LOGINRyker’s POV
Chris walked closer to me slowly like he was scared one wrong movement would make me completely break apart.
“Denounced?” he repeated carefully. “What do you mean denounced?”
I looked at him, my throat tightening immediately.
“It’s gone,” I whispered shakily. “It’s over.”
The words sou
Ryker's POV"We're almost there. Calm down," Vanessa said while I gripped onto the passenger seat with one hand and the window with the other.Like I said, if I held on tightly enough, maybe the car would stop and I'd be able to roll out of it.She sped past a group of pedestrians, barely missing one of them. My heart practically climbed into my throat."Vanessa!" I yelled."What?" she asked innocently."You almost hit someone!" I screamed at her, my finger nails practically digging into the car seat."I didn't." She said nonchalantly. I swear it's like she’s another person when she drives."You almost did!""I had plenty of space."She laughed.A few seconds later we reached a small alleyway.Without warning, she t
Padrino's POV"I really think you should calm down about this. Leo already told us that it was a mistake."I didn't answer her.I didn't even bother turning to look at her face.The words entered one ear and left through the other as I packed the last of the files neatly into the drawer of my desk. Every document was arranged perfectly. Every folder aligned. Every paper in its rightful place.I slid the drawer shut.The lock turned beneath my fingers.I slipped the key into my pocket before straightening my suit jacket.Mistake.People loved that word.They used it to excuse weakness.To justify carelessness.To soften consequences.I had never believed in mistakes.Only actions.Only choices.Only results.And Leonardo had made a choice.Whether he realized it or not.I looked toward the two men waiting silently beside the office door.Both stood perfectly still, dressed in black suits, their expressions unreadable.Efficient.Exactly the kind of men I preferred."Come on, boys," I s
Ryker's povMe and Vanessa had packed a suitcase full of just some of the things I would need for the next few weeks, and now we were making our way through campus toward the spot where we'd usually get a cab.I still wasn't completely convinced this was necessary.Every step I took felt strange.Like I was abandoning my life for reasons I still didn't fully understand.The suitcase rolled behind me as Vanessa walked beside me, her eyes constantly scanning our surroundings.She was still acting like someone was about to jump out of a bush and kidnap me.I honestly didn't know whether to find that comforting or annoying.Probably both.When we got to the curb, we waited.And waited.And waited.Twenty minutes later,
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
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 POVI don’t know why I froze.I don’t know why the single mention of the condo made everything inside me suddenly lock up.But it did.The moment Leo said it, my mind stopped focusing on anything else.The condo.That place held too many memories.Too much of us.Everything we were.Everyth
Leo's povI sat alone in the condo with a drink in my hand and silence pressing heavily against my skin.The bourbon burned slowly down my throat, warm and sharp, but not nearly strong enough to drown out the chaos in my head.&
Leo's pov The beach felt too open.I wandered aimlessly across the shoreline, my feet sinking into wet sand as waves chased themselves toward me like restless ghosts. The salty wind whipped against my skin, but it did nothing to clear my head.Nothing could.Not after what Catherine had said.Not







