Masuk~JAXON/RONAN~The entire drive to Pierce Holdings felt suffocating.I couldn’t stop thinking about Isla.The tears hidden behind her smile earlier.The hesitation in her eyes.The way she had looked at me like she was waiting for something.Waiting for the truth.God.I almost told her.Standing there with her in my arms, feeling her heartbeat against mine, I had genuinely almost confessed everything. For one reckless second, I wanted to throw the entire plan away and tell her who I really was.Tell her about my mother.About the revenge.About Ronan Pierce.About every ugly truth I had hidden from her.But fear stopped me again.Because deep down, no matter how much I tried pretending otherwise, I knew the truth could destroy us.And I couldn’t lose her.I physically couldn’t.By the time Louis and I stepped into his office, my head was pounding from the weight of my thoughts.Louis shut the door behind us before tossing a few files onto the desk.“You look terrible,” he muttered.“I
~IVY~I stood in front of the mirror trying to focus on Serena’s voice instead of the war happening inside my head.She was seated dramatically on the edge of the bed behind me, scrolling through outfit ideas on her phone while occasionally glancing up to critique my appearance like her opinion determined the fate of humanity.“No,” she said suddenly, pointing at me. “That top is too cute for a casual girls’ day. You’re making the rest of us look unemployed.”Despite everything weighing on me, a small laugh escaped my lips.“I literally work from home.”“You know what I mean.”I adjusted the hem of my skirt distractedly before looking back at my reflection.Something about me looked different lately.Softer.Happier.More alive.Jaxon had done that to me.Before him, my life had felt like survival. I was constantly exhausted, constantly trying to keep myself together while the world around me kept demanding more from me.But loving Jaxon had changed me.Being loved by him had changed
~AIDEN~The entire company was collapsing right in front of us.And the worst part was that nobody seemed capable of stopping it.Diamond Enterprise had always thrived on fear, influence, and power. Mr. Anderson built his empire by making people believe he was untouchable, but lately, that illusion had started cracking apart piece by piece.Investors were pulling away.Shipments were disappearing.Business partners suddenly wanted distance.Even the employees could feel the tension in the air now. The halls that once carried arrogance and confidence had become suffocatingly tense, filled with whispers and uncertainty.Everyone knew something was wrong.They just didn’t know how bad it truly was yet.Mr. Anderson, however, was completely losing his mind.I stood quietly near the office windows while he paced furiously across the room for what had to be the tenth time in less than an hour. Papers were scattered across the floor from one of his earlier outbursts, and the expensive whiske
~JAXON~My entire body went still at her question.For a second, I genuinely thought I had heard her wrong.The spatula in my hand froze midway as I slowly turned toward her.She sat on the kitchen counter wrapped in one of my shirts, her legs swinging slightly while she watched me carefully. The morning sunlight pouring through the windows illuminated her face so softly that under any other circumstance, I would’ve gotten distracted just staring at her.But right now, my stomach was twisting so violently that I could barely breathe.“…What did you say?” I asked carefully.Her expression didn’t change.She tilted her head slightly before repeating herself.“Have you ever lied to me, Jaxon?”Fuck.The panic that slammed into me was immediate.My mind started racing so fast I could barely keep up with my own thoughts.Did she know?Had someone told her something?Did Aiden find her?Was that what happened in the bathroom last night?Suddenly every strange thing about her behavior since
~ISLA~I jolted awake the moment I felt fingers brushing softly against my cheek.For a few disoriented seconds, I didn’t know where I was. My body felt heavy from lack of sleep, my mind still trapped somewhere between exhaustion and anxiety. Then my eyes slowly adjusted to the pale morning light filtering through the curtains, and my gaze landed on Jaxon.He was crouched beside the couch, his expression filled with concern as he looked at me.The sight of him immediately made something painful twist inside my chest.God.Even now, after everything running through my head, my heart still reacted to him the same way. One look at him and every wall inside me weakened instantly.“Why are you sleeping here?” he asked softly.His voice sounded rough, like he hadn’t slept much either.I pushed myself up slowly, tightening the blanket around my body while trying to gather my thoughts. My head pounded from how little sleep I’d gotten because the entire night had been torture.Every time I clo
~JAXON/RONAN~Something was wrong.I sensed it immediately the second Isla returned to the table.At first glance, nothing looked different. She still smiled when she sat down across from me. She still reached for my hand when I extended it toward her. She still answered whenever I spoke. Anyone else would probably think nothing had changed.But I knew her too well now.The warmth that usually filled her eyes whenever she looked at me had dimmed slightly, replaced by something distant and distracted. Her smile looked strained around the edges, like she was forcing herself to maintain whatever mood she had before she left the table.And the worst part was that she kept avoiding my eyes.Panic settled low in my stomach immediately.I tried not to jump to conclusions. I tried to convince myself that maybe she was tired or overwhelmed or emotional because of how intense the night had been, but something deep inside me refused to calm down.“What happened?” I asked carefully after watching
~ISLA~ “Are you okay?” Arthur's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned to him with a smile.“Yes, I thought I saw someone but I guess not” I replied and he glanced behind him before turning back to him.“Can we proceed with our stroll then?” He asked and I nodded. We continued down th
~ISLA~ I couldn't stop thinking about Jaxon's reaction even while being in Arthur's car. I couldn't understand why he was acting that way.He hadn't even spoken a word to me till I left.“Are you okay? You seem distracted?” Arthur uttered, snapping me out of my thoughts.I shook my head to clear
~JAXON/RONAN~“He's not my man. He rejected me, remember?” Isla crawled and Serena gasped.“Oh yeah” Then she narrowed her eyes on me. “How dare you reject my sweetheart? Do you know how many men here would kill to be in your shoes? Who here wants a one night stand with my friend?” She announced an
~ISLA~The mall was loud and bright with people walking all around as we walked in.A smile adorned my face as I looked around. I always loved the mall for some reason.It was like an escape whenever I was here.“What are we doing here?” Jaxon asked, turning my attention to him.“I'm getting you ne







