LOGINEric walked through the boutique, trying to buy the exact color Fin’s school had specifically requested them to wear for the upcoming school sports celebration. He moved down the aisles of high-end children's apparel, his fingers brushing past various fabrics as he searched for the precise shade.“Why am I the one buying this?” he sighed exasperatedly to himself, shaking his head. “I should have just gotten someone to do it.” He muttered the words under his breath, looking through the different shades of color on the rack, completely out of his element in a children's boutique.Ring! Ring!The sudden sound of his phone ringing cut through the quiet store. Eric paused, handing over a piece of selected clothing to the sales associate standing nearby. “Wrap this for me,” he instructed smoothly.He dug into his coat pocket for his phone, expecting a work update. Instead, the name 'Wifey' flashed brightly on the screen. A rare smile began to form on his face as he pressed to answer.But be
“Sleeping my way to the executive board,” she repeated the words again out loud. She sat alone in her office, the text message glaring back at her from the screen. “I slept my way to this position,” she said to herself, as a way to see if her mind was playing games with her. She couldn’t believe the sheer audacity for them to slander her with no concrete evidence, just because she had requested a single day of time off to sort out her health. Her hands tightened around the edges of her desk as the reality of it settled in. They had used her absence as a motive to spread hate against her, turning her medical leave into a weapon to tear down everything she had built. “Tsk,” she clicked her tongue. The initial shock vanished, replaced by focus. Standing up from her chair, she left her office and took the elevator up, taking a trip straight to Sebastian’s office to have a word with him. ‘I need him to know before I take action,’ she thought grimly as she stepped out into the executiv
True to her word, Autumn returned to the Nexus Corp headquarters the next morning at exactly thirty minutes before the official clock-in time. She walked through the lobby looking radiant, a bit of healthy color finally returning to her pale cheeks after a full day of bed rest.There were very few employees present at this hour, so she took it as a golden opportunity to mentally prepare before the intense morning briefing with her team. Heading straight to her private office, she locked the door behind her and sat down for the day, methodically going through the remaining project variables she needed to address for the municipal presentation.When the clock struck the designated hour, she gathered her tablet and walked into the conference room where the meeting was scheduled to take place.To her surprise, the room was mostly empty. Only two out of the five other team members were currently seated at the long glass table.“Good morning,” Autumn greeted the two individuals formally, ta
Sebastian stepped into his private office the next morning with dark circles shadowing the skin underneath his eyes. His expression was grim as he hung up his coat. He had spent the entire night pacing, practicing exactly how he would handle the delicate issues currently at hand.The main, suffocating issue was the threat of Eric running an in-depth medical screening on Autumn. If a specialist checked her blood for anomalies, the entire game would be up. Sebastian knew he had to halt any further poisoning immediately. He just had to stop,for now, at least. Even if the sudden pause temporarily slowed his progress, he could always resume the dosages when the time was right, or when the household dynamic grew calmer.The abrupt vibration of his phone cut through his spiraling thoughts. Running a hand through his hair, he pulled the device from his pocket.“Hello,” he answered, not even bothering to glance at the caller ID.“Hi, Sebastian,” Autumn’s voice drifted through the line. She sou
The grand dining room of the estate was buzzing with a low energy as Eric sat alone, waiting for Autumn to return. He had specifically instructed the kitchen staff to prepare her favorite dishes for dinner. Fin had already been tucked in safely for the night, leaving the expansive table set for the adults.To pass the time, Eric kept himself busy, scrolling through briefs on his phone while he waited for her to show up.The sound of approaching footsteps echoing down the hallway brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up expectantly, a rare soft smile beginning to form on his face only for it to be completely wiped away, instantly replaced by a scowl.“Throne,” Eric said, his voice dropping into a low register as his eyes locked onto the intruder. “What the hell are you doing in my home?”“Chloe invited me,” Sebastian replied smoothly. Entirely unbothered by the venom in Eric's tone, he calmly pulled out a chair and took a seat at the table.
Sophia paced around her office anxiously, the clicking of her heels against the hardwood flooring did little to soothe her racing mind. She didn’t know what else to do but worried herself tired. Ever since her meticulously crafted plan had gone up in smoke, she was entirely at a loss for how to proceed.Initially, she had only designed the media leak to teach Autumn a harsh lesson, a warning to stop getting herself involved in a relationship where she didn't belong. But the scheme had backfired spectacularly. The memory of it still made her blood run cold.[A Few Days Ago]Sophia sat in her plush leather chair, twirling herself around with pure joy. A smug grin graced her features as she stared at the ceiling. ‘By now, they’ll be trapped in a vicious argument, screaming at one another over who leaked their private marital drama to the public,’ she thought maliciously.A firm knock at the office door instantly wiped the smile off her face.“Come in,” she called out, smoothing down her
The light from the morning sun blinded my eyes, forcing me to squint as I woke up in an unfamiliar room. For a split second, I panicked, my heart racing as I tried to remember where I was. Then, the events of last night crashed into my mind. I buried my face in the silk pillows, blushing at the mem
It had been a few days since the incident at the bistro, and a heavy, suffocating silence had settled between Eric and me. We moved around the estate like two planets in a dangerous orbit—close enough to feel the pull of gravity, but terrified of a collision. I had managed to sneak a text to Marco
The grip Eric had on my waist was bruising. He didn't lead me out of the bistro; he practically hauled me. I could feel the eyes of every single person in the diner on my back, their whispers following us like a funeral procession."Eric, stop! You’re hurting me," I hissed, trying to pry his finger
Autumn stood before the ornate mirror in the foyer, checking her reflection one last time. She adjusted the strap of her bag, her fingers lingering on the leather. She felt like herself again.Chloe, ever the observant shadow, wandered into the foyer with a bowl of sliced fruit, munching slowly. Sh







