LOGINThank you for reading and for all the support. I really appreciate it.
Grace I opened my eyes slowly, blinking away sleep. For a long moment, I just stared at the ceiling, my breathing slow and steady. Then I turned my head and glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. 9 p.m. I sighed and covered my face with one hand. God. How stressful. Two days had passed. Ever since the fever knocked me down, I’d barely been able to stand. The doctor had come two days ago, given me an injection and a pile of medication, and since then Eleanor, Wyatt, and the twins had practically taken shifts guarding me. They closed the restaurant. The twins skipped school. Eleanor barely slept. They fed me, wiped my sweat, sat beside me, talked to me even when I could barely respond, then I’d fall asleep again, over and over. I was used to taking care of myself when I was sick, but this time the fever must’ve been brutal, because if they weren’t here, I didn’t want to think about what could’ve happened. I pushed the blanket off and sat up slowly. My body ached everywhere,
Grace My body was burning from the inside out. Every inch of me felt heavy, and weak. My throat was dry, and even breathing felt hard. I tried to move but the moment I did, a sharp ache crawled through my muscles. It was useless. I couldn’t even lift a finger without feeling like my body was punishing me for it. I sighed softly, trying to ignore the pain and the fever burning beneath my skin. Moonlight brushed my face, but I lacked the strength to turn away or pull the blanket over my eyes. I just lay there, drained, too exhausted to care about anything. Just as I was about to drift back into sleep, a knock echoed at my door. “Aunt Grace?” I didn’t need to open my eyes to know it was Lucas. His voice was always soft in the mornings, like he didn’t want to wake the whole house. When I didn’t answer, the door opened. Small footsteps pattered across the floor, and a second later, the bed dipped as he climbed up. His little hand touched my arm, tapping gently. “Aunt Grace,” he call
Grace Ever since I was young, I’ve known something about myself that no one else ever noticed. I’ve always had two personalities. The gentle girl who smiled even when she didn’t want to. The one who apologized first, who endured quietly, who let people take and take without ever demanding anything in return. That was the version of me everyone knew. The version teachers praised and people called kind. The version people assumed would never hurt a fly. And then there was the other side. The cruel one. That part of me had always existed. It watched calmly every time I was pushed too far, every time I was humiliated, every time someone tried to remind me of my place, I controlled myself around people. Even Eleanor and Wyatt had never truly seen it. But I was done pretending. If they were determined to push me this far, then they deserved to see exactly what they had awakened. “Grace—” Without warning, I grabbed Piper by the hair and yanked her forward. Her shriek echoed throug
Apollo My phone rang.I glanced at the caller ID and saw Austin’s name flashing on the screen. Without hesitation, I picked up and put the phone on speaker.On the other end, his voice was cautious. “I’m sorry to disturb you, sir, but Miss Grace requested something. I agreed, but I thought it would be best to confirm it with you first.”I tilted my head slightly, fingers tapping against the armrest. Austin was smart. Normally, he didn’t need my approval to handle Grace’s requests, whatever she wanted, he should give her. The fact that he was calling now meant this wasn’t trivial.I leaned back against the seat. “What is it?”Austin exhaled quietly, as if choosing his words carefully. “On our way back home, I received a call from the station where the people involved in last night’s incident are being held. Apparently, Miss Grace’s friends went there this morning and caused a scene.”“…”Austin continued, his voice low. “Miss Grace was worried, so I drove her there. When we arrived,
Grace Piper flicked her hair back, a slow smile curling on her lips. She met my gaze with confidence. “You know what? I’ve always wondered what the boss sees in you. He’s rich, handsome, older… basically every woman’s dream. Women would kill to have him. So why would someone like him want a stupid nerd like you?” She scanned my face, her expression twisting into jealousy. “But now that I’m seeing you up close, I get it. Who would’ve known you were this beautiful?” “....” “You’re a strange woman, Grace. Why hide your pretty face and dress like some nerd with a fake wig and glasses? Was it a tactic? A trap? A way to win him over?” Her voice sharpened. “So you’re not just a whore, you’re a manipulative bitch too.” Her words bounced off the walls, each syllable dripping with venom. Landon’s face drained of color with every second. He whipped his head toward her, panicking. “Piper, are you crazy?! Shut the fuck up! Do you want to get us killed?” She scoffed loudly. “Get us killed? Y
Grace The moment I stepped into the room, the first thing I saw was Piper’s smug face. For a split second, something flickered in her expression, fear. But she forced the smugness back almost immediately, lifting her chin as if she weren’t sitting in a prison interrogation room wearing a filthy jumpsuit, her hair a tangled mess. She looked nothing like her former self. Piper’s eyes dragged over me slowly, surprise flaring in them. Without my wig and glasses, I barely resembled the person she was used to seeing. Landon, on the other hand, reacted like he’d just seen a ghost. His whole body jerked back even though the handcuffs kept him trapped against the table. His already bruised face went completely pale. He tried to scoot farther away, but the metal clinked, holding him in place. He looked worse than I expected. Apollo hadn’t even focused on him last night; most of Apollo’s fury had been directed at Jackson. So those new bruises, someone else must’ve caused them. River. He







