LOGINDorian’s POVCandice eyes were wide, filled with panic and confusion, the moment she stepped into the room. It was like she was searching for someone and at the same time worried about someone. Who was she searching for?She looked around quickly, scanning every face in the room. When her gaze finally landed on me, she froze.Her lips parted slightly, and for a second, she looked like she’d seen a ghost.I felt my chest tighten. “Candice…?” I whispered under my breath, unable to stop myself.I thought she was in London.What the hell was going on?What about her job? What happened to the job? Did she leave the job or she took a short break from the job?Different thoughts were running through my head. I stared at her in disbelief. Was she back in Europe for a vacation? Or maybe there is another business partner here in Europe that she came to see? Whatever the reason, I knew I had to go to her. I couldn’t just sit there.I had to ask her the questions that were bothering me. I s
Dorian’s POVI sat out on the balcony that evening, as I leaned back in my chair, sipping from my glass of whiskey.My laptop was open in front of me, files spread out across the table, but honestly, I wasn’t even reading anymore. My mind had been somewhere else.I sighed, took another sip, and tried to focus on the document in front of me when suddenly, my phone started ringing.I frowned and reached for it, glancing at the screen.Lucien.I let out a dry laugh. “What the hell does this bastard want now?” I muttered to myself.For a moment, I just stared at the screen, my finger hovering over the decline button. I hadn’t spoken to my stepbrother in months, and honestly, that was always a blessing.But curiosity—or maybe annoyance—got the best of me. I finally picked up the call.“What is it, Lucien?” I snapped.A low chuckle came through the line. “Calm down. I just want to see you. There’s something important. Let’s meet at the bar.”I sat up straight. “I’m busy. I’m not coming.”He
Candice’s POVI left Lucien that night and finally got home. I dropped my purse on the couch and went straight to the kitchen. My throat felt dry, and I just needed something to calm me down.I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, opened it, and drank almost half in one go. “This is getting too much,” I muttered under my breath, running my fingers through my hair. “I’m tired… I’m so damn tired.”Different thoughts were rushing through my head. Yes, I should be grateful to Lucien. He helped me, protected me when no one else did. But now that gratitude felt like a chain around my neck. Because being on Lucien’s side meant standing against Dorian… and watching him get hurt again and again without being able to stop it.I leaned against the counter, closing my eyes. “How did things even get this complicated?” I whispered to myself.My phone suddenly started ringing on the table. The sound made me flinch. I glanced at it and froze when I saw the name flashing on the screen. It wa
Candice’s POVThe two of them were still wrestling on the ground, fists flying around.No matter how loud I shouted or how hard I tried to pull them apart, it was useless. They were both completely lost in their rage—grunting, growling, throwing punches as if their lives depended on it.“Stop it! Please, both of you stop!” I cried, my voice trembling, but it only seemed to make them fight harder.Lucien shoved Dorian back, and Dorian tackled him again, their bodies slamming into another table.I turned desperately to the familiar faces standing around, frozen in shock, watching the chaos like they were afraid to get involved.“Please, help!!!” I screamed, waving my arms. “You all need to do something about it! I tried breaking them apart, but it’s not working!”That seemed to wake them up. A few of them nodded quickly and rushed toward the fight. It took several strong men to finally grab hold of both of them—one pulling Lucien back, another holding onto Dorian’s shoulders. I took a
CANDICE’s POV“Oooh, damn it! What the hell have I gotten myself into?” I muttered under my breath, my palms clammy and my heartbeat hammering so loudly I could almost hear it echoing in my ears. Sweat prickled my forehead. It all made sense now—why Lucien had been so stubborn about me coming to pick him up. He did it on purpose. He wanted Dorian to see that I’d come back to the country, and me showing up at a bar to take him home? It made it look like there was something between us. I shut my eyes tight, my back still facing the room. I was already beating myself up for coming here. If I’d known this was going to happen, I would’ve just switched off my phone and said sorry the next day. Anything to avoid this nightmare.Lucien’s voice suddenly echoed behind me. I paused at the door, not turning around yet.His voice got sharper, like he was getting mad. “Candice, I’m calling you! Come on, get over here.”“Oh, for f*ck’s sake,” I muttered under my breath as I took a long, deep br
CANDICE’S POVI had imagined a thousand different ways Dorian and I might cross paths again—on a busy European street, at a business event, maybe even by accident in a coffee shop. But never, never in the way fate decided to do it.That night was supposed to be peaceful.The kids and I were curled up on the couch in our pajamas staring at the colorful pictures in the storybook I was reading.“And then the little bunny found his way back home—” I paused as my phone started ringing loudly on the table.The sound made Chloe flinch.“Mommy, your phone,” she said, pointing at it sleepily.I sighed. “Ignore it, sweetheart. Probably no one important.”Why do I have this feeling that I don’t even need to check the caller ID to know?Who else would call me at this hour?I took a deep breath and tried to focus back on the story. “Okay, where were we? Oh right—the bunny!”But the phone rang again. And again. And again.By the fifth time, my eye twitched.“Whoever this is must be out of their min







