LOGINTen days before the wedding, I'm at my studio finalizing details for the ceremony reception when my assistant interrupts."There's someone here to see you. She doesn't have an appointment but says it's important.""Who?""Sofia Conti."My blood runs cold. Sofia. Here. Now. Ten days before I marry Lucien."Should I send her away?" my assistant asks.I should say yes. Should refuse to see her. But curiosity wins."No. Send her in."Sofia enters looking different from the last time I saw her. Less polished. More human. Her hair is simple, her clothes understated. She looks nervous."Chloe. Thank you for seeing me.""Sofia. This is unexpected.""I know. I'm sorry to come unannounced. But I heard about your wedding. I needed to talk to you before it happens."My guard goes up. "If you're here to cause trouble—""I'm not. Please. Just hear me out."Against my better judgment, I gesture to a chair. We sit across from each other, tension thick."My father was arrested three weeks ago," Sofia
Three weeks before the wedding, Blair calls."Can I come visit? I need to talk to you about something.""Of course. Is everything okay?""Everything's fine. I just need to do this in person."She arrives the next day with James and Emma. They're a proper family now. James is devoted to Blair. Emma is thriving. Blair looks happy in a way I've never seen before.We have tea while the kids play. Leo is showing Emma his toys despite her being too young to appreciate them. Charlotte is "helping" by narrating everything."You look good," I tell Blair. "Motherhood suits you this time.""It does. I'm actually ready now. That makes all the difference.""What did you need to talk about?"She exchanges a look with James. He nods encouragingly."I want to give up my parental rights to Leo."The words hit me like a punch. "What?""Not abandoning him. Not disappearing. But legally, officially, I want you and Lucien to adopt him fully. No shared custody. No legal complications. He's your son. He sho
The day after the adoption is finalized, we start planning the wedding in earnest."We have three months," I say, spreading bridal magazines across the dining table. "That's not a lot of time.""It's plenty," Lucien says. "We'll hire a planner. They'll handle everything.""I don't want a planner. I want to plan our wedding ourselves.""Why? Planners exist for a reason.""Because this is our wedding. It should reflect us, not some planner's vision.""Fair enough. So what do you want?"I pull up photos I've saved. "Something intimate. Small. Maybe thirty people. Close friends and family. Somewhere beautiful but understated. Maybe a garden. Or a small chapel. Simple flowers. Elegant but not ostentatious."Lucien looks at the photos, then at me. "Thirty people?""Maybe forty. But no more than fifty.""Chloe, I have business contacts who would be offended not to be invited.""Then don't invite them. This isn't a business event.""In our world, everything is business. You know that.""But o
We arrive back in London on a Tuesday evening. Charlotte hasn't stopped talking about the wedding since we told her."When do I get my princess dress? Can I have flowers? Will there be cake?""Yes to all of that, sweetheart. We'll plan everything together."Leo is with us this week. He's been quieter than usual since we told him about the engagement.That night, after Charlotte is asleep, Lucien and I sit down with Leo in the living room."Can we talk?" I ask."Am I in trouble?""No, sweetheart. We just want to check in. See how you're feeling about everything."Leo shrugs. "I'm fine.""You seem quiet. That's not like you.""I'm just thinking.""About what?" Lucien asks gently.Leo picks at a thread on the couch cushion. "When you get married, what happens to me?"My heart clenches. "What do you mean?""Charlotte is your daughter. And Lucien's daughter. You're both her parents. But I'm not really yours. Not legally. Blair is my mom. So when you get married and have a family, where do
Three weeks after Victor's retreat, life settles into a new rhythm.Lucien splits his time between London and New York. Two weeks in each city. It's exhausting but it works.When he's in London, he stays at my flat. Charlotte adores having him there. So does Leo when he's with us.When he's in New York, we video call every evening. Charlotte tells him about her day. I tell him about work. We maintain connection despite distance.It's not perfect. I miss him when he's gone. He misses us. But we're making it work.And then Milan Fashion Week returns.My next collection is ready. "Reconstruction Part Two: Together." A continuation of the first collection's themes but evolved. Showing how broken pieces become stronger when joined correctly.It's personal. Obvious. Everyone will know it's about Lucien and me.But I don't care. I'm done hiding.We fly to Milan together. Lucien, Charlotte, and me. A family.The fashion world buzzes with speculation. "Is Chloe Thorne showing with Lucien Cross
The morning after committing to Lucien, we start fighting back."First step," Lucien says over breakfast while Charlotte colors at the table, "we expose Victor's smear campaign. My investigators have been gathering evidence.""You've had investigators on this?""Since the first attack on your team. I wasn't going to sit idle while he destroyed you.""But I told you not to help.""I told you I'd respect your decision. I didn't say I'd stop protecting you."I should be angry. But I'm not. I'm grateful."What did they find?""The 'anonymous sources' cited in those greenwashing articles? They're all connected to Zhang Enterprises. Employees, contractors, people on Victor's payroll. We have documentation proving the connection.""That's defamation.""Yes. My lawyers are drafting a lawsuit. We'll file today. Public statement goes out simultaneously exposing Victor's tactics.""Won't that make him angrier?""Probably. But he'll be too busy defending himself to continue attacking you."We spe
I was crying over a sketch when Lucien found me.It was past midnight. The building was empty except for security and the cleaning crew. I'd been working on collection details, refining pieces, making sure every element was perfect.Then I'd drawn something without thinking. A small jacket with ori
Three weeks until New York Fashion Week.The internal preview was scheduled for a Tuesday morning. All the major Cross Luxury Group board members would attend, along with key stakeholders, investors, and fashion industry consultants Lucien trusted.I barely slept the night before. My collection was
Five weeks until Fashion Week.The collection was coming together beautifully. Every piece was precisely constructed, the innovative techniques working even better than I'd hoped. We were ahead of schedule for once, which should have relieved the pressure.Instead, the tension was getting worse. Be
I stayed in the studio long after everyone left. It was past midnight, and the building was quiet except for the hum of the heating system and the distant sound of a cleaning crew on another floor.My desk was covered in failed sketches. Designs that looked good on paper but didn't solve the fundam







