ログインCIERRA’S POVI stood in front of the full-length mirror in my bedroom, turning slightly to the side as I studied the way the deep emerald gown hugged my waist before flaring out just enough to look expensive without trying too hard. My eyes immediately dropped to my tummy, and I couldn’t help noticing the small baby bump that had already started to show.I cursed under my breath.Seriously? It had to start showing now, of all times?How was I supposed to look snatched in the dress I was wearing if that little bump was already visible?Becky sat cross-legged on my bed behind me, a tablet propped against her knees as she lazily scrolled through the guest list she'd managed to get from one of her contacts after the invitations went out.I’d been trying on dresses for the better part of an hour, tossing one after another onto the growing pile at the foot of the bed. None of them quite hit the exact look I was going for. I needed something that screamed money without screaming desperation,
CIERRA’S POVI settled deeper into Roman’s arms, my cheek resting against the warm expanse of his chest as I listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my ear. His mansion wasn’t nearly as extravagant as Miles’s. It was smaller, more understated in every way that actually mattered to people who cared about that sort of thing. Still, there was something about the quiet of this room that I found myself craving more often than I probably should have admitted, even to myself.“You’re distracted tonight,” Roman said, his fingers trailing lazily along my shoulder, tracing idle patterns against my skin.“Just thinking,” I said, tilting my head up to look at him. “About the Black Tier Gala coming up. Have you heard about it?”Something shifted across his face, and a small, pleased smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.“Heard about it? I actually got an invitation this year.”I sat up slightly, genuinely surprised.“You did? That’s incredible, Roman. How?”“The casino had an exc
MILES’ POVI sat behind the wheel of my car for a long moment after leaving Grandfather’s office, just breathing and letting the tension in my shoulders ease slightly before I trusted myself to drive anywhere. My mind was already racing ahead, working through everything that needed to be handled before the Black Tier Gala, and none of it felt particularly manageable at the moment.The first problem was Cierra.I already knew, without even needing to ask her directly, exactly how this was going to play out the second I brought up the gala. She’d want to come with me. It was the kind of event she’d been dreaming of attending for years, the kind of exclusive room she’d always wanted access to. And now that I was the one holding the invitation, she’d see no reason why she shouldn’t be standing right beside me.The problem was, I couldn’t have her there. Not openly, not as my date, not in any capacity that Grandfather might notice and start asking questions about. He was already suspicious
MILES’ POVGrandfather’s office always had a particular smell to it, old leather and expensive cigars, a scent that had settled permanently into the walls over decades of use. I sat across from him at his desk, half listening as he ran through the quarterly numbers, half wondering how long it would take before I could steer the conversation somewhere useful. “Our shipping division underperformed again this quarter,” he said, sliding a folder toward me. “I want a full breakdown by Friday. If we’re bleeding money on logistics, I want to know exactly where.” “I’ll have it ready,” I said, nodding, though my mind wasn’t entirely on shipping margins. We spent the better part of an hour going back and forth over the business, discussing projections, cost-cutting measures, and a handful of contracts that needed to be renegotiated before the end of the quarter. It was the kind of conversation we’d had a hundred times before, comfortable in its familiarity, and for a while it almost felt lik
DMITRI’S POVClaire had been against the whole plan from the very beginning. Understandably, she was worried that even if we managed to hide the outing, my mother would somehow find out. She always seemed to have that instinct, an uncanny ability to sense when something wasn’t quite right in the house. Claire had worked alongside her long enough to know better than most how dangerous that instinct could be for anyone caught helping me sneak around behind her back.I noticed the doubt creeping into John’s expression too. The longer the conversation went on, the more his confidence in the compromise he had suggested began to fade. Without giving much thought to how manipulative I was being, I did what any spoiled, desperate teenager might have done. I leaned into the emotional angle. I let my voice crack just enough and made sure my disappointment was impossible to miss, all to push him into fully agreeing to the plan he had already half-accepted.John and I had grown genuinely close ov
DMITRI’S POVRemembering something like that hurt every single time, without fail, no matter how many years had passed. It felt like a small, deliberate punishment handed down from somewhere far above me, a quiet penance for the harm I’d caused that day, one I was never meant to fully put down.I knew what my closest friends would say if they were sitting here with me right now because they’d said it so many times over the years that I could recite it word for word. It wasn’t my fault. I was just a kid. There was no way I could have known something like that would happen. I’d honestly tried, more than once, to believe every word of comfort the people who knew the full story had offered me. But something deep inside me, some stubborn, unshakable part of my conscience, refused to accept it. No matter how many kind words people used to soften the truth, I always believed I was the one who had caused it.If I had just listened to my mother’s warning that night, none of this would have hap
ANABEL'S POV I took a small breath, steadying my emotions and finally pushing away all the tears I'd been crying for the past few minutes. Every now and then, I could still feel the heaviness lingering in my chest, but I couldn't keep breaking down forever. There was no room for tears anymore. Y
ANABEL'S POVFinally.Without wasting any time, I immediately answered and placed the phone against my ear. Before speaking, I took a small breath and quickly wiped my eyes with the back of my hand."Hi, Chloe," I said.Even though I tried to hide the fact that I had just been crying, I did a terri
ANABEL’S POVA man stood there holding a glass loosely in one hand, his expression calm but amused. Even through my blurry vision, I could tell he was attractive. Very attractive.Tall, dark hair, sharp jawline.The kind of face people noticed immediately.I stared at him blankly for a moment befor
ANABEL’S POVI woke up the next morning emotionally exhausted.The moment I opened my eyes, reality settled over me again. Cierra remained in the house. Miles was still avoiding me. And somehow everything that had happened over the past few days still seemed impossible to process even after everyth







