RACE AGAINST TIME Rowan’s POV Ivy’s collapse stopped my heart, her body crumpling in my arms, blood staining her dress as she clutched her stomach, her green eyes wide with pain. “Mom!” Noah’s scream from upstairs, echoed in my skull as I scooped her up, my pulse thundering, fear choking me. Gabe’s car trailing us, his note in Noah’s room, Bella’s shadow over everything—it all faded against the fear of losing her. I sprinted to the SUV, barking at my security team to clear the way, my voice raw as I laid Ivy in the backseat, Noah scrambling in beside her, his small hands clutching hers. “Dad, is Mom okay?” Noah sobbed, his eyes, brimming with tears. I floored the gas, the hospital ten minutes away, every second a knife in my chest. “She’s gonna be fine, buddy,” I lied, my voice cracking as I glanced at Ivy, pale and trembling, her hand gripping mine. “Hold on, Ivy,” I whispered, my throat tight. “I’m here.” Her engagement ring glinted, a promise I’d fight to keep. The ho
THE STALKER’S RETURN Ivy’s POV Gabe’s car trailing us felt like a nightmare. Noah’s scream—“It’s Uncle Gabe!”—still rang in my ears as we sped through L.A.’s dark streets, the black sedan’s headlights glaring in the rearview mirror. Rowan’s hands gripped the wheel, his jaw tight, his gray eyes flicking between the road and me. My heart pounded, the photo of my real mother—a Kelly heiress, murdered—burning in my pocket, tying Bella’s vendetta to my past. I clutched Noah’s small hand in the backseat, his wide eyes locked on the window, and I fought to keep my voice steady. “Rowan, lose him,” I said, my voice sharp, fear clawing my chest. “He’s not getting near Noah.” Rowan swerved the SUV, tires screeching as he cut through a side street, the sedan vanishing into the night. “He’s gone,” he said, his voice low, but his knuckles were white, his body tense. “For now.” He glanced at me, his hand reaching for mine, the touch sparking heat despite the panic. “You okay?” I nodded,
THE KELLY LEGACY Rowan’s POV The photo of Ivy’s real mother burned in my mind, her green eyes and blonde hair a mirror of Ivy’s, her face eerily like a Kelly heiress I’d met years ago at a charity gala. Standing in Ivy’s mother’s living room, the album still open on the floor, I wondered what this meant. Ivy clutched the photo, her hands trembling, and Noah’s small frame pressed against her, his eyes wide with confusion. My heart pounded—Bella’s note, the brick through our window, now this photo. It was all connected, and I’d be damned if I let it tear my family apart. I grabbed my phone, dialing my private investigator, Marcus, my voice low to keep Ivy calm. “I need you to dig into Ivy’s background,” I said, stepping away from her and Noah. “Start with the Kelly family—old money, L.A. elite. I think her mother was one of them.” “On it, boss,” Marcus said, his tone clipped. “Kelly’s a big name. You sure about this?” “Dead sure,” I snapped, ending the call. I turned to Ivy,
GHOSTS OF THE PAST Ivy’s POV “Ivy, we need to talk. It's about Noah.” came a message when I refused to pick the call. But the name attached to the end of the message had chills running down my spine. My hand froze on the device, the unknown number flashing like a warning as Rowan’s gray eyes burned into me, his body tense beside me in the mansion’s living room. “Ivy, who was it?” Rowan asked, his voice sharp, his hand grabbing mine, his touch warm but possessive. I swallowed, my voice trembling. “It was Gabe,” I said, barely above a whisper. “He… he wants to meet. Says it’s about Noah.” My stomach twisted, the memory of Noah’s secret call to “Uncle Gabe” during the fashion show stinging like salt in a cut. Rowan’s jaw clenched, his eyes flashing with something dark—jealousy, maybe, or raw protectiveness. “He’s not getting near you,” he growled, pulling me closer, his hand sliding to my waist. “I’ll track him down myself. He’s working with Bella, I know it.” His breath was
THE ENEMY WITHIN Rowan’s POVThe note burned in my hand, as I shielded Ivy and Noah from the shattered glass littering the mansion’s living room. “Stay back,” I growled, pushing them behind me as I scanned the dark windows, my gun heavy in my hand. My pulse thundered, my mind racing between Bella and Maddox, both vipers circling my family. “Security’s coming,” I said, my voice low, trying to keep them calm. But my heart pounded—Bella was free, and she’d already breached our fortress.Ivy’s hand gripped my arm, her touch grounding me despite the chaos. “Rowan, who did this?” she whispered, her voice shaking but fierce. “Bella? Maddox?”“I don’t know yet,” I said, my jaw tight. “But I’ll find out.” I turned to her, my free hand brushing her cheek. “Get Noah upstairs,” I told her, my voice softer. “I’ll handle this.”She nodded, her fingers squeezing mine before she guided Noah toward the stairs. “Come on, buddy,” she said, her voice steady for him, but I caught the tremor in it. “Le
THE PROPOSAL Ivy’s POV The sting of antiseptic faded under Rowan's careful fingers, as he bandaged my burned hand from the fire. His gray eyes locked on mine, intense and soft all at once. The backstage fire at my fashion show last night—where Noah nearly died—still burned in my mind, but Rowan’s presence, steady and warm, pulled me back from the edge. I wanted to lean into him, to let go of the fear, but the hidden camera Rowan found in his study last night worried me. Bella was out there, free, and she was watching us. And when did Rowan get a gun? I pulled my hand back, the bandage tight against my skin. “Rowan, that camera,” I said, my voice sharp, cutting through the quiet of the mansion’s kitchen. “It’s Bella, isn’t it? She’s still pulling strings.” He set the first-aid kit down, his jaw clenching, his black hair falling over his forehead. “I’m handling it,” he said, his voice low, steady. “My team’s tracing the signal. It’s got to be her network, Ivy. She’s not gettin