ANMELDENThird Person POV Tucked away on the top floor of a building that didn't announce itself to the street was a beautiful and elegant restaurant. The tables were spaced far enough apart that conversations remained private. Katherine sat across from her oldest friend, Margaret Ashford, and tried to remember the last time she had felt truly at ease. Margaret was the kind of woman who had aged gracefully, with silver-streaked hair pulled back in a simple chignon and laugh lines around her eyes that spoke of a life well-lived. She wore a cream-colored silk blouse and pearl earrings that had belonged to her grandmother. "You look tired," Margaret said from observation. She lifted her glass of white wine and took a sip. "And before you say it, I know you're going to tell me you're fine. But I've known you for thirty-five years, Katherine. I know when you're lying." Katherine smiled, a practiced, careful smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm fine." "Liar." The word
Aria POV I reached Daniel's office and paused outside the door. The blinds were half-drawn, as usual. I could see him inside, leaning back in his chair, his phone pressed to his ear. He was nodding at something the person on the other end was saying. I knocked briefly. Daniel glanced up. His eyes met mine through the glass, and he held up a finger, telling me to wait. I waited. He ended the call and set his phone down on the desk, gesturing for me to come in. I pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Close the door," he said without looking up. I had already did though. I stood in front of his desk, waiting. Daniel studied me for a long moment, his eyes scanning my face. I couldn't tell if he was annoyed or impressed or just tired. "Sit," he said finally. I sat. The chair was uncomfortable, deliberately so, I suspected. Daniel had never been one for making his visitors feel at ease. "I heard you had a chat with Vanessa this morning," he said, lean
Third Person POVEthan arrived at the newsroom.Phones rang in the distance. Keyboards clattered in a rhythm that never quite synced. Ethan moved through it all unconsciously, his mind far away from there.His eyes scanned the rows of desks, searching for one face in particular. The morning coffee he had picked up on his way in was growing cold in his hand, but he didn't notice. His mind was elsewhere.But he pushed all of that aside as he approached Aria's cubicle.The space was empty.Her laptop was closed, and her chair was pushed in. He frowned, glancing around the newsroom.Maya was at her desk, typing furiously. James was nowhere to be seen. Ethan turned, about to head back to his own desk, when a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks."Ethan!"He closed his eyes briefly.Then he turned, forcing a neutral expression onto his face.Valentina was walking toward him, her heels clicking against the polished floor. Her smile was so wide.She stopped in front of him, close enoug
Aria POVThe newsroom was already buzzing when I walked through the glass doors that morning.I moved through the familiar chaos on autopilot, my bag slung over one shoulder, my mind still half-stuck on everything that had happened over the past few days.Mason's face in the park. The way his lips had felt against mine. I shook my head, forcing the thoughts away.*Focus, Aria. You're at work. You have a job to do.*I passed by Maya's desk, and she looked up from her screen, offering a small wave. I returned it with a tired smile."Morning, Bennett," she called out. "You look like you actually slept well, you are looking very pretty today.""Don't jinx it," I replied, keeping my voice light. "The universe might hear you and decide to punish me."Maya laughed, turning back to her work.I continued walking, nodding at James as he passed by with a stack of papers that looked like they were about to topple over. He grunted something that might have been a greeting, and I chuckled quietly
Mason's POVI left very early to go to a bar.This bar was the kind of place Coach Lawson loved. He loves coming here early in the morning. It was tucked away on a side street that most people wouldn't notice, it smelled like old wood and spilled whiskey. I'd been here a few times before, usually after games. My coach had brought me here multiple times , especially when I was still young and stupid and thought I knew everything. He'd told me then that this was his spot, his sanctuary, the one place where he could escape from the noise of his life.I was hoping it would be my sanctuary too.The door creaked as I pushed it open, and the bartender glanced up, recognizing me immediately. He nodded toward the back corner, where a familiar silhouette was hunched over a glass.Coach Lawson.I walked toward him, my footsteps heavy on the worn wooden floor. He didn't look up when I approached. He just sat there, staring at the amber liquid in his glass like it held all the answers."Coach,"
Third Person POVThe elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, and Jeffrey stepped out into the penthouse hallway.His shoulders were tight, his jaw clenched, his entire body humming with the kind of exhaustion that came from a long day of practice.His suit jacket was slung over one arm, his tie loosened, his shirt untucked.But the moment he unlocked the door and stepped inside, he knew he wasn't going to get what he wanted.The lights were on.Every single one of them.And his father was sitting in the center of the living room like a king on his throne.Senator William Kyler was a tall man, broad-shouldered and commanding, with the kind of presence that made rooms feel smaller. His silver hair was immaculately styled, his suit impeccable, his posture rigid. He didn't look up when Jeffrey walked in. He just sat there, a glass of whiskey in his hand, his eyes fixed on the city skyline beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows."Six o'clock in the morning," his father said without turni
Third Person POVCarter's Bar & Grill hummed with its usual night energy.The lights were low and warm, casting golden pools across the polished wooden tables. The smell of grilled food and spilled beer hung in the air like a familiar blanket.Brielle’s eyes swept across the room, taking in everyt
Third Person POVThe afternoon air was a bit crisp.Brielle walked fast, she was already very late as it was. It was mid afternoon and she had still not opened her bar.Her heels clicked against the pavement in a rhythm that matched her mood rushed, she was already irritated with the day before it
Katherine Rossi, Mason’s mother, had stopped at the door. Long enough to hear everything.Not all of it in clear sentences, more like fragments that landed one after another.But then it became distinct enough that she couldn’t pretend she hadn’t understood.Adrian’s voice, rough and frustrated.Isa
Ethan stood there holding another cup in his hand, a small smile was plastered on his face.“There she is,” he said lightly. “I was starting to think you murdered somebody on your way back from Daniel’s office.”Despite myself, a weak laugh escaped me. “Give me another hour.”“Ah,” he nodded serious







