LOGINAdrian POVThe hot water pounded against my back as I pulled Isabella closer. Her skin was slick under my palms, warm and pliant, and she melted into me with a soft hum of satisfaction that vibrated against my collarbone.I pressed my mouth to the curve of her neck, tasting water and the faint sweetness of her body wash. My hands moved with practised ease — one sliding up the dip of her waist, the other resting flat against her stomach, holding her back against my chest. She responded immediately, one arm reaching back to thread her fingers into my wet hair, arching into me."I knew you'd come around," she breathed, tilting her head to give me better access.I didn't answer. My mouth traced along her shoulder while the water cascaded over both of us. I turned her slowly to face me, and her dark eyes found mine through the steam — half-lidded, hungry. She looped both arms around my neck and pulled me down into a kiss.It was deeper this time. Urgent. Her mouth opened under mine, and I
Adrian POVThe penthouse was dark when I walked in, save for the warm glow spilling from the living room. The faint scent of jasmine and vanilla hit me before I'd even set down my keys. It was Isabella's signature candles, the ones she lit whenever she wanted to set a mood.She was curled on the leather sectional in one of my dress shirts, the hem skimming her thighs, her dark hair falling loose around her shoulders. A glass of red wine sat on the coffee table beside her, barely touched. She looked up when I entered, her doe eyes softening into a smile that most men would cross oceans for."You're late," she said, unfolding herself from the couch with a catlike grace that used to stop me in my tracks. "I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me.""Long day," I said, loosening my tie as I crossed to the bar cart. I poured two fingers of whiskey without looking at her.I heard the soft padding of her bare feet on the marble before I felt her. She came up behind me, her arms slidin
Evelyn POVI came awake slowly to warm sheets, the faint scent of cedarwood, clean linen and a pillow that was softer than anything I owned. For a few blissful seconds, I just lay there with my eyes closed, letting the comfort soak into my bones.Then I opened my eyes and remembered — this wasn't my bed.The room was bathed in the amber glow of a single lamp on the nightstand. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined one wall, stuffed with paperbacks and vinyl records crammed sideways into every gap. A half-empty mug of tea sat on the coffee table beside an open laptop, its screen long gone dark. Vincent's apartment — tasteful but lived-in, warm in a way that expensive places rarely were.And there, in the easy chair beside the bed, was Vincent Hayes.He was asleep.His head was tilted to one side, his honey-brown hair falling across his forehead in soft, messy waves. One arm hung over the armrest, his long fingers loosely curled. His tie was gone, his shirt unbuttoned at the collar, sleeve
Adrian POVI sat in my office staring at the verdict on my screen, unable to feel anything but a hollow sense of wrongness.Isabella walks free due to insufficient evidence.I should have been relieved. The verdict protected her—protected us both, really. It means there would be no public scandal or drawn-out trial. No messy details were exposed in the media about what Isabella had supposedly done.But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was deeply wrong.My phone buzzed. It was a message from Isabella: "We won! I told you everything would work out."I didn't respond because as I stared at those words, all I could think about was Evelyn—sitting in that courtroom, watching the judge rule against her, understanding that the people who'd orchestrated her kidnapping and sale to human traffickers were going to face no real consequences.Someone had tried to kill her.The fact of it kept hitting me like a blow, even though I'd known it for weeks now. Intellectually, I understood wha
Evelyn POV"Gabriel," I said, my voice a mixture of surprise and bitterness that slowly crept into my voice as I stared at him. I wanted desperately to hate this man, but even as I stared, I could feel the hatred dissipating."Evelyn," he said quietly, his voice filled with concern. "I heard about the verdict. I needed to see you. To make sure you're okay."I stood frozen in the doorway, aware that Vincent was in the kitchen making a sandwich, unaware that Gabriel had just shown up. Aware that this moment—this unexpected confrontation—was going to complicate everything."How did you know where I was?" I asked."I have people," Gabriel said. "People who keep me informed about your whereabouts. I know you don't want to see me. I know you're still angry with me. But Evelyn, we need to talk about what happened in that courthouse today."Vincent emerged from the kitchen at that moment, a plate with a sandwich in his hands. He stopped short when he saw Gabriel, his expression shifting to so
Evelyn POVInside the courthouse, the hallway was already beginning to fill with people. Journalists who'd somehow gotten wind of the case. Spectators. The families of the accused. I spotted Victoria being escorted through the corridor, her face carefully composed into an expression of wounded innocence.She'd been arrested at the airport trying to flee Crescent Harbour. She'd claimed—through her lawyer—that she'd been coerced by the men who took me. That she hadn't known what she was really facilitating. That she'd just needed the money and had made a terrible mistake.Isabella was there as well, surrounded by her family, looking fragile and betrayed in a way I knew was carefully calculated to elicit maximum sympathy from the judge."Evelyn." Vincent appeared at my side, looking apologetic. "I'm so sorry about this morning. The client meeting ran longer than expected. Are you okay?""I'm fine," I said, though I was anything but fine. "Adrian brought me."Vincent's eyebrows rose sligh
Evelyn POVI shoved hard against his chest.“What is wrong with you?” I hissed, dragging myself out of his hold.Ignoring the eyes still watching us, he reached for my shoulders, fingers skimming my arms as if checking for bruises."Are you alright? I was so worried when I found out you'd been on t
Evelyn POVI sat in the airport lounge, staring at the scrawled note in my hands.The handwriting was terrible, like a child had written it. Or maybe someone who'd never held a pen before in their life. The letters were uneven and shaky, and some were barely legible.I tried to reread it, squinting
Gabriel POVI woke up slowly, my entire body aching.My eyes were heavy, like someone had placed weights on them. My shoulder throbbed with a pain that made my teeth clench. For a moment, I couldn't remember where I was or how I'd gotten here.I groaned and slowly rose into a sitting position. The
Adrian POVI was bent over my desk, going through contracts and financial documents, when the door to my office opened.Without looking up, I sighed. "I told you no visitors, Linda. I'm trying to work."But the footsteps didn't stop. They continued walking into my office, and I knew my secretary ha







