LOGINElena’s POVThe car slowed as we neared the Rothschild Building, and from a distance, I could already see the flashing cameras.Reporters clustered like vultures outside the gates, microphones raised, lenses glinting beneath the sun. The chaos was expected, Damien’s accident had shaken the city’s business world. The Rothschild name was a story that could sell headlines for weeks.But seeing it unfold still made my stomach turn.Raymond leaned forward slightly, his calm eyes scanning the crowd. “They were informed,” he said quietly. “James must have leaked the board meeting schedule.”I nodded. Of course he had.The car rolled to a halt. Outside, banners fluttered, reporters shouted over one another, and in the middle of it all stood James, sharp suit, practiced smile, soaking in the attention as if he were born for it.And right beside him, like an ornament she didn’t deserve to be, was Isabelle.I opened the car door before the driver could. Raymond stepped out first, straight-backed
Elena’s POVMorning sunlight cut soft streaks through the drapes of Damien’s study. Dust motes floated lazily in the light, tiny ghosts of the life that used to fill this room.Raymond and I sat across from each other at the long mahogany desk. Between us lay a neat pile of files: the same documents John had tried to remove earlier. The folders were worn at the edges, the paper inside slightly creased, handled too many times, by too many hands.I could almost feel Damien’s presence in the room. The faint scent of his cologne lingered here, mixed with the smell of ink and old paper. It gave me courage.“All right,” I said softly, opening the top file. “Let’s see what James was so desperate to get his hands on.”Raymond adjusted his glasses and leaned closer, his weathered hands steady as he began sorting through the documents.“The first few are standard,” he murmured. “Board summaries, quarterly analyses, investment briefings… but these,” he pulled out a thinner folder “, these are di
Elena’s POVThe sound of John’s shoes on the marble floor echoed faintly through the hallway. I hadn’t expected to see him, not today, not at all. For a moment, I wondered if Adrian had changed the plan without telling me.But one look at John’s expression told me otherwise.He wasn’t expecting me either.“Mrs Rothschild,” he greeted, trying to sound composed. His eyes darted briefly to the stairs behind me, as though checking if someone else was present.I stepped aside slowly, my voice calm. “John. What brings you here?”He hesitated for half a second before answering. “I came to collect some documents for the board meeting this afternoon. The directors requested them since Mr Rothschild won’t be able to attend.”Of course. That would be his excuse.I folded my arms, studying him in silence. “And which documents exactly?”He shifted slightly. “The quarterly reports, the investment summary, and the proposed merger drafts, ma’am.”His tone was respectful, but his eyes gave away his co
Elena’s POVHospitals had a way of swallowing time.I didn’t know how long I had been standing by the ICU window, watching Damien through the glass. The light had changed outside, morning slipping into something brighter, then fading again, but inside, nothing moved except the slow rhythm of the monitors.He looked the same. Still. Pale. Unreachable.I pressed my fingers against the glass, tracing the faint outline of his hand beneath the sheet. “You hear me, right?” I whispered. “You just need to wake up. That’s all. I’ll handle the rest.”The words steadied me more than they should have.I had a meeting scheduled with the new assistant, but every part of me resisted leaving him. I couldn’t shake the fear that something would happen the moment I turned my back, that the machines would stop, that the beeping would turn flat, that I’d lose him while signing some stupid document miles away.I took a shaky breath and pulled out my phone.“Elijah?”His voice came through, low and alert. “
Elena’s POVThe ICU was too bright. Too clean. Too quiet.The steady rhythm of machines filled the silence, each beep like a fragile thread tying Damien to the world of the living. I stood there, unmoving, watching his chest rise and fall beneath the blanket.Every now and then, the monitor would blip faster, and my heart would follow.He looked peaceful , deceptively so. A serenity that didn’t belong to a man who had been fighting for survival all his life.I couldn’t help it. The anger rose quietly at first, a whisper that grew teeth.How much more did he have to endure?He’d spent years battling enemies who wore friendly smiles, shouldering betrayals, cleaning up the messes of people who should have protected him. And still, he kept standing.Until now.I pressed a trembling hand to the glass, my reflection hovering faintly over his pale face. “You keep surviving, Damien,” I murmured, my voice low and rough. “But I’m tired of watching you bleed for it.”Behind me, footsteps ap
Elena’s POVThe drive to Airport was a blur of headlights and pounding hearts. I could barely remember the turns we took or the towns we passed. Every thought, every breath, every prayer was the same name, Damien.By the time we landed in Evercrest, dawn was just beginning to break, painting the horizon in pale streaks of pink and gold. It should have been beautiful, but all I saw was dread.When we arrived at the hospital, the corridors smelled of antiseptic and exhaustion. Nurses moved quietly, doctors in blue scrubs passed briskly, and the world inside those walls ran on urgency and silence.Margo and Thomas took the twins to the Rothschild family home, not Damien’s apartment. His mother insisted. “They don’t need to see him like this,” she said softly, her eyes already rimmed with tears.I agreed. The last thing I wanted was for Arya and Brian to see tubes and machines where their father’s laughter should have been.As soon as the children left, Elijah and I rushed into the hos







