LOGINSimone's POVThe moment I stepped into the hall, I could feel the attention shifting towards me, although I deliberately kept my expression calm as I walked beside Arlene. There was no longer any reason to hide behind the mask I had worn outside, because everyone in that room would eventually know that I had returned, and I wanted them to see me exactly as I was.Connor was the first person to reach me, and for several seconds, he simply stared at me as though he was struggling to believe what he was seeing. His surprise quickly turned into a broad smile, and before I could say anything, he pulled me into a tight hug.“Simone, I can't believe you're actually here, and you're walking.”I laughed softly as I returned the hug before stepping back. “I told you I would be fine.”He shook his head, still looking at me with disbelief, before his attention shifted towards the woman standing beside me. I placed my hand lightly against Arlene's back and smiled.“Connor, this is my wife, Arlene.
Arlene's POVThe company dinner was the following evening, and although Simone had spent the past few days preparing for it, I still wasn't entirely convinced that I was ready for what was coming. He seemed calm whenever I looked at him, but I knew him well enough by now to recognise the quiet concentration behind his expression. He had been studying company documents, reviewing old reports and making notes about the people he expected to see, yet he had never once allowed himself to look nervous.That morning, he came into my room and told me to get dressed because we were going shopping. At this point, I thought I had already gotten used to random shopping with Simone but it turns out I wasn't yet.I stared at him in disbelief when he explained that we needed to find something for the dinner. “Simone, I have plenty of dresses. There are dresses in my wardrobe that I haven't even worn once.”He only smiled as though my argument meant nothing, and by the time we arrived at the mall, I
Arlene's POVWhen we kissed again, the kiss was soft, almost careful, but it did not stay that way. His hand came up to the side of my face and then slid into my hair, pulling me closer. I tasted the wine on his tongue and felt the heat of his breath against my mouth. The kiss deepened quickly. My free hand found his shoulder and then the back of his neck as I pressed myself against him. We kissed like we had been waiting all evening for this exact moment, mouths open and hungry, the bottle forgotten on the bench beside us.His hands moved over my back and down to my waist, gripping me harder. I climbed onto his lap without breaking the kiss, straddling him on the bench, and felt the hard press of his cock through his trousers. A soft sound left my throat. He answered with a rough exhale against my lips and his hands slid under the hem of my dress, pushing the fabric higher until his palms were on the bare skin of my thighs.We stayed like that for a while, kissing and touching with g
Arlene's POVThe mansion had been unusually busy since morning, and by the time I came downstairs, the entire estate seemed to have transformed. Servants moved between the kitchen and the garden carrying trays, decorations and boxes, while several people arranged tables beneath the large canopy that had been set up for the evening. Strings of small lights had been hung around the garden, and the tables were covered with clean white cloths and decorated with fresh flowers, making the whole place look warmer and more welcoming than it had in a long time.I stood at the entrance for a moment, simply watching everyone work, because it was strange seeing the estate this lively after everything that had happened. I walked towards one of the tables where a few flowers had been left beside the decorations and picked them up, intending to help arrange them, but one of the servants immediately smiled and shook her head.“Ma'am, please leave those. Mr. Simone told us not to let you work today.”
Arlene's POVA week had passed since everything that happened with Maya, and although her disappearance still crossed my mind from time to time, there had been no sign of her since the night Cheryl escaped from the basement. The guards had searched the estate and its surroundings repeatedly, but they found nothing that could tell us where she had gone or whether she was still somewhere nearby. Eventually, life inside the mansion began to settle again, although I knew none of us had completely forgotten what had happened.Cheryl was recovering well, and Judith had become even more protective of her than before. The two of them were almost inseparable, which secretly made me happy because I knew how frightened Judith had been when we couldn't find her.As for Simone, he had changed more than I could have imagined.His strength had improved significantly over the past few weeks, and although he still took things carefully when he needed to, he could now walk across a room without assista
Theodore's POVI barely slept that night after Maya's call.Her frightened voice had stayed in my head long after the conversation ended, and by morning, I had already replayed everything she had told me several times. I couldn't understand how she had managed to turn what should have been a simple assignment into such a disaster. She had one job inside that estate, and that was to observe, listen and report to me without attracting attention. Instead, she had been discovered, attacked one of the servants and abandoned the estate before anyone could question her properly.I had spent years being careful, and I wasn't about to let one person's carelessness destroy everything I had built.I contacted Maya early that morning and arranged to meet her somewhere away from the estate. I chose the location myself because I didn't want anyone following her to me, and more importantly, I didn't want anyone seeing us together.When I arrived, I found her waiting near the entrance. She looked not







