LOGINI was halfway down the stairs when I heard my mother’s voice echo through the house. “Everyone needs to check their rooms. Now.” I stopped. The panic in her voice made my stomach twist. “What happened?” I asked. She turned toward me, her face pale, and an empty jewelry box clutched tightly in her hand. “All my gold is missing.” The room went silent. I pretended I didn't know anything about it. “What?” “My jewelry. All of it is gone.” Her eyes moved from one person to another, searching for an explanation. “No one leaves this house until I find out who did this.” I felt the blood drain from my face. I had been careful. I had made sure no one saw me. I thought I had covered every trace. I was wrong. A few minutes later, one of the maids came rushing in, holding something between her fingers. “Madam… I found this in Miss Nadia’s room.” My heart stopped. The gold ring. The one I hadn’t noticed slipping away. My mother gazed at it, then her eyes darted at me. “You?”
Alex’s live video blew up. That tiny tattoo on his hand was visible for only a second, but it sent the internet into overdrive. Millions scrutinized the zoomed-in screenshots, hunting for clues and desperately trying to decode who the initial “N” stood for. Everywhere I looked, the internet was screaming. Who was she? Was she the reason he broke up with Ariella? Hide. I just need to hide. Turn off the phone. Don't look at the comments. If Mr. Stone sees this, he’ll know exactly who 'N' is. After that live stream, I was certain Alex would show up to claim me as his bride. Yet, he never appeared. My calls went straight to voicemail. My texts sat unread, and every effort to find him ended in a dead end. The avoidance felt entirely deliberate. It was as though he was playing a waiting game. I was losing my mind waiting for him. Pick up the phone, Alex. The internet was dissecting my name, and the one person who was supposed to protect me was missing in action. Is he waiting f
I gave her a doubtful look. “Good news?” Freya nodded, failing miserably at hiding her excitement. “Didi, you’re going to want to see this. It’s all over the headlines.” My heart skipped slightly at the thought. “Freya… is it about Alex?” I studied her face, waiting for her to go on and tell me the good news. “Are you going to tell me or not?” I snapped at her, but instead of answering, she pulled out her phone and unlocked it. “I think you should see this yourself.” The moment the screen turned toward me, I froze. A live broadcast filled the display. Alexander. My Alexander. His face appeared on the screen, and I found myself staring at every detail I had missed. The way he held himself. The familiar glint in his dark eyes. The face I had spent so much time thinking about. Then I noticed the headline. My fingers tightened around the magazine in my lap. Alexander Stone officially ends his engagement with Ariella Williams. I stopped breathing. The room around me disap
I was still trying to convince myself that I could live without him. Some days, I almost believed it. Most days, I didn't. My life felt meaningless, stripped of hope as I waited in the crushing silence for Alex's return. The agony of the unknown was total torture. I didn't know that all of those moments were preparing me for a life without him. I believed I was only trying to survive the suffocating despair, pushing through, finding ways to exist in a world that felt incomplete without him in it. I didn't see it then. I didn't realize that the distance, the tears, and the nights I spent convincing myself I would be okay were shaping me into someone who could stand on her own. I thought I was fighting to hold on to him, but somehow, I was learning how to let him go. I hated counting the days. Doing that only made his absence feel heavier. Still… 42 days had passed since the last time I'd seen Alexander Stone Waking up every morning and having to remind myself that he was
I started dreading the headlines waiting around the corner. I feared the next news I would hear might be the announcement of Alexander marrying Ariella. Or worse, the news that I had lost him forever. The days blurred into one another as I lost count. I woke up, went to the academy, dedicated myself to work, pushed myself so hard that my feet and hands ached, returned home exhausted, endured a few restless hours of sleep, and then repeated the cycle. I kept moving because stopping meant facing everything I was trying to bury. My days were filled with noise, pressure from my mom, and exhaustion, but none of it could reach the emptiness I carried inside. As a diploma holder from Miranda Stone Academy, I have the opportunity to create original recipes. If one of my recipes is selected and added to the Academy's cookbook, it would be a great honor and a proud achievement. It would reflect the knowledge, creativity, and skills I gained during my time at the Academy, while also allowi
“Listen to me carefully, Nadia.” He said after a long silence. “Leonardo made it clear. If this marriage fails he will destroy us. Our name, our fortune, everything.” At this point, I conceded that there was nothing I could say that would change his mind. The silence between us was unbearable. I looked at my father and barely recognized him. The man who once told me I was his greatest treasure was now calmly explaining why I had to be handed over like a piece of property. I wondered if he understood what he was asking me to do. Did he understand that he wasn’t just asking me to marry a man I didn’t love? He was asking me to bury every dream I had ever carried. He was asking me to smile while my heart slowly died. How did it come to this? How did my life become a debt that someone else had to repay? “Daddy, please. Let me be with Alex.” I begged him with a desperation I’d never shown until now. “I love him so much, I can't live without him.” Marcus let out a heavy sigh. “I







