LOGINThe elevator dinged, a clinical sound that pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts. The doors slid open to the third floor, revealing a quiet, high-end hallway that smelled of expensive cleaning products. Gabriel led the way, his stride professional.We passed an open office space where a few employees were hunched over dual monitors, their typing creating a rhythmic white noise. Finally, we reached a heavy, soundproofed door. Gabriel opened it, ushering me into an office space.It was exquisite.The minimalist style screamed Eric’s influence—everything was a monochrome palette of black, charcoal grey, and deep walnut browns. It felt like stepping into a black-and-white movie.“You stay here, ma’am. Sir is in a meeting right now,” Gabriel said, his voice softening. I think he saw the tension in my shoulders. “I’ll leave you to it.”I thanked him as the door clicked shut, leaving me in the silence of Eric’s world. I set the insulated lunch bag on the coffee table—a sleek piece of marble
The kitchen was quiet, save for the hum of the refrigerator and the rhythmic sound of my knife against the cutting board. I was meticulously arranging a bento-style lunch for Eric. Since Fin had started school, the silence in the house had become suffocatingly lonely, pressing against my chest. I needed to do something. I needed to feel useful.The surprise was meant to be a bridge—a way to cross the sudden chasm that had opened between us.I still couldn't shake the memory of this morning. I had watched him dress in a charcoal suit, his movements precise and mechanical. It was the first time I’d seen him "suit up" since the funeral, and it sent a jolt of shock through me.“Where are you heading off to?” I had asked, leaning against the doorframe of the dressing room.“Work,” he replied. His voice was curt, lacking the usual warmth that usually he reserved for me.“Work? But you don’t have a job,” I said, trying to inject a bit of our usual playfulness into the air. “Aren’t you techni
Eleanor’s PovEleanor sank into the plush leather of the executive chair—a brand new suite she’d ordered the moment she’d moved into Eric’s old office. She had spent the first forty-eight hours purging every single trace of her brother from these four walls. She’d replaced his minimalist art with gilded frames and swapped his mahogany desk for something more "regal." She didn't know how she would maintain her composure if she were constantly reminded of the humiliation she had suffered at his hands.It had been two weeks since her father had taken his last breath, and one week since the cold, hard reality had set in: she was getting absolutely nothing from the Kingston estate.The memory of her meeting with the estate attorney still left a bitter taste in her mouth. She had stormed into his office, clutching the copy of the will like a weapon.“So, is there a way to contest it?” she had asked, leaning over his desk before she’d even sat down.The lawyer, a man who charged more per hou
“You wench!” Eleanor spat, spinning around to face me with a look of pure, unadulterated disdain. The refined mask she usually wore was slipping, revealing the jagged edges of her greed. “You mannerless girl. Were you never taught that it’s remarkably rude to eavesdrop on people’s private conversations?”I didn't flinch. I stood my ground, leaning casually against the doorframe of the living room. I raised my hand, slowly inspecting my nails as if I’d found a speck of imaginary dust that was far more interesting than her tantrum.“Well, Eleanor, when said conversations are taking place at a volume that shakes the chandeliers in a house I happen to own... it becomes my business,” I said, my voice smooth and calm.“You!” she hissed, pointing a trembling, manicured finger at me. “You couldn't even wait twenty-four hours to show your true colors, could you? Now that you’ve schemed and manipulated your way into my father’s will, you think you’re the queen of this estate.”I took a slow ste
I was shaken awake by a sudden, agonizing soreness in my lower back. It felt as though a boulder had been dropped onto my spine overnight, the weight radiating through my hips. My waist throbbed with a dull, persistent ache—nothing compared to the white-hot labor pains I had endured with Finn, but enough to make every breath feel restricted.The heavy warmth draped across my midsection alerted me to the other presence in the room. I shifted slightly, looking down, and was met with a deep, penetrating gaze. Eric was awake. His dark grey eyes were fixed on me, but they lacked their usual cold steel; instead, they were startlingly calm, as if the storm of the previous night had finally washed him clean.“Go... od morning,” I managed to stammer out, my voice thick with sleep.He didn't reply immediately. He just watched me with that unsettling intensity.“How was your rest?” I tried again, desperate to break the heavy silence that seemed to fill the corners of the room.“It was fine,” he
I lay on the expansive, silk-draped bed, staring at the intricate molding of the ceiling as I recounted every event that had unfolded since we touched down in London. The house felt hollow now, echoing with silence from the emptiness left. Everyone was retreating into their own private corners of grief. Chloe had barricaded herself in her room, the distant sound of her muffled sobs the only proof she was still there, while Eric had used the excuse of putting Finn down to escape for a bit of privacy.With Eleanor and the rest of the vultures finally gone, the house should have felt peaceful. Instead, it felt hollowed out. It was the dead of night, the kind of hour where your thoughts become too erratic, and I found that sleep was a luxury I couldn't afford. My mind kept looping back to the lawyer’s voice, the deed to this house, and the look of pure, unadulterated hatred on Eleanor's face."A shower might help," I whispered to the empty room.I stripped out of my mourning clothes, 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
The iron gates of the main Kingston estate groaned open, welcoming us into the heart of the empire. I had been nervous since we left our home, my palms slightly damp against my silk skirt. But beneath the nerves, there was a spark of excitement. I wanted Finn to see this. I wanted him to understand
Eric povThe day of the event had finally arrived—the formal introduction of Autumn as Eric’s wife and the undisputed Mrs. Kingston. This wasn't just a party; it was a reclamation. Eric had spent years in a cold, sterile world, and tonight, he was bringing the fire back into it.He had already issu
The formal introductions had been made, the air in the ballroom thick with the weight of the Kingston name. Elijah had stood before the gathered elite, his voice resonating with an authority that had continuously built an empire, announcing his new daughter-in-law to all of London’s high society wi







