LOGINEvelyn POVThe river was quiet tonight.The water flowed slowly, catching bits of light from the lamps behind us. Vincent had parked his car close to the edge, and we sat on the hood of his car, allowing the cool air to brush softly against my skin, calming the tightness that had lived in my chest all day.We ate in silence.The only sounds were the soft rustling of containers, the occasional splash from the river, and the gentle chirping of night insects.The noodles were warm, filling, and comforting. I focused on chewing, on breathing, on not thinking too much. Vincent didn’t rush the moment. He didn’t try to fill the silence with words that weren’t needed.For that alone, I was grateful.When we were done, he folded the empty containers neatly and placed them back into the bag. He wiped his hands with a napkin, then leaned back, staring at the river."Thank you," he said, suddenly breaking the silence. His eyes were fixed on the river.I turned to look at him. “For dinner?”He smi
Evelyn POVI had just lain down on my bed when I heard the soft knock on my door.I stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, hoping it would go away. But after a few seconds, the knock came again.I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head. I was so tired. My body ached. My mind was exhausted. All I wanted was sleep.I sighed, pushed myself upright and swung my legs off the bed."Come in," I called out, assuming it was one of the house staff checking to see if I needed anything.The door opened, and one of the domestic staff—a young woman named Lizzy—poked her head into the room. She looked apologetic, like she already knew she was disturbing me."Miss Bennett," she said quietly, "there's someone outside asking to see you."I lifted my head, confused. "At this hour? Who is it?""He said his name was Vincent," Lizzy replied. "Vincent Hayes. He's waiting outside at the front of the house."At the mention of Vincent’s name, my heart skipped a bit, but I pushed it aside.“Vincent?” I a
Evelyn POVFinally, it was time for the auction. I sat in my assigned booth with Grace beside me, watching as the auctioneer took the stage.Wealthy people filled the room: collectors, Investors, people who had money to spend and wanted everyone to know it. The air felt heavy with anticipation.Vincent sat a few booths away from me. I tried not to look at him, but I couldn't help noticing how calm and collected he was, like nothing in the world could rattle him.The first items came up for auction. They were expensive paintings, rare sculptures, and vintage jewellery.Then came the items that I had warned Vincent about. All the altered pieces that in my previous life had led to the downfall of his company.A painting supposedly from the Renaissance came up for bidding. The auctioneer described it in flowery language, emphasising its historical significance and value.Adrian raised his hand immediately. "Five hundred thousand," he called out.Vincent raised his hand lazily. "Five hund
Evelyn POV"It's not nice meeting you again," I scoffed, folding my arms across my chest. My anger was finally breaking through the shock of seeing him. "You stole my money after I saved you. I literally risked my life for you, and you stole from me."“What are you doing here by the way? To steal more money?” I demanded, my voice coming out louder than I intended.“Saving you, apparently,” he said, his dimpled smile widening. He handed the suit jacket to one of the men standing behind him. “You’re welcome, by the way. The paparazzi can be quite vicious.”I stared at him, torn between gratitude and anger. “You stole from me,” I said weakly, “saving me doesn’t cancel out that fact.”Gabriel's expression remained calm, unfazed by my accusation. "I didn't steal your money," he said. "I left you a note asking you to call the number. Your money would have been refunded.”“You’re the Ross?” I asked, running my eyes up and down his length. “That note looked like a child wrote it. I could bare
Evelyn POVI took a deep breath and adjusted the straps of my emerald green gown. The dress hugged my curves perfectly, the colour bringing out the richness of my skin. I'd chosen it, hoping that leaning into my femininity would make the crowd go easy on me tonight.I stared at my relfection in the car window, inhaling deeply as I smoothed the front of my dress. My hands were trembling a little from the nerves.“Okay, Evelyn,” I whispered to myself. "You're beautiful, you’re worthy, and you’ve survived worse than this. You’re going to walk in there with you head held high. You can do this."Grace sat in the passenger seat hunched over her iPad fuming."How dare they?" she said, her voice shaking with anger. "How dare these people? Can't they celebrate you for leaving Adrian? Why are they calling you out like this? Why are they so cruel?"Since my press conference hours ago, the internet has exploded. Only a handful of people had supported me. The rest had turned into a vicious mob, te
Evelyn POVI stood in the small backroom of the Crescent Harbour Public Hall, staring at my reflection in the long mirror. A woman looked back at me—one wearing light makeup, a simple, deep red dress, and her hair pinned neatly behind her ears. She looked calm.But inside, I was anything but.My heart beat hard against my ribs, loud enough that I was sure Belle could hear it. She stood beside me, flipping through a clipboard, double-checking the itinerary for the press conference one last time.I drew in a slow breath.In my past life, I’d had so many moments when I wanted to speak up. When I tried to tell people the truth about who I was, what I wanted, what I believed in.But every single time, fear had stopped me. Fear of what people would say, fear of what my family would think, fear of disappointing the people around me and fear of disappointing Adrian’s family.So I’d stayed silent and let other people write my story. I’d let Adrian control my life and allowed my family to dicta







