LOGINPOV: AdrianThe whispers in the boardroom came to a hush the minute I and Damian walked in. I took the empty seat reserved for me at the head of the long glass table, gently dropping my file in front of me, while Damian headed straight to the front, laptop in hand.“Good morning, Gentlemen,” Damian greeted as he connected his laptop to the projector. “And thank you for your waiting.”Some of them managed to mumble a response, but my best friend didn’t seem to care any less.The boardroom smelled like a mixture of designer perfumes and overpriced coffee, which was exactly how I preferred to start a new week. I inhaled deeply, leaning back into my seat and watched Damian flip through slides of the company’s most recent project with the easy confidence of a man who actually enjoyed public speaking, which I’d never fully understood. His presence seemed to awaken the shareholders from whatever cloud had been hanging over their heads when we’d walked in, and suddenly, they were nodding a
POV: ReginaSoon, Dominic returned with two cups of tea and a plate of warmed food for me. He placed everything on the coffee table before sitting in the armchair opposite us.“Now,” he said, lifting his cup. “Tell me about your day.”I looked at him over the rim of my cup. “My day?”“Yes. Or have you forgotten how that works too.”I laughed. “My day was fine.”He nodded slowly. “Just fine?”“Yes. Someone had to hold the house down while you two went on an ice cream date.” I gestured toward Bella, who was fully focused on the television.“That sounds very convincing.”I rolled my eyes. “You can be so annoying.”“And yet, you keep me around.”I smiled, but my gaze drifted toward my laptop and Dominic followed it briefly before looking back at me.“Something bothering you?”I considered brushing it off. I was used to handling things myself, and I didn’t particularly enjoy talking about problems I hadn’t figured out how to solve.But Dominic had never made me feel as though I needed to h
POV: Regina “I’m having three scoops,” Bella announced from the doorway, already dressed in her favorite yellow dress and her arms crossed with so much seriousness. “And I get to pick the toppings too.”“Fine, Princess,” Dominic said, his hands raised in surrender. “You’ll get your three scoops.”A smile spread across my daughter’s lips. “And if there’s a claw machine, you’ll let me win too. Deal?”Dominic threw his head back, sighing dramatically. “I don’t control the claw machine, Bella.”“Just let me win, Uncle Dominic.”He looked at me over her head, a mixture of helplessness and amusement in his face. “Is she always like this?”I laughed. “You’ve known her since birth. What’d you think?”Bella huffed, already tugging him towards the door. “Come on. You still owe me an apology for missing my tea party.”“But you requested ice cream as apology.” He let himself be pulled out of the door, glancing back at me with a small, easy smile. “We’ll be back in a couple of hours.”The door cl
Pov: ReginaSienna’s closet was more of a second boutique than a closet. Silk and cashmere, organized by colors, hung from racks, and her bed was already buried beneath piles of discarded dress options by the time we arrived.I stood in the middle of her dressing room, staring at the chaos. “You said you had nothing to wear.”“I don't,” she said with a shrug, the bright light casting a glow on her melanin skin.I gestured toward the racks and piles of dresses. “Then what are all these?”“Potential.”I laughed. “You need professional help, Sienna.”“A stylist is what I need. Unfortunately, the one I called is currently standing in my dressing room, insulting me.”“Because you deserve it.”Sienna threw a dress at me. “Wha’chu think?”I caught it, examined the deep emerald fabric and shook my head. “You're going on a dinner date, not an award show.”“How about this one?” she asked, holding a deep red dress against her body.“Perfect,” I said. “It compliments your skin tone really well. G
Pov: ReginaAs soon as the door clicked shut, my legs gave out beneath me and I collapsed into my chair, releasing a long, exasperated sigh.“What the actual fuck just happened?” I whispered to myself, rubbing my temple.I sat there for a moment with my eyes closed, replaying the entire conversation over and over again.You were right to leave.I hadn't expected to hear that at all. I'd braced myself for excuses and the careful deflections Adrian used whenever he was at fault or with his investors, not him simply agreeing to every word and accusation I'd thrown at him.He'd apologized properly this time, and somehow, that annoyed me even more. It would’ve been easier if he’d come here with his usual arrogance, tried to convince me that he had done nothing wrong, and reminded me why I’d left him in the first place.Had he grown over the years or was this a new manipulation tactic?I finally opened my eyes, ready to return to the paperwork I'd abandoned when I noticed a small, white env
Pov: AdrianI made a reservation under the name Alessandro Ricci on a Tuesday afternoon. The time was perfect. It was quiet enough that the dining room wouldn’t be full, because people were still at work. I almost laughed at myself in the car on the way here. I was a thirty-three year old billionaire, worth more than most small nations, yet here I was booking a table under a fake name just to get through a woman’s front door.I knew it was dishonest, but I also knew that Regina wouldn’t see me if she knew I was coming. So, I had taken the coward’s route.Maison Price looked exactly as composed and elegant as I remembered it weeks ago. Warm light pooled across the table, and the air was filled with the faint scent of butter and citrus drifting out from the open kitchen as soft jazz played beneath low conversation.An Indian waitress approached me at the door with a warm smile, directed me to my seat in the VIP section and handed me a menu I had no real intention of reading.I gave th
POV: ReginaI stared at the screen for so long that my eyes began to hurt, but somehow, I couldn’t stop scrolling.I scrolled through the photos one by one. There were so many of them and every single image felt like a knife slicing deep inside me.Adrian and Seraphina stood beneath glittering chan
POV: ReginaI could feel the warmth and silent excitement radiating in my heart as I pictured Adrian’s expression when I break the news to him. I couldn’t help, but wonder my news would break his calm exterior and make him yell in happiness. Whichever, I couldn’t wait for him to get home.I stirre
POV: ReginaThe Moretti Grand Hotel was exactly as I remembered it, but the ballroom was beyond my expectations.It was breathtaking and ruthlessly elegant, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Boston waterfalls, and marble floors so polished that they reflected the chandeliers above like
POV: Regina“Bella, if you touch that syrup again, I’m hiding pancakes from you forever.”My daughter gasped dramatically from where she sat on the kitchen counter.“You wouldn’t.”“I absolutely would.”Bella narrowed her amber eyes suspiciously before dipping her finger into the syrup anyway.I st







