Dorian POV“Call Candice’s leader right now,” I told my secretary and she nodded quickly, pulling out her phone without a word.She dialed the number, the line rang once, twice, and just when I thought it would cut off, the call connected.“Hello?” the leader’s voice came through, sounding a bit out of breath.Before I could even grab the phone so I could say something to her, the boss apologetic voice filled my ear.“Mr. Dorian, I am truly sorry for the way the meeting ended so suddenly. It was not supposed to happen that way. Please forgive us.”I stayed quiet for a second, letting her talk. She kept going, “My subordinate isn’t doing well right now. She’s already headed back to London to rest up. I feel terrible about this mix-up.”She paused, like she was waiting for me to say something. Does she really think I don’t know what’s going on? Candice wasn’t sick or anything. It was all because of me, because of what happened between us. The leader rushed on, “I apologize again, Mr.
Candice’s POVI stepped out of the restaurant, my legs felt heavy, as I hurried down the sidewalk. My vision blurred by the tears that had started welling up. I flagged down a taxi with a shaky hand, barely able to mumble my hotel’s address to the driver before sliding into the back seat. As the car pulled away, the sobs came uncontrollably, wracking my body in waves. I pressed my hands over my mouth, trying to stifle the sounds, but they escaped anyway. The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror, his eyes full of concern, but he didn’t say anything. All I wanted was to get away from there. I gripped the edge of the seat so tightly my knuckles whitened, biting my lip until it bled slightly, trying to keep myself from making a sound My mind was a whirlwind of emotions—anger at him for showing up and stirring everything up, sadness for the life we could have had, and a deep, aching fear that I’d never truly escape the pain he’d caused. Three years, and it still felt as fre
Candice’s POV“Candice, Darling, when are you coming back? Both children keep saying they miss their mother…”I smiled faintly, though I could feel Dorian’s burning eyes on me. “I’ll be home soon,” I said softly.The man chuckled on the other end. “Don’t worry too much about them. I took good care of them today. They’ve eaten, and I even took them out for their usual walk. Then, guess what? We went to the arcade.”In the background, I could hear little bursts of laughter. Then his voice lowered, teasing, “I wasn’t going to admit it, but… the kids actually beat me in the game. I was so ashamed!”Laughter exploded again, this time higher and brighter—childish giggles. “Mommy, we beat him! We beat him!” two tiny voices shouted over the line.“Mommy, will you buy us gifts because we beat Daddy? He’s such a sore loser!” one of them squealed.I laughed lightly into the phone, playing along. “Oh really? You beat him? I’ll think about the gifts when I get back.”Their little voices came throu
Candice’s POVThe air felt heavier at that moment. I couldn’t even move. My heart was pounding like it wanted out of my chest, and my thoughts were a mess, tripping over each other just trying to make sense of it all.Three years. Three long, agonizing years since I’d last seen him, since I’d sworn to myself I’d never let him back into my life. I’d built walls, brick by brick, to keep him out, to protect myself from the hurt he’d caused. But now, here he was, standing just inches away, his familiar scent flooding my senses and breaking down everything I’d worked so hard to hold together.I never thought I’d see Dorian again, not after the way things ended. And I certainly didn’t expect him to grab me and kiss me like that, with a reckless, desperate intensity that stole my breath and shattered my defenses in one fell swoop. His lips had crashed against mine, and for a fleeting moment, time itself seemed to pause. My heart pounded so loud I thought it might burst, torn between the
Dorian’s POVCandice was even more beautiful than in the picture I had seen of her.No—she was more beautiful than three years ago. Time hadn’t taken anything from her; instead, it had given her this glow, this softness, this… maturity that made her look even more captivating.Her presence pulled me in. My chest felt tight, and my heart was beating so fast, I swore it was loud enough for her to hear.Three damn years.I wanted to ask her how she had been.I wanted to ask her why she left.I wanted to ask her if she had thought about me even once in those years, or if I had been erased from her world.Most of all, I wanted to ask her why she couldn’t wait. Why she couldn’t trust me long enough to see that she had been innocent all along—that the accusations were lies, that she didn’t deserve the punishment she carried.But before I could say a word, Candice’s voice cut through. “Why… why is it you?” she asked, her tone sharp, almost dripping with disgust.Her words hit harder. But sti
Dorian’s POVI left the coffee shop and got into my car, driving straight to the company.Within minutes, I was already at the office. I walked through the glass doors, ignoring everyone who tried to greet me, and headed straight to my floor.The moment I got into my office, I sat down in my chair. But I couldn’t relax.I stood up.I sat down.Then stood up again.I ran my hand through my hair. What the hell was wrong with me?“Focus, Dorian,” I muttered under my breath. “First things first.”I grabbed my office phone and dialed my secretary. She picked up almost immediately. “Yes, sir?”“I want you to set up a meeting between Oasis Thrive International and us,” I said firmly.There was silence for a second before she answered. “I’m sorry, sir. Oasis what? I’ve… I’ve never heard of them. How am I supposed to find them?”I pinched the bridge of my nose. She was already testing my patience. “What are you paid for, huh? Isn’t your job as my secretary to find whatever I need you to find?