LOGINALEXANDRA PENTHOUSE ~ NEW YORK CITY"No." Alexandra stood up, frowning. "Stay here."She walked toward the door, peeking through the peephole.Her eyes widened.She unlocked the door and opened it.Mrs. Catalina stood there, breathing heavily. Her hair was slightly disheveled. Her eyes were wide with worry."Mrs. Catalina?" Alexandra blinked. "What are youâ""I've been looking everywhere for you!" Mrs. Catalina pushed past her and marched into the apartment. "Serena! Serena, where are you?"Serena stood up from the couch. "I'm right here. What's wrong?"Mrs. Catalina rushed over and grabbed her by the shoulders."I didn't come home after your date night," Mrs. Catalina said frantically. "The trackers told me you were at Alexandra's house. I thought someone had discovered your identity! I was about to pull a full search of New York City!"Mrs. Catalina grabbed her by the shoulders. "Don't you ever do that to me again. Do you understand? I was worried sick."Serena nodded. "I'm sorry.
ALEXANDRAâS APARTMENT ~ NIGHTThe front door clicked shut behind Alexandra.She dropped her briefcase by the door and slipped off her heels with a tired sigh. Her feet hurt, her head was pounding, and after everything that had happened at the office, all she wanted was a hot shower and a long nightâs sleep.She walked into the living room and stopped.Serena was curled up on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her. A bottle of wine sat on the coffee table, already half empty. She held a wine glass in one hand and stared blankly at the TV, even though it wasnât turned on.Alexandra looked at the bottle, then at Serena. âDonât tell me youâre still crying over Mr. Italian Billionaire.âSerena slowly looked up. âIâm not crying over him.âAlexandra folded her arms. âOh?ââIâm processing.âAlexandra snorted. âYouâve been âprocessingâ for the last three hours.âShe walked over, picked up the bottle, and frowned at the label.âDo you have any idea how expensive this Cabernet was?âSer
CAD-WELL INDUSTRIES â HALLWAY ~ NEW YORK CITY Juliana walked down the hallway toward the elevators, her heels clicking against the polished floor.She had almost reached the elevator when she heard someone call her name.âJuliana.âShe turned around.Margaret was walking toward her with a strange smile on her face.âMargaret,â Juliana said coldly. âWhat do you want?âMargaret stopped in front of her. She looked almost pleased.âI just wanted to say that I think you handled yourself well in there.âJuliana blinked, surprised by the compliment.âExcuse me?ââThe situation with James Peters. The accusation against Alexandra. You asked the right questions.âJuliana stared at her, unsure if she heard correctly.âYouâre agreeing with me?âMargaret gave a small shrug. âDonât look so shocked. I can admit when someone makes a good point.âShe stepped closer, lowering her voice. âAlexandra has been cleared. Sheâs back, and sheâll be spending even more time with my son.âJulianaâs expression im
THE BOARDROOM HALLWAY ~ NEW YORK CITY THE NEXT MORNING âWell,â Juliana said with a sweet smile that didnât reach her eyes. âLook whoâs back.âHer gaze swept over Alexandra from head to toe.âFully reinstated. Back to being Ethanâs right hand.âShe gave a slow, sarcastic clap. âCongratulations. You finally got exactly what you wanted.âAlexandra met her gaze without blinking. âThatâs right.âJuliana let out a soft laugh. âIâm sure this calls for a celebration.â She folded her arms. âYou got your office back, your position back⊠and, most importantly, Ethan back by your side.âAlexandraâs expression remained calm. âIâm relieved the truth came out. I never deserved to be blamed for something I didnât do.ââOh, naturally,â Juliana replied with a fake look of sympathy.âYouâve always been the innocent one, havenât you?âShe smiled sweetly. âThe woman who somehow walks away with clean hands while everyone else gets dirty.âHer eyes locked onto Alexandraâs. âYouâre amazing at that.âAlexa
ALEXANDRA'S APARTMENT ~ BROOKLYNAlexandra leaned closer, her eyes fixed on Serena."You're not making the same mistakes."Serena looked up, confused. "Yes, I am.""No." Alexandra shook her head firmly. "The old Serena would have stayed. She would have listened to his excuses. She would have convinced herself there was a reason for everything."She pointed toward the door. "But this Serena walked away."Serena stayed quiet, her fingers twisting the edge of her sleeve."You didn't beg him for answers," Alexandra continued. "You didn't cry in front of him and ask why he chose her. You didn't give him a chance to twist the story and make you feel guilty."She reached for Serena's hand. "You saw the truth, and you left."She smiled slightly. "Serena walked out. Serena got into an Uber. Serena came here."She shrugged. "That's not the same mistake. That's growth."Serena stared at her for a few seconds, then shook her head."That's your motivational speech? 'I'm still a mess, but at leas
ALEXANDRA'S APARTMENT ~ BROOKLYN ~ 11:47 PMThe Uber stopped in front of the familiar brownstone apartment building.Serena stepped out slowly, her heels making uneven sounds against the cracked sidewalk. She looked nothing like the confident woman who had left for dinner hours ago.Her mascara had already run down her cheeks, leaving dark streaks on her face. She had been crying the entire ride home, but she couldnât seem to stop.Her hands were still shaking as she climbed the steps to Alexandraâs apartment. The moment she reached the door, she raised her fist and knocked hard.âAlex! Open the door!âA few seconds later, the door flew open.Alexandra stood there wearing an old college sweatshirt and mismatched pajama pants. Her curly hair was piled into a messy bun, and a green face mask covered half of her face. She held a pint of ice cream in one hand and a spoon in the other.She looked at Serena from head to toe and immediately sighed.âLet me guess,â she said. âThe Italian g
CHAPTER EIGHTETHANâS POV CADWELL COSMETICS HEADQUARTERS âBOARDROOMThree days later.Claire burst into the boardroom, clutching her tablet like it was a bomb. âThey replied.âEvery head snapped toward her.I rose slowly from my chair, heart suddenly pounding. âHarrow Capital?âShe nodded. âYes.â
CHAPTER SEVENETHANâS POVCAD-WELL COSMETICS HEADQUARTERSâAnother damn delay.âHargrove slammed the report onto the conference table so hard the coffee cups jumped and rattled. âThe new supplier for the serum packaging just backed out. Third time this quarter, Ethan. Weâre bleeding money every s
CHAPTER SIXETHANâS POVFOUR YEARS LATER ~ CADWELL PENTHOUSEFour whole years since Serena died, and there was still this empty hole in my chest that nothing could fill.I was staring at paperwork I couldnât even read when the door clicked shut.Juliana walked in like the room belonged to her. Tha
CHAPTER FIVEETHANâS POVTHREE MONTHS LATER ~ CADWELL PENTHOUSEI stood at the floor-to-ceiling window, staring down at the city lights like they belonged to me. Because they did.âSir⊠Iâm sorry,â my secretary said behind me, her voice shaking. âFive million dollars have been moved. We still canât







