announcement is already affecting the market. Investors are asking questions.” I lifted my eyes.“My marriage has nothing to do with this meeting.”The man fell silent. “Discuss the partnership.” The authority in my voice cut the side conv
I.V Chapter 44: Breaking News POV: Sarah I woke to the quiet click of the penthouse door. For a moment, I stayed still, staring at the ceiling. Then I remembered last night. Alexander. The word replacement. The things he had said to Adrian. I pushed myself upright. Adrian was already dressed when I found him near the door, adjusting the cuff of his shirt. His expression gave nothing away. He glanced toward the hallway where Claire was still sleeping before looking at me. “I have a board meeting.” His voice was as controlled as ever. I wanted to ask him about last night. About Alexander. About the woman whose name had apparently existed before mine. But the questions caught in my throat. Adrian picked up his watch. “Stay inside.” I stared at him. “Adrian.” He paused. For a second, I thought he might finally explain. Instead, he only looked at me. “We’ll talk later.” Then he left. The door clicked shut behind him. I stood there staring at it, wondering how many things my husband
I.V Chapter 43: The Drive Home POV: Adrian The car doors closed with a solid sound that shut out the noise of the hall. For a moment the only thing I heard was the low hum of the engine and Claire’s uneven breathing from the back seat. Sarah sat beside me, her hand still resting loosely in mine. Through the tinted window I could still see the guests gathered near the entrance, their faces turned toward the car. Some looked shocked. Others were already leaning close to one another, speaking quickly. We left them standing there with the weight of the night still unsettled behind us. Stephen drove in silence. The city lights moved past in long streaks. I kept my eyes on the road ahead, but my mind stayed fixed on the last few minutes of the gala. Alexander’s calm offer to invest. The way my stepmother had looked at him. The word he had used for Sarah in the hallway. Replacement. Every piece sat heavy and unfinished. In the back seat Claire’s voice broke the quiet. It was small and s
I.VChapter Six: The Contract MorningPOV: SarahSleep evaded me the entire night. I tossed from one side of the bed to the other, my mind racing with questions about what would happen when I finally faced Adrian Cole again.Will he accept my terms? I
I.VChapter Five: The ImpersonatorPOV: AdrianI waited patiently for her to reach out. I expected anger. I expected her to flare up and argue against the contract marriage. I expected strong disagreement with every term I had written. Yet the hours passed in complete silence.Stanley had already r
I.VChapter Four: Contract MarriagePOV: SarahWhat the hell have I gotten myself into?Claire’s thousand dollars suddenly felt like blood money. I muttered curses under my breath as I climbed the stairs to my apartment, still in her ridiculous red dress and heels. I barely noticed my neighbors’ wi
I.VChapter Three: Contract MarriagePOV: AdrianShe was not Claire Bennett. I knew it the moment she walked into the restaurant. Her demeanor gave her away. Unlike the rich and spoiled heiresses I had met before, this woman carried herself with a simpler air. She looked nothing like the polished p







