LOGINVICKY’S POVThe driver drove me straight out to the penthouse, and the entire ride, my stomach was doin’ flips.When the car finally pulled up, I was completely thrown off by the vibe. It was an incredibly quiet place, totally surrounded by tons of beautiful, vibrant flowers. It definitely had the soft touch of a woman all over it.Leo told me this was the original house the Verilli family lived in before they moved to that massive mansion, and Rosie had loved this place more than anythin’ because of her flowers.She grew every single bloom out here herself, and after she passed, they buried her right in the middle of her favorite spot.I got down from the car and quietly went inside the house. The front door was unlocked, and the whole place was dead silent.No one was around.I started lookin’ around, and my eyes landed straight on a tall portrait of a gorgeous woman hangin’ on the wall. She looked so much like Cindy it was actually crazy.I paused, starin’ up at her, and the reali
LEO’S POVAlaric stared at me for one long, heartbreaking second, his eyes filled with a fresh wave of tears and bitter hatred. He didn’t say another word.He violently shoved his napkin onto the table, turned around, and angrily stormed out of the dining room, his heavy footsteps fading down the hallway until the front doors slammed shut.The room fell back into a dead, suffocating silence. I slowly looked down at Vicky, whose eyes were wide with a mixture of shock and fear. I reached down, my hand gripping her shoulder possessively, making sure she knew that no matter what storm was coming next, she would forever be mine.Later that night, the silence of the mansion seemed to concentrate entirely inside my bedroom. Vicky was there, lying in my bed, her back pressed against my chest while my arm wrapped around her waist.Now that the cards were on the table and the family knew the truth, there was no longer any need to sneak around.But she was oddly silent. Her body felt stiff, dev
LEO’S POV“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Alaric repeated, and then the dam broke.He didn’t lunge at me. He didn’t throw a punch. Instead, tears of betrayal poured down his face.“How could you?” he choked out, his voice rising with a pain that rattled the quiet office.“You knew what my last breakup did to me, Dad! You watched me crawl out of that dark hole for months! You knew how much I wanted Vicky, and the whole time, you were behind my back, taking her for yourself?”“Alaric—”“No, shut up!” he screamed, his hands shaking violently as he stepped closer.“You shipped me back to D.C. You lied to my face, telling me it was for the business, just so you could have an empty house with her! You’re supposed to be my father. You’re supposed to protect me, not stab me in the back for some girl who was mine first! You’re a hypocrite. A selfish, pathetic excuse for a father.”The words tore through my pride, hitting the rawest part of my soul.I had no defense. I had nothing to save me.“I
LEO’S POVThe view from the top floor of the Verilli headquarters usually brought a sense of power, but this morning it felt like a wall holding back a storm.The doors of my office clicked open, and Damian stepped inside. He had a stack of regional distribution files tucked under his arm.Ever since Cindy had stepped back to focus on the baby, Damian had completely thrown himself into managing her share of the corporate assets, proving himself a capable son-in-law while she handled the early weeks of motherhood.“You called for me, Leo?” Damian asked, shutting the door behind him and walking over to my desk.“Yes,” I said, turning away from the window and resting my hands on the desk.“I need to talk to Alaric. And for the first time in my life, I have absolutely no idea where to start.”Damian set the files down, his expression shifting from corporate to deep concern.“The big conversation.”“The final one,” I sighed, running a hand over my jaw. The weight of it was settling heavily
VICKY’S POVMy nerves were completely shot. I hadn’t slept a single wink after the whole interrogation with Damian. Even though the guy had literally sworn Cindy would be cool with us, I was still skeptical.Like, who in their right mind just accepts that their best friend is ridin’ their dad’s face? It made no damn sense.But Damian was a man of his word. The next mornin’, he worked his magic and smoothly lured Cindy out to the sunroom at the back of the mansion.Leo wanted to be the one to do the talkin’, actin’ all dominant and protective like he usually does, but I shut that down fast. This was my bestie. If she was gonna rip anyone’s head off, it needed to be mine first.Cindy was sittin’ on the white wicker couch, sippin’ some green tea, lookin’ completely relaxed until I walked in lookin’ like a total zombie.i pulled up a chair right in front of her.“Whoa, Vic,” Cindy chuckled, settin’ her mug down. “You look like you just got run over by a semi-truck. What’s up with the f
LEO’S POV“Go on. Explain what that was all about,” Damian demanded, his eyes boring into mine unblinkingly.The three of us had managed to sneak out of the house before Cindy or Alaric could notice the awkwardness between us.We were sitting around a table in the garden tucked at the back of the house.Vicky and I sat side by side on the bench, while Damian sat directly opposite us. He had his arms crossed over his chest, looking like a seasoned detective interrogating two prime suspects.Silence stretched between us, and for the first time in my entire life, I was actually scared.I didn’t know if I was scared of my own son-in-law, or if I was terrified of the wreckage the truth was about to cause.Before tonight, I kept telling myself I was ready. I thought I had the stomach to face the music and tell the world about my affair with Vicky. But getting caught red-handed by Damian made me realize I wasn’t nearly as ready as I thought.Vicky was completely frozen next to me. She hadn’t
~CINDY’S POV~My breath snagged in my throat, a rush of fire scorching my cheeks, but I held his gaze. Those dark eyes pulled me into a storm I couldn’t escape.The words hung between us like smoke from a lit fuse—teach me how to own any man in bed—and damn if I knew where they came from.The champ
~CINDY’S POV~God, the threat in his words—the intensity—thrilled me, making my body blaze from the inside out.Without hesitation, my lips parted, taking his thick fingers deep.The taste of his skin, mixed with the faint burn of whiskey, hit my tongue, and a guttural sound tore from my throat.My
~DAMIAN’S POV~ Those sweet blue eyes widened at the growl that slipped from my lips. Her breath hitched sharply, and goosebumps exploded across her neck like a shiver chasing my command. I smirked slowly, leaning in to lick the shell of her ear. My hot breath fanned across her wet skin as I
~DAMIAN’S POV~The look in her eyes was pure gold.Pure shock flashing through them, like she’d just seen the gates of hell swing open and my cock was the welcome mat.Fuck, it was the hottest thing I’d ever witnessed.Her baby blues bulged wide, her jaw hanging loose, staring at my throbbing lengt







