LOGINSydneyIt was barely 7:00 AM when I stormed into the penthouse, the air still smelling of the rain and salt from the night before.My skin felt tight, my nerves frayed to the point of snapping. I hadn’t slept; every time I closed my eyes, I felt the rough grip of those masked men on my throat and then the electric, bruising heat of Bryce’s mouth against mine.The duality of the night was enough to make my head spin.One man had tried to break me, and another had saved me—only to leave me more confused than ever.Eric was in the dining room, looking every bit the picture of corporate perfection in a crisp charcoal suit. He was scrolling through his tablet, a cup of black coffee steaming beside him. The sight of his calm, composed face of the man who had watched me die in another life, sent a surge of pure, unadulterated rage through my veins.“You really are a piece of work, Eric,” I spat, my voice cracking the morning silence like a whip.He didn’t even look up at first. “Good morning
Sydney“I told you that you’d need help.”I stood there, my back pressed against the rough, damp brick, my breath coming in jagged hitches.The adrenaline was still screaming through my veins, making my fingers tremble as I clutched my bag.Just feet away, taillights were fading into the fog, the kidnappers who weren’t knocked out taking their departure.But it was the man in front of me who made my heart race for an entirely different reason.“How did you find me?” I asked, my voice breathier than I intended. I tried to pull the tattered remains of my dignity around me like a cloak. “I didn’t tell anyone where I was going. I didn’t even tell Celine.”Bryce’s eyes searched mine, dark and unreadable in the shadows. He looked lethal, still coiled with the energy of the fight he’d just finished on my behalf. “Does it matter?”“Yes,” I said, the frustration of the last three days of silence finally bubbling to the surface. I pushed off the wall, moving past him toward the mouth of the all
SydneyIt’s been three days since Bryce last spoke to me. So much for strategic partners.The silence from his end was deafening, a physical weight that pressed against my chest every time I checked my phone.After the gala, after the envelope, and after that stinging remark he’d left me with on the balcony—that I was the reason I was alone—he had vanished into the shadows of his own empire.I told myself I didn’t care. I told myself that Sydney Carter didn’t need a savior, especially not one who looked at me with that lethal combination of desire and disappointment.But as I sat in my home office, the glow of the laptop screen making my eyes ache, I realized I was lying to myself.Every time I closed my eyes, I didn’t see the documents or Eric’s smug face; I felt the ghost of Bryce’s touch and the way he had anchored me when the world felt like it was spinning out of control.“Focus, Sydney,” I whispered, rubbing my temples.I turned my attention back to the digital maze of Prestige
SydneyThe gala venue shimmered under golden chandeliers and the glint of too many diamonds. Crystal glasses clinked with polite laughter, orchestral jazz drifted softly from the mezzanine, and the city’s elite gathered in curated elegance like predators dressed in silk.I hated how familiar it all felt.“Smile, darling,” Celine whispered as we stepped out of the car and into the lobby. “You look like you’re about to strangle someone.”“I might.”Her grin widened. “Good. You’ll fit right in.”My heels clicked along marble tile as we entered the main hall. The décor was exactly how I’d imagined when I first drafted the design: moody navy linens, crisp white floral centerpieces, gold-cut name cards. And yet, standing in the middle of it all, I felt like a fraud.The murmur of voices stilled for half a second.Heads turned and eyes followed.And then there he was.Bryce.He stood across the room near one of the sponsor banners, midnight-black suit tailored like it was made for his sins.
SydneyMy phone buzzed again for the sixth time.I didn’t have to check the screen to know who it was. The ache behind my temples told me before the vibration even stopped. I let it buzz out on my nightstand, resisting the urge to hurl it into the closet.Bryce.He had been calling since morning. I hadn’t answered—not after last night. Not after what we did. Not when I could still feel his hands on my hips and his mouth on my skin. I thought I could pretend it didn’t matter. One night. A mistake. A release. But his voice kept echoing in my head.You’re mine.My hands shook as I closed my laptop and stood from the desk. I needed air and movement. Space to breathe. I shoved my phone in my purse without looking at the messages and headed downstairs.Only to freeze halfway into the kitchen.He was already here.Standing across from my father at the center island like this was his house and he’d been invited. Arms folded, face calm, voice low and steady in that way he had when he wanted co
SydneyBy the time I pulled into the Stanley Estate’s driveway, the sun was already high and the air felt too heavy to breathe.The house stood there like nothing in it ever went wrong.Except it did. Constantly.The front door swung open before I could reach for the handle.Eric stood there with his sleeves rolled up, tie hanging loose around his neck, and the picture of a man trying too hard to appear composed.“Where the hell have you been?” His voice was sharp enough to cut glass. “You’ve ignored every call. Every message.”I brushed past him without a word, setting my bag down on the console table. “I was out.”“Out?” He followed me into the foyer, footsteps echoing behind mine. “You disappear overnight, and all you have to say is out?”I stopped, turning just enough to meet his eyes. “Would you prefer a more creative answer?”He exhaled through his nose, his jaw tightening. “Don’t play games with me, Sydney. Not now. I had people calling, asking where you were. You humiliated me







