LOGIN“You’re late,” I say bluntly. “I… Victoria had things for me to finish. I didn’t realize you were waiting.” I don’t answer. Instead, I lean closer, invading her space. I don't touch her—not yet—but I let her feel the heat of me. I watch her pupils dilate. I watch the way her breath hitches, a tiny, stuttering sound that intoxicates me. I want her to forget Damon. I want her to forget Daniel, Victoria, her family, and that damn friend of hers, Barbara. I want to reach into her mind and erase everything that isn't me. “Did anything weird happen today?” I ask softly. I watch her throat move as she swallows. A lie is forming; I can see it in the way her gaze darts to the ground. “No,” she whispers. “Nothing. Why?” I reach out, my fingers grazing the hair at her temple, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. I let my hand linger, my thumb tracing the line of her jaw with a terrifying slowness. She is trembling. If she’s trembling because of me, she isn't thinking about the past. S
“Damon!” Grandmother’s voice is a whisper of pure horror. “Put that away! Have you lost your mind? That’s your brother you’re aiming at.” But Damon doesn't care. A thin sheen of sweat breaks across my brow. I’m unable to move. My heart is a ferocious beast in my chest. A beast that is scraping at my ribs while my body remains a statue. I can see it before my eyes. I’m thirteen again, trapped in the dark, staring at a gun with blood on my hands. Blood that wasn't mine. I start to quiver, my head spinning in circles as the image becomes clearer. “What’s the matter, Zayn?” Damon’s voice sounds miles away, distorted. “Not so brave when you can’t fight back with your hands?” I can’t stare away from the gun. I don’t even see Damon anymore. I only see the small, black hole that leads to nothingness. I’m fighting for air. My vision begins to tunnel, the edges of the study blurring into a dark, suffocating gray. “Zayn?” Grandmother calls, terrified. “Zayn, look at me!” I can’t look
ZAYNDave leads me to Grandmother’s private study as though I’ve forgotten the way. He’s been talking the entire walk—something about an emergency at home that pulled him away.“I’ll be back on full duty by tomorrow morning,” he says brightly. “I hope you didn't mind the absence, Sir.”“You can do whatever you want, Dave. I truly don't mind.”He lets out a sharp snort, stopping just before the heavy double doors. “Oh, come on. You say that with such indifference it’s like you don't care if I’m here or not.”He reaches for the handles and turns to me. “Do you care about me at all?” My gaze bore into him without flinching, my lips pressed into a thin line. A second passes and I don't utter a word. That gives him the answer I want him to presume. Another second passes and he lets out a debilitating sigh.“You really are a piece of work,” he mutters dejectedly, believing I don't care about him. “The boss is waiting.”He swings the doors open. I step into the room, hearing Dave shut the d
I pull it out, my hands shaking. I reach inside the crusty sock and feel the heavy, ice-cold weight of gold and diamonds. When I hold the wristwatch up, it sparkles in the dim light of the dirt-streaked window. It’s just as beautiful as I remember with the Hemsworth name engraved in it. “It’s a long way from the office, isn’t it, Jade?” I spin around, clutching the watch to my chest. Damon Hemsworth is standing in the doorway. He isn't in his corporate suit. He’s wearing a dark leather jacket, his eyes gleaming with a sick, predatory hunger that makes my skin crawl. How is it possible that he’s here? And I didn't even hear a sound or see him following me. Fear envelopes every bone in my body. Isn't he supposed to be at work? “You... you followed me,” I gasp, standing and backing away until I hit the closet behind me. “I didn't have to follow you,” Damon says darkly. “I was already here.” He steps into the room, kicking a broken chair out of his way. Then he pulls a small, silve
I’ve always known my parents didn’t treat me the way they treated my brother, Mason. Growing up, I told myself it was because I was a girl who needed scolding so I wouldn’t run off and get pregnant like the other kids my age. But seeing the pure, unfiltered hatred in my mother’s eyes—hearing it in every harsh syllable of her voice—hits me all over again. I hold back my tears at her regret for birthing me. I swallow the lump in my throat, refusing to let her see me fracture. Does giving birth to me also give her the right to have a hand in destroying my life? To ultimately murder the woman I was trying to become? “Jade,” she wheezes, pressing her dirty fingers to the glass. “The bail? Have you paid the bail?” “There is no bail, Mom,” I say, my voice stronger now despite the tears I’m holding back. “What do you mean there’s no bail money? Are you going to let us rot in here?” She slams her hand against the glass, her gaze hardening. “Your brother and father are sick. You’re ou
The sun hasn't even broken over the New York skyline when I step onto the cold tile floor outside my room. I ease the door shut behind me, careful not to make a sound. My breath is shallow, my movements unsteady. I’m dressed in a black suit to blend in with the dark, my heels held in my hand to silence my escape as if I’m a thief running from a crime. I can’t face Zayn. Not after what happened between us last night. Not after my hand had traced the heat of him through his slacks. Not after I’d practically begged him to ruin the life I’d just be given a second chance to rewrite. How stupid! Stupid! Stupid me! I reach the grand staircase, my heart hammering in my chest as I descend. Then— “You’re early.” The voice is a low, gravelly vibration that turns me into a statue. I squint and see Zayn leaning against the doorframe of the study, fully dressed in his usual black, a cup of black coffee in his hand. He doesn't sound tired. He sounds like he’s been waiting. He flips a switch an
Zayn hasn't spoken much since we stormed out of the Hemsworth mansion. We’re back at his estate. He’s walking in front, and the silence is killing me.“I’m not a thief,” I hear myself say. He stops in his tracks. “I wasn't the woman in your brother’s bed,” I continue, despite the pounding in my hea
“Who’s your pretty friend?” I hear him whisper to Victoria. “She’s not my friend,” Victoria scoffs. “She’s Jade’s. Barbara is here to remind her dearest friend that no matter what expensive dresses and perfume she wears, she'll never belong. There’s a huge gap between the wealthy and the unfortun
I’m starting to regret coming here. The smell of expensive lilies and perfume fills the air. Underneath it is the pleasant aroma of different dishes. Victoria sees us. She then wears a toothless smile that seems genuine. “Zayn, darling! You’re finally here,” she calls out. “Victoria,” Zayn acknow
The room feels suffocating. I can feel the smirk on Victoria’s face without even looking at her. She’s won. She’s stripped me of my competence in front of the board. One of the board members clears his throat. “Ms. Bennett, we’re on a schedule. If the projections aren't here—” Ping. Every hea







