LOGINBefore I could gather myself to respond, Eloise stepped forward her expression sharp, as if daring her to continue. “Watch your mouth.” Arabella didn’t back down. “Why?” she shot back. “Did I hit too close?” Eloise’s expression went cold. “No,” she said. “You’re just embarrassing yourself. And I
Arabella moved before anyone else had finished processing the question. “Oh—Eloise.” She crossed the floor toward them with her, the smile arriving at full wattage… it was so fast that if I hadn’t been watching her thirty seconds ago I might have believed it was genuine. “And Weston… wow, I didn
Cressida recovers first. “Careful,” she says, stepping forward just enough to make it clear she’s inserting herself into this now. “That sounded a lot like jealousy.” I glance at her, then back at Arabella. “If that’s what you heard,” I say. Arabella doesn’t react immediately. She’s still watchin
The bell gives a soft chime. “What’s going on here? Is someone who can’t afford anything in here causing trouble?” The voice is familiar. I turn before I can stop myself. Arabella walked in with a pretty and elegant woman a half step behind her. The shift in the room was immediate. The assistant
The first thing I notice when I walk into Maison Elara is how quickly I get assessed. It is the kind of place that didn’t need to announce its prices because if you had to ask, the answer was already no. The two assistants near the entrance looked up when I came in. It’s subtle, if you’re not us
Sebastian The lawyer was still talking. I knew this because his mouth was moving and sound was coming out of it and his assistant was taking notes in the corner. I heard approximately none of it. She signed them. That was the part I kept coming back to. Her lawyer had said it before Mace even
Sebastian doesn’t release my wrist. His grip isn’t painful but it’s firm enough that I can feel each finger pressed into my skin. “This is between me and my wife.” “Ex-wife,” I correct him immediately and I’m surprised my voice comes out steady despite the wine making my head spin. I try to pull my
Sebastian “You want a what?” Sebastian’s voice is so quiet it’s almost worse than if he’d yelled. Dahlia stands up from the bed even though her ribs are screaming. “A divorce. I’m done.” He doesn’t laugh. Doesn’t move. Just stares at her with eyes so cold she actually takes a step back before
“Dad—” “The last man who showed up—” “Dad, please,” I said quickly. “He’s a—” I stopped. Client felt strange to say now. Friend felt like a stretch. I had absolutely no idea what to call him. Weston watched me flounder for what felt like a minute before he mildly said. “Client,” “Client,”
"Dahlia!" they announced in unison. "We are not worthy!""Dahlia," Silver Crop added, with great solemnity. "You are the coolest woman we have ever encountered in our lives."Silence.Then Sienna made a noise like a teakettle.Kai, who had just taken a sip of his drink, performed an impressive near-







