LOGIN"What is the meaning of this?” Autumn was the first to break the silence. “Why is my name recorded there?” Her voice carried clear disbelief.The hall fell into hushed whispers as the technical team rushed around trying to fix the problem.Sophia stood off to the side with a handkerchief pressed to her lips, biting back a smile.*All going according to plan,* she thought, sneaking a glance at Autumn, who had sat down and was trying to regulate her breathing while Ezra spoke to her in a low, reassuring tone.*Bitch. Found another rich man to cling onto,* Sophia sneered inwardly. *I need to warn William about her. A desperate hussy like her would want to sink her fangs into their family’s fortune.*Her gaze shifted to Eric. His eyes were already locked on Autumn, his expression calm and indifferent.Noticing Sophia’s stare, he glanced at her. “What?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.“I’m just worried about her. This would affect Fin if she actually did it,” Sophia said, trying to sound l
The party was in full swing. Drinks flowed freely and conversations buzzed around the room. Everyone mingled and shared laughter under a professional setting, most of it fake, but laughter nonetheless.Autumn had not left Ezra’s side since the moment she noticed Sebastian was present. The tremor from almost being killed by him still lingered in her body. It took a great deal of willpower to hide any sign that his presence affected her.And then there was him.“It’s a pleasure to see Mr Kingston at such events. Normally you prefer to skip these,” a man said loudly, drawing the attention of those nearby, including Autumn.“I attend once in a while,” Eric replied, disinterested. He had no desire to continue the topic and hoped the man would take the hint. He did not.“Yes, and this must be the lovely future Mrs Kingston,” the man said, turning a practiced smile toward Sophia. She blushed at the title. To her, it was only a formality. She would claim it sooner or later.“Oh, stop—” Sophia
Autumn stood in front of the mirror, straightening out any misalignment on her dress as she let out another sigh. It was the umpteenth time today.She had been melancholic ever since she found out her daughter’s name.For fuck’s sake, she had learned her own child’s name from a plaque.A damn plaque on the wall. And instead of answering her, Eric had thrown her own words back at her.The first thing she did when she got home was search for any grave marked with that name. If Eric didn’t want to tell her where their daughter was buried, she would find it herself.That search led her to one conclusion: either Eric had scattered the ashes, or the remains were currently in an urn with him. The urn made more sense.Still, the thought only made her feel worse. She had never gotten to see what her baby looked like, and this was how she found out the name.“He’s being so unfair,” she whispered, biting her lip to stop herself from crying. She had made a promise not to cry over him anymore.But
Gabriel stood stiffly in the foyer, looking out of place as he waited for Eric to appear.“Gabriel, it’s the weekend. You know my policy about being disturbed on weekends,” Eric said the moment he descended the stairs. “Don’t you have a personal life? What is it?”“It’s very important, sir. We can’t speak here in the open,” Gabriel replied, clearing his throat.Eric studied him for a moment, noticing the way his eyes kept darting around the room.“Alright. My office,” he said, already turning and leading the way.Once inside, Gabriel shut the door and locked it. Eric raised an eyebrow at the behaviour but said nothing. He simply leaned against the desk with his arms folded.“Speak. What’s so important that it couldn’t wait until Monday?”“It’s about Madam, sir.”Eric’s body stiffened at the mention of her name. “What about Autumn? What happened to her?” His voice carried that familiar sharp edge.“It’s not what happened to her,” Gabriel said carefully. “It’s what ‘will’ happen to her.
Sophia walked steadily through the dimly lit hallway. The air smelled of mildew and grime, and she felt a wave of repulsion at her surroundings.*I am doing all of this for a reason.* The words repeated in her head like a mantra.She was doing this for the position of Mrs. Kingston — to stand beside Eric as his wife and the mother of his children. For that dream to become real, Autumn had to disappear.She knew Eric was still hung up on her, no matter how much indifference he displayed.She saw it in the way he surrounded Autumn with round-the-clock security. She saw it in the way he reacted whenever something happened to her. She saw it in the way he tensed when he heard she had been spotted with another man. She saw it in the way he still put her first, even when he pretended not to care.The final proof had been the children’s play centre.She had seen the original plans with her own eyes. The site had been intended for a restaurant or a luxury hotel. Eric had scrapped ever
Sophia was seething.It had only been a few days since Eric ordered the PR team to release that clarification statement — written in the most brutal language possible. She could barely show her face in social circles anymore.Most of her time was spent at the office, burying herself in work. But the moment she left, she drowned her humiliation in alcohol. She turned the situation over and over in her mind, and every time she reached the same conclusion:She didn’t deserve this. None of it was her fault.She had simply loved a man who never loved her back — despite everything she had done to stay by his side.And every path of her rage led back to one name.Autumn Martins.Even though they were divorced, even though Eric was single again, Autumn still haunted her and ruined every chance she had.“Just like *her*,” Sophia spat bitterly, swallowing another mouthful of wine.Her anger hardened into something colder. That was how the plan formed.She spotted the man she had come to see — t
"No, no, no!" the man shrieked, his voice hitting a pitch that probably had the neighborhood dogs howling. "Dear God, I am going to die of a heart attack from how unceremoniously ugly your taste is!" He began fanning himself dramatically with a silk-bound lookbook, his face twisted in a mask of the
The day after the gala, the Headinberg estate was enveloped in a deceptive quiet. The morning sun filtered through the high windows, but the atmosphere inside was thick with the aftermath of the previous night’s revelations. In the morning room, the large television was tuned to the entertainment n
It had been two days since the wedding fiasco. Two days of radio silence from the outside world.While the media was undoubtedly setting itself on fire—speculating about Chloe, Fin, and Kingston Dynasty—we had been tucked away in the safety of the Headinberg estate. Eric had decided to work from ho
The morning sun filtered through the high windows of the estate, casting long, golden rectangles across the breakfast table. It was the first morning since the hospital that the air felt light. "Chloe, this will help you feel better," I said, gently setting down a bowl of special steaming porridge







