LOGINVICKY’S POVIt’s been two whole weeks since we left Athens, and I was already about to lose my mind.Cindy had finally announced she was ready to head back to Washington, D.C., after the baby’s dedication ceremony. She was all hyped up about her little girl havin’ dual citizenship: Greek and American.Honestly, watchin’ her pack made me start wonderin’ if that whole “acrophobia” thing she claimed to have while pregnant was just a total scam.Like, did she just make that up to keep us stuck in Athens just so she could have a Greek baby? Classic Cindy.We ended up namin’ the kid Eleni, which was actually pretty cute, but I was still side-eyein’ her the whole flight back.Touchin’ down in D.C. was a whole emotional rollercoaster for her. The second we pulled up to the Verilli estate, Cindy started tearin’ up.According to what I’d heard, she hadn’t stepped a single foot inside this mansion in years.Once we got settled, I got set up in a room right next to hers. That way, if Eleni starte
VICKY’S POVDamian stared down at the tiny creature in his arms, his tears drippin’ right onto the pink blanket. He held the baby so gently, like she was made of thin glass, before breakin’ down all over again.“She’s so beautiful, Cin,” Damian whispered, his voice crackin’ as he looked from the baby up to his wife. “She looks just as beautiful as her mother. Exactly like you.”He leaned over the bed, pressin’ a soft kiss to Cindy’s forehead, then down to her lips. He took her hand, squeezin’ it like he was never gonna let go.“Thank you, baby. Thank you for everythin’. You just gave me the best gift in the entire world. I love you so much.”Watchin’ the two of them right there, completely wrapped up in each other and lookin’ like a real, picture-perfect loving family, made somethin’ deep inside my chest completely melt.A sharp little pang of jealousy and longing hit me right in the gut.God, I wanted that.I wanted to be in a situation like this one day, holdin’ a baby with a man w
VICKY’S POVMy heart did a violent flip-flop.“Why the fuck is Cindy callin’ you at three in the mornin’? Oh God, did someone see me leave the fourth floor?”Leo swiped the screen and put it on speaker, his voice instantly shiftin’ back to that authoritative tone.“Cindy? Are you okay?”A loud panicked voice of Damian cracked through the phone’s speaker, completely bustin’ the romantic bubble we’d been floatin’ in.“Oh thank God you picked up!” He gasped, soundin’ like he’d just run a marathon.“Damian?!”“Where are you?! You need to get down to the hospital wing right now! Cindy’s water just broke, she’s in labor!”My eyes went wide as saucers. I clamped a hand over my mouth to keep from lettin’ out a screech that would’ve given the whole game away.“I’m on my way,” Leo said calmly, though his eyes flared with a sudden rush of adrenaline.“And please get Vicky. She’s not in her suite, and she’s not picking up her damn phone.”Oh shit! I left it in the suite.“Sure, we will be on our
VICKY’S POVIts been seven absolute, mind-fuckin’ months and we were still holed up in Athens.Cindy was currently in her third trimester, or whatever the hell doctors call the final stage of pregnancy when you look like you swallowed a beach ball.The doc said she was already a few days past her due date, but everything was trackin’ fine.Meanwhile, here I was curled up against the chest of a man who was off-limits in every single way the world could count.But honestly? Too bad for the world, because I fuckin’ love forbidden.“Stop wrigglin’, ice-tongue,” Leo rumbled, his voice thick with sleep as his massive arms tightened around my waist, pullin’ me back against his heat.“I ain’t wrigglin’, old man,” I shot back, rollin’ my eyes even though he couldn’t see me. I traced a finger down the hard line of his jaw.“Besides, you’re hoggin’ all the pillows. Billionaire my ass. You’re a blanket thief.”He let out a low chuckle that rumbled right through my back. It was crazy. To the res
LEO’S POVExactly three seconds after my thumb hit send, the door at the entrance of the restaurant swung open.I leaned back in my chair, swirling the remaining champagne in my glass, a wicked satisfaction settling into my bones.The real show was about to begin.A trio of stylishly dressed women marched inside. They didn’t look like a chaotic rabble… not yet, anyway.I had hand-picked them, after all. They were career women, corporate executives, and heiresses.As they stormed toward our table, the woman in the lead, a brunette in an emerald blazer, cleared her throat. Behind her, two men who had slipped into the restaurant right behind them raised recording rigs.The flashes of cameras cut through the moody ambiance of the restaurant.“Mr. Verilli?” Manon blinked, her forehead creasing as she looked up from her tablet.“Who are they? Are those colleagues of yours?”I shook my head innocently. “I don’t know them.”“Oh, young lady, I think the man beside you knows exactly who we are,
LEO’S POV The moment David saw me, his entire posture changed. He straightened up so fast he nearly knocked his water glass over, his shoulders squaring as he plastered on a desperate, eager-to-please grin. I didn’t even give him a glance, completely freezing him out as I slid back into my leather seat. If the idiot knew this entire dinner was a staged execution for his social and financial life, he wouldn’t be here smiling like an asshart. “Oh, not at all, Mr. Verilli,” Manon breathed, leaning forward with her tablet already in hand. “We were just reviewing the regional projections you forwarded.” “Excellent. So, what have you decided regarding the entry-tier logistics?” I asked, completely ignoring the fool beside her. “Well, we believe that launching through your luxury sectors in Milan and Paris simultaneously gives us the prestige baseline we need,” Manon began, her eyes bright with ambition. “However—” “Actually, if I could just jump in there,” David chimed in, his voic
DAMIAN’S POVThe next day, we stepped out of the car at Austin Exec, the cool morning air hitting my face as Cindy slipped her arm around my waist to steady me.The doctor had discharged me an hour ago with a list of precautions longer than my arm: pain meds every six hours, no heavy lifting, keep
CINDY’S POVI sprang up from Damian’s side instantly, my heart slamming against my ribs.“Henry?!” I barked, the name tasting like poison on my tongue.A lot had happened lately, I had almost forgotten he even existed.But now, hearing it, everything came rushing back.I guess he had refused to let
CINDY’S POVI rushed Damian to the nearest hospital the moment the accident happened, my hands shaking so badly I could barely dial emergency services while pressing against the wound on his side.The ambulance ride was a blur of sirens and paramedics shouting vitals, and now here I was, standing i
DAMIAN’S POVMy hands slid down to her shoulders, squeezing lightly as I kissed the corner of her mouth gently.“Please, let me spend the rest of my life showin’ you that you are the only one who owns my heart. Completely. Irrevocably. I am yours, Cindy. I always have been.”Her breath hitched, her







