LOGINAlessa’s POV Four years ago, I stood in a boardroom and dismantled my brother's life in front of cameras.Today, I couldn't find my passport because my mother had reorganized my suitcase while I was in the shower."The linen trousers," my mother said firmly, holding them up. "They're breathable. You'll be in Australia in July, Alessa… it's their winter, but you'll still be warm and you need the waistband room."I was rubbing a hand against my six month old bump. "I packed those already.""You packed the navy ones. I'm talking about the cream ones." She said. "I don't need two pairs of linen trousers-""You absolutely need two pairs." She was already folding them into the bag. "And the wrap dresses. All three of them. They'll accommodate the bump beautifully and you won't have to think about it."From the other side of the bed, Josephine, my mother-in-law, looked up from where she was reorganizing my shoes.“Take the sundresses instead," she said. "The wrap dresses are lovely but th
Alessa's POVJaime was standing at the gate with his hands loose at his sides, he looked thinner than I remembered but my heart remained unwavering. Jason stepped forward and squared his shoulders."You need to leave," he said."I know," Jaime said. "I will. I just need a minute."Jason scowled. "You don't get a minute.""Jason." My voice came out quieter than I intended.He looked back at me and his jaw was clenched tight. I touched his arm once, gently.A sigh left his throat and he bobbed his head, conceding. I looked at Jaime. "Say what you came to say."Jaime exhaled. He looked down at the ground for a moment, then at me. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know that doesn't fix anything and I'm not here because I think it fixes anything.”His lips were pressed tightly. "I just needed you to hear it from me. I'm sorry for all of it. The way things ended and the things I didn't say when I should have.""Jaime.” I whispered. “You don’t have to do it.”"You don't have to say anything." He sh
Alessa’s POVI looked at the reports still spread across the table."Alessa." She warned."I'm going," I said, and started stacking papers.She watched me with the expression of someone trying very hard not to smile. "He's been waiting for this for a while, you know."I smiled. "Lisa.""I'm just noting." She said with a shrug. "You're just noting nothing." I closed my laptop. "Go home.""I love how you think that tone still works on me." She was already packing her own bag, betraying that she had been waiting for this moment. "You look nice, by the way. The blue works.""Goodnight, Lisa."She winked. "Have fun.""Goodnight-""Text me.""Lisa."She left, laughing. I sucked in a breath and pulled out my compact mirror, checking my face and fixing my makeup.When I was done, I grabbed my coat and bag, heading downstairs. Jason was outside, leaning against the building with his hands in his pockets and looking at the street. He turned when the door opened, and a bright smile envelope
Alessa's POVThe boardroom smelled the same as it always had and I had sat in this room hundreds of times. I knew every face around this table.Today, some of those faces were not happy with me."What you did," Gerald Fitch said, setting his pen down, "was bypass every established protocol for internal misconduct. There are procedures, Miss James. You ambushed your own brother in front of cameras.""He ambushed me in a burning building," I said pleasantly. "I thought we would try it my way."There was a ripple around the table, and I caught some people trying to hide their smiles. "The reputational damage alone-“ Gerald snapped."Is significantly less than the reputational damage of forty-three million dollars in undisclosed transfers coming out through a regulatory audit," I said. "Which it would have, eventually. These things always do." I looked at him steadily. "I chose the version where we controlled the narrative. That distinction matters to shareholders and it will matter in
Alessa’s POVThey started to whisper, the camera clicked faster but I didn’t move. "JR Corps was built on a principle that was established before I was born and it was for this company would stand for integrity." I kept my gaze moving across the room. "I want to talk to you about what happens when someone inside this company decides that principle is an obstacle."I looked at Jason at the side of the room. He gave the smallest nod.The screens behind me came to life and then a recording of Jason’s voice filled the entire eoom. As he spoke, murmurs filled the room, board members rose to their feet and even my family were shocked. I didn't look at him. I kept my eyes forward, and raised one hand. "There's more."The noise subsided and I nodded. "Exactly one week ago, I was abducted." My eyes found Jason as I kept speaking. “And I was left to die in a burning building. The individual who coordinated my abduction was a woman named Laura. And the individual who contracted her…”I fin
Alessa's POVThe mirror on the wall told me things I wasn't ready to hear.The bruise along my jaw had faded to a sickly yellow-green. My wrists and head still ached with a low persistent throb that the painkillers did nothing to help. I looked at myself for a long time then I straightened my shoulders. I had a press conference to attend. I heard the knock before I could respond, the door opened. "Alessa." He stepped inside, and he actually looked concerned. "You look better. How are you feeling?""Strange," I said. "Everything still feels very far away. The doctors say that's normal."I lied to everyone and told them I lost my memory, pretending not to remember anything that happened three weeks ago. So now, they all saw me as fragile. It was working, I needed them to believe that for my plan to work. He sat on the chair beside my bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "The press conference today," he said, gently. "Are you sure about this? It's too soon."I need t
I was feeling jittery. My hands were shaking, my heart was racing, and I kept checking my watch every thirty seconds.Challan had approved the partnership. Primrose was coming to the office today to finalize everything. This was my chance to prove myself, to secure the win against Julien, and to sh
My fingers curled into a fist, my nails digging into my palm hard enough to leave marks.I started remembering all the times Michael and Sara had told me I wasn't their mother. The way they'd slowly started calling Laura “mommy" instead. The final devastating moment when Jaime had made his choice
I stood in front of the tea shop, staring at the elegant glass doors and trying to steady my breathing. My hands were trembling slightly, and I pressed them against my skirt to still them.This was it. The meeting that could change everything. My chance to get ahead of Julien and secure my future
The heat between us shattered when Jason suddenly ripped himself away from me. His chest heaved, eyes wild with a storm I couldn't decipher, and before I could even catch my breath, words tumbled from his lips in a rush. “I'm sorry,' he muttered, his voice rough, laced with regret that hit me lik







