LOGINLeo’s POV
Excitement enveloped me at his response.
Relief too.
Because a part of me genuinely thought he was going to say no.
Not because he didn’t want me, no, that much was obvious every single time he looked at me like I held the sun somewhere beneath my skin. But because this whole thing was messy. Complicated. Cruel, even.
I was asking him to stand beside me while another person wore my ring.
Leo's pov I made my way back up the staircase after what felt like the hundredth failed attempt to reach either Vanessa or Ryker .Nothing.Every call went unanswered.Every message sat there unread.Every second that passed made my chest tighten a little more.And I couldn't reach the one person who actually needed a warning.I shoved my phone into my pocket and headed toward the bedroom Catherine and I were supposed to share.Even thinking that sentence made me feel sick.I pushed the door open and stepped inside.To my relief, it was only Catherine.Not her mother.I genuinely didn't think I had the energy to survive another round of her mother screaming herself hoarse at me.Catherine sat at the edge of the bed.Her arms were folded tightly across her chest.When she looked up at me, her eyes were red and swollen.She'd been crying.Great.Just great."I'm surprised you're still here," she said.Her voice was heavy.Not angry.Not exactly.There was something underneath it.Somet
Ryker's pov I don't get it, Vanessa. I really don't. Why? Why do I have to leave?She looked at me as if I should automatically understand everything from the look she was giving me alone. Her hands landed on my shoulders, firm and pleading at the same time."Ryker , listen. I wouldn't make you leave if it wasn't important."I pushed her hands away gently and dragged both palms over my face."That's the thing. I don't understand.""You don't know the dynamics of Leo's family." She said gently.At the sound of his name, something inside me snapped."Leo. Leo. Leo." I laughed bitterly. "You know that's all I can fucking hear about today? Everything revolves around him."Vanessa flinched."He got married to Catherine, Vanessa," I continued. "He's with her now. There's no problem. I'm not her. I'm not a threat or anything. They're married, and they're going to stay married because I don't plan to steal him from her. You of all people should know that."She stared at me.I could see it.T
Leo's pov I had successfully made the video.I sat staring at my phone screen as the uploaded video continued collecting views by the second.Thousands.Tens of thousands.Hundreds of thousands.The internet was eating it up exactly the way the media team predicted.Every carefully rehearsed word.Every controlled expression.Every calculated smile.Every lie.Especially the lies."I'd like to address what happened during my wedding ceremony."I could practically hear my own voice playing in my head."The name I called out at the altar was simply the name of someone I had spoken to recently."Lie."I had also had a bit too much to drink."Lie."It was an unfortunate slip of the tongue."Lie."I deeply love my wife."The biggest lie of all."I would never intentionally hurt her or embarrass her."Lie.Lie.Lie.Lie.Every single word that came out of my mouth had been carefully manufactured.Packaged.Polished.Presented to the public as truth.That was what media control meant.Lying
Ryker's povTen minutes had slowly turned into several hours.The room had long since gone quiet, the sounds of students moving between classes fading until only distant footsteps occasionally echoed through the hallway outside.I sat there staring at the floor.Then at the desk.Then at the wall.Then back at the floor.My brain kept replaying the same things over and over again.I groaned and buried my face in my hands.What was my life?Seriously.What was my actual life?A few days ago, I had been worrying about how to get over the one person I loved more than life itself.Now somehow I was apparently the mystery person whose name had been called at a billionaire's wedding.Wonderful.Absolutely wonderful.I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling.For once in my life, I wished things would just go smoothly.No drama.No heartbreak.No emotional disasters.Just one normal week.Was that too much to ask?Apparently it was.Because every time I thought things couldn't poss
Ryker's povI was losing my mind.There was no other way to describe it.I paced across the empty classroom so many times that I was beginning to wear an invisible trail into the floor. My thoughts kept circling the same question over and over again until it felt like it was carving itself into my skull.How?How could he do that?How could he stand at the altar in front of hundreds of people and say my name?My name.Not Catherine's.Mine."Ryker."Derek's voice came from somewhere behind me.I ignored him.I couldn't stop moving.My chest felt tight. My breathing felt wrong.Everything felt wrong."He said my name," I muttered.I dragged both hands through my hair."At the altar.""Ryker, you need to sit down.""No."I turned sharply and started pacing in the opposite direction."Who does that?" I demanded. "Seriously, who does that?"Derek remained leaning against one of the desks.His expression was careful.It somehow annoyed me even more."He married her."I laughed.The sound c
Ryker's POVI was in a very good mood.I'm not even sure why.Since Oliver and Chris walked in on me and Ronaldo that morning, I'd had this strange sense of comfort sitting inside my chest.It wasn't happiness exactly.It wasn't excitement either.It was just... peace.For the first time in what felt like forever, everything felt quieter.The constant ache that had been clawing at my chest for weeks wasn't gone, but it wasn't screaming anymore.It was resting.And I'd take that, any day over the usual chaos.I adjusted my bag on my shoulder as I made my way across campus.Students hurried in every direction.Some were heading to classes.Some were sitting beneath trees.Others were gathered around food stalls laughing loudly.Life move
Ronaldo’s POVThe second the words left my mouth, I knew I had messed up.I stared at Chris and Oliver, both of them frozen in place.The silence was unbearable.I cleared my throat awkwardly.
RYKER'S POVMy eyes widened, not with fear but in shock.“B..Blow…job..?” I stuttered, just to be sure I wasn't hallucinating.“Yes, boy toy.” He whispered in reply, eyes dark with lust. “Now, come here. Daddy needs your mouth.”Ever imagined the most seductive tone?That's the exact tone Leonardo
RYKER'S POVMy heart didn't slow down. The devil was closer now—too close. Fear tangled with desire and I hated how badly I wanted this.“This isn't romance.” Leonardo said calmly, watching me intently.“I know.” I breathed, chest tightening.“You'll belong to me.” He said, meaning each word. “In p
RYKER'S POVJust two weeks.That's all it took for my dream to rot.I could vividly recall how ecstatic I had been when I gained a full scholarship into Milestone College. A prestigious boarding college, where the rich ruled and the poor trembled. The rich students made my life hell for one simpl







