MasukAmelia’s POVValerie was in my chair. Not near it. Not leaning on the desk. In it. Spun halfway to the window, one leg crossed over the other, scrolling through something on my tablet. My office. The shock hit me in waves. First cold, then hot. My hand was still on the doorknob. Darcy was behind me in the hallway, frozen. “What the hell are you doing here?” The words came out before I could think. Valerie didn’t startle. She looked up slowly, like she’d been expecting me. “Amelia,” she said. My name in her mouth sounded amused. “You’re back early.” I let the door shut. The click was too loud. “How did you get in?” I tried to keep my voice even. Nice. Professional. “And why are you in my chair?” She set my tablet down. Carefully. “Ease up,” she said. “Security let me up. I told them I was family. Which, technically, I am.” Family. The word felt wrong in this room. She stood. The cream suit she was wearing caught the light from the window. She looked expensive. U
Amelia's POVEthan’s building smelled like rain and old coffee. I was just sitting in their living room while him and Sam looked dumbfounded to find me in their home by this time of the night. Ethan. He was in a gray t-shirt and sweatpants, hair messy, and his face went from sleepy to alarmed in about two seconds. “Amelia?” Behind him, Sam appeared in the kitchen doorway, holding a mug. She took one look at me and the mug hit the counter with a clink. “What are you doing here?” Sam said. “You’re supposed to be on your honeymoon. You’re supposed to be... married and happy.” The word married felt like a bruise. “I need to stay here tonight,” I said. My voice sounded small. Ethan stepped aside immediately. He didn’t ask questions. He just took my bag and looked at Sam. “I’ll give you two space,” he said. Then to me, softer: “I’m glad you’re okay.” My throat closed. I nodded. He went to the bedroom and shut the door. Sam and I sat in the living room for a beat. Th
Asher's POVI let her go. I stood at the door of the new house with my hands in my pockets and watched Amelia get into Ethan’s car. She didn’t look back. The door shut, and the taillights went red down the street, and then they were gone. The house was too big when it was empty. Too quiet. Every echo sounded like an accusation. I told myself it was the right thing. She needed space. She needed air that didn’t have me in it. After the phone. After the plane. After me telling Arjun about the text. “Clear your head,” I’d said. “I’ll be here when you’re ready.” She’d nodded once and walked out. I closed the door and leaned my forehead against it for exactly ten seconds. Then I straightened. Work. I needed work. My phone buzzed before I could pour a drink. Jordan. “You alive?” his text said. “Come over,” I replied. Twenty minutes later he was at my door with a file box under one arm and two bottles of whiskey in the other. “You look like shit,” he said by way of gre
Amelia’s POV“Stop the plane!” My voice came out too loud in the small cabin. It cracked on the second word. The pilot’s voice came back over the intercom, confused. “Mrs. Sinclair? We’re cleared. We’re rolling.” I could feel the jet moving. A slow roll forward. The windows showed tarmac blurring. “ASHE—” I started, and he was already standing. “Get the pilot,” he said, and his voice wasn’t calm anymore. It was command. “Now.” He moved to the cockpit door in three strides and banged on it. “Hold! Hold takeoff! This is Asher Sinclair!” I didn’t hear the answer. My phone buzzed again in my hand. _GET OFF. NOW. IT’S GOING TO BLOW._ The words were shaking on the screen. Or maybe my hands were. “I don’t know how I know,” I said to Asher, and I hated how desperate I sounded. “But we have to get off. Right now.” He turned from the cockpit door. His face was all sharp lines. Fear. Calculation. “Amelia, talk to me. What did the text say?” I held it out. He read it.
Amelia’s POVThe hallway outside our suite was too quiet. The kind of quiet that only happens in expensive hotels right before checkout. Housekeeping carts down the hall. The faint ding of the elevator. Our suitcases lined up by the door like soldiers waiting for orders. My hand was still shaking. I had still been starring at my phone. He took it from me. His fingers were warm, but they didn’t linger on mine the way they had three seconds ago. He read it. Once. His jaw did that small tick it does when he’s thinking. He read it again, slower. “Okay,” he said finally. His voice was even. Too even. “Okay. We need to talk about this.” I crossed my arms. The cream dress I’d worn suddenly felt wrong. Too soft. Too much like the woman he’d tried to keep calm for three days. “Talk about what?” I asked. “That someone knows something? That we might actually get something on them this time?” Asher set the phone down on the console table. Carefully. Like it might explode. “I’m
Amelia's POVThe hotel room smelled like white lilies and cold air-conditioning. I stood by the window with my phone in both hands, staring at the screen until the letters blurred. Killian. Gone. The door to the bathroom opened. Steam rolled out, and then Asher. He had a towel around his waist and water still running down his collarbone. He took one look at me and all the ease left his face. “Amelia?” His voice was low. Careful. He set the phone down on the dresser very slowly. Then he pulled me into his arms. “Hey,” he murmured into my hair. “Hey, breathe with me.” “We need to go home,” I said, and my voice came out thin, cracked. “Right now. I need to fly back home.” “Okay,” he said. “Okay. We’ll figure it out.” “No, Asher. Now. Tonight. There’s a flight at—” “Amelia, look at me.” He pulled back just enough to frame my face with both hands. His thumbs brushed under my eyes. I hadn’t realized I was crying. “Going back right now isn’t going to change anything
Amelia's POV"What's going on here?"My father's voice echoed from the top of the staircase. He stood there, one hand on the railing, the other tucked into the pocket of his blue office trousers. His white button-up shirt was crisply ironed, but his face was stern. His black hair had more streaks o
Amelia's POVThe family dinnerThe car hummed to a stop outside my parent's house, and for some reason I couldn't stop shaking.My hands were clenched on my lap, my knuckles turned white. The dashboard lights cast a glow across the steering wheel where Asher sat beside me, calm as still water. He h
Amelia's POVI pulled away from him, "We will continue that if you listen to what I have to say right now. I need to explain how this company would use your resources, and what the dividends you would get on a quarterly basis.""I'll always listen to you, my love." He slid his hand on my thigh, and
Amelia's POVHe removed my bra, and swallowed hard as it came off. His erection pressed against my stomach.He put his hands under my butt, lifting me up. My legs wrapped around his torso, and I continued digging my nails into his skin."Fuck me." He groaned.He turned off the shower, and carried m







